Lifestyle

Morning Routine

by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment on Morning Routine

morning routine

Hi friends!

Today I’m sharing my morning routine with you. It changed over the past few months but I found some basic rituals I like to do everyday. I first want to describe my daily morning routine and then also my weekend morning routine. I don’t really have a fix weekend morning routine. But since I have more time in the weekend, there are a few things I like doing on weekends only.

Daily Morning Routine

I usually get up at 6am. I recently switched my alarm to the iPhone bed time alarm. It has some pretty nice sound options. I like the Birdsong but there are plenty other sounds to choose from. As soon as I wake up I have to go to the bathroom first. At the same time I brush my teeth and heat up some water and squeeze a lemon. After brushing my teeth I scrape my tongue. I don’t drink before that, just because I don’t want to swallow all the toxins my body got rid of during the night. Once I brushed my teeth, I make myself a warm lemon water with a pinch of Himalayan salt. I take my mug back to the bed and journal in my “five minutes journal” which I got from Amazon. I basically just write down what I’m grateful for and what I’m looking forward to. And I also choose a mantra for the day (I am…). Afterwards I sit for about 5-10 minutes and mediate and then stretch out a bit before getting up. Before getting dressed, I dry brush my body and listen to some daily affirmations or a Abraham Hicks rampage.

This takes me about 20 minutes and sets the tone for the day. I don’t check my phone during this time. Getting dressed, doing my bed and eating breakfast usually takes me another 30 minutes. I usually leave the house around 7am.

Weekend Morning Routine

On the weekend I usually like to take things slower. My morning routine is pretty much my “Everyday Morning Routine” but I like to add some fun things such as a face mask and magnesium oil. Also, I enjoy practicing yoga before having breakfast. After my practice, I sometimes add Breath Work or Nauli (which is hard with a full stomach) and meditate a little longer than on a weekday. If I want to treat myself, I take a bath with epsom salt after that and feel absolutely amazing and ready to start the day. This is also a great way to get rid of the magnesium oil on your body.

I don’t want to do a whole lot everyday that consumes a bunch of time. Although this works perfectly for me, you might have different things you enjoy doing. Hopefully this inspires you to rethink your daily morning routine and maybe add something to it.

Let me list the things I do every single day again:

What I do everyday:

–  tongue scraping

– lemon water

– quick meditation

– journaling (daily mantra and expressing gratitude)

– dry brushing

– doing my bed

– “bulletproof” non-coffee (which I will share in another post)

 

As always, I hope this was helpful! Leave me a comment or send me a DM @nataliasyoga. I love hearing from you!

xxx

Natalia

Spirituality

How to: cleanse and program your crystals

by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment on How to: cleanse and program your crystals

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I love using my crystals and I can’t wait to share everything about how I use my crystals.

But before we dive into this, I would like to share how I cleanse my crystals before using them. It is important to cleanse and charge your crystals not only if you would like to use them for making your own crystal water but also to cleanse them from old or negative energies and recharge again.

I usually clean my crystal with either water or sage and palo santo. Every full moon I put them outside to cleanse and recharge them. But there are many other ways to cleanse them.

  • Salt Water: Soak your crystals in a salt bath (there are a few exceptions that aren’t supposed to be put into water such as selenite for example)
  • Running water: Hold your crystal in the flow of running water
  • Sound: Use sound healing to cleanse your crystals. You could clap, play a singing bowl near them, ring a bell, or play a repeating om sound (e.g. youtube or spotify)
  • Incense: Cleanse your crystals in the smoke of sage
  • Sunshine: Place your crystals outside in the direct sunlight
  • Moonlight: Place your crystals outside during the full moon
  • Earth: Put your crystals in the soil for about 24 hours
  • Clear Quartz: Place your crystal on a cluster or geode of clear quartz

Once you cleansed your crystals you’re ready to program them.

Programming your crystals is important if you want to work with them (e.g. for meditation or manifestation). If you bring a new crystal into your home you want to make sure to give it a job. You don’t need to program all of your crystals, they already hold their specific energy. However, if you want to work on certain purposes programming your crystals is a helpful tool and it’s also pretty simple. Your intention should follow the natural energy of the crystal. For example, if you’re manifesting self love, I suggest choosing a rose quartz. Some crystals are multipurpose and can be programmed for basically everything.

Now let’s talk about how to program your crystal.

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  1. Cleanse your crystal. I usually sage my crystal before programming it.
  2. Find a quiet place, take your crystal and just sit with it. Watch it, feel it and take a few deep and intentionally breaths.
  3. Get clear about your intention.
  4. Hold your crystal in your hands and tell it your intention. You could use phrases like: I program you for… I charge you with my intention to…                                           I also like to thank it. Thank you for bringing me… Thank you for helping me with….
  5. Sit with your crystal for a bit and take a couple of deep breaths.

That’s already it, it’s that simple.

Last but not least, programming your crystals is my personal choice. If you don’t feel called to it, don’t do it. Whenever I want to manifest something, it helps me to program a crystal and carry it with me. It’s like a friendly reminder of what I want to manifest into my life. I also feel more connected to the crystal once I programmed it.

 

Hope this helps! Share your experiences with me! Tag me in your Instastory (@nataliasyoga), send me a DM or leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!

xxx

Natalia

 

 

 

Yoga

Yoga Space

by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment on Yoga Space

How to set up your own yoga space

I recently moved to a new apartment with an extra room just for Yoga. So exciting!

Before that I just rolled up my mat wherever I found a free spot. That was totally fine, but I’m so glad that I now have a room just to do yoga.

Today I want to tell you what I like to have in this very special room.

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I like having plants in my room, just because I feel like it gives a better atmosphere. My mat is always rolled out. So whenever I feel like it, I can step on my mat and move my body for a bit. My mat is a Manduka mat (I think it’s a pro) and I love it because it’s extra large, quite thick and has the best grip ever. Not recommended for traveling though since it’s really heavy.

I also have a little altar for my moon ceremonies in this room. I also keep my favorite crystals, my yoga props and some candles in this room.

altar

I keep a little sideboard in my yoga room where I store my yoga clothes, my favorite card decks and some extra candles and smudges. I use the top of it for my tumbled stones, my smudges and card deck I’m currently using and for my moon circle set up.

probs

I also keep my probs in my sideboard. I have 2 yoga blocks (Manduka), a bolster (Manduka), a foam roller and a strap. I do have some more rollers but those are the things I use most of the time.

candle

I highly recommend getting a salt lamp. I heard of so many health benefits of salt lamps such as:

– increases blood flow

– improves sleeping (I keep one in my bedroom, too)

-boosts Serotonin level (yay)

-reduces Asthma symptoms

-increases energy level

-reduces stress (uhm yes please)

-improves breathing

-improves your mood

Besides of all those amazing benefits, I really love the gentle lighting. In addition to the salt lamp, I also use simple white candles and also this clarity candle I got from House of Intuition. They have a bunch of different candles and I’ve tried quite a few so far. I like to pick one for my current mood and already feel so much better whenever I’m lighting one. I also love their purify candle. They smell really good and there’s a little crystal surprise once the candle’s burnt down.

I love lighting candles during my practice. They’re giving my room this special vibe.

Speaking of vibes, I also love having a tons of crystals close to my mat.

crystal

I don’t really have a concept. I just pick whatever I feel called to. However, I like to keep some crystals in this room 24/7. Selenite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, and Clear Quartz are the crystals that are always with me when I practice. Depending on my mood I add some other crystals, too. I sometimes choose one or several crystals for Savasana afterwards. I recently read that Amethyst is a great crystal to have with you during Savasana.

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Last but not least, I absolutely love this lavender eye pillow. I bought it from http://www.etsy.com. It smells like Lavender (obviously) and what I like doing is to heat it up during my practice. Once I get to Savasana it is nice and warm and smells so so good. Go get it and thank me later!

 

Alright, I think that’s it. You don’t need a Yoga room to practice. But you might want to add something I mentioned above to your practice. I truly love those additional props and accessories. They give me this extra vibes I’m loving.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know how you liked this post by leaving a comment or reach out on Instagram (@nataliasyoga). I’m always happy to connect with you!

xxx

Natalia

Food

Vegan Blueberry Scones

by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment on Vegan Blueberry Scones

 

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Vegan Blueberry Scones

Every Sunday I feel like baking. Somehow Sunday is just the perfect day for going for a walk, taking a bath and, like I said, bake some comfort food. Today I was in the mood for some delicious blueberry scones. They turned out so good that I just have to share the recipe with you guys!
I hope you enjoy them just as much as I did.

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Vegan Blueberry Scones

Serves: 4 blueberry scones

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup oat flour (you could also use 1 cup all purpose or oat flour)
  • 1/4 cup (or less) brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (the canned milk, not the milk drink)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly dust it with flour
  3. Whisk together all dry ingredients
  4. Add the frozen blueberries to the dry ingredients (break up any clumps)
  5. Drizzle in the coconut milk and vanilla, mix everything gently together
  6. Put the dough onto the parchment paper and pat it into a circle (about 1 inch). Cut it into 4 wedges and pull them apart about 1 inch to give them a little space.
  7. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar, if desired.
  8. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown.
  9. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

 

You can always double or triple the amount to get more scones.

I really hope you love them just as much as I did.

I love seeing your blueberry scones. Put them in your Instastories and tag me! Can’t wait to see all the goodness!

Happy Sunday Loves!

xxx

Natalia