We all know it's important, but we often forget. So todays blog post is super simple; remember to hydrate mama. 

Our bodies have been hard at work cleansing our system while we've been asleep so I always drink a large glass of water with lemon as soon as I wake up to re-hydrate. A tip is to keep a flask with you throughout the day.. Ditch the old plastic bottle and treat yourself to a beautiful new glass or metal one. Add some fresh berries, pomegranate or mint for flavour and you'll be surprised how inviting something so simple can be to have with us and to remind us to stay hydrated through our day. 

My days are currently filled with lots of family time in the sunshine! Hope you're having a wonderful summer. Sending you love and light xxx

Came across this video by JJ Heller on motherhood. It warmed my heart and I wanna share it with you! We don't realise how much our mamas did for us. How challenging, transformational and wonderful it truly is until we become mamas ourselves...

Let's fill our days with gratitude for all that our mothers have done for us and for the amazing job we are doing ourselves. Let's focus on being present with our little ones, filling our time together with giggles and seeing the magic in small everyday moments. 

Have a wonderful week, Love

Hope you're having a wonderful week so far beautiful. Summer is here and I want to share 3 lovely things with you that I hope can inspire you to take some time to fill up your wellness and self-love cup. 

1. Plan a daytime date with yourself. If you have errands to run, estimate an extra 30-60min to do something just for you. I love wondering around my favourite shops and stopping by the fruit- and flower market. Taking in the smells, the textures, the people and just being in my own little bubble without anyone needing me for anything in that moment. Or perhaps sitting in a cafe reading a book or magazine... Do something that makes you feel energised by life that is happening all around us (outside to do lists and mama responsibilities). Ready to return home refreshed and focused on being a relaxed, present and happy mama. 

2. Plan an evening of self-care (this never gets old). Take a bath, put on a face mask or paint your nails... anything that makes you feel wonderful. 

3. Say no to something this week that you don't really want to do (if it isn't absolutely necessary of course like feeding your kids). So often we over extend ourselves and say yes out of obligation or fear of looking bad if we don't... and sometimes we simply overestimate how much we can squeeze in to a day or a week, leaving no time to rest and do the things that re-charge us. Sometimes we have to say no to someone or something else, so that you can say yes to yourself! It isn't selfish - its self-love. You could replace this time with point 1 and 2 above. 

Love

When life is busy, it's so EASY to loose that precious balance and forget to prioritise moments to slow down, tune-in and care for ourselves.

"It takes courage to prioritise rest and play in a society that sees being busy and feeling exhaustion as a status symbol..." - Brenè Brown

For most of us, lack of balance often builds up so gradually that we don't even realise it until it has manifested itself as physical symptoms (stress, frustration, anxiety and exhaustion) or in our relationships (irritability, snapping and arguing). We can often feel like life is hard, stressful and overwhelming, with "no time" to spend quality time with those we love or the things we love to do! 

I've been burnt out before and had my fair share of ups and downs in the past which is why I'm so passionate about health, wellness and having balance in our lives. When i follow my own advice and do the things i know creates balance within myself and my life, things are amazing! But when i forget and neglect myself or the things I know I need to do (because im too busy or don't feel like it), things go downhill pretty fast. 

But see the universe has a way of doing that when she's trying to teach us something. First its a kind tap on the shoulder, a feeling of something not being quite right (but we often ignore it). Then she nudges and pushes us a little harder... And if we continue to ignore whatever is that is going on, she knocks your over the head and flips your life upside down so you're forced to deal with it. 

When life happens and we loose balance, we can see it as an opportunity to learn, grow and become even better versions of ourselves. We just need to sit with the uncomfortableness, accept it and create a new way moving forward. 

I'm so grateful to have my health, my family and close friends who love and support me everyday. But the internal work - loving and caring for myself so that i can truly show up in life as the person and mama i want to be today and moving forward, thats on me. So today i want to share with you some of the things that I've been doing recently to make sure I'm staying balanced. 

1. I'm prioritising extra time to tune-in with myself through meditation and yoga to connect, calm my mind and relax my body. 

2. I'm focusing on my Mindset and treating myself with love, kindness and understanding. We all make mistakes and no one is perfect. Accept it, let it go and move forward. This weeks mantra has been; "Do it with balance and joy, or not at all" 

3. Making sure i get enough rest & sleep. Long baths and early nights... As well as nourishing my body with healthy foods (and a little chocolate...)

4. Connection. Away with meaningless distractions (social media) and lots of giggles and fun with Matheo. Honest and open conversations with those i love. Always a little uncomfortable but oh so necessary to heal, move on and create even better relationships.

5. Nourishing my beautiful body with healthy foods (and a little chocolate...)

I've really been craving connecting with more like minded mamas - soul sisters really. So last week i reached out to a new mama i didn't know (the wife of one of my husbands colleagues) and asked her out for a coffee. We hit it off instantly and after 4 hours of chatting, I feel so grateful to have made a new friend. Sometimes we just need to get over the fear, get out there and take a chance (may it be friendships, dating or a new opportunity. It may just work out perfectly ;)

This turned in to a long blog post but i just wanted to remind you that sometimes the toughest weeks can be the most transformational as they push us to take the necessary action we need to take to feel more balanced, relaxed, present and happy within ourselves and in our lives. When we do the inner work, we also have so much more to give back to those we love! I hope that this can inspire and motivate you to stop, re-evaluate, tweak and move forward with balance beautiful mama...

Have a magical week. Love

VLOG: THE ACUPRESSURE POINT FOR INSTANT CLARITY, FOCUS & ENERGY!

Lots of love,

I read an interview with Teresa Palmer, actress and co-founder of Your Zen Mama (If you haven't checked it out, please do, its lovely!), about how she and her husband each have a "non-negotiable". The one thing they need to do everyday for themselves. For her hubby its exercise and for Teresa its taking an hour every evening to herself to soak in the bath... 

I love this idea of having a non-negotiable because then you just know that, no matter how busy the day is, you're still going to prioritise some time for self-care and me-time to do what re-charges you. 

Personally, I love my 30 minutes of gentle yoga stretches and meditation in the morning. No matter how busy I am, I always make time for this because it has such a huge impact on how I feel the rest of my day!

So this week I want to ask you what your non-negotiable is? If you don't have one, what can you start doing everyday (anywhere from 5 - 60minutes) just for you that can help you feel relaxed and re-centred? It doesn't need to be the same thing necessarily everyday, but perhaps a time you set to do something lovely for yourself. Make it a priority to take some time out of your busy day just for you :)

Lots of Love

This week I want to share a very simple yoga pose called Sat Kriya that is said to help strengthen your mind and whole body. It can help to connect and strengthen your pelvic floor, core muscles and spine, help with anxiety and fear, aid digestion, cleanse and balance your bodies energy, stimulates creativity and can help build your self-esteem... Em yes please to all of the above! Here is a step by step guide to Sat Kriya:

1. sit on your heels, straight but relaxed back.

If it feels uncomfortable, put a pillow between your bum and legs or sit on a chair with your feet together). 

2. fold your hands in front of you so that your left thumb is on top of your right thumb (opposite for men). stretch out your forefingers. 

3. Inhale and stretch your arms out in front of you and above your head, trying to keep them straight by locking your elbows. Exhale and relax your shoulders. 

4. Do a powerful Root Lock - basically a Kegel exercise. Imagine trying to stop peeing and clenching your bum at the same time, while also pulling in your navel. this is a Root Lock. Hold if for a few seconds and then release gently... Let your breath control itself.

5. Repeat the Root Lock for 3 minutes while thinking or saying the mantra SAT NAM. SAT as you do the Root Lock and NAM as you gently release.

This Mantra comes from Kundalini Yoga and means "True Identity" or aligning with your truth. It helps you focus and stay present while doing this yoga pose. 

If you're pregnant or menstruating, simply sit with your hands resting in your lap (not above your head) and either avoid it completely or do a very soft Root Lock while saying the mantra SAT NAM. 

6. Its important to Always Relax for a few minutes after doing Sat Kriya to help your body recover

If I had to choose just one yoga pose to do everyday, this is the pose I would choose!

Have a great day, Love

IF YOU COULD ONLY WEAR ONE OUTFIT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE...

Hi Mama,

If you could suddenly only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, I'm guessing you would really cherish and look after that outfit, knowing it would need to last a lifetime... right? 

You wouldn’t put off mending it if there was suddenly a tear in the seem... you would sew it yourself or take it to a seamstress to get it fixed. You would probably wear an apron while cooking and perhaps a napkin while eating spaghetti sauce so not to get it dirty... and if you spilled something you would be quick to put it to soak or to get it dry cleaned. right? 

You would read the label carefully to make sure you were following the washing instructions and you would hang it up neatly, never tossing it on the floor or stuffing it in the laundry basket. Forgetting all about it until you suddenly desperately needed it again... Sure some days you might feel bored and tired of wearing that same outfit every single day, but you would find new creative ways to freshen it up. You could dress it up for a party, down for work and take it off to relax… 

I think we could all agree that if we could only wear one outfit for the rest of our life, we would take very good care of that outfit. Knowing it would be with you forever, you would accept it for being just as it is, make it your friend and start to really appreciate and grow to love this one beautiful outfit… 

Well, You only have one mind, one body and one life...

Yet so often we put ourselves last. We ignore the little signs that tells us we need some love and care. We don’t tune in to “read the label” of what our bodies are telling us. We stuff our own needs away, because we are too busy with other things and figure that “we will get to it later when we have time.…”

We forget to appreciate the beautiful body we have and instead talk ourselves down for every little flaw we see. We rarely invest time, money and energy into caring for and becoming our best selves, to grow and learn and flourish...

Over time we deplete our energy, giving so much to everything and everyone else in our life, that suddenly that beautiful outfit is worn out and in desperate need of love and mending...

Let's stop doing that.

There is only one you and you're mind, body and life is worth cherishing. So let's start really loving and caring for ourselves so that we last a lifetime. Let's cultivate a mindset that appreciates and loves ourselves. Let's get our priorities right and create time to care for ourselves and learn the positive daily habits that build ourselves up, leaving us feeling energised and happy, and at the same time feeling connected and calm within ourselves. Because when we feel this way, we can give so much more love to the people and things we care about in our life. 

This was a long way of saying - love and care for yourself beautiful mama. 

Love Tori

ACUPRESSURE POINT YINTANG FOR CALM & RELAXATION

This week I want to give you a quick tip to help you relax and calm your mind... There is an acupressure point called YinTang that is located between your eyebrows, in the centre. 

There are 3 ways to stimulate this point.

1. Apply medium pressure to the point (enough so it feels tender but not painful, you don't want a bruise). Hold for 3-5 seconds and gently release. Repeat 3-5 times.

2. The easiest and my favourite way is to massage this point in an upward sweeping motion for however long it feels comfortable. This can also help soothe away any frown lines ;)

3. Lying down, place a crystal like rose quartz on Yintang. Close your eyes and breathe... 

This is a great point to use before bed as it can help to calm the mind, ease tension and headaches, and promote restful sleep.

 Wishing you a very happy easter! Lots of love

Life as a mama is busy and we give so much of ourselves, gladly. The days are amazing and full of love and hilarious moments! But there are also moments that are stressful  and chaotic. 

So I really believe that it's so important for us not to forget to nourish the person that we are outside of our mama role. We need to prioritise moments to do the things that nourish our spirit.  

Often we just feel too tired and when we do finally get a moment to ourselves, we just want to rest and sleep! (guilty...) Now of course we should rest when we are tired, but often "sleep doesn't help if your soul is tired". So my tip this week is to take a little bit of time throughout the day or in the evening, to do something just for you that lights you up and brings you joy! It could be an old hobby or trying something new that you've always wanted to try...

Personally I love being creative and I have always loved photography, but in the past I was just never any good at it. So last year when I decided to create my blog, I knew that I wanted to share lots of helpful wellness tips while it also being aesthetically pleasing to look at. So I took it up as a hobby and, although I have a lot to learn, it's something that I love to spend some of my me-time doing.

So what brings you joy mama? what do you love to do, just for you?

Have a great day, Lots of Love

P.S I took these photo's of the most beautiful cherry blossom that you have ever seen, just outside our house. Spring is here, remember to stop and smell the flowers.