One Day in Malmö

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The thing with big cities is that they might be difficult to get to know, especially if you’re only visiting for a couple of days. I like to put together One or Two days programs that offer a good chance to meet the soul of a city. Here is my attempt to do so for Sweden’s third largest city: Malmö.

Start your day early, so that you stroll the streets as the stores are starting their day. Empty streets during morning quietness are one of the secret beauties of City Life. Stroll around Möllan’s thrift store packed corners and look for hidden gems or alternative health shops. Continue to Astrid och Aporna, where you fill a basket with random organic and vegan goodies. No food planning, just pick the yummiest looking thing on the shelf to create a Vegan Smörgårdsbord feast later.

After spending time in a food store, lunch is probably on the agenda. Head west towards the Agnes street and lovely Café Agnes. This popular and Mother Nature friendly pearl serves creative meals and sublime Fika (pastries). Its location, interior and charming patio are all characteristics that define Malmö. After a filling lunch, and despite being stuffed, buy a vegan brownie to go. Just do it you won’t regret it!

Locate the central station and take a bus to its end stop. Find a yellow bus that says “Falsterbo” and pay with a bus card for a better deal. The ride is about an hour and shows you both ocean and big yellow rape field.

Walk over the sand dunes and let the turquoise ocean greet you. If you visit in spring or early summer: enjoy the stillness and gentle breeze. If it’s in July, try to find a spot for your towel in between German tourists. Bask in the sun until you remember the brownie you brought and decide to eat it while waves are stroking the shore.

Falsterbo Beach, Malmö, Sweden

Take the bus back and spend the night cooking your random groceries. Maybe it turns out as Swedish vegan tapas. Try to use all your ingredients as you create a recap of the day in the kitchen.

If you happen to try this on a Tuesday, you might as well end a perfect day with a beautiful Kirtan gathering at Yoga Kendra on Friisgatan. If you’re out on a Saturday, on the other hand, why not bring the food to take a boat ride along the river, accompanied by live music. 

Do you have any hidden secret places you want to share? Please comment below! :)

Pura Vida

The Nomadic Yogi

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According to Sri Pattabhi Jois and his Yoga Mala, the space where you do your asana practice (poses) should be open and clean. In the west we are used to shalas being spacious and with a lot of room in between yourself and your neighbor. The studios are clean, have a good temperature and are QUIET. Most of us even expect a yoga space to be this way. However, yoga is about being able to quiet the mind to ground oneself and to stay focused. We practice these things on the mat to be able to apply them in our everyday life. Sticking to a regular practice while traveling is of course challenging in many ways but I believe it to be beneficial for me and for my practice to face these challenges. As yet a Staying Healthy On The Road post and to give you inspiration to keep rolling out your mat wherever you are, I share with you some of the places I’ve been doing my asanas the last few months. In some of them I had to take a few extra breaths to focus on myself instead of outside distractions, whilst in others magic happens(ed). I believe we need both sides of the coin, or it’ll get boring ;)

 

1. Hostel floor next to yesterday's stinking beer cans

Beds on Bohio, Jaco, Costa Rica

I am grateful for the spacious privates and their including patios in this place. Hostels are always a challenge for yoga practice since it’s never silent. This is not the first hostel where I’ve been doing my morning practice, nor is it the only or last one. It is, however, the only party-hostel I would stay at and where I keep showing up regularly. The smell of yesterday’s party (or the sounds of it during night) is part of the experience and I breathe through any annoyance that might come up. In addition to remind myself about the gratitude I feel for having a mat-sized patio outside the room. 

2. In the jungle together with all kinds of friendly animals that want to join me.

Uvita jungle hostel, Costa Rica

Practicing in the jungle is amazing in so many ways; the colors, the clean air, the heat, the curious hummingbirds and playful toucans, and the sounds of the forest. However, every now and again mosquitos, ants and simply all kinds of bugs like to join in. And sometimes cats. That is fine though, I like that kind of company, it keeps me staying humble.

3. Together with 22 awesome women, every morning for 22 days, on an uneven and semi-broken wooden floor

Yoga in Tamarindo with Drishti Yoga Teacher Training, Costa RIca.

The challenge for me –who is used to yoga alone- was to suddenly share my practice with others every day, and to be guided through most meditations. Sharing and creating connection in that way open up the heart and let you go deeper in your practice. I am forever grateful for what these lovely ladies shared with and taught me. 

4. On the beach when waves are coming in, removing the sand under my balancing point

Playa Uvita Costa Rica

The picture speaks for itself. Balance and alignment are obviously affected. Good fun to play around with both of these asana foundations though! 

5. On a friend's dusty floor while the news broadcast is blasting out from the radio at 6am

Deep breaths and a strong Drishti to go within and connect are what help me stay grounded and calm in these kinds of situations. Yet a place to grow if it’s added to my practice every now and again.

 

I guess it all comes down to one thing really; learn to lie on the floor everywhere. And all yogis I know love being on the floor so it actually doesn’t take long no matter where we are before our feet are up the wall.

Beds on Bohio, Jaco Beach Costa Rica with Megan and Sabeena

Where do you find it most challenging to do your practice, exercise, meditation or workout? Share in the comments below!

Pura Vida

Practicing How to Stay Healthy On The Road part II

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It is always difficult to stick to your healthy food scheme and giving the body what it needs when transporting yourself from A to B (to C etc.). The longer the ride the harder it gets. However, traveling by air is by far the most challenging in terms of staying healthy, alert and over all good; we are not even allowed to bring our own water for heaven’s sake! Even though I dislike long train rides too, at least I have the possibility to bring my own food. A 10 hour airfare is always a gamble for a vegetarian/vegan and even more so if you eat gluten-free, organic AND non-GMO! They hardly ever get it right. I have yet to figure out how to be able to eat during long flight hours, for now I’m blessing my food as hard as I can to not get sick. Flying between Costa Rica and Europe means transiting in The States, obviously a problem for the food aware person! All food is based on chemicals and sugar. Whilst a “snack” with British Airways from London means a vegan salad containing hummus, chickpeas, falafel and greens (!). They also had fresh lemon for my hot water, hurray!

Oatmeal, brown sugar, raisins and hot water lemon.

Before even getting to the airport I started my day with oatmeal and hot cinnamon tea (not in the picture), which improve digestion and help me stay grounded. At Dallas airport, I found a classic American burger/fajitas restaurant where I asked for vegan food and ended up analyzing their special allergy menu for a good 15 minutes! The result? Black bean burger (without bread), rice and broccoli (instead of fries) and hot water lemon on the side!

Vegan and gluten-free meal at Dallas Aiport

In conclusion, traveling by air is still a pain food-wise but hopefully they’re getting there soon enough. Airports around the world usually have snack stores with a variety of healthier snack options such as organic raw granola bars, nut mixes and fruit. In most restaurants you can ask about ordering off the menu and they’re cool about it and, as previously stated, mint (tea) is the herb easiest to find no matter where you are. What is more, they did allow me to carry my own water bottle through security, which is a great resource and helps in staying hydrated. Next time I’ll bring my thermos ;) 

Bonus tip: in the carry on bring a small bottle of olive, avocado oil or the like to rub on nails, hands, lips and other dry areas. I also like to carry some essential peppermint oil in case I get motion sick.

For more tips on how to stay healthy while traveling check out my previous posts:

How to Stay Healthy and Balanced while Traveling

Practicing How To Stay Healthy on the Road

What are your experiences with airplane food? Good or bad? Do you have any tips? Share in the comments below! 

Pura Vida

Yoga Teacher Training Costa Rica

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Guanacaste province is located in the northwest of Costa Rica. This province is the warmest in the country and between November and April there is hardly any rain (dry season), resulting in dry forests and a desert like climate.

During one of these hot months is when I decided it was a good time to do a Yoga Teacher Training. It happened to be located just outside of Tamarindo, which is basically as far as you can go from Puerto Viejo (southeastern corner of the country). And it was indeed hot, even I used air-condition! And, occasionally, I really missed the green jungle and all its sounds, movements, rain and humidity. I was surprised, however, that the howler monkeys woke us up around 5 am still, and they were close! Strolling around the surrounding areas showed me the many mango trees and it started to make sense why heaps of monkey families were hanging around in the desert.

Sunset Playa Negra, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We started late in the mornings (6:45), when the sun was already up, making the sun heat the shala to a boiling temperature by the end of practice (9:30).  Everyday we also practiced teaching, had philosophy class, anatomy class and Yin Yoga. In total, we did more or less five to six hours of physical practice everyday. I truly enjoy that kind of intensity every now and again. The regularity takes my practice to new levels and the wisdom from the physical asanas (postures) grows deeper inside me. For anyone wanting to experience profound transformation, I recommend trying longer retreats (no matter what level you’re at on your path). And of course, I recommend joining me and Yoga By Magie for any workshops, classes and retreats :)

Reversed Prayer. Sunset Jaco Beach, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica

Every seventh day we had a day off. If you’re a yoga junkie, it’s hard not to do any practice at all, even though the body really needs some rest to process what it’s learning. I kept my morning meditations, in addition to going with some of the girls to Playa Negra to try Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time! We went to an empty beach where the ocean was quiet enough to not knock us of balance. Doing yoga outside can be challenging, but if you’re used to it and have a good drishti (focus) you will enjoy SUP yoga. My favorite part was lying in Savasana (on my back), hands touching the water, looking up to Father Sky and Grandmother Moon, noticing the shore with its trees in the distance while the sun was setting over the west coast of Costa Rica. Big hug to Naturalbeautyyoga who showed us this place!

I am grateful for having met such a beautiful group of strong, independent and open-minded women. Already a couple days in, I asked to experiment with them by guiding them through a drum meditation and ended up doing another one the week after. Thank you all for being so receptive and for everything you shared during these weeks!

Me and two of the girls drove down to Jaco for a couple of nights to get a different scenery and some beach. While they headed back home to Canada, I went visiting another yogini in San Jose and together we bussed down to Puerto Viejo to watch the craziness of the last Easter days. That is to say, I am now back in the buzzing jungle doing yoga, writing on the porch, doing sweat lodges and work at the wellness center.

Sabeena, Megan, Magie at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

What did you do for Easter?

 

Pura Vida

 

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson


Road Trip in Costa Rica's Paradise

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The last few days, we’ve been on the road and I have managed to have a few relaxing moments without work ;) We rented a 4-wheel drive in San Jose and headed south on the west coast, towards a small beach village called Uvita. The guidebooks happily refer to this part of the country as “the real Costa Rica”, meaning this is what Costa looked like before tourism created beach towns with hotels, restaurants and roads. I’d say that statement is exaggerated as the main highway runs all the way down to Panama and is a proper, good road to drive on. Sure, there are no towns to be seen (and obviously the further south you get the more national parks and less people there are) but there are plenty of hotels and you need a car to get around. The tourism here is rather for the ones who have money.

Uvita and its surroundings are amazingly beautiful, remote and tranquil. Even though we are traveling in the backwash of high season, we found empty beaches and quiet waterfalls. The Uvita beach and the ones following south are all part of the Marino Ballena National Park and, thus, are protected and preserved with the help of an entrance fee, certified guides and the like. Needless to say, that makes the area clean and home to many interesting animals such as dolphins, whales, turtles and colorful fish. We went for a boat and snorkeling tour to swim in the warm ocean and say hello to the playful dolphins in the bay.

After a few days of spectacular beaches, ocean, animals, waterfalls and yoga on a wooden deck in the jungle we jumped back in the car and headed towards Jacó. I have earlier tried to explain Jaco, but it has to be experienced and that is precisely why I took my sister here last year, and now Ola. It is intense though and I can only stand it for a couple days in a row. One morning I did my practice on a hard concrete floor, among the fumes of last night’s beer. Challenges make you grow.

The Famous Jacó Sunset

After Jaco, we headed north and today we made a road trip from Tamarindo to Nosara. All of Nicoya Peninsula requires a 4-wheel drive, patient and a lot of time. Just this short trip took longer than expected due to gravel roads, roadwork and car accidents. We had a great day tho, and shot a short video for you. My first vlog haha Enjoy! And comment below if you do=)


Today, I'm starting my next project; the Yoga Teacher Training here in Guanacaste. I look forward to 3 weeks of deep asana practice and further self-exploration! See you in a few weeks=)

Pura Vida

Work Weekend in San José

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Every time I visit the capital of Costa Rica I have a list of things I need to get done and buy and people to visit. It is busy, but I like it! This last time, I went to buy yarn for Made By Magie’s famous Yoga Socks and material for the MBM jewelry. Thanks to having done some research on where to shop for these rather specific things during my first year in Costa I crossed of the list fairly fast and had time to visit a friend in Ciudad Colon for a cooking gathering Friday night! In addition to bulk up with even more stuff to carry around (hrm), I was gonna try selling some products at the organic market Feria Verde where my friend sells his raw food. This is the place where you find vegan ice cream, raw food, the coming week's veggies, handicrafts, incense, and organic and local everything. In addition, it is a good hang out with amazing people and a tranquil oasis in down town San Jose.

Vegan CocoChoco ice cream YUM! At Feria Verde de Aranjuéz, San José Costa Rica

Vegan CocoChoco ice cream YUM! At Feria Verde de Aranjuéz, San José Costa Rica

From 7 am to 1 pm Saturday I was eating yumminess, catching up with friends, meeting new ones, selling some tinctures and buying a great deal of good-to-have things.

As I’ve mentioned before, Saturday is when people in San Jose hang out in the parks all day, doing all kinds of fun stuff together. Needless to say, we went straight from the market to chill in Parque Morazan where we listened to bongo drums and watched some kind of silent operetta.

Barrio Escalante, Feria Verde

Barrio Escalante, Feria Verde

Hula-hoops is the new thing here, are they popular in Sweden and other places too?

Parque Morazán, San José Costa Rica. Enamorate de tu ciudad.

How Lonely Planet can claim this city to be grey, dirty and boring is to me a great mystery. Backpackers are happy to sign their statement and on their website LP has a list over the world’s worst cities, where San José comes as number 10. Why? 

By singing, dancing and playing music together, your heart frequencies become the same and, thus, you are spreading good vibrations to the world where they bounce on to other people, sharing the love. Too me, that's the opposite of grey and boring!

What is your least favorite city?