Yoga | AsanaVanessa

Recharging with Pranamat ECO

June 10, 2017/0 Comments/in Body, Lifestyle, Mind, Reviews, Yoga /by vanessa

After practicing intermediate bends quite frequently through the week my muscles and body get quite sore and stiff. I love to roll out my muscles on a cork roller first and then use my Pranamat ECO, which is a therapeutic massage mat with tiny little lotus shaped points that activate fatigued or tense areas of the body. I was so excited to try this mat out and I have been using it for about a month now, with my partner using it too!

I like to use it before or after my yoga workout because either have different outcomes depending on how I am feeling. I use it before my practice if I need some energy and want to feel awake and loosen up my muscles! The second I lay down on it I am aware of all the points that are touching me, and my skin starts to tingle a bit. It is kind of like a pleasure and pain when you first start using it, and then your body sinks in and you can relax.

After a workout is a different story because usually I am feeling relaxed and soft already, but since I practice so many bends, sometimes my back really slightly sore. If I lay on the Pranamat for a few minutes it activates those sore muscles and helps ease the circulations around them to feel better faster.

I also love to stand on the mat too and can last for about 5 minutes. The key is to even out your weight on the mat, if you are ticklish then it might be a bit harder for you at first! My preferred method to use it is always on my back and butt though, it seems to benefit these areas more for me and the feeling after is just so amazing. I can relax on my back now for about 15 minutes, only 2 when I first started. My back definitely feels much less tense and more relaxed before and after my work outs and I feel like my skin looks tighter and happier. These little prickly lotus points are speaking to my skin cells, pushing them to wake up and work! You can see the shapes it leaves behind on my back, it looks like star constellations in a far away galaxy.

My cat seems to like it too… or maybe he just loves the box 😉 which I must say is a clever design because I can tuck my mat right back into it. It is also really cute to see the little lotus flowers and the turquoise colour I choose when I look at the front of the box.

Check out Pranamat ECO at pranamat.com to read more uses and features of the mat, and you can see their Instagram to see the mat in action!

May Yogi Surprise – Creative Divine Mother

May 27, 2017/0 Comments/in Lifestyle, Reviews, Yoga /by vanessa

So this is my favourite day of the month, when that purple little Yogi Surprise box makes it to my door! It’s also Arlo’s fave time – he is always so curious and he will wake up from any nap to come play with whatever surprise came. This month’s box is full of positive and inspiring vibes to uplift the mood.

I noticed right away the Lilac & Willow Soy Candle and knew that it was going to be a good, relaxing box. You can also catch me at the candle aisle of any home store so I was in love immediately. I haven’t seen anything like this candle, it had floral petals and sage sticking out of the candle amongst other things, like a pretty little candle bouquet. It acts as a pretty scented candle but also helps cleanse the energies of any room as a purifying smudge. With hints of Cedar, it smells so heavenly – just as it looks. Mina had to have a smell too. Warning: today’s post features extra, too much, a lot of cats photobombing – they just wouldn’t leave me alone 😛 (Not Complaining)

Speaking of lovely scents and clingy cats, the Scentered “Be Happy” citrusy, refreshing body balm was so nice to see. I will definitely be keeping this one in my backpack for before classes. I put this on in the morning and I was smelling the pink grapefruit smell all day, how wonderful! I love the packaging too – Arlo wouldn’t let me take a peaceful picture of this one though, you can see he had to make his cameo!

There was also a yummy post yoga snack waiting for me in the box, a Nutrawbar Whole Fig Bar. I will be saving this one for later but am super excited to try it out. There was also a Joco Botanical Yogi Chakra body bar. This one was a sacral chakra bar, which governs your sense of pleasure, vitality, and connection to others.

I also was greeted with some wonderful cards from Tree Free Greetings, which I can’t wait to hand out to my friends.Each card has been printed on environmentally friendly paper made from materials like bamboo, hemp, bagasse, and consumer recycled papers. The designs on them are so pretty too!

My most favourite from this whole box (apart from the candle, just because I love candles) is these Mindful mandala Cards. I know Adult colouring books have had a very viral take off in the last year, and I can’t help but fall in love with these beautiful mandala designs. I get to colour them all in (ok, maybe I will share one or two), and even create my own at the end, how cute.

Moving on to the Yogi Surprise jewelry box, this month was a definite surprise. I have never seen anything like the mala that came in this box. It has a gorgeous silk tassel attached to the bottom and the colours were warm lovely hues of pinks and oranges. The matching bracelet is so pretty too. I love how there are so many details in it, the amount of beads, and types, and how you can wrap it around as a bracelet, or actually where it as a mini necklace too.

Arlo reeeeaaallly loved this one 😉

Want to give Yogi Surprise a try? Use the code YOGILOVE for a sweet discount off your first purchase!

Here’s an Arlo booty. Enjoy.

January Future Self Yogi Surprise box!

February 1, 2017/0 Comments/in Body, Food, Lifestyle, Yoga /by vanessa

I think this January Yogi Surprise box has won my heart! The jewelry box to be specific… why you may ask? Well, this box contained the most yummiest organic Vegan truffles from Missionary Chocolates I have ever had. I would buy this box over and over again just to have these truffles! Seriously that worth it!

One was a salted caramel truffle, and the other dark chocolate. The point is, they were both so tasty I almost forgot there was jewelry in this box too and not just chocolate treats! I received a beautiful rose quartz pendant and matching bracelet. This bracelet was one of the most beautiful and delicate pieces I have got in the box. It was so pretty I put it on immediately and even forgot to take it off before bed, haha! SO pretty!

This months box theme focused on “Future Self” providing the tools to refresh our spirit by detoxifying, purifying, healing, and renewing both the body and mind. What a perfect start to the new year! Especially with BATH STUFFZ! Loved this Pacifica ‘Lotus garden’ soap! It is all natural and look at how gorgeous the bar is! It looks like little sparkle flakes embedded into this clear bar.

I also found some Pacifica Detox wipes, in such a lovely scent. Kale, cucumber & mangosteen infused! Now that is a scent I have never heard of before, but it is so refreshing! these will come in handy for yoga classes and traveling! I also got a wrist compression sleeve which is great for when you do handstand or arm balances a lot. If you find you have weak wrist and have to warm them up a lot before doing arm balances then this sleeve is probably a good idea. It keeps your wrist in place and almost ‘together’ while you practice!

Next up is from one of my favourite skin care brands DERMA-E <3 I discovered this brand through Yogi Surprise actually when I received an amazing eye cream. These products are incredible and 100% vegan! All natural stuff goes into this face cream and it smells so yummy too, like cucumbers. FRESH! I have been using this every night and it has a unique tightening feeling. It is very thin which I like but VERY hydrating. I know it says night time cream but I have actually been using this DAY & NIGHT because it is just that thin and hydrating. It really does pull your skin and make it tighter too! My dry, fine wrinkles are already disappearing, it’s like magic, really! SUPER RECOMMEND THIS CREAM TO EVERYONE!!!

I have been building up my yogi books collection and so far Yogi Surprise has given me two wonderful books! My first from them was “The Little Red Book Of Yoga Wisdom” which was such a cute and fast read. The Book I received in Januarys box is more informative – “The Good Living Guide to Medicinal Tea”. I’m not much of a tea drinker but this book actually focuses on more than just the benefits of herbs for tea. You really get to know more about each plant and the benefits it has to the body, a lot of these herbs are things you can cook with too so it is always good to know just what you are putting in your body and how amazing it is for you!

Always love my Yogi Surprise box! I heard February is going to be exceptional too! 😉

Use the code YOGILOVE to get 15% off a purple Yogi Surprise box at yogisurprise.com !!! You won’t regret it!

My Inner Fire around Toronto!

January 27, 2017/0 Comments/in Body, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Reviews, Yoga /by vanessa

As January comes to an end I realize I didn’t do much of a recap to the last year, so here is a mini one featuring one of my fave Canadian brands My Inner Fire! I am so proud to be an Inner Fire luminary and have the chance to rock the coolest prints around Toronto! We usually head out for a full day long boarding, walking , picnicking and of course some yoga snap and these leggings withstand the entire day or working out. Here are some of my favourite moments:

This was when I first got my Nocturne Inner Fire leggings! I LOVED all the new collection prints but had to have these Nocturne leggings first because they are totally my style. We took it to one of the most beautiful places in Toronto, High Park.

Not only was I wearing comfy leggings but this day was also a breakthrough day for me! I love to backbend and contort my body and I have been trying to reach my hands up further to my knees in this standing backbend shown above. This day was miraculous, not only did I reach my legs but I walked my hands all the way up to my knees and held it comfortably. I realized after that I was even doing this on a downward slope! Truly a cool moment for me! For all of you wondering how to get into this pose, it requires a lot of warming up. I usually warm up with a ton of pigeon variations and also I have to stretch my shoulders for a good 10 minutes.

I get so many compliments on these Bella leggings, they remind me of a warm Greek day with white buildings and this print on the tiled grounds. This was also a breakthrough day for me as it was the furthest I had ever gotten my splits in a dancer pose! It felt like a moment you understand a pose and what was holding you back at first. For me, I wasn’t able to reach my hands far down enough my shin to really lift my leg. I also focused more on backbends and less on my hamstring stretches. Now that I have incorporated splits into my practice, this pose feels much more natural to me and I’m proud to say I can do a full split now!!

On a sunny day like below we couldn’t resist long boarding around the city. I brought my travel Yogo mat (just incase yoga pics happened hehe) and of course they did when we arrived to this point on the lakeshore. It looks like you can see for miles, but it’s only a lake and it is pretty smoggy too!

I tried this variation of a backbend called Alien Backbend, where you drop your butt a bit lower, almost creating a chair like shape. I really wanted to jazz it up by doing it in a forearm wheel, but also hugging both my hands to my elbows once I was in a good position. It looks and felt great!

Classic Upward Bow pose below! I will admit I did tip over just after this, you can kind of tell I am leaning a bit too far back but I swear I held it straight for a a few breaths before!

We were headed home from a morning at the beach and we walked by this abandoned old train track. I had always wanted to try this pose where you extend your whole body over the track and do somewhat of a plank from one side to the other. I added a backbend of course and plopped my foot onto my head.

But then the funniest thing happened… these guys drove by and were so impressed they paid me to be in their music video! I seriously asked them a million times – “Are you sure? I do yoga… it’s a hip hop video right? And you want yoga?” 😛 – and they kept saying yes! So I did a mini flow on the hood of their car. HAHAHHA

This was possibly the best part of my yoga journey so far. getting to backbend on the hood of a rappers car for their video. Now I don’t know if the video ever made it out, and I honestly can’t remember their names. And who knows if they even liked the yoga hood girl in the end anyway, but I still LOVED this moment and will remember it for ever. It’s amazing how yoga has opened up so many doors of opportunity! Can’t wait for more!!

Check out @myinnerfire on Instagram – and you can use the code VanessaB for a discount at myinnerfire.com or on Amazon