The good practice

Inspired by the yoga retreat with Elena Brower and Ally Bogard in Italy, I have realised even more so, how important the good practice is. You might wonder what I mean and this is exactly what this blog post is about.

What does good practice mean?

First of all, it means that you develop an inclination to do the things that are good for you. The good practice also means that you develop infinity for the good things in your life. Also, it means raising the luminosity towards yourself and others, even the people you don’t like (to phrase it cautiously).

The good practice entails developing self-knowledge as the key ingredient. If you don’t know who you really are, if you don’t know what is good for you, if you don’t know the core values you are living by, if you don’t know what’s draining you, then you’ll most likely struggle with your energy management, which in return means you are not in good practice.

However, if you do know who you are, if you know what is good for you, if you know your core values and if you already got rid of the things that are draining you, then that’s great, because that means that you are on a good way to the good practice.

The practice doesn’t stop here though, because let’s be honest. You will only truly know, if you are in good practice, in balance and in your higher self, when something comes up that does not feel good to you.

This is the crux.

When life happens without any problems, then probably all of us are in good practice. However, what really matters is how we react and act, when there are problems in our lives. And of course we all face problems, challenges, difficult situations, fights etc. in our lives.

So, the most critical question you need to ask yourself is: How does that make me feel? Where do I feel this in my body? How do I react, when this problem arises? How do I act? Am I impulsive or considerate? Dramatic or realistic? Do I want to be a smart ass? Do I feel neutral about the problem or negative-aggressive?

I have noticed over the last months that if I am in good practice, I am more conscious about my own behavioural patterns and beliefs, I get to know myself more, meaning I developed a better and quicker intuition for what is good for me and what isn’t. This in return means I am more aligned with me and my true self, I feel more balanced and the time I spend in my higher self has massively increased.

My good practice consists of yoga, personal development, mindset work and using essential oils on a daily basis. Consistency is key here! My good practice enables me to tremendously shorten the time that a problem annoys me. I get over it way quicker. I also noticed how I can distance myself from draining situations better and faster. Either I literally walk out of a situation, if I don’t feel this is worth discussing or fighting or I visualise the distance to the problem situation whilst I am actually in it. This helps me to react and act with the right amount of energy and clarity. I love that.

Also I let things ‘simply’ run through me without giving it my energy. It is my energy and hence I decide who and what to give this to. My energy is very valuable to me, so I won’t waste it on situations anymore that are not worth it. I decide if and how to react and if and how to act. It is my choice!

Your energy is valuable. Decide where you use it.

Be aware of the ingredients to your being, meaning look at what you are practicing in your life.

To conclude: When something that doesn’t feel good to you, seizes to feel good, then you are in good practice.

Yours, Nina

 

 

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Spirituality vs. party?

Are you on a spiritual path and have moments of judging yourself for feeling you are going astray?

For the last few days I have asked myself that question, because I am in Croatia for a dance festival. So I was simply observing my thoughts ranging from ‘It’s great being here. I love it’ to ‘Oh, I probably need to catch some sleep after my holiday’ to ‘I really shouldn’t stay up that late, I’d rather go to bed early and get up early.’ You see, my thoughts are ranging from positive, to restrictive to judging myself. And I do believe that this is normal, however, what is essential and needs to be learned and trained is to observe our thoughts without judging them.

And I can proudly say that I’ve not been judging myself for my thoughts. I observed them, felt into them and noticed that all of the above is me. It is Nina. Being at a dance festival is part of me, it is part of who I am. Being social is a part of me. Dancing is a part of me. Yoga and meditation are a part of me. A strong interest in spirituality is a part of me and yes sometimes even a massive lack of sleep belongs to me.

What I am getting at is, accept and embrace that YOU have many facets, especially when you are on your path of spirituality and personal growth, because I feel there is a tendency for us to be too hard on ourselves. So, enjoy yourself, do whatever you need to do in order to be balanced, fulfilled and happy. For me, this means integrating my spirituality, my yoga practice and my meditation into my life, so that I don’t feel torn between spirituality versus party. Also, there are always phases in life and we might feel more social on one day and more introverted the other. Acceptance is key, so that you can really enjoy your life – right here, right now – without any judgement about what could have been.

Don’t feel torn. Instead enjoy the wonderful phases we have in life.

Much love, yours Nina

 

 

From beauty marketeer to wellness ‘guru’

In interview with Fresh Beauty Fix

This month’s guest is Nina Sadlowsky, blogger, yoga teacher, intuitive coach and Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA. Nina and I were colleagues at ADA, a company that partners with beautiful brands to provide beauty products to luxury hotels. We bonded over a shared love of dancing, exploring London and generally saying yes to things. Since then Nina has moved back to her hometown Munich, but we’ve kept in touch and continued to share our passions, travels and discoveries.

1. Hi Nina, thank you for being my Insider Q&A guest this month. Tell me about your transition from beauty marketeer to wellness guru.

I graduated in business administration and directly landed my first marketing job at L’Oréal Germany after completing an internship. Three years later I was looking for a change in industry, but only 6 months into the new job I realised that my desire to change went deeper. What I was looking for was a lifestyle change, personal growth as well as living a happy, healthy and abundant life. Following a change in my personal life at the end of 2014, I got into yoga and meditation and ever since, I’ve started to actively design my life. I strongly felt an itch to make my passion my work whilst satisfying my travel lust.

As a result, I’m now a yoga teacher, training as a coach, and as a wellness advocate for dōTERRA my passion for natural health and beauty is now reflected in my work. I’ve been using essential oils for a long time, but when I recognized the amazing physical and emotional benefits of essential oils, I was completely sold on incorporating them into my practice to help others live a healthy, happy life. Hence, I wouldn’t call myself a guru, I see myself more as a facilitator, supporter and inspirer.

2. What does your role Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA entail?

It’s a very versatile role, that’s for sure. Being a wellness advocate means educating myself about essential oils, understanding their physical and emotional benefits and knowing their different ways of usage and application. It also includes educating others about the essential oils and sharing my knowledge and experiences in the oil classes that I hold or in one-on-one chats. It means connecting, coaching and networking with other people, through all available media, online and offline. And of course, it entails marketing, which brings me back to my roots, haha. Overall, I see my role as bringing more natural health to as many people as I can.

3. How do you incorporate oils into your yoga practice and yoga classes?

In my own yoga practice, I diffuse them, there are so many different combinations, ranging from calming lavender, invigorating lemongrass, cleansing lemon to peppermint for more clarity. In my yoga classes, I love using the oils for a massage whilst my students enjoy the end relaxation Savasana. My favourite oil for that is Lavender or Balance, an oil blend by dōTERRA. And, when mixed with distilled water, the oils are great to spray onto your yoga mat, too.

Image courtesy of Katrin Hackbarth @the_hackbarths

4. What oils would you recommend for dry/sensitive skin, oily skin and anti-aging?

Lavender is great for dry and sensitive skin, it soothes irritations, dry spots and has a calming effect on stressed skin. Basil is also nice for sensitive skin and soothes insect bites. Frankincense is a very popular anti-aging oil, as it regenerates skin cells, tones, tightens and can help with pigmentation. Tea tree/Melaleuca, Lemongrass and Ylang Ylang help with oily and acne prone skin. I’ve just mixed my own eye serum with 1 drop Frankincense and 1 drop Lavender diluted with coconut oil. Apply morning and evening and the fine lines around the eyes will fade.

5. What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually get up at 6.30am and open the windows in my flat for at least 5 minutes to let some fresh air in. I prepare my morning water with 1 drop of lemon and 1 drop of grapefruit oil and then meditate for 15 minutes followed by my yoga morning practice which takes me about 30 minutes. I take a shower finishing on cold and have breakfast (I love porridge with fresh fruit and peanut butter). Only then do I switch on my phone and run through any social media notifications. At 9am I open my laptop and start ‘working’ which can be anything from scheduling meetings, writing emails, and writing a blog article. Then in the afternoon I might prepare a yoga or oil class and do some studying on oils and coaching techniques. Plus, I teach yoga several evenings per week. I usually plan out my days or time slots during the day, so that I know for example Monday will be all about coaching, Tuesday is my day off, Wednesday I’m creating, Thursday I do admin and so on…

6. What exciting projects do you have coming up in the next few months?

I’m going to teach more yoga classes and tonight I’ll hold a three-hour workshop named FEEL UNDERSTAND HEAL in Munich combining yoga, mindset coaching and essential oils which is something new. My coaching training runs until September and as part of this I’m sharing my learnings and experiences with others on my Facebook page ninaspinknotes. My page and work is suitable for action takers, keen to drive their personal growth and committed taking that extra step to get closer to their true self. I also really want to get into public speaking, so I’m connecting with like-minded people who are already a step ahead of me. And very soon I will start my own podcast, which has been part of my vision for a while now. Stay tuned! 

If you have any burning questions you’d like to ask me why not leave a comment below? Or you can get in touch with me directly by messaging me here, on Instagram and Facebook.

Yours, Nina

Yoga love

Why I love yoga? Because it challenges my body like I’m challenged in life. The beautiful thing is I decide how to react to each and every challenge that life throws at me. With noticing, doing my best & finding ease in the asanas, which reflect life situations or with giving up, not pushing through and telling myself I can’t do this.

Surely, you can guess how I decided! Self-love always.

I started practicing yoga in 2015. I was stressed at work and I had to deal with a broken heart, coming out of a 10-year relationship. I’ve always been in love with dancing and went to my jazz dance classes at Pineapple Dance Studios in London 3 times a week. At some point, however, dealing with my emotional pain and rising stress levels at work, it all just became too overwhelming that I felt the urgent need to calm down, to find peace, something that would re-align me with myself to bring back the energy I’ve always had. And I instantly thought of yoga, of a yoga retreat somewhere in the sun. I told my best friend about my idea and that same day, we browsed the internet for yoga retreats on the Canary Islands. One week later, we had our places in Gran Canaria booked. One week of Hatha yoga, Yin yoga, meditation & breathing exercises, healthy, vegetarian meals and a beautiful double room with our own balcony.

Right in the first yoga class, I realized just how much I was switched on (but not in a positive way). I couldn’t sit still, my breath was flat, my shoulders tight. I simply couldn’t let go and fully relax. Well, I thought, I need more time to get into it; on the other hand I was honestly shocked about just how agitated I was.

After a few days, I already felt calmer and more peaceful from within. I was able to sit in one position for longer, my breath was deeper and my body had begun to relax. And this feeling, exactly this feeling, is what hooked me. I wanted to feel this feeling as often and intensively as possible.

This is when my yoga journey started – in November 2015. It has continued ever since and I will start my yoga teacher training in November 2017 – two beautifully enriching years later.

If you want to be part of my yoga journey, then don’t miss my blog posts.

Yours, Nina