Staying Healthy On the Road III : Liverpool & Wales

Staying Healthy On the Road III

Before I left for the trip to UK I asked my Facebook crowd if they’d think that I would be able to follow my own Healthy On The Road advice, referring to the previous posts How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling, Practicing How to stay Healthy on the road I & II 

However, this time around I wasn’t flying across the Atlantic nor was I on the road for very long. Still, sticking to healthy choices and routines during shorter holidays, weekend trips and the like is just as challenging!

Let’s see how I did.

I washed my face with a tea bag! There are many reasons as to why our skin dries out, the most common being insufficient water intake. When traveling, the air in planes, airports, hotels etc. is very dehydrating and it is important to drink a lot of water. Another reason for dry skin is stress and anxiety and in How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling, I mention a few herbs to calm the body and mind. Chamomile is also one of the common herbs used all over the world for its relaxing and calming effects. So after having finished my relaxing chamomile tea in the air between Copenhagen and Manchester, I figured I’d use the rest of the tea bag to give my face some extra love! Since I usually feel the skin of my face and around my nails dry up on airplanes I carry a small bottle of oil in the carry-on, which I applied after the cooling tea. I felt not only better and more moist in the skin but more alert too!

Digest gluten with Mint Tea! Another of my favourite herbs that is easily found worldwide is mint (any kind). In the UK it seems standard to have at least one of the two in any place that serves coffee. Both mint and chamomile aid digestion, strengthen the stomach, and reduce gas and cramps in the belly. Therefore, I always bring with me one or the other, in case I have to make one of those exceptions regarding gluten or dairy so that after the meal I drink my tea to help the body getting rid of anything unwanted. That’s what I drink in this picture, just after having had a granola bar! After the tea I soaked up some sun before entering the museum underground....

Moving the booty! If not Yoga, at least walk around! Flying from Copenhagen to Manchester doesn't exactly involve long layovers. Still, I find it unnecessary to sit down and wait when I can stand or walk around and wait. We took several laps around the middle area of one terminal made up of sofas as we were waiting for gate information. Moving around helps maintain a good circulation throughout the day, reduces bloating and swollen feet and legs. The important thing is to stay on your feet (or head) so that the blood can flow freely. Personally when on an airplane, I feel like I’m putting on a strap around my waist that strains all the Prana, air and blood flow in my body. Not only is it the seat belt (which obviously is adjustable), but also the tiny legroom and seats, forcing me to hold a very unnatural position for a long time. Especially on shorter rides it’s not ideal to walk around the airplane. Hence, I do it before I board!

Give yourself a foot massage. Another great idea I got while waiting in the airport was to massage my feet! Seriously, you want to try this! Remove your shoes (just doing that makes wonder for the entire body!) and give your hardworking feet some gentle rubbing to get the blood moving. Especially press and pull the toes, press around the heels and draw your hands alongside the feet and around the wrists. Mm YUM, your feet will thank you! 

More tips and ideas? Post in the Comment below!

Stay tuned for the post about how we enjoyed Liverpool in many nurturing and healing ways!

Love and Light

Previous on Health and Travel:

How To Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling

Practicing How To stay Healthy on the road 

Practicing How To Stay Healthy on the road II

Skattungbyn, Dalarna: Nomadic Yogi

It's something special about flying, isn't it? Sitting down in your seat, feeling the dry air inside the plane and sensing the smell of adventure; soon to be above the clouds. The airplane is the muggles’ version of a Portkey- a way to transport yourself from A to B by holding on to an object while spinning in between worlds and clouds. Somehow always exciting and somehow always the start of something new, regardless of where you're headed. It is worryingly easy to fly domestically in Sweden. The airport busses in Stockholm and other big cities take you directly to whatever airport you need to go to. You do the check-in yourself and drop off the baggage. The lines are short, there is no fuzz in security, the tiny airplanes have free seating and the transportation time is short. In addition, most departures are way cheaper than the correspondent train ride. There are several options when flying between Stockholm and the south, such as the airports in Växjö, Kalmar, Ronneby, Malmö... And it'll only take you about 50 minutes compared to the train's 3,5+ hours. 

The environment and earth loving being inside of me struggles with this conflict. 

What is the solution, really? A vast improvement of the trains and railway system?  Something that can actually compete with cheap tickets, short hours, motion sickness and all together pure smoothness when traveling...

However, this story is not about the amazement of Portkeys but of the adventures lying on the other side. On the other side of a 4 hours train ride, some good ol’ catching up and a 6+ hours road trip lay stories about Love, connection, fairies, and sisterhood, newly found brothers, sublime nature, and Dance. The Nomadic Yogi went to the North once more: this time to attend a yoga festival in Skattungbyn, Dalarna, to guide a Yin and Drum workshop. Many inspiring creatives from all over Sweden were gathered to share delicious Ayurvedic food, yoga asana classes, songs, dance and shamanism. The event felt like a gathering of catching up with old friends, family, light workers and roots. The entire area around the mythical lake Siljan showers me with inspiration and remembrance every time I visit.

Blessings and Thanks to all that together made it happen! And to those of you who weren't there, I herby invite you to come travel with us.

Travel in stories, times, movement, sound in the body, mind and soul!

Travels within and without. 

The Nomadic Yogi part II: How To become a Traveling Yogi

Bhakti Fest Oxelösund

Rolling out my mat in cramped spaces is no longer an annoyance (if it ever were) rather a part of life, a way of living. These last few months, I have been traveling all over Sweden with my mat on the back, rolling it out in every park I’ve been to and even using it as a sleeping mattress! My yogic and my traveling journeys are, since long, the same. One big, spinning, delightful, life-enhancing, joyous, colorful RIDE of worlds, asanas, music and dance. Both- merged together- take me further and farther- the light is constantly expanding: Travels within and without

And so it were, that this Summer Love Tour led me to Bhakti Fest in Oxelösund, Sweden, in the beginning of September. It was one of those early autumn weekends: the sparkling sun warmed our feet during the days and the crisp air gently tucked us in at night. We sang early morning sadhana followed by pooja’s magic to start the day, had delicious meals, and tried various workshops in yoga, dance and mindful kayak paddling. Food By Magie contributed in the kitchen and Yoga By Magie donated a powerful Yin and Drum session to start the festival Friday.

We shared music, tears, laughter and love. We created new bonds and tied new knots; we weaved the web bigger and wider. The web of Light, of Travels, of Joy and that of Companionship. Oneness. From there, new roads, paths, signs and worlds will show. Always. And that, my friends, is the simple answer to this post’s heading “How To Become a Traveling Yogi” :

The more you expand, the more will unfold before you….

Eka Pada Raja Kapotanasana - Pigeon Pose - in the park

Summer Love Tour Part II (How To Travel Cheap in Sweden)

Read Part I here

Stockholm-Uppsala-Rättvik-Mora 

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Rättvik, Dalarna, Sweden

After having dropped the car off in Stockholm, my friend Alex picked us up and let us crash at his place. Me and Alex met many years ago, in Cuszco, Peru, and haven't seen each other in 3 years or so. Traveling is synonymous with making life long friends worldwide, and the best part: they are always just a text message away should I be nearby and need a floor to sleep on since they themselves understand the nomadic life. They also know about the best and many times secret places in their area, which means extra flavor to the trip;) Alex took us to a beautiful lake, surrounded by a quiet forest, showing us a new side to the Swedish capital. Our journey continued in that same friend-visiting spirit; we caught a train to Uppsala to meet lovely David for some yoga play and bubbling laughter. Uppsala showed us magic summer heat, green parks, a powerful church and a bunch of happy and curious yogis that wanted to partake in a Heart Opening Flow class. We gathered under a huge old tree in the park and as I guided them thru the class, more people joined in. It was a perfectly sunny and magic afternoon, thank you all! And thanks to David and Alex for taking us in to your homes - Much Love and Peace to you, always. 

Vegan Thai Food and tea after spreading love thru yoga in Uppsala!

For full moon, me and Ola headed north to Rättvik. Since we had short of time and it was surprisingly affordable, we decided to continue by train. In Sweden in General, however, one should never go by SJ train if it's avoidable. For obvious reasons:

Expensive: prices increase vastly the closer you are to departure date, last minute tickets do not exist, and they charge a lot more if you reserve a seat (please, never reserve a seat on trains!).
Baggage: there is absolutely no space for big rucksacks, suitcases and the like, which creates occasional chaos. 

Rättvik is situated next to the mythical lake Siljan (Sweden's 7th largest lake), and as the train stops at the station, she offers a spectacular view. In Dalarna, everything is like it always has been and the history, traditions, culture and typical Dala-houses are still very much alive. For these reasons- and of course the troll promising nature, me and Ola chose to stay for a while. We spent four days with a Swedish shaman at Läkegården, located in the forest just outside Rättvik. Here, too, we did work exchange (both By Magie services and carpeting) and thus got the opportunity to learn about and practice indigenous Swedish shamanism. In addition, we had time to visit sacred places such as Styggforsen waterfall and Dalhalla (a big lime stone quarry with a human made stage) and a few antiquities shops, which are also typical for the area and a must on a visit to Sweden! 

Styggforsen waterfall, Rättvik, Dalarna county, Sweden 

Since we don't have a car we decided to get around by foot and to hitchhike, which turned out to be a perfect combo in the Rättvik surroundings (despite heavy raining). In order to avoid SJ for our continuos travels, we do as we normally do in other countries: find local buses. Cheaper and easier. 

Random walking somewhere outside Rättvik, Sweden

Bonus tips transportation: 
Find out what county you are traveling in and and google it + "buses" and have a map ready as you browse thru the timetable. This is how we got to from Rättvik to Mora, where we're at right now.

Cheap accommodation tips:
1. Same as staying with friends is Coach Surfing and works well in Sweden too, especially when you need a place to crash just for the night. 
2. Work exchange exists in Sweden too. There are volunteer farms, WWOOFing and more around but you can also just go ahead and ask the place you want to visit, like we did at Läkegården. 

We are now heading towards Östersund, continuing our search for sublime nature, old wisdom and Love Exchange. 

How are you spending the holidays? comment below! 

Love and Light
/OM

Dalahäst in Mora, Dalarna county, Sweden.