Sparkling Yoga Diary

spontaneous gratitude

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:42:00 +0200

My life - a whirlpool of colours, sounds, shapes, airports, yet accompanied by an omnipresent sense of deep peace that I’m learning to tap into more and more often. How did I get here I wonder? Far from the old-school model of how life is ‘supposed’ to be, I finally found the freedom to express who I am through the practice of music and spirituality, the never-ending journey that has chosen me and I’m just happy to be the practitioner and letting go of all expectations. And on a Saturday like today, after teaching yoga all day and finally sitting on my sofa catching up with all the tasks, being hopelessly slow and distracted by a bowl of pomegranates and raw new recipes of lemonades that appear in my head like little light bulbs and that I feel I need to try out immediately; when Copenhagen is filled with sunshine, soaking in this intoxicating warm deliciousness of late Spring, when a girl is drinking wine and playing guitar and singing a beautiful old song on my terrace and I can just hop out of my window and start singing along….I appreciate every person, every single thing that happened, every difficulty and every challenge, every ditch in the road, every detour that brought me where I am today - mentally, physically and emotionally. I wish that everyone could experience this overwhelming amount of gratitude and love that I feel in this moment. Appreciation truly is one of the most powerful emotions that a human can experience.

Delicious invite ;)

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:25:00 +0200

photo by Janne Larsen

I would like to invite you to join me and the amazing Janne Larsen for a week of 5 star gourmet raw food, yoga, nature and meditation from the 10-16 June 2013. There will be a bunch of international speakers and the centre that I have discovered a few months ago while teaching a yoga weekend, is going to blow your mind. Set amidst Swedish forest wilderness and just a few hours by train from Copenhagen - does it get any better!? Enjoy the clean crispy air, morning yoga and meditation, afternoon talks with nutrition experts, lots of interesting like minded people and of course the best purest food imaginable. Come come - you know you and your body are going to love it :)

Read more here and get in touch with me if you are interested in coming along (elena@sparklingyoga.com)

http://www.mundekulla.se/mundekulla/parse.php?p=_raw_food_festival.html

Lots of love and sparkles,

Elena

Ocean Yoga

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:08:00 +0200

Late night, end of the 8th day. Sounds almost as dramatic as it feels to be at this point of the journey. If I tried to fit the last week of my life into words, I would be bound to fail. But I will attempt to transmit at least some of it anyway.

The yoga teacher training intensives with Shiva are just like the name implies - I N T E N S I V E in every way imaginable. Most of us fly in from different parts of the world from Indonesia to Hawaii and Alaska to study, to surrender to the process that challenges you both mentally and physically, challenges your very core and is yet so deliciously exhilarating in it’s chaotically organic wholeness. For me, it’s an invitation to play, to reset my life and my biological clock to waking up before the sun and learning to enjoy it, by letting my body be transformed through the fire of the practice and to see my world through a different lens as the journey comes to an end.

It’s a special trip in many ways this time around. It’s the last of the “obligatory” modules for my certification and looking back at 2011 when I came to LA for the first time to study, it feels like I’m about to complete a chapter. The practice brought me back from fire to calm and I understood through experience how important it is to honour and nourish yourself in order to give.

And today as Shiva took us out of the studio and to the beach, inviting us to live yoga instead of studying it, I realized the depth of this statement. Getting the kayak through insane Californian waves and into the open water, I was fighting my childhood fear that has been planted the day my Dad rescued me from the sea. I thought I was over it and my relationship with the ocean has been re-established in it’s fullness. But my internal dialogue proved the opposite. And as you paddle - through the waves or the ups and downs of life, as you synchronize your rhythm with the rhythm of Samudra or the ocean of your life, you begin to feel how your heart beat matches one of the ocean. You begin to notice the the parallel, exactly how closely this encounter with the ocean resembles our lives.

You can’t control it. You have to have the patience and wait until the time is right and than take an action, jump into the dark water, into the unknown even if you’re afraid. The ocean will sometimes accelerate you with enormous power and you got to keep your cool and the sharpness of your focus to land right where you want to land so you don’t end up tumbled around by the waves in case you hesitate.You got to learn to surrender once you’re out in the open water and the waves will rock and cradle you as long as you let go. And sometimes when you least expect it, something magical happens, like a family of dolphins that blessed our day today as we paddled on our kayaks and boards.

You got to reclaim your wilderness, your intuition and your free spirit. Reclaim your fears and cast them aside. Reclaim your true nature like the ocean and the authenticity of our interaction with the nature and our own lives. This is where we find what we sometimes feel is missing, that part of ourselves that we might have lost in the process of “growing up”. May your journey be adorned with blessings.

Love and light,

Elena

This year has started for me in a slightly unusual way. Moving in, moving out chaos of the first...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:35:00 +0200

This year has started for me in a slightly unusual way. Moving in, moving out chaos of the first week of 2013 has evolved into one of the most amazing trips of my life and I’ve been an insatiable traveller as long as I remember myself.

Honestly, I do believe that every journey has a transformative potential beyond what we can possibly learn and master in theory, an ability to enrich our experience and make us better human beings through interactions and cultural shocks we would never be exposed to if we hadn’t had the courage to leave our comfort zone and the bubble of our everyday life. But maybe some journeys change us more than others.

The real adventure started with me arriving in Bangkok and while waiting for my connecting flight to Phuket, receiving news about my friend, who was supposed to meet me in Thailand, being unable to travel due to an expired passport. So suddenly, the entire project we have planned together for the past months, has crashed before me and I realized that I’ve travelled across the world for no reason. Involuntarily, tears begin to roll down my face and I know there are two choices: to go back or to trust that there might be a deeper meaning in this situation and to continue. I hesitate for a moment, and decide I could give trust a shot. So, I continue.

Exhausted and sleep deprived, I arrive in a sticky hot provincial looking tiny airport in the South of Thailand, attempt to take a taxi to the hotel I had booked for the first night, yet end up having to wait in the sun for an hour. My Icelandic sweater, a must accessory for Scandinavian January, seems utterly out of place in this environment, almost alien and clearly unnecessary while I’m here. I finally get a taxi that we decide to share with a Swedish man that I ended up chatting with on the bus stop while complaining about the wait. I fall asleep and the taxi driver, despite having looked up the place on his GPS, gets lost. While I’m half asleep, we drop off the Swede at the ferry terminal and continue on. 2 hours in my lovely taxi cradle and many wrong destinations later, I’m finally at the hotel. It’s 2pm sticky heat, half conscious, I crash on my bed while questioning the appropriateness of Danish design chairs in my Thai hotel room and immediately fall asleep. I wake up in the evening to get some food but realize my local money has all gone to pay for the taxi ride and the banks are closed. Another little adventure and I’ve met a local doctor lady who exchanged a bit of money for me so I can buy myself a dinner. A ton of chilli and 3 hours at an internet cafe and I have a plan B. I’m heading to the islands in the morning. I remembered one advice given by a friend back in Denmark and I’m going to stick to it.

The trip to remote part of the island took a total of over 48 hours. I seem to magnetically attracts adventures, but also meet people who guide me and give me the most valuable advice. The entire transition to the opposite side of Southern Thailand was smooth and seamless, infused with little gems like the people I met, the bright orange room I ended up staying at, the little blessings along the way. And there I was, the jungle’s best kept secret, the remote bay with a few little resorts and the most amazing people on the planet.

The plan to stay there for a few days quickly grew into the entire duration of the trip and on my second day, I signed up for a bodywork course which was yet another proof I just needed to have some faith and trust in the intentionality of the whole process that seemed to be going so wrong in the beginning. The whole reason for me being miraculously guided to a place dramatically different from where I intended to go, was to meet the souls that I met. And they sure were special..

The place hidden among the palm trees in that remote bay of Thai archipelago that became my home for most of January, is nothing short of a social experiment. I still question how all the right people know about it and without much publicity, this location only attracts the right crowd. I feel immensely special to have shared some weeks of my life with them and to have been able to maintain a connection after our lives sucked us back into the whirlpool of our agenda. And then I try to somehow summarize that “secret ingredient”, that something that makes these people stand out from the crowd for me. I was trying to understand what makes them so inspirational. And I finally got it: these few people who I really admire, are the ones who fearlessly follow their fire. These are the ones who have been blessed with a gift that they are not afraid to share with the world. These are people who are so amazingly good at what they do and what they burn for that their passion could move mountains, could stop the wind, could speed up the Earth; who’s inner fire is so strong, it could light up millons of candles of our souls inspiring to each follow their own path, and never dim. These are people who’s limitless creative drive is so contagious it makes you believe you could create something amazing too. These are people who all share this one secret to a life of meaning and purpose: cast aside the fears, shame, the feeling of inadequacy and just do your thing, just follow your joy and bliss. Create for the sake of creating, play for the sake of the game rather than a triumph at the end, travel for the sake of the journey with no destination, and it will become the destination. The jewels that a sense of tremendous inner satisfaction brings as a result, are beyond imaginable.

Love and gratitude,

Elena

Experience of Flow and Synchronicity in Yoga and Manifesting

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:05:24 +0100

Location: Copenhagen

Details coming soon!

Spring in Sweden, here we come!!!

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:47:00 +0100

Dear lovely yogis!!

I am so extremely pleased to invite you to a weekend of all the delicious things like yoga, meditation, smoothies and nature - in Sweden!

Let’s celebrate Spring and boost the energy by escaping to Sweden for a weekend of yoga, meditation and delicious raw food. We will dedicate this weekend to the practices that purify your body, make your skin glow and raise your vibration including pranayama (breath work), kriyas, yoga nidra, restorative yoga and a vinyasa class. Green smoothies and our location amongst stunning Swedish nature make weekend a real treat!

Here are some facts: the dates are 12-14 April 2013, the place is http://www.mundekulla.se/, a 3-hour easy direct train ride from Copenhagen and a short taxi ride from the station, the retreat centre will cover half of the taxi bill!

The food is vegetarian, at least 80% organic and mainly raw (plus some green smoothies by my request).

The place is equipped with all we need for yoga and a stunning yoga space.

Most rooms have a private shower and toilet and can either be single occupancy, double or 4-bed rooms (great for making new friends!) depending on your preference.

The programme will include a restorative yoga practice on Friday, morning and afternoon yoga and meditation on Saturday as well as peaceful yoga and meditation class on Sunday. There will also be one surprise activity on Saturday :)

Please let me know if you are interested in this weekend and I if you are, I will send you the practical things to register :)

Have a wonderful week!
Blessings,
Elena

The Art of Allowing

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:55:00 +0100

“Your life, and everyone else’s, too, is but a reflection of the predominance of your thoughts. There is no exception to this.” - E.&J. Hicks

I’m in the process of preparing for the next workshop that I’m teaching this coming Sunday. It’s a workshop on manifesting and this is something I’ve been researching for over 6 years now, playing with concepts and ideas, vision boards and intentions, a whole lot of different experiments (I’m going to share one of the most recent ones from my last trip, in one of the next blog posts), approaches and techniques. And this time, I must say, I’m feeling more inspired than ever to share with you some of my most recent observations.

I see a whole lot of different stories going on - in my own life and around me. I see my friends being stuck in their habitual patterns and some of you breaking free and sending me your crazy success stories. And the more I observe, the more I get confirmed in something that previously seemed like a theory and then like a subjective personal experience. This something is what we often don’t give enough attention when we try to change our lives for the better. In response to what I’ve been asked about lately, I am writing a short summary of how you can work with the law of attraction to bring more positive change into your life, this time focusing on one specific thing: the art of allowing.

Let me elaborate it a bit. Imagine yourself setting an intention or sending out a wish. In most manifestation teachings, this is commonly recognized first step in the manifestation process. In E.&J. Hicks approach, the second step would be the universe responding to the intention you put out by providing the ideal circumstances or the object of your desire. And this is when the interesting part starts: many of us experience the perfect manifestation of our desire, but sometimes this doesn’t happen and it makes us question why? Am I doing something wrong? Does the law of attraction work for only some of us? Most certainly not. The keyword or step 3 of the process is ALLOWING. The art of allowing means not resisting the natural flow of goodness, not preventing it from transforming your life. As a matter of fact, there is no negative flow as such and whenever we find ourselves in a negative spiral of events, we are simply not letting in the positive flow (one of the metaphors to illustrate this point is what I borrowed from a Swami: “Just like there is no “darkness switch”, just a light switch - we don’t need to “fight” the darkness, we simply have to switch the light on”). The art of allowing also means creating the right energetic charge inside you to match the vibrational frequency of what you wish for, create the right mood if you will, to receive the manifestation of your wish. I can almost hear you asking: Why would I resist a flow of goodness? Why would I get in the way of something that can bring about a positive change into my life? And in fact, I think I know at least some of the reasons. We’ll start with something that I come across a lot. Oftentimes I hear that a very common fear is not being good enough. And this is exactly what blocks us, what shifts the vibration away from the object of manifestation, off the “receiving mode”, what makes us feel unworthy of living the life of our dreams, having the wealth we are seeking, having the perfect partner or vibrant health.

So, in my world, step one is really creating the right foundation for the manifestation by realizing that right here right now you are a perfect being exactly as you are, perfect with everything you might see as flaws or imperfections, perfectly worthy, perfectly talented, perfectly capable. And by cultivating a feeling of limitless unconditional love inside of you through your practice of yoga and mediation (this is something that works best for me, but it could be anything really - anything that makes you feel good), you are beginning to project it both towards yourself and to the rest of the world. And the only possible outcome is the universe reciprocating what you project, what you send out. Once you start creating your “wishlist” from this authentic loving place inside you and break down the blocks that prevent you from experiencing the abundance of this reality and the state of receptivity, this is when magic happens, when your reality begins to transform for the better.

I hope that this answers some of the questions and inspires you to continue to play with the universal laws.

We’ll discuss this topic in more detail this Sunday - I am really looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Lots of love,

Elena

A Journey

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:16:00 +0100

A bittersweet feeling being back in Copenhagen, a return to a different reality. I never thought January will end up being such a transformational month. I never thought January will end up being such a big lesson learned, a lesson in trust, honesty, non-attachment, in learning to speak my truth, in setting myself free, in going where life wants to take me as opposed to where I planned to go. I never thought it would be such a cluster of inspiration, an invitation to practice bravery with decisions big and small, such a pivotal point in how I work. I never thought it would be such a challenging time for my body and my health that doesn’t normally let me down too much.. I never thought it will be such an out-of-comfort-zone experience, an experience of divine beauty, an exercise on how to live my life with bare minimum of belongings. I never thought I’d do things I did - and when pushed out into the wild, it’s always fascinating to try and see myself from a bird eye’s view guessing how events will unfold and what would my response be.. Will I check out as the challenges become tougher than I thought? Will I have the courage to live my own truth? And most importantly, will I have the courage to surrender?

And as I contemplate all of the feelings, a confusing mix of impressions from teaching and studying in the jungle along with the difficulty coping with a cocktail of physical pain, I also celebrate one special date: today 3 years ago, Copenhagen became my home. When I think of all the people, events, places, emotions, challenges and joy that these years of my life brought, I can only say: what a journey…

I wish you all an amazing journey of transformation and growth in 2013 and sending you all the kindest of my intention.

Love,

Elena

Consciously Create and Manifest Workshop Copenhagen 24 February 14.00 -17.00 Let’s celebrate...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:10:00 +0100

Consciously Create and Manifest Workshop

Copenhagen 24 February 14.00 -17.00

Let’s celebrate the beginning of 2013 according to the Chinese tradition by setting a conscious intention to realize and manifest your dreams.

Learn to consciously direct your thoughts to create and manifest the life you love!

Yoga, meditation as well as mind work and your breath are extremely powerful tools to bring into life the changes you are looking for, leave behind the limitations of the past and realize your full potential. Empower your spirit and open yourself to infinite possibilities by consciously creating a vision of what is truly important to you and learning how to attract it into your life - whether it is your personal growth, health, career or relationship.

Please contact Elena (elena@sparklingyoga.com) to register

Yoga and Meditation in Iceland March 26-31, 2013

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:06:00 +0100

please note that registration for this event closes on the 25th of February

Iceland - a different kind of holiday with yoga and meditation

I am happy to be offering one more yoga and meditation retreat in Iceland this Easter and would love for you to come along. There is a lot of great reasons why I think it’s one of the best places on Earth for yoga and meditation. Here are just a few:

Renew and rejuvenate

let your body re-charge on a cellular level as you dive deeply into yoga and mediation practice supported by the most peaceful place on Earth you can imagine

Heal

biothermal water of the lagoon is what brings people from all over the world to this magical place to strengthen immunity and pursue a state of radiant health, glow and vitality. Floating outside in the hot water enjoying the crispy clean air is a perfect way to relax in between the yoga and meditation practices

Inner and outer balance

let every layer of your being return to the state of yoga, the perfect balance, nourished by forces of nature, amazing food and spa treatments you can only experience in Iceland

Explore

the beauty of this incredible part of the world that continues to inspire me over and over again

Feedback from the last retreat:

“Another wonderful retreat full of Elena sparkles. You have planned everything to perfection and I felt totally spoilt and privileged to be part of the experience. The shooting star was the perfect full stop (or exclamation mark) to the retreat” - Karen

“Excellent accommodation, peaceful, quiet, warm energy that supported the practice in the yoga space” -Beth

“A good space of acceptance no matter what level of ability. Good energy. The venue was magical” - Rasmus

”There were no distractions, no need to hurry anywhere. The right balance between yoga activities and personal time, as well as more physical vs. “mental” work (yoga nidra, movie)” - Maciej

The location of the retreat is one of the most magical place you have ever experienced. Set in the heart of lava landscape, our hotel has a private lagoon that is available only for hotel guests. Peaceful and healing, the environment is perfect for yoga and meditation practice as well as physical, emotional and mental healing and well-being. Yoga space is a beautiful room with warm floors and huge windows overlooking the lagoon. Our retreat location has been featured in National Geographic as one of the world’s wonders.

Typical day starts with morning yoga class from 8-9.30am, continues with breakfast, morning dipping in the lagoon, yoga nidra deep relaxation on some of the days, delicious lunch at the restaurant, free time to hike, enjoy the big lagoon, all the saunas and the waterfall or just relax, a long afternoon yoga practice and open evening. One of the days we only practice yoga in the morning so you can go for a road trip or a hike and on one of the evenings we have a pre-planned surprise programme.

The retreat is open for anyone willing to deepen your understanding of yoga and meditation regardless of current level of experience. The classes are adopted to suit a mixed level group.

Teacher: Elena Mironov, Yoga Alliance certified and experienced international yoga and meditation teacher

Idea: join with your partner or friend and combine the trip with a few days of hiking/exploring Iceland before or after the retreat.

Yoga in Italy May 25-June 1, 2013

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:49:00 +0100

A week of yoga, nature and meditation in the South of Italy - Puglia

Trullo Solari is a beautifully restored traditional property in the South of Italy which is popular with yogis from all over the world as a spectacular and simple setting for deepening the practice of yoga and meditation

The location offers a traditional trullo villa where retreats participants will be accommodated as well as yoga studio and a yoga veranda for practicing in the open air. In addition to that, the eco friendly facilities include a solar heated pool and a real pizza oven that we will certainly use on one of the retreat evenings with Cathy and Keith who run Trullo Solari. More about the center: www.trullosolari.com and www.yogainpuglia.com

A typical day of the retreat will start with a morning yoga and meditation practice followed by a generous brunch. The afternoons are your personal time that you can use to rest or to explore and in the evenings we have one more practice before dinner. On some of the days, there will be an optional afternoon or after dinner programme for those who would like to explore yoga tradition in depth (yoga nidra guided meditation, yoga documentary and Ayurvedic practices). Half way through the retreat you will have one day off to explore the area on your own or take a trip to one of the picturesque villages nearby - on that day we’ll only have an early yoga practice and to give our chef a little break, you are welcome to have dinner out.

Closest airport: Bari

Suggested arrival: 25/05 afternoon

Suggested departure: 1/06 afternoon

Group: the retreat is open for both new yogis and experienced practitioners and the practices will be adapted for a mixed group.

Teacher: Elena Mironov, chef Rebecca O’Reilly

Idea: join with a partner or a friend to share the room and combine retreat with a trip to Sicily which is close by and stunningly beautiful in the end of Spring/beginning of Summer!

Email elena@sparklingyoga.com for more.

the first of January… …is a very special day. Not so much in a yogic tradition that I know of,...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:56:35 +0100

the first of January…

…is a very special day. Not so much in a yogic tradition that I know of, rather in my very own . A day that is best spent honouring what it’s really about: dreaming and creating a vision for this next journey. A day filled with boundless gratitude for another chance in this embodiment to grow, to create, to realize what we’re here for. And a perfect continuation of a few last days of 2012 which for me turned out to be about a few big decisions, the ones I thought I didn’t have the guts for, but I still did it anyway..

And with all this in mind, I want to encourage you to dare to dream, dream without limits, dream of the most exhilarating things you can imagine, to dare to close your eyes and jump into the unknown. Finally, dare to unwrap and to share the amazing gifts that you are blessed with. Generously give and receive. Treasure people in your life. Treasure the miracle of your physical body and your mind. Experience and remember that there is no substitute for experience. Love unconditionally and without reservation. Discover and treasure magic in the most mundane, the magic in your everyday life. Let go of the clutter in your house and in your life. Meditate. Simplify everything, from how you do your bookkeeping to how you look at your relationships. Create space for magic and for spontaneity. Instead of fighting the darkness, embrace it for what it is and focus on creating light and being light. Trust your intuition and the process of life knowing there is a divine plan for us whenever things go differently from what you anticipated and keep yourself open to the possibility of things unraveling in the most unpredictable yet most amazing way. Make mistakes, millions of mistakes since it’s how you learn about the world and yourself. Be fierce and cut through right to the core of your own truth, the one that will set you free.

HAPPY 2013 everyone.

Lots of love,

Elena

Yoga Retreat in Iceland

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:56:00 +0100

26-31/03/13 (Easter week), Grindavik, Iceland - 3rd (and probably final) retreat in amazingly otherworldly location in Icelandic wilderness. We will practice yoga twice a day and enjoy healing thermal springs as well as one of my favourite places on Earth - gorgeous Iceland. Please request a PDF brochure if you are interested in participating or would like to find out more.

Yoga Retreat in Puglia, Italy

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:54:00 +0100

25/05/13-1/06/13 - Puglia, South of Italy - you are invited to this week of yoga, meditation, sunshine and amazing food - end of May is a great time of year to visit this part of the world. It’s perfectly warm and not too hot, so we can enjoy fresh cherries and swimming in the sea - Puglia has got 2 coastlines which are conveniently close to our beautiful accommodation. Please request a PDF brochure if you are interested in joining us.

www.yogainpuglia.com

December offerings

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:52:00 +0100

16/12 Workshop from 14.30-17.30, cost 300dkk, please email to register and receive the details.

In this pre-Christmas workshop we will focus on 3 gunas that, from the Vedic perspective, make up the essential aspects of all nature - energy, matter and consciousness. There qualities of nature are:
Sattva - the power of harmony, balance, light and intelligence; higher spiritual potential. 
Rajas - the power of energy, action, change and movement.  
Tamas - the power of darkness, inertia, form and materiality

In this workshop, we will integrate the 3 gunas into the yoga and mindfulness practice and finish it with guided Yoga Nidra deep relaxation.

Relaxation party 9/12/12 from 14.30-17.30, Copenhagen. Inspired...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:05:44 +0100

Relaxation party 9/12/12 from 14.30-17.30, Copenhagen. Inspired by my Icelandic friends who only just got my yoga nidra CDs as a gift and came up with a terrific idea of organizing a Relaxation Party in Reykjavik - we are just borrowing the concept and doing it in Copenhagen instead! The practice will include a sweet asana practice, lots of breathing practices (pranayama) as well as a long indulgent yoga nidra deep relaxation (and of course, some sweet treats to make your Sunday afternoon complete)! Price 250dkk

Italy retreat 25/05/12-1/06/12 - Puglia, South of Italy - you...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:03:00 +0100

Italy retreat 25/05/12-1/06/12 - Puglia, South of Italy - you are invited to this week of yoga, meditation, sunshine and amazing food - end of May is a great time of year to visit this part of the world. It’s perfectly warm and not too hot, so we can enjoy fresh cherries and swimming in the sea - Puglia has got 2 coastlines which are conveniently close to our beautiful accommodation. Please request a PDF brochure if you are interested in joining us.

www.yogainpuglia.com

Iceland retreat 26-31/03/12 (Easter week), Grindavik, Iceland -...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:57:00 +0100

Iceland retreat 26-31/03/12 (Easter week), Grindavik, Iceland - 3rd (and probably final) retreat in amazingly otherworldly location in Icelandic wilderness. We will practice yoga twice a day and enjoy healing thermal springs as well as one of my favourite places on Earth - gorgeous Iceland. Please request a PDF brochure if you are interested in participating or would like to find out more.

Join us for Northern Lights Yoga retreat with Elena Mironov in...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:37:00 +0200

Join us for Northern Lights Yoga retreat with Elena Mironov in Iceland that will take place from the 6-11 of November 2012. One of the wonders of the world, the Lagoon offers amazing healing properties of the thermal saltwater and an incredibly relaxing environment, infused with quiet and serenity. Join us for 5 days of movement, peace and beauty that you’ll never forget.

More: http://www.sparklingyoga.com/retreats/upcoming

Contact: elena@sparklingyoga.com

The Art of Sleep: My 8 Tips This year of my life has been really...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 18:14:00 +0200

The Art of Sleep: My 8 Tips

This year of my life has been really special so far.. Really full and really challenging, this year of manifestations has blown my mind. The only price that I had to pay was…restful sleep. And clearly, the fact that with all that I preach, I wasn’t able to sleep well myself, was a sign - time to walk the talk. It looks like I was definitely not the only one in the “club” - a sad bit of statistics shows that more than 30% of the worldwide population suffer from insomnia at this point. I’ve done a bit of experimenting and research and now happily sleeping again..plus the energy’s back. And of course I’ll share the tricks. Here is the selected 8 that I love. Here you go!

Tip 1

One of the first things I found was disturbing my sleep was working late. And even though we all know that life happens, and that sometimes it’s inevitable that we have to finish tasks to respect the deadline and often it means sitting in front of the laptop screen for ages, make a conscious effort to finish computer related work a few hours before bedtime. That way the electromagnetic radiation won’t over activate your system and you’ll be more likely to fall asleep easily.

Tip 2

In fact, the preparation for bedtime should ideally start a around 8pm. According to Ayurveda, sister science of yoga, the best time to go to sleep in order to get the most out of it, is before 10pm while it’s still Kapha time, the hours of the day conducive to quality rest and repose. Actually, I think the word “repose”, resting with no specific purpose other than resting itself, is something we should re-include in our vocabularies! Not sure how practical this tip is for your lifestyle, but I found that it works like magic. Especially, if you’ve been up since early morning..

Tip 3

Here in the North, one of the reasons many people I know have been struggling with insomnia, is partially because of the amount of daylight from April to September that is confusing our biorhythms. If you have never used a sleeping mask or eye pillow yet, give it a try. Make sure to apply a few drops of lavender essential oil to it first - it will calm down the central nervous system promoting even better sleep. During darker time of year, switch to dim lighting a few hours before bedtime - bright lights may interfere with the sleeping cycles.

Tip 4

One of the things I found extremely helpful, is taking a hot bath or shower before going to bed. A warm shower helps initiate that sleepy, tired feeling prior to bed time because the resulting drop in body temperature slows down metabolic functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion.The warm water also dilates blood vessels, allowing more blood and oxygen flow into tight, stressed out muscles throughout the body. Releasing muscle tension keeps the body relaxed and comfortable, a feeling that further signals the brain it’s time to start winding down and preparing for sleep.

Tip 5

Pranayama is a gift from heaven for better sleep. These versatile yogic breathing techniques are incredibly effective in countering insomnia. Brahmari is one of my teacher’s favourites and is excellent for a number of reasons: reducing anxiety, worry, anger, depression and ultimately helping to relax, let go and fall asleep while soothing nervous system and supporting immunity. Brahmar is “bee” in Sanskrit and this technique (for those of you who haven’t tried it with me in class:) includes producing a buzzing sound similar to the vibration of OM mantra, with the mouth closed. You can do it in child’s pose or in savasana. This pranayama stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system that is associated with rest so it induces physical, mental, muscular and emotional release.

Tip 6

In my training with Max Strom in Berlin last week, we had a discussion about the most appropriate postures to relax you before going to bed and this is what we were advised works the best. Logically, all forward bends that have a more introverted, calming quality to them, are a good choice. Other than that, try supine hamstring stretching postures and twists to release the tensions in some of the largest muscles in the body in particular if you have been sitting a lot during the day. In addition to that, mild inversions (resting legs up the wall with the strap around the ankles to keep the legs together) are fantastic for a good sleep. Pictures attached!

Tip 7

YOGA NIDRA guided meditation that you can use in your headphones while lying in bed preparing for sleepy time or as you take a break during the day. Here is the work that I’ve done in this area: http://www.sparklingyoga.com/yoga-nidra

Tip 8

Massage! That’s probably my absolute personal favourite, mmmmm….Insomnia is associated with a lack of serotonin. Massage increases serotonin levels - that’s the basics of sleep neurochemistry. Give yourself a massage using pure body oil after bath or establish a massage ritual with your partner. Massage is an intelligent, healthy and substance free choice to deal with insomnia. Because serotonin plays a role in sleep in multiple areas of the brain, it is logical to seek ways to increase serotonin levels for people that are sleep deprived. In addition, serotonin is needed for our bodies to produce melatonin. As melatonin influences the sleep stage of our circadian rhythm, a natural way of boosting serotonin is a positive sleep inducing option.

Sweet dreams from

Elena

References:

Pre-sleep behavior in normal subjects. Ellis, C., Lemmens, G., Parkes, D. University Department of Neurology, King’s College School of Medicine and Dentistry and Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5, UK. Journal of Sleep Research 1995 Dec; 4(4):199-201

Temperature as a universal resetting cue for mammalian circadian oscillators. Buhr, E., Yoo, S., Takahashi, J. Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. Science 2010 Oct; 330(6002):379-85.

Shepherd, Gordon M., MD, D.Phil., Neurobiology, Oxford University Press, 1988.
(pp 517-528).

Lambert, Craig, PhD. “Deep into Sleep,” Harvard Magazine, July/August 2005.