Creative Christmas shopping ideas in Valencia, Spain

A Local Gift Guide

Checking off your Christmas gift list can feel like a chore, and sometimes a bore. With these creative Christmas shopping ideas for your loved ones, you are bound to feel inspired with your gift-giving this holiday season. From funky and quirky, to feminine or modern, to cozy or even tasty, enjoy this list of local gifts ideas in Valencia, Spain.

All of the brick and mortar shops below are located in Ruzafa, which makes for a fun afternoon of shopping local in Valencia. If you are looking for shops outside of the Ruzafa neighborhood, check out the Christmas markets in Plaza de la Reina, Mercado de Tapineria, and the City of Arts and Sciences.

There is more than one way

How my coaching journey began Part 2

There were a couple of things that drove me in the direction of coaching. The more I stepped into my most authentic self and aligned my teaching in the same way, the more motivated I became to help others to do the same.

The more authentic my practice and teaching became, the more I was frustrated by the things I was seeing within the wellness industry- on social media and beyond. I saw many professionals in the wellness industry struggling with the messages they were seeing and the pressure to show up online, and on the mat, in a way that wasn’t authentic to their personality, nor their values.

Social Media can be an incredible space to connect and create community. In the wellness field, it can feel overwhelming, disturbing and even inappropriate.

The pressure to “show up” as sexy and perfectly posed and poised, began to drive me crazy. I found myself frustrated and unfollowing accounts left and right. Yoga is so much more than a beautifully sculpted body, standing on your hands, or twisting the body into nearly-impossible contortions.

“So, you help your competitors?!”

How my coaching journey began. Part 1

I was having a conversation with a few women the other day who wanted to know more about the “Authentically You” coaching programs. After explaining a bit about the program, one of the women asked, “So you help your competitors?!” My response? “YES!” And here’s why.

When I first began offering yoga classes in Valencia, my “niche” was teaching yoga in English. There weren’t many other teachers offering classes in English, but there were quite a few students who wanted to practice yoga in a language they felt more comfortable with. As the immigrant and expat communities grew in Valencia, so did my classes.

But soon enough, more and more English-speaking yoga teachers began to move here as well. I remember a couple of them early on, advertising their classes “Yoga in English in the Park”. They wanted to meet with me for a coffee to learn how to grow their English-speaking yoga business in the Valencia.

How establishing a morning routine pulled me out of a deep depression

“Underneath all we are taught, there is a voice that calls to us beyond what is reasonable, and in listening to that flicker of spirit, we often find deep healing. This is the voice of embodiment calling us to live our lives like sheet music played, and it often speaks to us briefly in moments of deep crisis. Sometimes it is so faint we mistake its whisper for wind through leaves. But taking it into the heart of our pain, it can often open the paralysis of our lives.”
– Excerpt from Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening

About 10 years ago, I went through one of the darkest times of my life. I was doing all the right things, but somehow none of it felt “right”. Everything in my life was good on paper, but in my heart I knew it wasn’t for me. I walked away from what I thought was the path I was supposed to follow. Get a good job. Establish myself in a career. Get married. Have babies. Live happily ever after. The end.

anxiety meditation morning routine

Four surprising ways to attract abundance into your life

We have all heard about the “woo hoo” practice of manifestation and how it can change our lives. Turn our dreams into reality. Attract love, abundance, health and all of our deepest desires. It seems so far-fetched and out there that sometimes we don’t even really try to manifest anything at all. But you know what? We are constantly manifesting, whether we like it or not. Our energy is either repelling or attracting in every moment, of every day.

DO THESE THREE THINGS BEFORE YOU POUR YOUR COFFEE

Wake up with mindfulness!

“Mindfulness” has been quite the buzzword over the past decade and to be honest, it has got me buzzing!

I have experienced the amazing benefits of mindfulness in my own life, from simple daily changes to more integrated practices in my life and relationships. The idea of changing our lives can be quite intimidating. However, if we can focus on changing some of our daily habits instead, these habits can in turn… change your life. Think about it, if you do something mindful once a day, every day, your life is bound to be impacted by this change.

So, here are three mindful things you can do before you pour your coffee.

Why I started describing the times of COVID-19 as “interesting”

I went from describing this time as “challenging” to describing it as “interesting”.

I noticed that whenever I was talking about, or writing about the current times I was describing it as “challenging”.

“How are you holding up during this challenging time?”

“Sending you lots of love during this challenging time.”

“Oh gosh, what a challenging time…”

I know that our experiences are a reflection of our own perceptions. I also know that we function at our best when our vibration is aligned with the universe, and to be honest, I didn’t like the vibration of the word, “challenging”. Goodness knows, I definitely wasn’t interested in inviting any more challenge into my life.

THE LUCKY ONES

The lucky ones.

When this pandemic began, I panicked. My work was centered around human touch and travel. What now? My husband had just moved to a new job, only one month prior. What was going to happen? No school for Luca? How will we manage? A dog we recently adopted who would now be confined to the indoors? How?

COVID-19

HOW ONE WORD CAN CHANGE YOUR LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCE

Have you ever considered how your language can shift your perspective and in turn, change the way you experience your life?

For those of you sheltering in place, in quarantine, or on lockdown with children…. who is the happiest human in the house? I am confident that most of you would answer, your child(ren). Children have a beautiful way of viewing life and a precious perspective on their experience, even during challenging times.

DAY 19- RANDOM RAMBLINGS AFTER ALMOST THREE WEEKS IN LOCKDOWN

I began writing this post on Day 14 of lockdown in Valencia, Spain. I wasn’t sure where to start, or even the goal of where I wanted to finish. I wanted a way to share our lockdown experience, but have been struggling to find the words. I am not really sure if there is a message I want to convey, or if this is more of a record for me. A memory, of sorts. There are definitely things I do not want to forget about this time. And other images and stories that I wish I never saw, read, or experienced.