The motivation behind this blog post: I want to help preserve the beautiful nature of Bali. April 2013, I  spent a month there during my yoga teacher training and talked to the indigenous people. I saw all the plastic lying around on the island and asked them if they have a strategy for that.
They say we can not imagine how much waste and plastic young kids from Bali are collecting and putting away from dumpsters. Without these volunteers Bali would not even have a chance.  People dump their waste in a big valley, there is no measure or enforcement, to stop them from doing this at the moment. There needs to be a solution on a global scale, to reform the way recycling is currently done in Bali. That valley needs to be cleaned out, so the Earth and nature can live and breath again. This was in Candidasa, a little town close to Ubud, but some more touristy areas, such as Kuta, the surf paradise are even more polluted.

I watched the 'Orange Is The New Black' TV series yesterday for the first time. I loved the scene where an inmate, Yoga Jones explains the concept of mandala*, a sacred offering. "Tibetan monks make them out of dyed sand layed out into beautiful designs in the sand. And when they are done, after days, weeks of work, they wipe it all away." ...

*By the way Mandala is a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe

I often think how privileged I am to have the wonderful beaches of California around me. On a recent trip to San Diego, I stopped for a second and counted the things that I'm grateful for... 

"Knowing that we aren't who we thought we were begins to open up the possibility of knowing our true Self. "  Deborah Adele: The Yamas & Niyamas - Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice

Meditation (Dhyana = State of meditation) is the seventh limb or part of the 8 limbs of yoga and allows a purification of the mind and spirit, besides the seven other limbs: Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Samadhi (see also in Sri Swami Satchidananda's book: "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali"). 
I love this quote by Rumi: "The quieter you become the more you are able to hear." ...

In San Francisco both yoga classes and outdoor festivals are very popular, so I thought why not combine the two? ( I was not the only one btw, there is a big yoga festival on Treasure Island each year, but unfortunately I didn't make it there this year.)
While waiting for the T-train on our way to the Burning Man decompression party...

I thought I would post this poem today, that really got me thinking on the power of love.
A part of it was on a chocolate-wrapping, I found the entire poem and want to share it with you:
"Come when the nights are bright with stars
Or come when the moon is mellow;
Come when the sun his golden bars
Drops on the hay-field yellow.
Come in the twilight soft and gray,
Come in the night or come in the day,
Come, O love, whene’er you may,
And you are welcome, welcome.
...

My husband and I finally arrived to San Francisco, it was quite an adventure and we were determined to give it another try and move to the United States.
After a couple of days, we felt like we never left. We miss our family and friends, but are very excited for our future and we are very motivated to set new goals and follow our dreams.

When I come to my yoga mat, that's the time of the day when I'm in my element. It might take a while to get there, but when I do, I'm so grateful for every moment I spend on it. I like to set an intention for class, that guides me through my practice and defines the goal or intention that I will be working towards in class. 

This can be a dedication or an offering, to a person in your life, or just something you wish to change in your life. I usually pick things like: I would like to be more patient with others and better at communicating and keeping in touch with family and friends. A lot of times it's something simple as: I wish that all my family members are happy and healthy. I strongly believe that you can send positive thoughts and it works even if you are thousands of miles away. After doing some pranayama (breathing techniques), I focus on the here and now, and start noticing the different body-parts, and how they feel that day. Every yoga practice is different. Everytime you come to your yoga mat, it's going to be a different experience. Sometimes enlightening, sometimes relaxing and sometimes incredibly energizing. Whatever it is that brings you to your yoga mat, it can bring many returns of the day. One of the favorite things I heard in one of the yoga classes when doing Warrior I (VIRABHADRASANA I) pose can be seen below. 

Namaste!

I encourage you to watch the video below and consciously choose the food you buy, the next time you are in a supermarket.
Depending on the country you live in, you might find, that about 80% of the foods you will find in a supermarket are full of refined carbohydrates, sodium, preservatives and don't actually contain nourishing minerals and nutrients. 
Being aware of the psychology behind the structure of supermarket shelves and positioning of goods can help you choose non-processed foods to benefit your health.

Hello...and a warm welcome to my blog!

This blog was created to give you an intro to my perspective on healthy eating habits, and tell you a little bit about the health benefits of the lifestyle and diet changes I made about a year ago, in July 2012.

Hopefully the articles will help you find some good recipes for cooking and baking without sugar, dairy and meat.

To give you an idea about my diet, I personally gave up meat, dairy, gluten and sugar in July 2012 to feel healthier and more energized. I was lacking energy and concentration for about 6 months and had various other health problems such as skin allergy, so I decided to research a diet called candida diet. As you know, a healthy gut flora is the key to a well functioning immune system. Of course one has to keep in mind that the body needs a balanced diet, and I strongly recommend anyone who wants to try the diet, to research this subject thoroughly. 
For those of you who are not familiar with the diet, it's a very restricted low-carb and low-sugar diet usually avoiding the following foods: sugar (incl. all fruits), wheat, dairy products, vinegar, 
After careful evaluation of the resources available to me, I decided to follow the recommendations of the page: www.thecandidadiet.com. I have to admit, I found a lot of controversial information about the candida diet, and what foods to eat vs. not to eat, so I decided to stick to the list on this website, as the information they provided seemed trustworthy and reliable.

After being on a strict diet for 9 months, I still felt tired and exhausted and decided to visit a naturopath who helped my mom to get rid of her candida overgrowth as well. She gave me a new list of foods, and told me that the 3 key elements of eradicating candida from your system are: following the diet, taking a very good probiotic, taking antifungal supplements.
I can email you some details of my treatment if you are interested.
I'm almost through with the new 3 month diet, and tried to stick to it, with the dedication and discipline, that I was able to preserve throughout the year. I have two more weeks to go, but I feel incredibly well and really hope that I won the fight against candida, and I want to thank all the people in my life who helped me through this year and supported my enthusiasm to stick to this diet.

I will keep you guys posted on the verdict, whether I'm candida-free, or whether I still have to be on the diet for a while, or not.
Please email me with questions, or post a comment after this article, I can't wait to hear your feedback!

Also, my plan is to give you a comprehensive overview about healthy food choices, eating habits and lifestyle changes in the upcoming articles.

Namaste,
Eni