Journaling

28. October 2018by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment

journal

As a kid I used to write in my diary. I remember that I wrote about who’s my current best friend just to erase it the next day and write down a new name. Silly. I stopped writing in my diary when I was about 12 years old. It took me about 15 years to start writing again.

I read the book The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan and decided to start my own gratitude diary, too. I did that every now and then and found myself writing about other things, too. There was a time where I dealt with sadness a lot and at some point I didn’t know what to do anymore except for writing it all out. I felt so much better afterwards. From that moment on, whenever I was sad, I started writing out all the feelings. After about a half a year, I started reading my entries and was shocked. Seeing the pain I was dealing with written down made me realize that I have to change something. So writing down my thoughts actually helped me change my life. I don’t know about you, but I’m that kind of person who tends to forget the bad moments after a while. I sugarcoat memories and tell myself it wasn’t that bad after all. Reading my journal helped putting everything back into perspective. I knew I had to change something. I wanted to change something. That was the start of my spiritual growth. I moved in a new apartment and learned everything about smudging, crystals and other rituals. But that’s another story. My point is that during this dark time in my life, writing really helped.

As I learned more about intentions setting and manifestation, I wanted to get myself a journal, too. Now this is actually the first (and most fun) step if you ask me. You get to choose a journal. Boy, there are so many beautiful journals out there. I want them all. I started with one and now I have a bunch.

Below you see only a tiny selection of my journals.

Once I got my journal I felt kind of lost. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to write about. I started with baby steps such as writing down what I’m grateful for.

When I started working with a manifestation coach, I began to journal a lot more. I was writing down things I wanted to manifest, positive affirmations and little prayers for the Universe.

I also got myself the “Five Minute Journal” where you answer a couple of questions every morning and every evening. This is actually a great way to start your journal journey. I got mine at amazon.com.

I still use my “Five Minute Journal” every morning and every evening. I love it a lot and haven’t missed a day ever since I started. I also have a journal that I use to work with my coach. I write down things I want to do or achieve, take notes from our conversations or brainstorm some ideas. Besides those two journals, I do have another one. It’s my “personal” one where I write down intentions and thoughts or things that I work on. I also do free writing every now and then. I like to meditate, draw a card and then journal about it for a bit. Something that helped me, too is to write down things that lighten me up or that I enjoy. I can check this entry whenever I feel down or don’t know what to do.

I now journal everyday and must say that it really helps me. It’s fun to look back and see what has changed. It’s basically a creative outlet for me. I always have a crystal with me. There are crystals that support manifestations or help you with your writing. Personally, I just like to pick one that I feel called to and hold it in my hand while writing and / or meditating.

Here are some ideas what you could journal about. There’s no right or wrong. It took me a while to start journaling. It’s a progress for sure. Pick the ideas that you like below and start journaling!

journal about a card you drew
journal after meditation
do some free writing
write down what your grateful for
write down things you want to manifest
write down things you love about yourself (aim for 100 things!)
write out your prayer to God / the Universe
write down your intentions for the month
write about how you are feeling
write about something you achieved today
brainstorm ideas
take notes about things you hear, see or read
create a to do list
write down things that light you up / that you like to do.
make a list of books you want to read
write down the goals you have in your life and break them down into little baby steps
describe challenges or struggles you’ve encountered that day
write down your dreams
track the food you eat if you deal with allergies
keep a travel journal

Now it’s your turn! Grab your journal and put it in your Instagram Story. Tag me so I can see you’re on board with me. I can’t wait to see YOUR beautiful journals!

xxx

Natalia

Spirituality

How to: cleanse and program your crystals

23. September 2018by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment

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.

Cleanse your crystal. I usually sage my crystal before programming it.
Find a quiet place, take your crystal and just sit with it. Watch it, feel it and take a few deep and intentionally breaths.
Get clear about your intention.
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….
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

18. September 20184. September 2019by nataliaschwarzLeave a Comment

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.

space

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.

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