the Girl on the Train

First of all, I like Emily Blunt. Not only because she seems to be a very sweet, fun, and smart person from what I've seen in talk shows but also because she's an actress, who can be vulnerable and strong at the same time. Also, she can play a variety of characters convincingly. 

She is the main character in the Mystery/Crime/Thriller movie from 2016 that's based on the Number 1 bestseller book of Paula Hawks ... It's the story of a commuter divorcee woman, who catches glimpses of the life of a couple who live in a beautiful house her train passes by every morning. With every glimpse she gets drawn back into her own past story and one day, when she sees something shocking, she eventually gets involved in a murder investigation. 

The critics loved Emily Blunts performance but seem to have expected more from the movie. Personally, I liked all the performances AND the storytelling. The movie uses a lot of voice-over and I had the feeling - though I never read the book - that the directer tried to stay true to the language style of the book. I loved what expressions Blunt's character used to describe her deepest and darkest thoughts and found it at times quite poetic. 

It's one of those movies that don't let go of you even after you leave the theater or turn off the DVD player. It stays with you, like a good book stays with you when you finish it. 

Lisa Eldridge - a Spa on long flights

This is the first video of Lisa Eldridge I watched. In this one she explains how she treats herself with a sort of spa on a long flight. 

I used to love flying and always found it thrilling to get on planes when I was in my twenties. Now, when I fly from Japan to Germany and back once a year, I just feel exhausted and at the end feel and look like a dried out zucchini. 

I'm a very self-conscious person and in the first few minutes into the video I wasn't too sure I'd feel comfortable enough to start putting different creams and lotions on my face and hands with lots of other passengers around me possibly wondering what I'm doing. But Lisa Eldridge has a way to make you think "Screw the others! This is about YOU!" 

And ultimately that's why I put this post in the Lifestyle section; I believe it's important to take care of yourself, to treat yourself, not to care about what others think and make the most of your time and enjoy yourself. 

Also, I love using small samples and smelling good and putting on big sleeping masks. I really want to get one just like Lisa's. You can also learn about other products she uses and the fact that she mentions affordable and less affordable goods is also a bonus.

Last but not least, I like this woman and her video styles. She is very natural, self-confident but not in an annoying way that makes you feel like a loser when you watch her, and she presents herself well. She is a natural beauty though and looks good WITH and WITHOUT make-up on. I'll definitely try to bring one of my colorful lipstick with and put that on in order to distract from the rest of my face. But that's just me. 

Maybe you'll treat yourself with a mini-spa on your next flight. Who knows?

You can find out more about Lisa Eldridge by clicking here. 

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

This podcast series was recommended to me by one of my dear friends. She knows that I'm interested in counseling methods and how you can support people in becoming aware of what's going on inside of them and what our relationships reflect about ourselves and others. 

So far, I only had the chance to listen to the first episode but I find Esther Perel's therapy style, in which she has sessions with real-life couples, insightful and think that the topics can be helpful in understanding ourselves and how to communicate better with our partners and with people in general. 

Below you can find more information on where to find the audible series and what the podcasts are about in Perel's own words: 

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

What the podcast series is about in her own words

Kelly Howell

I've been listening to different binaural beats created by Kelly Howell for over a year now and though I wonder how much of it is based on some kind of placebo effect, I have the feeling that they have a positive impact on my life. 

Her CDs with subliminal messaging range from topics like wealth, love, guilt, anxiety, weight loss, to success, prosperity, creativity, self confidence and many more. 

I started with listening to Attract Wealth almost every night for two weeks in a row, which subconsciously tells you that you deserve all the good things in life and that your mind should be open to receive wealth in the shape of money, opportunities, promising contacts, support etc. Back then I was not doing well financially but I remember how within a short period of time I met people who were kind to give me discounts or things for free, and I met lots of interesting people, who supported me in what I wanted to achieve. Also, small job offers came in. 

I still don't know how and whether binaural beats with subliminal messages work but as long as the messages don't include robbing banks or assessing people, I'm happy to be able to work on myself without having to do anything but to listen to them. You are even allowed to fall asleep because your brain ist still letting in the messages. 

By now I've downloaded a wide range of CDs and because I feel like I get a lot out of them with a minimum amount of effort and money, I wanted to share this with you. 

Below you can find more about Kelly Howell and binaural beats from her website and the Internet:

Kelly Howell is the world’s leading pioneer in guided meditation and binaural beat frequency audio technology. She’s a 6-time National Bestselling Audio Author of the most advanced brainwave audio programs available in the world today. Some of her highly acclaimed best-selling programs include, The Secret Universal Mind Meditation, Guided Meditation, Attract Wealth, Healing Meditation and The Secret to Attracting Love. She brings more than thirty years experience to her work in personal transformation and mind expansion technology. 

Kelly has taught meditation to thousands of individuals worldwide, at Fortune 500 Companies, and legendary retreat centers such as Esalen. She is author of Brain Power, Improve Your Mind As You Age, recommended by the Mayo Clinic and hailed by Daniel Amen as “A blueprint to optimize your life.”  Her visionary healing techniques provide an elegant way to recalibrate brain patterns and reap the benefits of biofeedback training and long-term meditation. Kelly’s healing voice and groundbreaking brainwave music have inspired millions of people to achieve goals, heal their bodies and transform their lives. Read her article published in the Robb Report on the profound benefits of meditation in just 20 minutes a day.

Creator of Meditate.Me Meditation App

A meditation sanctuary you can hold in the palm of your hand. Visit meditate.me to download free app featuring 10, 20 and 30 minute guided meditations from Kelly Howell. 

The Evolution of Brain Sync

In the 1980's Kelly began making personalized positive mental programing audio tapes for friends and clients. She went on to create a wildly successful series of Personal Development audio programs published by Bantam Books, and The SuperMind series through Random House.  1987 Kelly co-founded Neuro-Technologies Research Institute in San Francisco, a non-profit organization that studied the effects of brain technologies. Her work with researchers led to the creation of a series of clinical programs for medical professionals such as Harvard trained Neurosurgeon, Norman Shealy, M.D. Ph.D and Edward A. Taub, M.D. Their phenomenal success prompted her to launch Brain Sync in 1991.  Kelly has worked with eminent scientists to develop meditation and brain optimization programs used in hospitals, biofeedback clinics and by hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide. Over the years, many of Kelly's legendary self help classics have appeared on top of Publishers Weekly’s national bestseller lists. 

Host of Theatre of the Mind Podcasts & Radio Show

Kelly is the host of the much-loved, Theatre of the Mind podcast and radio show, featuring unprecedented access to the world’s leading visionaries and consciousness researchers, exploring mind expansion intuition, creativity and the many facets of human potential. 

Kelly has been featured in publications including The New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Brain World, Body Mind Spirit, Woman, Women’s World, Success Magazine, New Age Journal, Redbook and American Spa. Kelly is a keynote speaker, meditation guide and teacher for companies promoting health and wellness. She is affectionately called "The Brain Whisperer" by her many fans.

binaural beats 

coffee shop

For all my friends, who read my blog to stay updated on what things I'm busy with in my life, I want to share that I'm seriously considering to open a coffee / work shop. 

I will partner up with a friend, who is into fashion and we will try to integrate that part into the space as well. I'm very happy to have found someone, who gets me and thinks alike and is ready to take this risky, scary but exciting step with me. Whenever I thought of a business idea I always hoped for a partner or a team because I feel more creative, braver and motivated with likeminded people.

The main concern is obviously money and finding a location that suits our image of what we want the coffee shop to represent. It will definitely be a challenging time for us but we are ready to get on this roller coaster. 

We set a timeline and currently we hope to open the shop by fall 2018. Kazumi (my business partner) and I have had two productive meetings so far and hope to be able to meet up at least three times a month. We both have a hectic life and work a lot, which makes it hard to get together on a more regular basis. As long as our meetings are planned well though we hope we will be able to make the most of our limited time.

I don't want to share more than this. I hope you understand. For one thing, I don't want to jinx things, and also, one never knows what life surprises you with. 

Wish us all the best and stay tuned, my friends. 

Kacy Hill - Arm's Length

Although this song has been out since 2015 I just discovered it: Arm's Length from Kacy Hill, who is an American model, singer and songwriter. This song is included in her debut EP Bloo, which -according to stuff - is not even her best song on the EP. 

Unlike the mainly hip hop artists on the G.O.O.D Music roster, Hill's like a mixture of Florence Welsh and Kate Bush, making atmospheric dance music.

The EP is three tracks long, with two remixes of Hill's already successful hit Foreign Fields.

The original is by far the best, with Hill's hauntingly quiet vocals against a track which plays on silence beautifully. The Yung Gud remix sounds like Katy Perry's Dark Horse, with some nature sounds and a marching band drum beat, while the Bodhi remix just ruins the whole song by putting it up against a '90s-sounding dance track.

Arm's Length sounds incredibly Florence and the Machine, with its building bridge and soaring chorus in that powerful soprano, while Shades of Blue finds a balance between the two other main tracks, offering up a strong standalone track.

As a whole, it's not much on its own – it feels more like a teaser to the full LP than a standalone EP, but it's an intriguing one nonetheless.

She certainly has the talent and sound to make an impact on the mainstream market, now it's just a matter of time.

I like her strong lyrics, I like that there is a sense of sadness in her voice but also wisdom, sensitivity and hidden strengths.  Kacy Hill can sing very high and I simply sound like a cat in pain when I try to sing along, so this is not going to end up on my list of songs for Karaoke. 

Hear for yourself: 

I also like this interview from Coup de Main Magazine with Kacy Hill. I like her. Just click on the link. 

The Bling Diary

Swarnima, the jewelry artist 

I stumbled upon Swarnima's Instagram posts a couple of days ago and I couldn't help but comment on her amazing outfits as I found them unique in the way she combined material, colors, accessories, and designs. She quickly replied in the most sweetest way and that's when I checked out her blog on her website The Bling Diary.  

The blog is very well done and invites to a level of fashion that is very detail-oriented, passionate, artistic but also "doable".  

There is a quote from the designer and entrepreneur Swarnima that says:

"Every woman is a reflection of her own values and identity. For each woman it is my purpose to adorn her unique charisma with the elegance of jewellery. To highlight her power with the vigor of stunning gems and precious metals that are befitting of her inner and outer beauty. To me, the tenacity of fine metals is the sculpted masculine space that holds the glory and exquisite face of feminine gems in its strength. The metal is the anchor and the gems, eternal luster. It is much more than jewellery. It is a story of her self expression. My craft is made with passion to match her individual shine wherever she is be it the East or the West."

This is the part that moves me most about a woman, who knows her values and knows how to express herself with design, colors, and accessories as I feel I don't really know yet how to do that and I hope that I can learn little by little how to embrace my whole body with fashion. 

Check out Swarnima's Instagram posts and her website and you'll see what I mean. 

Joy

"JOY is the wild story of a family across four generations [Joy’s grandmother, her mother, Joy herself, and her daughter] centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce."

This biopic is about "Joy Mangano [,who] is most famously known for her first product: the Miracle Mop, but she holds more than 100 patents for her inventions, including Huggable Hangers, the best-selling product in HSN history. After starting her career at QVC, she led her company, Ingenious Designs LLC, to major financial success before it was purchased by HSN in 1999. Mangano has been the face of the network ever since, and in her 15th year, she remains one of HSN’s most successful sellers, with annual sales topping $150 million. She’s been named Long Island Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and has twice been honored for her accomplishments in Fast Company rankings of creatives and women in business. As of 2015, Mangano’s net worth is reportedly around $50 million—yet, for all her incredible success, there’s precious little additional information to be found about her. And those articles that do detail her rise to fame are virtually identical, name-dropping all the same inventions, sales numbers, awards, and career milestones you see above.

Until the release of Joy, in which Jennifer Lawrence plays a very Mangano-esque entrepreneur, Mangano has fostered what appears to be a painstakingly curated and protected image while remaining firmly in the public eye. (An example: we attended a cocktail party celebrating her 15th year with HSN, but everything about the seemingly benign event, in which we spoke with Mangano for a few moments, was deemed confidential.) Information about her life prior to creating the first prototype of the Miracle Mop in 1990, though the bulk of the story in Joy, is particularly hard to come by." 

You'll find lots of articles about this movie, directed by David O'Russell (Silver Linings, American Hustle ...), and most of them seem to be focused on what's fiction and what's not. 

Fergus Mason, who authored Joy: The Unofficial Biography of Miracle Mop Inventor Joy Mangano, knows this fact all too well. Of the 36 books he’s written for the biography’s publisher, BookCaps—which specializes in pieces that highlight a lesser-known or sometimes forgotten life—he says Mangano’s story is one of the most challenging jobs he’s taken on. “It was extremely hard to find information, particularly about Joy’s early life,” says Mason. “I had a lot of difficulty filling in gaps, because most of what’s available is about her shopping-channel career and what she chooses to release in interviews. The period between her divorce and starting work on the Miracle Mop was an absolute nightmare to find any information about.”

Which is what makes Joy especially fascinating—it primarily follows the main character through that little-known time from age 10 to 40, which means there are never-before-known nuggets of information about Mangano buried within the narrative. But what’s truth and what’s fiction?

It seems though that David O'Russell mostly cared about telling the story of a strong woman in the light of strong women and the life around them - with all its ironic, hurtful, joyful, inspirational and rough elements. You'll see a tapestry of emotional scenes that have a big impact on that Joy's life and how all that shapes her. 

What I liked about the movie was the way it was told. 

I liked the comical elements in sad moments in the movie, and the scenes when you expect a "BANG!" that turn into rather quiet, attention-soaking seconds, which eventually create a bigger impact (e.g. when you expect Joy to scream at the QVC producer on the phone for not fulfilling his part of the deal she chooses to whisper her anger). Picking up on that example, I found it fascinating that overall the character Joy is a forgiving soul, which makes her strong in a very feminine way. 

I don't know how much of this is true (feel free to research that) but I found it ironic how the director David O'Russell publicly pointed out that he made Joy to tell story of strong and successful women, while he is also known to make the life of actors (especially actresses) hell.

I guess, somehow or another we are all complex, contradictory and maybe even sick people: On the one hand we celebrate individuals for their qualities and on the other hand we treat other individuals incredibly disrespectful. (Here is the article I'm referring to.) 

I always take the contents of news and articles with a grain of salt but there is often a little truth to everything and I try to look at a story from different angles. The emphasis is on "I try".

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes and Vanity Fair 

Late Night with Seth Meyers

How to hit your opponent 100 times in 1 second

Hans Söllner

Great titles

Armless Man and His Blind Best Friend Have Planted More Than 10,000 Trees in China

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then you hear a story about people overcoming all odds to help others and it completely changes your perspective of the world.

Two Chinese men, 53-year-old Jia Wenqi and 54-year-old Jia Haixia, have been doing something amazing for the last 13 years. They have planted more than 10,000 trees around Yeli Village in northeastern China, a region which once was covered in nothing but rocks and weeds. But what is really stunning about this story is that both friends have severe physical disabilities – Haixa is completely blind and Wenqi is a double amputee with no arms. Yet, it did not prevent them from accomplishing their mission.

Haixia was born with congenital cataracts which left his left eye blind. In 2000, he lost sight in his other eye after a work accident. Wenqi had a tragic accident at the age of three years old, as a result of which he lost both of his arms.

But even despite these challenges, the pair of friends did not lose faith in the good and did not give up on their life. In 2002, when Haixia and Wenqi were struggling to secure jobs, they came up with a plan to make money on planting trees.

However, it was not only about money. The two friends wanted to revive the area around their village to create a better future for the next generations. Thus, they leased 8 acres of land near the Ye river from the local government and set to make their plan a reality.

“Our tree planting may not have much substantial benefit for the present generation, but it leaves a green environment to the next one,” Haixia told The Globe and Mail. “We are physically disabled but mentally healthy. We have this big dream in our heart to leave a stretch of green to our children.”

Since then, Haixia and Wenqi have planted over 10,000 trees in the area and it all became possible thanks to their dedication and, most important, teamwork. The friends have learned to overcome their disabilities by constantly helping each other.

Muhammed Ali

Plug & Plant Vertical Green Wall

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic was given to me by one of my dear friends. When I visited my mother in Germany this year, my friend announced that she'd drive all the way from Switzerland to come and see me and  stay over for the weekend.  A week before she arrived I received an Amazon package from her, sent to my mom’s house with a note saying that she thought I might like this book and that I could keep it if I wanted to.  

I loved that gesture. What a sweet idea. And because I liked the book and I thought the book liked me too, I told her that I’d love to keep it. 

Anyways. Big Magic is from Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat Pray Love, which - now don’t give me the “eyebrows up” thing - I never bothered to read! I’m sure I would have liked the book and instead of watching the movie I should have done just that. I’m not really a fan of reading bestsellers, especially not in their peak time when everyone on the train reads nothing else but that piece.  Plus, as cool as Julia Roberts is (I’d totally melt in front of her if I met her), I have started to resent the thought that I only see JULIA ROBERTS rather than the character she plays when I watch her latest movies. It’s very aggravating when that happens. 

Back to Big Magic. Although I haven’t finished it yet (I’m almost there) I couldn’t wait sharing it with you. I think it’s for people who search for more, and who need a push that helps them express a creative passion they have or think they have. In it Elizabeth Gilbert shares her experiences, struggles, as well as great times she had and has with writing, while using wonderful quotes, lovely anecdotes, and by personifying creativity in a very amusing way. 

I went through different emotions while reading the book: At the beginning I felt in-tune with Elizabeth Gilbert because I thought that we were similar in many ways (e.g. that she was afraid of many things, and how she thought about life in general). 

A while later I started feeling gloomy because I loved her writing style so much and the thought that I could never be like her was like a constant, tiny sting. 

In the part, in which she talks about Persistence I even could make out some feelings of detachment; suddenly Gilbert was this overly annoying confident, “Come on! The world is not a womb” saying woman with a whip in her hand, who always knew that her passion was writing and that she wrote A LOT, ALL THE TIME. In other words, she made me feel uncomfortable, lazy, and like a failure because I started doubting myself. We weren't similar at all. 

But eventually, something deep inside of me, no matter how much I disliked her confident tone, told me that she was right, whether I liked it or not. 

I’m not sure what feelings this book would bring up in you, but it’s surely a very inspiring piece for anyone who wants to know more about a “creative living beyond fear”. 

I can honestly say, that I love her witty humor and her refreshing, pragmatic, playful way of looking at things. 

Enjoy!

Colonia

Colonia kept my husband and me awake at night. We were in bed, ready to sleep but I guess we still needed time to digest it. We both wondered why we never had heard of it before.

It is a good film overall; one that’s gripping - up to an uncomfortable level – and one that makes you think. With Daniel Brühl (from Goodbye Lenin and Glorious Bastards), Emma Watson and Michael Nyqvist the main protagonists are well chosen. The acting is calm but leaves an impact behind.

The story is based on true events, namely that there had been an ex-Nazi cult in Pinochet’s Chile called Colonia Dignidad. The plot is about a young woman, who decides to find her abducted boyfriend and ends up in that infamous cult that nobody had ever escaped from.

I guess for me its always fascinating in a scary way how people get brainwashed, how control and power works, and with how much corrupt people and governments get away with.

The film is very good at almost giving you a heart attack with the way it keeps the tension up, and although that would usually be a plus point for a movie, I almost found it exhausting to feel that way until the very end. I also had the impression that because it could keep the tension up throughout the whole time, the film didn’t bother so much to go deeper and sometimes got away with rather unrealistic moments.

Still, I recommend Colonia as stories like that can be found all around the world, in some way or another, and manipulation of the mind is always right around the corner. 

Louise Hay - Positive Affirmations for Healing

Louise Hay's book Heal your Body was recommended to me over ten years ago by a dear friend and by now my version is about to fall apart and pages have come off. 

In it you can look up a list of medical terms for most common illnesses with short explanations for for mental causes for these physical illnesses as well as positive affirmations for how to overcome them. Every time my husband, or my mom or friends tell me about an ailment, I can't resist flipping through the pages of Louise Hay's book because deep down I believe that your body tries to communicate with you and you have to find a way to understand it. 

I think it's important to be aware of the connection between the mind and the body and because I believe that positive thinking can have a big impact on our lives I chose to put this post in Personal Development rather than in Lifestyle. And when I came across Louise Hay's website  the other day I wanted to share it with you; I thought that I would like to start some of her mediations that help you with self-love and self-love is something I want to work on more but you can find all kinds of other affirmations on her site. Here is a link. 

At the same time I would like to express in a very exaggerating way: Please don't think that her books and affirmations can heal all your illnesses. What I do want to say is: It's definitely good to be open for different perspectives and "new" ways of thinking when it comes to your struggles in life and little things you could change for a better, lighter, and fulfilling life. 

Lousie Hay is a well known motivational and spiritual author, who has come a long way and it's interesting to read a little bit about her background story. 

"Louise Hay was born to a poor mother who married Hay's violent stepfather. When she was about five, she was raped by a neighbor. At fifteen she dropped out of high school without a diploma, became pregnant, and on her sixteenth birthday gave up her newborn baby girl for adoption.

She moved to Chicago, where she worked in menial jobs, before moving in 1950 to New York. At this point she changed her name and began a career as a fashion model. She was successful at this, working for Bill Blass, Oleg Cassini, and Pauline Trigere. 

In 1954, she married Andrew Hay, but after fourteen years of marriage Louise was devastated when Andrew left her for another woman.

Hay said that she found the First Church of Religious Science on 48th Street, which taught the transformative power of thought. Hay revealed that here she studied the metaphysical works of authors like Florence Scovel Shinn and the Religious Science founder Ernest Holmes. 

In the early 1970's Hay became a Religious Science practitioner. In this role she led people in spoken affirmations meant to cure their illnesses. She also became popular as a workshop leader.

She studied transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his university in Fairfield, Iowa.

In 1977 or 1978 she found she had cervical cancer, and she concluded that its cause was her unwillingness to let go of resentment over her childhood abuse and rape. She refused medical treatment, and began a regimen of forgiveness, therapy, reflexology, nutrition, and occasional enemas, and claims she rid herself of the cancer. She declared that there is no doctor left who can confirm this story, but swore that it is true.

In 1976 Hay wrote a small pamphlet, which came to be called "Heal Your Body." This pamphlet was enlarged and extended into her book You Can Heal Your Life, which was published in 1984. As of February 2008, it is still on the New York Times best sellers list. 

Around the same time she began leading support groups for people living with H.I.V. or AIDS that she called Hay Rides. These grew from a few people in her living room to hundreds in a large hall in West Hollywood. Her work with AIDS patients drew fame and she was invited to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Donahue" in the same week in March, 1988. 

You Can Heal Your Life immediately landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List. More than 35 million copies are now in print around the world in more than 30 languages and has been made into a movie. 

Louise Hay established Hay House Publishing. It is the primary publisher of books and audio books by Deepak Chopra and Doreen Virtue, as well as many books by Wayne Dyer. 

In addition to running her publishing company, Hay runs a charitable organization called Hay Foundation that was established in 1985." (Wikipedia.org)

I'm a Kapha! And what are you?

One of my dear friends is currently doing an Ayurveda course.

Below is a very quick explanation from the web for anyone who is not familiar with this topic.

"Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world's oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. ... It's based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health, not fight disease."

My friend recommended me to do a quiz from a website called Banyan Botanicals, which helps you determine your ayuverdic constitution.

It’s important to understand that Ayurveda consists of five elements:

Ether/space, air, fire, water, and earth. In which proportion these elements exist in each individual person is being stated by the doshas “Vata”, “Pitta”, and “Kapha”.

The quiz or test is there to make you see which of the three doshas is your dominant one.

There are two different tests

One is called Vikriti, which shows you your CURRENT state, the other one is called Pakriti and that’s the one that shows your original (natural) state.

After taking the tests one can see how far apart from each other both doshas are and the goal is to bring you back to your balance.

I was quite intrigued by all this when my friend talked about what she had learned in her course so far. Ayurvedic medicine makes sense to me and after I took the test, I was quite impressed by the detailed information you get on what your current state is (the one you should do first, if I remember correctly), what impact it has on my health condition and my moods, what kind of lifestyle or diet suits me and what kind of food I should avoid, and so on.

I’ve also taken the Pakriti test a few days ago and I can’t wait to talk to my friend about all the results. Talking to a (soon-to-be) licensed person about my dosha will help clarify things. 

Holistic medicine

As I believe that western medicine makes the mistake not to look at the human body as a whole I hope to see holistic medicine be more part of our daily lives so we can be more in tune with ourselves. That’s why I’d like to share Banyan Botanicals’ link with you.

Due to the fact that my friend spoke passionately about her course and that she introduced me to this site with a sense of responsibility, I’d like to forward that feeling and I hope that you take the time to read a little bit about this topic and do the tests in a rather quiet time.

Before you start ...

Click here to take the Vikriti test. You can find the Pakriti test on the same website but I would recommend to not do both on the same day just because it's a lot of information. Also, when you do the Pakriti test try to remember how you felt around the time you were a teenager rather than answering the questions from your current point of state. 

I've already started implementing some of the things recommended to my type.

Be good to yourself! :-)  

Respect - little girls

The middle girl nailed it and the other two girls are great supporting dance partners. 

Summing up motherhood in 34 seconds

This made me laugh so much because I can imagine myself in a situation like that if I were a mom thinking (in a humorous-loving way) there is no escaping.  Especially the end is funny. Somehow it made me think of the movie Alien.