Female Health . Yoga
Postpartum Yoga: benefits and reasons to try it
On October 21, 2022 by marghevivianiDuring pregnancy we were practicing Prenatal yoga, we were working on opening our bodies and preparing for giving birth. Now is already past, and you are having your little one born on your hand, and is time to recover your body and mind after becoming a new mother. And here will help Yoga Postpartum, also called Postnatal Yoga. Funny fact: In my post, I will use the word Postpartum, as I live in Italy, and in Italian “Natale” means “Christmas”, so many Italians understand it as something like “After Christmas” :)) Please promise me to finish reading this post by the end. There you will find a surprise 🙂 What is Postpartum Yoga? Read moreYoga during pregnancy for normal deliveryPostpartum is a modified yoga practice that helps women to recover safely after birth-giving. Postnatal recovery combines deep breathing with small, slow movements and stretches. They can help you regain your posture, close your body after giving birth, and can prevent stress incontinence and womb prolapse. Benefits of Postpartum Yoga How soon can I practice yoga after giving birth? As soon as two hours after natural delivery and once the drains have been removed after a C-section. The first practice can be done on a bed or couch. The more you practice postpartum recovery the more beneficial they will be but don’t do more than you feel able to. Trust your instincts and build up your practice gradually and sensibly. Your body will thank you in the future! Why should you try Postpartum yoga? Read more17 Ways to avoid burnouts and be happierI encourage every woman to find at least 10-15 minutes a day to practice postpartum yoga. Why? As you were reading before the benefits of this practice are way more important than you can imagine. After giving birth our bodies remain damaged, and open, with very weak abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. And we must help our body to get back on track without any rush because you should be a healthy and strong mother when your baby starts growing. I’m sure that after you won’t find a time when your baby is still very small. Many women only seek the perfect body as soon as possible after giving birth, they start with abdominal exercises and never think about pelvic floor muscles. Even if a woman was never giving birth with a time the pelvic floor muscles gets weak, and older you become there is more possibility to have womb prolapse. What I am trying to say is that abdominal muscles are highly connected with pelvic floor muscles. And ignoring of pelvis floor muscles can lead to urinary incontinence, which would be hard to fix in the future. Plus yoga Postpartum is practiced together with your baby. It contains exercises for new moms and also Baby yoga for a newborn. Takeaway Now that you studied a little about Yoga Postpartum, I would like to invite you to a free trial lesson in my Online Yoga Studio. You can get more info on my website www.viviyoga.tilda.ws. There you will also find more information about my certifications. To trust me more I will remind you that I have my first child 3 years old, and now I am waiting for the second. And I tried all the benefits of Postpartum Yoga on me and Baby Yoga on my child. Feel free to contact me for more information and subscribe for updates. You can also follow my Instagram where I post more information about pregnancy, yoga, and motherhood. Hope you found this post useful. Yours, Marghe.
Food & Recipes
4 Steps to kick-start your plant based diet
On October 11, 2022 by marghevivianiHey, today I would like to talk about food again. And in this post, you will find a step-by-step guide on how to start your plant-based diet. Read also 3 MYTHS ABOUT PLANT-BASED NUTRITION Step 1: Choose Your Type of Plant-Based Nutrition A spectrum of plant-based eating options is available to you. Considering that your nutrition will be mainly coming from plants, your options are: Step 2: Adapt Your Grocery Read moreYoga during pregnancy for normal deliveryIn order to ease yourself into plant-based eating, try to slowly increase the amount of plant-base food on your grocery list and stop purchasing animal protein and dairy products. Stock up on cans of legumes such as black beans or chick peas. They are fast and easy ingredients to add to many recipes (just make sure they are not full of sugar or salt). This might require a bit more shopping time at first but eventually, you will know which brand is the healthiest. Step 3: Plan Your Meals One of the most difficult parts about adapting to plant-based eating is to adopt new habits in the kitchen. Instead of having burgers for dinner, you have to find new ways to cook and bring more plant-based food at your table. It is recommended to try new recipes as opposed to try to adapt your old recipes to a plant-based nutrition. Step 4: Let’s Do This! The best way to start plant-based eating is to make small changes now. Choose a day this week when you want to have a plant-based nutrition day. That day will be the beginning of your journey in plant-based eating. Once you’ve chosen a date, pick your recipes! Takeaway Read more17 Ways to avoid burnouts and be happierIf you would like to learn more about plant-based diet, I have written a guide exactly for this occasion. It called Plant-based Eating: A beginners guide to optimal health, sustainable weight loss and increased energy. With the help of this guide, you will be ready to step into the world of plant-based eating in no time and set yourself up for success. The cost of the book is only $7. You can buy it here. Enjoy! Here it is. Please feel free to comment below or write to me using the contact form. I am happy to answer any question or listen to your own experience. Subscribe to stay undated or follow my Instagram. Yours Marghe
Wellbeing
17 Ways to avoid burnouts and be happier
On October 7, 2022 by marghevivianiLately, I hear too often from my friends that they reached burnout. It became very easy to reach that point in our society. With all the news, worries, families, and careers, we always run somewhere, we have to improve, we have to be at the top, to gain more, we worry, and so on. And we forget how to take care of ourselves not only from the outside but also from the inside. I know exactly what it is, but I also know how is life without burnouts. I can not say that now my life is super easy and I never experience stress. Is the opposite, in every new situation I need a longer time to adjust myself. For example, I found a balance in my work working every single day in China, without a free day, and sleeping 4 hours a day. But after a became a mother, I was needing time to understand how to feel less stressed. Once I start feeling great as a mother, we lost all our money. And then happened what happened, the pandemic, Russia with Ukrain, crisis in Europe. As for many of us, it was really hard for me to handle the last few years. But now I feel myself back again. Even though still many things have to be fixed. But now I am waiting for a second baby and I decided that there is no sense to destroy myself anymore. Read moreYoga during pregnancy for normal deliveryAnd in this post, I would like to give some of my tips that helped me to pass very intense moments of my life without being burned out. All those tips are super easy to perform and no money is required. Life is way more simple 🙂 Read also 10 things to be happy and grateful about. What is a Burnout First of all let define what is a Burnout. What Mentalhealth-UK says: Read more4 Steps to kick-start your plant based dietBurnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress in your job, or when you have worked in a physically or emotionally draining role for a long time. Common signs of burnout: How to prevent burnout? 1. Grounding – life is way more simple than we think 2. Meditate and practice mindfulness 3. Do a physical activity to connect with your body 4. Learn how to listen to yourself 5. Find a work-home-family balance. To live a life you don’t need a vacation from! 6. Rest when is needed 7. Practice breath-work 8. Practice positive thinking 9. Stop being worried about something you can’t change. And if you can change! 10. Live your own life. Stop comparing and thinking that you have to live for someone. Life is not so long, so live it, and live as you dream 11. Make dreams, and wishes and visualize 12. Practice non-judgment 13. Practice kindness 14. Find the strength inside to have a dream job, so you will never go to work 15. Stay far from toxic and negative people 16. Do what really matters 17. Don’t seek relief in material things. Seek happiness deeper Bonus tip: Download a free guide to help you to prevent and cope burnouts If you type “burnout” in Google, the first link you find is this, which leads you to a page of the World Health Organisation. Here you can download for free a very nice guide “Doing what matters: in Times of stress”. I tried it myself and I recommend it. Takeaway We all seek happiness, so let’s be happy! Just Understand this thing: life is really short to be worried about everything and to search for happiness in things, money, or any egoistical wishes. One day we might lose it all, and what then? You are not happy anymore, only because you can’t travel, or you can buy yourself a new phone or dress. Too easy then, to ruin our balance then. Please, dream your life, and live the life you wish depending on the situation. I wanna thank my husband, a person who remains strong in the worst situations, who give me this example and help to handle any difficulty. Thank you, my love, for protecting us! Support me And the last thing, not long time ago I published my own guide, called “Being Whole” – Mastering Your Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health. You can find more information and purchase it for only $7 here. I would be very happy if you can support me by purchasing this guide and sharing your feedback. Hope you find this post useful. Yours, Marghe
Female Health . Yoga
Yoga during pregnancy for normal delivery
On October 4, 2022 by marghevivianiAs a Yoga Teacher, I’ve studied also Prenatal Yoga and Yoga Postpartum. But also I tried them both on myself. Currently, I am 5 months pregnant for the second time, and this time I have more yoga in my life than in my first pregnancy. And I wanna tell you that if you are pregnant doesn’t mean that you can practice only Prenatal yoga. Yoga in general has beneficial results on women during pregnancy. If you love yoga you can still practice Hatha, Vinyasa, or Restorative. Simply that your teacher must know how to adjust you for any lesson. In this post, I will talk about the benefits of prenatal yoga, and I’ll give you tips on how to practice yoga safely during pregnancy. Importance of Prenatal Yoga Yoga incorporates the principles of stretching, breathing, and posture throughout pregnancy from 14 weeks to delivery.The importance of practice is as follows: Yoga in early pregnancy Read more17 Ways to avoid burnouts and be happierFocus and taking care of yourself and rest (first 14-16 weeks) Yoga in mid-pregnancy Focus on extension and centering (16 to 33 weeks) Yoga in late pregnancy Focus on releasing and letting go (from 33 weeks to delivery) How to practice yoga safely during pregnancy Join me for Prenatal Yoga Read more4 Steps to kick-start your plant based dietAs I mentioned before, I am currently five months pregnant, and we can go through our practice together in my Online Yoga Studio. I offer the first lesson for free to everyone. Only what you have to do is to register here and chose a “Free Lesson pass” which won’t cost you any cent. And book your first lesson at any time that is comfortable for you 🙂 Read also Vegetarian diet during Pregnancy. Hope you find this post useful. Feel free to contact me or comment below and ask any questions about Yoga during Pregnancy. I am here at your service. Subscribe to the newsletter or follow my Instagram to stay in touch 🙂 Always yours, Marghe
Ayurveda . Food & Recipes
Ayurvedic diet for autumn and winter seasons
On September 30, 2022 by marghevivianiOk, I can officially say that the summer is finished 😉 And with seasons changes also our bodies. During autumn and winter, we feel more cold and dry in our bodies. We also get lazier and is more common to start gaining extra kilos in the wintertime. All those means that is time to switch to the winter diet. When I was modeling in Asia, I used to eat only fresh salads and fruits all the time. And also in cold seasons, I was stuck to the same diet, but I was not feeling so great actually. Even though I was practicing yoga daily, my metabolism went even slower and I couldn’t warm myself in any way, also my mood became less positive and more anxious. Thanks to Ayurveda studies I learned that all those signs are classical Vata accumulation. The Ayurvedic lifestyle is based on three things: routine, moderation, and tuning in to the natural rhythms of the doshas and Agni (digestive fire). In winter and autumn, Vata increases and should be pacified. We should strengthen our Agni and try to keep warm. And autumn and winter time we must follow the diet to calm down our Vata. Here I’m going to tell you how. Learn more about Ayurveda in this post: Have you heard about Ayurveda This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Responding to the body The state of the body is in constant flux, with the strength of the doshas and the strength of Agni always changing. It is helpful to develop an awareness of your body so that dosha imbalance and Agni weakness can be noticed and addressed. Vata is the most easily elevated due to its changing nature; it is also the quickest to rebalance. Signs of elevated Vata Winter diet to pacify Vata Vata is irregular, moving, light, dry, cool, fine, quick, and rough. It is pacified by practices that are regular, stable, heavy, oily, heating, viscous, slow, and smooth as these characteristics are opposite to its own. To pacify Vata you will benefit from a regular diet of warm, soupy food and only consuming drinks hot. A diet to pacify Vata contains more fats and grains than diets for other doshas. The table shows the proportions of different foods to eat for a Vata diet as part of your daily meals: Grains – 55% Wheat, white rice, spelt, quinoa, cooked oats, yeast-free bread. Vegetables – 20% Fennel, cucumber, carrots, squash, okra, parsnip, beetroot, spinach, asparagus, sweet potatoes, courgettes, sweet peas, cooked and peeled tomatoes, artichokes. Fats, diary products, nuts, seeds – 15% Ghee, all cooking oils except for coconut oil.Fresh cheese, mozzarella, sour and sweet creams, hard cheese.Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds. Pulses – 10% Mung beans, kidney beans, soy milk, red lentils, soy products. Spices and herbs Aniseed, basil, dill, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, bay leaves, cloves, sage, marjoram, rosemary. Fruits Sweet and/or sour fruit: grapes, pineapple, apples, avocados, fresh dates, strawberries, figs, oranges, kiwis, limes. Salt The salty taste pacifies vata. Opt for local or Himalayan rock salt (rose-coloured or white). Sweeteners Small quantities of: raw cane sugar, jaggery, fruit juice concentrate, molasses, honey. Foods for pacifying Vata. Ayurveda * Food to reduce or avoid to soothe Vata Yoga and meditation for Vata Vata’s tendency for movement, irregularity, and lightness benefits from the focus, quiet, and calming and grounding effect of yoga and meditation. To practice yoga with me register in my Online Yoga Studio and get the first lesson for free. To register here and join the lessons click here. Takeaway We should always remember that living along with nature and listening out rhythms and rhythms of nature will help to maintain our health. And Ayurveda is the best study that teaches us that. It’s been many years that I practice Ayurvedic knowledge for myself and my family, and I feel better in every season of the year, every stage of my life. Try this winter diet and let me know how it works on you. If you would like to study more about Ayurveda I highly recommend you to get this book: Practical Ayurveda by Swami Sivananda. Feel free to express yourself about this topic in the comments below and subscribe for updates or follow my Instagram to stay in touch. Always yours, Marghe
Food & Recipes
3 myths about plant-based nutrition
On September 23, 2022 by marghevivianiWe are hearing the word plant-based nutrition more and more in our society. Already, we can see some misinformation creeping up on social media and news. I’ve done my research and want to demystify some of the false belief that is out there. Read also Why to consider Vegetarianism post. Here’s the top 3 myths I’ve found about Plant-based nutrition: Myth #1 : It’s unnatural Plant-based nutrition is in fact the original Paleo diet. We once believed that early humans consumed a large proportion of animal protein in their diet. It is from that belief that, in the 2000s, the Paleo diet (mainly comprised of animal protein) became really popular in the world of nutrition and diet. Although, we now know that the nutrition of bipedal primates and Homo sapiens was primarily composed of nuts, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds and water. In that case, the “original” Paleo Diet was in reality plant-based eating. Myth #2: It’s a fancy term for a vegan diet In the world of nutrition, plant-based eating is having a large portion of one’s nutrition coming from vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, whole grains and also include legumes or other plants. A spectrum of plant-based nutrition options is available to you. Some are very strict (vegan diet), others are still adding animal products like dairy (vegetarian) and at the other end of the spectrum are those that still eat meat, poultry and fish on an occasional basis. Plant-based eating can be for everyone, the main idea is to add more vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes. Myth #5: It’s not for athletes It was once believed that you needed to add animal protein in your meals to increase muscle mass. In fact, the strongest mammal is the gorilla (most are herbivores). It has the ability to lift around 4409 lbs. that is 10 times its body weight. It would be like a 200 lb. individual lifting 2000 lb. If other mammals can live a healthy and strong life on a plant-based nutrition, we probably can too. Some studies and athletes have demonstrated that it is possible to increase muscles and be fit with a plant-based nutrition. For example, one of the best runners of all time and American ultramarathoner, Scott Jurek is known to be a plant-based eater! I highly recommend you to watch a film “Game Changers” on Netflix. You will find many answers on this exact topic. Takeaway Whether you want to save the planet, become healthier or simply feel better, the plant-based nutrition is a great option to be a better person. If you would like to learn more about plant-based diet, I have written a guide exactly for this occasion. It called Plant-based Eating: A beginners guide to optimal health, sustainable weight loss and increased energy. With the help of this guide, you will be ready to step into the world of plant-based eating in no time and set yourself up for success. The cost of the book is only $7. You can buy it here. Enjoy! Feel free to share you opinion or a question in the comments below 😉 Subscribe for newsletter to be updated or follow my instagram. Let’s stay in touch! Yours Marghe
Casual . Yoga
My favourite yoga gear essentials
On September 17, 2022 by marghevivianiToday I would like to share my favorite yoga gear essentials. I have all of them for my practice and teaching. But it doesn’t mean you have to have them all. I simply share what might be useful for your practice or as a present to your yogi friend. Yoga start being loved more and more every year, by men and women. There are so many benefits to practicing yoga, I can ensure you that as a yoga teacher and a student. Even though many new yogis think that only a yoga mat is enough, which is not exactly true. A few more things will make your practice even deeper. Read more BENEFITS OF YOGA. AND WHY PEOPLE DO YOGA? This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Here is the list: To complete your practice check the Playlist for Yoga practice. And feel free to share in the comments below what is your favorite yoga gear essentials. I would like to remind you that I have opened Online Yoga Studio. And I am offering free yoga session for new yogis registered in my studio. Just check the schedule, choose the lesson you like, register, and then purchase the “Free lesson Pass” and join the lesson 🙂 See you in the studio! Subscribe for newsletter or follow my instagram to stay in touch. Yours Marghe
Casual . Yoga
Playlist for yoga practice
On September 14, 2022 by marghevivianiIn this post, I share my favorite yoga playlist from Apple music that you can also listen on your computer. Stillness of the mind Traditionally yoga is a spiritual practice, in which silence may feel fit better. Still, yoga is basically about inner silence or rather inner stillness. Patanjali (one of the founding fathers of the yoga philosophy) defines yoga as “ Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodha ”. From Sanskrit, this means as important as yoga stilling the mind. You may also call it turning inward or coming home to yourself and your body while the mind quiets. Music can support this turning inward. It can help you to get into that physical and internal inflow. So in this sense, using music doesn’t have to abstract from the yoga tradition. Playing music to support your inflow and soul-searching may be kindly different than how Patanjali intended the yoga sutras when he wrote them down some centuries BC, but we also can not deny how important the world and the way we exercise yoga have changed since also. In my particular experience music is really helpful to find my inner stillness and inflow during my yoga practice. Of course, this is different for everyone, but especially when you’re fluently distracted music can be great to mute background noises. Yoga playlist I would like to remind you that I have opened Online Yoga Studio. And I am offering free yoga session for new yogis registered in my studio. Just check the schedule, choose the lesson you like, register, and then purchase the “Free lesson Pass” and join the lesson 🙂 To complete your practice check my Yoga Archive. Feel free to subscribe to be updated about new posts or follow my Instagram. Yours Marghe
Yoga
Yoga retreats you still have time to book
On September 10, 2022 by marghevivianiHow was your summer? Did you find a chance to go somewhere? If not, then take a look at this post. Here you can find a Yoga Retreat that suits you the most, whether you wanna visit Bali, Italy, or the USA. The cool thing is that all of them are available for this year, and some of them are even for 2023. I tried to be very picky as usual, to find the best offers and locations. So I hope you will like my taste 🙂 Go ahead and give it a look. This post contain affiliate links. Means that I can get commission. And it wouldn’t have any extra charge for you. 1. Spain | 8 Day Relax and Rejuvenate Wellness Holiday with Yoga What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 1,064 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 2. France | 7 Day Holistic Meditation and Yoga Retreat in Côte d’Azur What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 693 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 3. Portugal | 8 Day Surf and Yoga for Beginners in an Ecolodge in Maceda What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 495 Next available dates: This vacation is available until October 31, 2022. 4. Bali | 7 Day 100% Organic Body-Mind Detox, Daily Spa & Yoga-Meditation What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 818 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 5. Greece | 8 Day Sailing, Yoga, and SUP in Cyclades What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 1,290 Next available dates: This vacation is available until October 22, 2022. 6. India | 7 Day Luxury Ayurveda Yoga Meditation Retreat in Kerala What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 990 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 7. USA | 4 Day Yoga, Meditation, and Wellness Holiday in Kingfield, Maine What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 1,230 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 8. Italy | 4 Day Swimming & Yoga Holiday on the Edge of the Abruzzi N. Park What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 229 Next available dates: This vacation is available until November 18, 2022 9. UK | 4 Day Yoga, Meditation, and Ayurveda Retreat in Hereford What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 700 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. 10. Thailand | 6 Day Yoga & Wellness Retreat and Day Trips in Phuket What to expect: Price for one person starts from € 722 Next available dates: This vacation is available all year round, you can decide yourself when to participate. Let me know if you chose one 🙂 There is another post might be interested for you BEST YOGA RETREATS IN ITALY FOR 2022. Subscribe for newsletter to be updated or follow my Instagram to stay in touch! Yours, Marghe
Casual
Camping essentials checklist (tested)
On August 17, 2022 by marghevivianiI remember the times when I was still living in Kamchatka, with my parents we were going camping many times. As for a child is an unforgettable experience: staying close to nature, cooking on a fire, and sleeping with the sounds of a river or an ocean. Kamchatka itself has one of the most beautiful nature on the planet, and I highly recommend visiting it. But this is not the point 🙂 Later on, we moved 9000 km away from there and my family continued going out for a weekend with tend until these days. What I loved the most, was that my parents and their friends were always super prepared for even a couple of days staying outside with tend. We had always everything for comfortable leisure. Now I have my own family and my kids, and I still love to do the same. Also, my husband used to do camping for many years. The only thing is a different experience of camping in Italy and Russia. In Italy is prohibited free camping, you must reserve a spot in a special place, but means you will be never alone and really in wild conditions. In Russia, as there is much more free space for everyone, is the way much more easy to organize your free wild experience with friends and night fire. And since I live in Italy my idea of camping changed a little, but not a long time ago I made my Checklist of camping essentials, ether with tend ether with camper-van. In this post below you will find two lists: one is complete I made for our the most comfortable experience, and the second one is super minimalistic and naturally less expensive. I want to ensure you that I did my research on every item in this list, and I found the best solutions in our opinion for the best experience 😉 This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Complete checklist for best experience to stay wild Minimalistic camping list I recommend you also read this post Motorhome vs. Minivan. Also, I would be happy to hear back from you, about your camping experience or ideas. Please feel free to leave your comment below or subscribe for the newsletter to stay updated about new posts. Or simply follow my Instagram to stay in touch! Always yours, Marghe