a long weekend

last weekend was a long one, thanks to our national holiday on thursday. i completely indulged in a weekend on my own. i slept in and let one day go by with only reading my book, cooking, reading again ... i am back to another book by paul auster, moon palace, which my brother gave me on my wedding day. i love this book not only for the story being told, but also for the story my brother connected to it. his inscription says a book about life, new york and the search for happiness [...] oh!
i went to yoga class several times, strolled around the city and visited a couple of coffee shops i wanted to try (one and two) and a great bookstore in mitte, where i purchased an issue of kinfolk magazine. i was wanting to get one for a while now. the current topic 'the art of weekend' just got me. it's something that's been on my mind for a while. how can i get the most of my time off of work? bring things in balance even if the amount of time spent on work vs. the amount of time that is left to myself seems completely out of proportion ...
i guess the conclusion i've come upon for now is to find an answer to this each and every time there is a day off or an evening to spend or a weekend to hit the road ... or just the couch.

balance

what do you do to keep your balance?

i've tried many things like running, softball, gym, but nothing ever really did it for me until i started yoga. practicing yoga simply makes me feel good. it makes me feel and appreciate my body more, it gives me the ability to relax and let go and it makes my mind calm. during practice i can work out and meditate at the same time.

i've had this feeling from day one with various yoga styles, but ever since i'm practicing jivamukti yoga i feel like an addict. i can't say that i am happy with my discipline, but i do go quite regularly and make it to the studio at least twice a week. for a working girl like me, it really feels like a lot. it seems like i'm  adapting my day schedule to the studio schedule. 

and i met and meet lovely people there, teachers and students, which makes it a lot more fun to go.

oh, and this is where i get back to my resolutions.

part of the jivamukti philosophy is a meatless diet, not to say a vegan one. while i am experimenting a vegetarian lifestyle veganism clearly isn't an option for me. veganism rarely is a topic during class, but though i am not a fan of 'preaching' i do feel like these questions should be raised so that people can make conscious decisions. so maybe my yoga practice will help me making my decision.

i'll be travelling to new york in march and i'm quite excited to practice at the studio where jivamukti was created. check out the berlin studio here.  

ps. i found some good advice for yogis that have problems with their wrists here. i really like this article because it aims at those details that are especially overlooked or forgotten in advanced classes.