Om Yoga Magazine: Small Spaces

In my day dreams about the future after university, I like to think of yoga being firmly embedded in wherever it is that life takes me. As a marine biology student, I really want to make a career out of researching and protecting the oceans and environment. But at the same time, I wish to continue my practice in yoga further, ideally eventually taking on a teacher training course so that I can lead classes of my own. To be able to balance the two would actually be ideal; fulfilling both of my interests while also keeping myself working even when between biology projects.

In this month's issue of Om Yoga magazine, we get to see Eve Menezes Cunningham's yoga studio -a studio so small only four students can attend any one class. Rather than seeing this space confinement as an issue, Eve has embraced it to create yoga as a flexible part of the Feel Better Every Day consultation clinic. By not having to worry about having enough students to cover the lease, and being able to organise additional classes, the small space has been worked to Eve's advantage.

For someone considering being a part-time teacher, this piece really got my juices flowing. I remember seeing an article in an architecture magazine about a build that incorporated a yoga studio space, and I have always loved George Clarke's Small Spaces program. Being able to have my own mini-studio, perhaps in the form of an outbuilding, would be amazing. Or, hiring a small-scale space in an unusual setting brings a different aspect to learning yoga. Eve's students praised the cottagey feel of the studio that is full of character, with original beams finding a use for balancing postures.

Lots of photos of yoga are in big, open outdoor spaces, or top-of-the-range studios. I think that in presenting ourselves with new, unusual places to practice, we become more open to new experiences. Have a look on my Pinterest board for some of my inspiration for inspiring small-scale yoga spaces!

P.S. -there is still time to enter my competition to win a pair of tickets to the Om Yoga Show in Manchester next month worth £40. It is a fantastic event with free classes and workshops, lots of brands, yummy food and lovely people!

Disclaimer: I am an Affiliated Blogger with Om Yoga Magazine. Each issue I will write a post on an article from the magazine and share it with you. Have a look here to find about the other lovely affiliated bloggers. All photos in this post taken from the Om Yoga magazine. 

Featured Brand: PRISM Sport.

I have just come across US yoga and fitness brand PRISMSPORT, and fell in love with their style, and bright patterns. Carolyn from the team kindly answered some questions from me, which I thought I'd share with you all today:

Firstly, do you sell, or do you have plans to sell PRISMSPORT in the UK?

- Currently, we are not selling in the UK. We are open to expanding our retail base in other countries, so stay tuned! 

Bra and shorts in Reef from the Splash Collection

You say you put life into fitness clothing, with lots of beautiful patterns and styles available to us. What inspires you when designing?
- We draw our passion from the kaleidoscopic energy of our lively city, the magnetic buzz of our dynamic followers, and the fast pace beat of the fashion industry. We look to our streets, studios, and favorite sports for inspiration and use our active lives a guiding point. All of these elements help us breathe life into high performance premium active wear that has captured the attention of a global audience.

Do you have a model customer in mind? If so, who is she/they?
- A health conscious, stylish, affluent woman who maintains a balanced life of work, fun, exercise, and family.

I was delighted to see that you use sustainable printing methods to reduce waste. What is your environmental ethos?

- We believe in doing whatever we can to make this world we live in, a better and healthier place. 

Finally, if you could sum up PRISMSPORT in a sentence, what would it be?

- PRISMSPORT is a sophisticated athletic wear collection designed for women with a sharp sense of fashion and an insatiable thirst for fitness.

Bra and capri's in Kaleidoscope from the Splash Collection

I love PRISMSPORT's bold prints, and colourful details, like the sun-coloured straps on the bra above. Do any of my American readers have any of PRISMSPORT's kit? I'd love to know what you think!

GIVEAWAY: Om Yoga Show Manchester Tickets

Last year, I attended the Om Yoga Show in London, and had an absolutely wonderful, busy, fulfilling day. You can read my blog post about everything that I got up to here. To give all you yogi's in the North a more accessible event, the Om Yoga Show is in Manchester on the 15th-17th of May. Here's what Om Yoga has to say about the weekend:

"Join 7000 fellow yoginis and yogis for a totally unique yoga experience. With three days of open classes, workshops, advice, performances andshopping, the OM Yoga Show is the perfect place to enjoy a weekendof yoga.
Free classes take place throughout the weekend, andthere’s a huge range of yoga styles to suit everyone, no matter what your ability level. Hatha, Iyengar, vinyasa, ashtanga – there really is something for everyone!

For those looking for a slightly more intensive experience, workshops are available, during which teachers will leadlonger sessions.
Andwhen it’s time to take a break from practicing yoga, a showcase of over 100 exhibitors will be offering a fantastic range of yoga accessories, clothing, jewellery, super food, retreats, andso much more. Everything you needfor the ultimate yogic lifestyle is available at the OM Yoga Show." 

I am really pleased to be able to give away two pairs of tickets to you, each worth £40. Sadly, I'll be in the middle of exams so can't attend, but if you win, or already have tickets, please tweet or instagram me photos of your day; I'd love to see what you all get up to! The event is a fantastic opportunities to try new yoga styles, products, foods, and talk to others who share your passion. Whether you are an experienced yogi looking for teacher training courses, or a yoga newbie, there is so much to absorb and discover. I couldn't recommend a better day. For all you health bloggers, look out on Facebook to see who else is attending if you want to organise a meet up. I loved meeting Fab, Laura and Katie last year. 

To enter, simply fill in the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roast Butternut Squash, Sweet Spices, Lime and Chilli

In the last few months, butternut squash have become something of a staple in my weekly shop. I can find a use for them in almost anything; soups, with quinoa, in vegan mac 'n' "cheese", with sautéed or roasted veg, in risottos.... you can see that the squash is a favourite! Today I am sharing an Ottolenghi recipe of roasted butternut squash, with sweet spices, lime and chilli.

Ingredients -serves two

• One whole lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 tsp ground allspice (or use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or pepper)
• 3 tbsp Greek or natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp Tahini (see my recipe here)
• 1 green chilli, thinly sliced
• Sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 200'C/gas mark 7. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut across each of the two halves to make 1cm slices of squash. Mix the spices with the oil and brush over the slices of butternut squash. Sprinkle over some sea salt and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until tender. Leave to cool before peeling off the skin.

Whisk together the yoghurt, tahini and lime juice, with a pinch of salt. The sauce should be just pourable. Greek yoghurt may require loosening with water. 

Serve the squash with the yogurt sauce drizzled over the top, and the chilli scattered on top. An option is to garnish with coriander. Serve with quinoa cooked in vegetable stock and cayenne pepper.

Enjoy! 

In Season: April

RawVeganBlonde

These days, we can eat almost any food at any time of the year, regardless of where in the world we find ourselves, or the time of year. However, fresh, local and in-season undeniably tastes much better, not to mention saving huge amounts of energy on transport or manipulating a greenhouse environment artificially. Now, I'm not about to give up the bananas I purchase by the armful each week, or sacrifice my quinoa and almond milk habits, but where possible, I do keep an eye out from where foods come from. To help you keep track of what is growing when, I;m making a list of in season foods as the year progresses. As a Brit girl, I'll focus on the UK produce, but I'll also give mention to European foods for products that haven't clocked up *quite* as many air and sea miles. ;)

In Season: April

Source

Veg: broccoli, purple-spouting broccoli, new Jersey Royal potatoes, radishes, rocket, first salad leaves, samphire, spring onions, watercress, wild nettle

Fruit: rhubarb.

Source

Herbs: chives, dill, sorrel.

Seafood: cockles, crab, langoustine, lobster, plaice, prawns, red mullet, salmon, sea trout, whitebait.

Meat: lamb, wood pigeon.

Meal Suggestions

Source

Samphire is a type of fleshy seaweed that is salty and delicious. It goes without saying that this will go will with seafood, particularly with a grilled plaice. However, I also like it's saltiness paired with, or in, a quiche filled with in-season veg. For a vegan alternative, try with new Jersey Royals, lemon and olive oil.

Dark, peppery leaves such as watercress makes a beautiful and quick soup. A squeeze of alkalising lemon is essential to cut in some fresh zesty flavour. Try making this soup with a mix of watercress, spinach, rocket and any other leaves that are going spare.

Wood-smoked salmon and dill are a match made in heaven. Have on top of rye bread with cream cheese for a simple, yet sophisticated brunch.

method Products Review

Now that I am living, at least part of the time, independently, I have had to start thinking about adult things, like budgeting, food shopping and household cleaning. Oo-er. Back at home, we used to have method's French Lavender surface cleaner, which I always used because it smelt so good and yet was also environmentally friendly. The lovely team at method kindly sent me over a few products to review. One thing I have to say unanimously about the products is that they all smell fantastic. Never to strong, sweet or overpowering; just right.

First up is the French lavender Gel Hand Wash, which is paraben-free. I had previously been using a method hand wash, and have found both to be gentle on my skin. Parabens have been used in soaps and cosmetics for decades thanks to their bacteria growth-reducing qualities and low production costs, but in recent years they have been associated with xenoestrogens which have been linked to breast cancers. The lavender smell is lovely, without smelling "dusty" or old-fashioned. Although I would otherwise be making the switch to bar soaps to reduce plastic usage, this soap in it's pretty bottle adds a nice touch to any bathroom.

My room is pretty small and we have a no-candles rule, so light air fresheners, such as method's Beach Sage one are a lovely way for me to avoid my room feeling stuffy, even on days too wild to open up the window. Unsurprisingly, I love anything with a beachy theme, and this is a really nice, light fresh scent. I sprayed some of this before going to the gym, and an hour and a half later when I came back, the scent was subtle, but still noticeable, which is good for a water-based air freshener. The bottle claims to be "powered by air" rather than using petroleum based propellants. The droplets do fall to the floor noticeably, (the bottle to warn not to use on fabrics or carpets) so I would recommend spraying roughly at shoulder height.

I was sent the grapefruit Surface Spray, which I have actually already been using. Pink grapefruit is one of my favourite smells -the sweet and citrus notes balance each other nicely -so I'd love this product for this reason alone. It cuts through grease and grime very well (useful for a shared student kitchen!) without too much effort. It isn't antibacterial as the cleaner instead breaks down the dirt, so is best for day-to-day cleaning.

Lastly, is the Power Foam Dish Soap, also in pink grapefruit. This product is a bit different to conventional washing up liquids, as it is designed to be sprayed either onto your sponge, or onto the item being washed itself. However, I did find it also worked well, with a couple of sprays, for a sink full of water. I think this product works well on cutting grease of dirtier items, such as roasting tins, or for when you only have a couple of items to wash. The spray nozzle design did seem to demand much more plastic than a basic washing up bottle would, which seemed a little excessive. However, I'll definitely be keeping this product under the sink ready for dealing with oily pans and odds and ends.

These products cost from £2.49-£3.50, making method a reasonably priced way of getting biodegradable, eco-friendly products. I did feel like there was a lot of plastic involved in these products, but as far as I can see they are recyclable and often use recycled plastic. These products are all effective and are some of the nicest smelling on the market, so I'd recommend giving these a go.

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of Method products for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Coral and Orange Yoga Wishlists

I'm normally drawn to towards blues and greens when it comes to clothing and fitness clothing but recently I have been looking at  orange and coral pieces, in no thanks to Sweaty Betty's spring and summer collections! I thought I would do a themed yoga wish list today.

1.  Skyline Long Leggings, £49.00 Onzie at Active in Style. Onzie is a fun Australian yoga and fitness brand. These leggings are less bright than some of the designs that Onzie is known for, but the bold print would look so good with the bra's featured, or a bright vest.
2. Neon Azalea Goddess Leggings, £79.95, Alo Yoga at Hip and Healthy. I think the Alo Yoga Goddess leggings have become a yogi must have. I hope to see more of their styles and designs coming over from the US! 
3. Infinity bra, £38.00, Sweaty Betty. A mixed-workout bra, with gorgeous detailing and colours.
4. Melbourne Sports Bra, £41.00, Lorna Jane at Active in Style. This bra is advertised as high impact, so looks like a great multitasker to take you from gym to yoga mat.
5. Domino Park outfit, from £22.00 (first buy), Fabletics. You get your first Fabletics outfit for £22, so this is a great way to expand your fitness wardrobe. 
6. Wild Tank, £58.00, Lululemon. This bra and vest in one is so pretty, and comes in a variety of colour combinations. Love!
7. Virasana yoga bra, £41.00, Sweaty Betty. Simple and pretty, this is a yoga staple piece.

Have you been shopping lately, and what colours have you been looking at?