the best of the month Archives

It starts to be bright in the morning. Spring is definitely coming here in Helsinki. This I found out when we came back from our winter break from North of Finland. Asphalt is exposed under the snow and there is smell of spring in the air. On the street I see people wearing more light colors and they have changed their winter shoes to sneakers. I wonder, should I too? Or just to keep my winter boots on for a couple more weeks just to be sure not to get cold.

For me, early spring is hard. I start to feel restless and I just want to pack my bags and go for a long holiday. The nature starts to wake up and expose what rests under nead the snow — the same goes with me. After the winter the bright sun exposes all the unperfection in me: dry hair and skin. You can see the lack of the sun on my face. Early spring is a wake up call to start to do something. I started the month by reserving appointments to a hair dresser and to a beauty salon. For me and maybe for you, I recommend this months theme to be to take care of yourself. Give yourself a pampering moment in a spa and color your nails with a bright and inspiring nail polish.

Best of the month:

Drink: Squeeze lemon juice into room temperature water and enjoy the drink first thing in the morning. The health effects of lemon have been known for centuries. In short, lemon protects against disease and enhance the immune system.

Essential oil: I miss nature and walks in a forest. In my diffuser I have been using pine-scented essential oil to get more closer to trees. When I close my eyes, I could imagine being in a forest. This Frantsila’s essential oil energizes and stimulates in this early spring when I still feel tired.

Natural Cosmetics: I have been tasting this old Finnish cosmetic brand XZ, which have launched XZ-natura serie. Its shampoo and conditioner are perfect for winter-dried hair. Also the products are vegan and packed in recycled bottles.

Song of the month: Roisin Murphyn’s Ancora tu — this song makes me dream of a holiday in the sun.

Garment: Start to wear stripe shirt to freshen your style. Stripes makes the spring! Every year this time light blue jeans and stripe shirt makes a perfect combo for the season.

Yoga pose: Vrksasana, tree pose

Vrksasana is usually the closing movement of the standing series in Hatha yoga. This yoga pose grounds us in this moment when one foot is firmly rooted on the ground. Wood symbolizes protection and spiritual growth. Vrksasana is a position of calm: it lowers the heart rate and calms the mind. At the same time it is a balancing movement trains and it is a good hip opener.

Start in tadasana, place the other leg below or above the knee. Keep hand in prayer’s position in the heart centre, keep the pelvic in neutral position. Keep your gaze steady. Stay calm.

Read more:

February: Favorite list of the month

My favorite list for December

Shine on November!

The darkest season (in North) is here, and it is perfect excuse to carry light and warmness to your body and soul.

November is one of my favorite months. You might think, I am kidding, but nope, it is. And I am going to tell you why:

It is time to slow time. Literally here in North we need to start walk slower not to fall down. This is a perfect moment to walk more intentionally, to be more present.

November is a perfect month to turn attention to your inner self and get cozy. It is time to change cold drinks to hot ones, like Finnish glögi or tea, take breaks during the day on your yoga mat or just read a couple page of a good book on your sofa. It is time to light candles and praise the soft light. I would say that November is an official month of hygge.

Also, for me, November is a good excuse to start prepare for Christmas without the stress of buying gifts and all the other things we have to do before that big day. It is just the perfect time, slowly, to start enjoying Christmas lights and to eat chocolate, not to forget all the fun pre-Christmas parties that are waiting (well not for me that much parting this year).

Here is my pampering list for you to make the month even better:

In my diffuser: Last week, when I tried a new yoga studio, I smelled a little spicy, Christmas-like scent. “What was in the diffuser?”, I asked. “It is an essential oil called Thieves by Young Living”, answered the yoga teacher. I bought one bottle for myself right away. Thieves is a perfect essential oil for Christmas season. It is a mix of special aromatic combination composed of clove, rosemary, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiate. It definitely fills the place with seductive, rich and spicy aroma. The name thieves comes from 15^th century French thieves who combined this special mixture. High recommendations. You can get your own bottle from here.

Drink of the month: Spicy Sweet Chai tea by Yogitea.

On my plate: dates and chocolate

On my skin: Himalayan Body Scrub by Flow Cosmetics. This vanilla & orange mix body scrub purifies my skin and makes it soft. After this I am addict to Melvita’s Argan oil, which I have been using this autumn non-stop. After adding the body oil, I like to put another layer of Mossa’s Intense Nutrition, Sea Buckthorn body lotion. This season calls for an extra attention to my skin. Oh boy, how the skin feels different when living here in North than it was in sunny Spain. Luckily we have the sauna in our apartment. My favorite routine after the sauna is to do a slow body nutrition routine and do it in mindfully.

Music: Snatam Kaur – soft and spiritual.

Asana of the month: Baddha konasana, butterfly. For us women, we attend to have a lot of pressure on our hips. This asana helps you open more your inner tights and hip area. Make it a routine, do this asana every night before going to bed and you will notice the difference after a couple of weeks. This asana helps you also during periods.

How to do it:

Bent the knees and bring the feet together. Sit tall on the sitting bones (both sitting bones rooted) with the hands of the floor. Open the feet like a book, press the heels together while stretching the knees out toward the floor. Rotate the pelvis forward to draw the hearth center toward the horizon. If you feel any pressure on the knee area, add a block under the knees.