weekly scenes: here, there, and everywhere

Here, there, and a little bit of everywhere. The ease with which we skip around the world today is a miracle. Just in the last month, I feel so lucky to have gone the places I've gone and to have met the people I've met. Fifty to one-hundred years ago, it would have been unfathomable. The fact that I can be in Philadelphia during the week and head up to New York state for a weekend - how I can fly to Vancouver and make my way up the coast within a week - it's not something to take with a grain of salt.

The ubiquity of travel makes the world accessible, and our generation is lucky to experience it. We can meet people on every continent, in every city, with more ease than ever before. This new age of travel is breaking down walls, and the planet is becoming a global society. 

It makes me feel like a part of something bigger; a huge community that inhabits the world. The experience of traveling across the continent and to a different country all by myself, tapped me into it and opened my eyes.  It's stunning and comforting to know that there are so many people we can get along with, connect with, enjoy, and learn from. Many a time we focus on the differences, but when you let your guard down, you begin to find the similarities. We all have more in common than you think.

Everywhere we go, there are amazing people. Interesting, creative, intelligent. We can share things with a complete stranger, and we can connect with someone who, appearance-wise, is an entirely different kind of person. When moments like that happen, life realizes meaning. Your heart grows just a little bit bigger with each interaction. It opens up a world in which we can go anywhere without really being alone.

This global community has not always existed. It's a phenomenon of our time, and something I, myself, am excited to live through. We should not let it go unnoticed how special this moment in time really is.

Here's to all the amazing people I've met, shared a moment, and spent time with on my recent travels.  You all put a smile on my face.

contributing at everyday minerals

I'm now freelancing for the all natural beauty brand, Every Day Minerals. I'll be contributing more Numie-ness with a focus on DIY's. Be sure to check it out & follow along. First up: how to make this yoga bag!

weekly scenes

Boy have I been all over in that last couple of weeks. I made it to NYC for a quick visit with my good friend Ariane. She just got a new puppy this year, Minka, and I had so much fun hanging out with the little tyke again. He's a goofy little guy with, let's face it, killer looks. Another highlight was when Wanderlust came to Philly. It was a perfect 70 degree day. Thousands of yogis flocked to the piazza. I never even knew so many Philadelphian's practiced yoga. The feeling of having all those souls in one place to practice was overwhelmingly joyous. You couldn't help but have a great day from there on out. Not to mention, the whole thing was free. 

Among all of the excitement, I've sure been savoring my weekends as much as possible. My favorite kind of weekend is the productive relaxing kind, and I'm proud to say, I've been very good at achieving them lately. Those little relaxing moments, full of beauty and fulfillment, really help to make everything worthwhile. 

spring cleanse

So you've been cooped up all winter. Your diet has been limited to a handful of root vegetables, carbs and cheese. You haven't been moving as much, and you're ready for a detox. Cleanses are more and more popular these days, but I thought I'd take a minute to share a couple techniques that don't involve juice. There are plenty of ways to help remove toxins from your body aside from a liquid diet. Either use these in conjunction with a cleanse or on their own. Either way you'll be wringing out the bad, and welcoming in the new. Spring is a time to restart, so why not help your body out a little and give it a clean slate.

(image sources: 1, 2)

1. Take a cold shower: cold water causes your cells to expand and open up. You might not be able to stand cold water for an entire shower, but try just turning down the heat right at the end. You'll get an invigorating rush, and your cells will open wide making it easy for them to release guck that's been trapped inside.

2. Get or give yourself a good massage: follow a traditional Ayurvedic routine, and it will tell you to give yourself an oil massage every morning before you hop in the shower. Not only does it relax the muscles, but it removes the knots, pushes oxygen to the surface, and encourages your tissues to release toxins they've been holding on to. Frequent massages are known to improve cellulite as well as muscle-related issues. If you're doing it on yourself, a rule of thumb is to use linear motions between joints, and circular on the joints themselves (elbows, shoulders, knees, etc.).

3. Load up on antioxidant rich foods: sometimes cleansing isn't about what you don't eat, but rather what you do eat. Try subbing in antioxidant rich foods more than usual. Add blueberries to your morning yogurt,  minced garlic to sauteed veggies, or chia seeds to stirfry. They'll work to remove free radicals in the body and restart your body for spring.

4. Sweat: we all know one of the best ways to push things out of our body is with some good old sweating. Go for a run or switch it up with a body cleansing yoga routine. I love the detox yoga flow from Seane Corn which offers 30 and 60 minute detox routines. Lots of twists are great for your liver and colon. Having the two in good shape is key in cleansing the system and absorbing the last of those life sustaining nutrients. Keep the two running smoothly, and you'll be ready for feel good spring. 

5. Try 20 minutes of oil pulling: I recently just found out about oil pulling. It's a way to keep the mouth clean by pulling bacteria and debris out of your teeth and gums. Warm some coconut oil and add a drop of oregano oil which has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Swish a spoonful of the mixture for 20 minutes - do not swallow!- and spit out all the bad at the end. The mouth is the main entryway to the body, so why not start there in keeping it clean.  

new years resolutions: 2013

I like New Years resolutions. I say that now because I've finally discovered the right kind to make. I used to be like everyone else, "I'm going to do yoga two times a week, run four, and lift weights two!," or, "No more desserts!" But these are all wrong. Resolutions should be about an idea, something that you want to work to integrate into your life. Not something that's a final and drastic change. 

For example, at the year's close last year I was reading a lot about ancient Chinese medicine and the idea of yin and yang. I became obsessed with the concept of balance (still am) and decided to make 2012 a year dedicated to bringing more of it into my life. This didn't require an immediate overhaul. It was something gradual that I did here and there, and for the first time, I'm happy to say that I stuck with it. 

As balance is something that spans across all of life's aspects, it's tough to say that I'm now a completely balanced person as we head into 2013. What I can say is that after a year of thinking about it, I now understand at least what it is. Balance isn't about always feeling the same way or preserving some state of being. It's about having an equilibrium of opposites: busy/relaxed, happy/sad, etc. etc. You have to sometimes accept the way something is in that moment. It might be crazy busy, but remember that it will pass and there will come a time when you're completely relaxed and life is slow again. You also have to recognize what you need. If in fact it has been a crazy week and a group of your friends are all going out, but you feel like you need to slow down for a minute to get your things in order, then do that! If there's too much yang, do what you can to add some yin. It takes listening to yourself and breaking away from outside pressures to understand and give yourself what it is you need for balance. 

My attention to balance will only be brought forward through this year's resolutions. Below I've listed out what I'll be in search of in 2013. You will see that one is a quest for more personal reflection. You cannot have balance without it. And so now I'm thinking of balance in a new way, self understanding and remaining tuned in.

(Image Source 1, 2)

My New Years Resolutions - 2013

Kindness & Compassion

(outward)

The goal of this years quest for more kindness and compassion is to become less self-oriented. It's about connecting to others and becoming an expression of kindness - adding light rather than darkness to this world. I want to lead a selfless and community-oriented life in what little ways I can. To do so, there will be two main ways in which I think about it:

1. Judgement - How often I find myself judging others. I want to work toward positive thoughts, coming from a place of love rather than judgement. Who cares what someone's wearing or what photos they instagramed, everyone's a person, and I want to be more accepting. 

2. Sacrifice - Giving up my own needs for others more often. Volunteering my time, giving donations, and sharing what I have despite what it means I might have to go without.

Personal Reflection

(inward)

I want to focus more on personal reflection in 2013 as a way to work on myself. I think it's important to never stop improving, and I hope to become more mindful, purposeful, happy and healthy through increased personal reflection. This will populate into many areas, but two main ways in which I plan to find more personal reflection are:

1. Tarot - Whether it is "real" or not, tarot is a great way to take a step back and reflect on your life. I want to get a tarot journal to record all of my readings. I also want to begin pulling a card a day, and reflecting on its significance in the journal. If I miss a day, it's ok, but I'd like to try to do it as often as possible!

2. Yoga - I plan to amp up my yoga in 2013 and really dive in! It's always been a great way for me to take a step back and understand myself and all that's going on around me. I have a pretty steady weekly practice, but I'd like to try for even more. I feel like I'm on a tipping point where all I need is to do yoga more often. To kick things off I will do yoga for at least 30 minutes every day in January, and then take it from there. There's nothing like a good cleansing challenge to start off the New Year.

Memories

As something fun, I got a jar to house all of my favorite memories from 2013. When great things happen, things that I never want to forget, I plan to write them down on a little piece of paper with the date. Later when I get the chance, I'll stick them into the jar so that I can have fun reading them all next New Years day. 

Well, that's all. Now lets see if I can do it!

Happy 2013!!

zen

off to yoga :)

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