Caffeine, My Friend?

Caffeine is one of those things in my life, like a bad friend. It's come back into my life and becomes a daily habit again, but with that it brings other cravings of the nasty kind. Time to stop. It really does mess with me. It makes me anxious and the initial hit is so nice and warm but the comedown isn't. It just makes me beg for more. Bugger that. I'm not going to be a slave to no-one.

Since I've started drinking coffee again, my diet has suffered as well so it's been a double whammy. If I grab a coffee, I automatically go for a sweet-y or anything really to level out the rush after I drink the damn stuff. I also feel more sluggish and I'm not sleeping well which in turn effects my yoga practice.

My partner has a shocking history of bad sleep and yesterday he went to the doctor. Not only does he have to lose a little weight, he has to go to a sleep doctor. He's vowed to cut the caffeine now. This means coffee, coke and any other drink that has caffeine as the ingredient. Should be interesting to see how much more natural energy we'll have. I know when I'm eating well and exercising, I'm bouncing off the walls and sleep like a baby.

So this is for real this time, let's start with a week of no caffeine. We've done it before.

Melbourne Love

Missy here ducked down to Melbourne for a couple of days and wanted to share some of the groovy places we came across (not all of them or it'll take me forever). I love visiting Melbourne and don't subscribe to any of the Sydney versus Melbourne rivalry bullsh*t. They're both great cities, especially if you know where to look or have a mate recommend a couple of places to check out. It's the people that make it so great too and just accidentally coming across gems.












Cookie, Melbourne CBD - a great recommendation by a dear friend. Divine cocktails and gorgeous Thai food to tickle your taste buds. The space is amazing too and good music.

Degraves, Melbourne CBD - one of my sister's coffee spot hangs in the City. Loved the old theatre chairs and moody lighting. My sis has been living in Melbourne for the past two years.

Lentil As Anything, Collingwood - what a fab place to go to dinner. There are no set prices and you pay what you think it's worth. Great idea and love the communal atmosphere. A bit out of the way though if staying in the City but worth it just to visit the convent in which it is housed.

Vegan Wares, Collingwood - I've been dying to get a pair of Vegan shoes for a while now and hope they're as good to wear as the reason to wear them!

Retro Cafe, Fitzroy - this is our favourite cafe in Fitzroy and always make a point of going there when we visit. Great food, great service and we feel right at home. Reminds me of Newtown before it started becoming so gentrified.

Lululemon, Prahran - yogi heaven but expensive and from Canada. A few good pieces make all the difference though.

Route 66, Prahan - an all time favourite of ours. We have the sister store in Sydney but it was great to check out the Melbourne store. They also have a store in the Melbourne CBD now.

We saw lots more but these were my faves. I also loved all the local designer stores but most of them don't have a website. I can't be arsed right now to look up all the addresses so I can list them here but I do love supporting local designers where and when I can afford to. The best thing to do when visiting another city is to walk, walk everywhere and you'll be surprised by what you find!

Daily Rituals, Answered

...inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert

What do I really, really, really want?
For everyone I know to be happy and without harm, and for those I don't know to be happy and free.

Write down the happiest moment of every day...
Receiving a random gift from a colleague today when I got home (it was couriered to my home while I was at work!) and being completely overwhelmed with gratitude, guilt, embarrassment and finally happiness and appreciation for all the wonderful people around me. I only hope that I give them as much as they give me.

Refine your mantra...
Say what you mean and do what you say.

Eat Pray Love

I have just watched a great interview with Elizabeth Gilbert and Oprah. Gilbert wrote an amazing book called Eat, Pray, Love and if you haven't yet read it, go and get it now!

The following is lifted from the Oprah website...

You can take your own spiritual journey every, single day. Liz has three daily rituals that anyone can do anywhere.

Start a journal and answer this question every morning: What do I really, really, really want? "You have to say really, really, really three times or else you don't believe it. And answer it truthfully and do it again the next day and the next and the next," she says. "Because you can't set your journey if you don't know what you're for."

Write down the happiest moment of every day in a happiness journal. "It's a way of reminding myself what really makes me happy and what doesn't," she says, "and learn and study and look back and see what is it consistently."

Refine your mantra. "I say refine, not choose, because we all actually already have a mantra. We just might not realize that we do. Whatever you repeat constantly in your head is your mantra whether you know it or not, and that is leading you on your way," she says. "So if you're repeating, 'I'm a moron, I'm an idiot, I'm a failure, I'm a jerk, I'm a loser,' it's your mantra. So decide whether that's working for you. … Maybe it's not and then maybe you might want to choose a different thing to try to say whenever you remember that you're thinking what you're always doing."

Liz says the most important thing to remember is that you can take your own spiritual journey without traveling the world. "You don't need to go and do exactly the things that I did," she says. "The only thing you need to do is ask yourself the questions I was asking myself. That's what you need to do. If you listen to that, I guarantee that you'll get your own journey and it will not look like mine. Although I do hope that it involves pizza."

Power to the Peaceful Yoga (DVD)

This is the other Jivamukti DVD I recently purchased and it is very similar to the classes I do at Samadhi Yoga. I'm building up a mini DVD library so I don't get too bored with my home practice.

Musician, filmmaker, and human rights worker Michael Franti first tried yoga as a way to cope with the stresses of touring internationally with his band, Spearhead. What he found was something much more. Yoga's wisdom not only makes him feel strong and healthy, it inspires his music and helps guide his life.

Join Michael as he practices with two of his favorite teachers—David Life and Sharon Gannon, creators of Jivamukti, the yoga of spiritual activism. The hour-long practice, instructed to Michael's music, is vigorous, flowing, and inspirational. Jivamukti combines the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga into an experience that will help bring joy and peace to your body and your life.

** Not for beginners. I recommend going to a class first and practising under guidance before starting a home practice. The poses in this DVD assume prior knowledge and is fast paced in the Vinyasa Flow style. There are also inversions.

Refreshed and Materialised

I'm coming back refreshed and more positive. I'm still a little busy and will only get busier with the lead up to Christmas but I've made some changes. I've shifted my focus so I've got more energy for those closest to me. What a difference a couple of weeks can make.

Here are a few of my favourite things at the moment:

My family, including my partner and the friends I hang out with. They are the quirkiest bunch of people I will ever know in my life and they continue to challenge the very idea of anything really, everyday. Just when I get comfortable, something else happens and then I've learned yet another lesson in life and am brought back down to earth. It's kind of humbling.

Jurlique's re-branding and new products. I've been using Jurlique for the past 7 years and have only strayed a couple of times to see if I'm missing out. Nope. This skincare is amazing for my skin which is so sensitive. Jurlique is also certified organic, grown on bio-dynamic farms and Australian. What isn't there to love! It smells great too and a little goes a long way.


Satya Jewellery. I received my Sun & Moon necklace today and was so impressed with how the package was presented. So much attention to detail not only to the jewellery itself, but the wrapping, the card and the invoice. I have worn a strap of leather around my neck for the past 15 years (not the same piece *eww*) and needed to find a replacement that didn't come from an animal.

Jivamukti Yoga. I recently purchased two more yoga DVDs and have now received them. Amazing. I love everything about Jivamukti Yoga (not always the case) in the sense that it's something which I can identify my own practice with. I'm a spiritual person and my yoga is a spiritual practice. It can be whatever anyone wants it to be for them though! That's what I love about yoga. You don't have to have the spiritual element. But damn, I still can't do chaturanga (I have to drop my knees because my arms lock up). One day.

I've also nearly finished reading Dan Mathew's memoir, Committed. It's a hilarious read about a guy who who finds his way fighting for the animals and fronting PETA. Punk rock vegan antics with a cause. Love it and all the references to Morissey, Lene Lovich, Nina Hagen, Siousxie...the music I grew up with. What a star.


Lots more fun stuff but not going to write about everything. Let's just say everything around me right now, everything I read, see and have been doing is inspiring me. I've also decided to change careers (which has been in the works for a while)....more on that later. I'm tossing up between 3 degree courses and yes, it will involve nutrition and yoga.

Off to chill before another social filled weekend begins and some serious catching up with my favourite bloggers!

November Yoga Plan

Thu 1 - rest day
Fri 2 - 30 min yoga shakti, 30 min walk
Sat 3 - 60 min jivamukti yoga, 30 min walk
Sun 4 - 60 min jivamukti yoga
Mon 5 - rest day (cousin visit)
Tue 6 - 60 min jivamukti yoga
Wed 7 - 60 min walk
Thu 8 - 60 min jivamukti yoga
Fri 9 - MIA
Sat 10 - MIA
Sun 11 - MIA
Mon 12 - 60 min walk
Tue 13 - MIA
Wed 14 - 60 min walk
Thu 15 - MIA
Fri 16 - MIA
Sat 17 - MIA
Sun 18 - MIA
Mon 19 - 45 min walk
Tue 20 - 45 min yoga shakti, 45 min walk
Wed 21 - 45 min yoga shakti, 45 min walk
Thu 22 - 45 min yoga shakti, 45 min walk
Fri 23 - MIA
Sat 24 - MIA
Sun 25 - MIA
Mon 26 - 45 min walk, 40 min jivamukti yoga
Tue 27 - 30 min yoga
Wed 28 - 45 min yoga shakti, 30 min walk
Thu 29 - 45 min yoga shakti
Fri 30 - MIA