hello new year

Well, 2016 is here. Happy New Year! I wonder what this year will bring – or should i say – what will we make of it? Let’s seize every opportunity, smile, be kind and – most importantly – be grateful for our blessings as the most important things in life are sitting right here in front of us, that’s for sure.

What’s top of the agenda for me this year, i hear you ask? Here goes:

1.  Dedicate precious time to my blog, creating beautiful content and a consistent schedule

The year before last i promised myself i’d (finally) start a blog where i could share drops of inspiration from my travel and beauty experiences; all those little things good for the soul, really, that were otherwise just floating freely and nostalgically in my mind. I’m so glad i got the wheels in motion last year; i’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn, but i’m having so much fun along the way. A big thank you to everyone who dropped by in 2015 :)

2. Language goals: learn Dutch

Amsterdam is my new home for the foreseeable future, after all. Rosetta Stone, i will make you my NBF in 2016.

And who knows… a successful blend of the above could mean bountiful, bi-lingual blog posts before the year is out! (don’t hold me to that.)

First things first, i thought i’d kick off 2016 with a little revitalisation for mind, body & soul (okay, so this was more a case of attempting to cure my massive festive hangover than any kind of “new year, new me” attitude, which would have been much more admirable…but i’m speaking the truth, people). So on a misty sunday afternoon i took a deep breath and a brisk walk to my local bikram yoga studio.

I’ve heard many tales of bikram yoga – of how they lock the doors and don’t let you out, no matter how desperate you are to escape amidst the sweltering heat and convoluted limbs (wow, that sounded pretty ominous). So as you can imagine i was intrigued to see how things turned out.

My verdict? It was pretty awesome and totally worth pushing past the physical and mental barriers to achieve an intense feeling of achievement at the end of the 90 minutes (yes, things get sweaty and yes, there are a lot of tight pants on display). I definitely wasn’t expecting to keep up with all the experienced yogis surrounding me, energetically executing each pose and posture to utter perfection. However, i was pleasantly surprised to find how doable it was to get involved at my own pace without looking like a complete fish out of water, proving that it’s definitely true what the man himself said:

It’s never too late, it’s never too bad, and you’re never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again.

Bikram Choudhury

I left the studio feeling revitalised, rejuvenated and overtly optimistic, dripping elegantly in my own sweat – a sign of a great workout, i’d say. I guess sometimes the right way is, indeed, the hard way.

So, 2016…let’s go.

Namaste.