New moon, new mind.

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Well, what a difference a week makes.  After having something along the lines of a breakdown last week, I finally found some release through yoga & thankfully brought myself back to center, ready to carry on, with more determination than ever.  Whoever said following your dreams was easy, eh, but as they say, the best things in life are worth fighting for & I for one have my game face on.

With the new moon in my sign of Leo & being conjunct in Jupiter, for the first time in a decade, I am positive that everything is about to get a whole lot easier…Or at least that's my hope, anyway!  Either way, I am feeling far more upbeat & positive.  I have been trying to focus all my energy on being proactive & getting things done, ticking things off my never ending to do list.

On Wednesday, with the help of the Swede, we went to the Bürgeramt round the corner & finally registered me as living in Berlin.  I am now in possession of a stamped piece of paper with my name on it.  The following day we went a step further, opening me a bank account with  Sparkasse.  So I am now officially a legitimate Berlin resident.  This is both terrifying & exciting & also essentially marks the end of my year of traveling.  I am unpacking the suitcase & sticking up the postcards!

When I left England last year, my intention was always to find somewhere new to live abroad, although I was never quite sure where that was going to be.  Having been to Berlin a few times before, at various times of the year, I never really gave a great deal of thought to living here.  However, during my time in France back in the Spring, I just felt a sudden compulsion to return & plant roots for a while.

In life, sometimes you have to stop thinking & just go with the flow.  If you feel compelled to go somewhere, or do something, even if you can't quite understand why, just do it.  Being in Berlin has not only helped to provide me with the type of lifestyle I was always leaning towards, but it has also brought into my life some people who I could not love & appreciate more.

There is still so much to do, including finding an income & securing an apartment, so Swede can have his floor back, but I have to say, I'm very happy & content in this moment, even if it is a hectic one.  There is so much of this city I wish to write about & share & I will, in time.  For now, you may need to bear with me, as I prepare to celebrate my birthday & the one year anniversary of my leaving England!

Tschüss!

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{REVIEW} Lavera Natural Cosmetics

At the end of 2013, having left Italy to pop back to England, in order to spend Christmas with my family, I made the decision to not only return to a complete vegan diet, but also to cut out the chemical laden products I had allowed to creep into my life.  It was time to start the cleanse.

When I think of the great deal of thought we put into what we feed ourselves, (proof of which can be found on every other Instagram account I see) making sure we're nutritionally balanced & eating well, it seems almost madness not to exert the same level of energy into what were putting on our bodies too!  Especially when you consider how much of what goes on our skin, seeps into our systems.

Of course, I can't deny that after a few years off the organic wagon & with nothing more than a savings account to live off, it took some time to readjust to parting with more money, for the same amount of product.  However, now, the idea of buying a cheap body wash, that's brightly hued & overly scented with toxic chemicals & smothering it over my delicate skin, makes me shudder.

Granted it can be easy to be lulled in by the bargains of cheap cosmetics & toiletries, but ultimately, these are the biggest false economies of all!  If you love your body enough to look after it through healthy eating & exercise, why wouldn't you love yourself enough to buy products that were packed full of natural goodness & kind to your skin.

Still not convinced?  How about looking at it from the perspective that the body you inhabit, is the only one you're gonna get & it's got to see you through.  There is never a better time than now to start treating it better, inside & out.  Your body works hard for you, it deserves the best, not just that cheap bottle of shampoo you grabbed in the supermarket, because it smelt nice & was on offer.

But before you start to have a mental meltdown over the impending cost of switching to greener products, let me introduce you to Lavera, a German natural cosmetics brand, that's chemical free, vegan friendly, kind to the environment & best of all, your wallet!  I decided to try out a selection of their products & I have to say, I have been greatly impressed!

The organic orange & green tea shampoo smells divine & lathers up well.  The one thing I've found with a lot of natural shampoos is that they don't lather up, making it difficult to spread the product around.  This on the other hand spreads perfectly & rinses out easily, leaving my hair feeling squeaky clean!

After rinsing off the shampoo, I pop on a blob of the organic mango & avocado conditioner & let it sink in, whilst I brush through my tangles.  It takes a little persistence to fully rinse out, but it leaves my hair feeling silky soft afterwards.  Both products get the thumbs up from me!

The organic coconut & vanilla moisturiser is my favourite pick of the range.  The smell is delicious & it's a good medium between a body milk & a thick butter.  It's helped immensely with keeping my Italian tan in tact & left my skin super soft.  This may have finally filled the hole, where Palmers Cocoa Butter once was.  Definitely a repeat buy!

Finally, I have been testing out their organic echinacea & propolis toothpaste, for sensitive teeth.  I have already mentioned before, how regular heavily chemical laden & fluoride based toothpastes tend to really hurt my teeth & gums.  This paste is very gentle, has a subtle taste & leaves my teeth clean & my breath fresh.  Simple.

If you're in Germany, you can pick Lavera's product range up in most chemists or bio markts, or if you're outside Germany, you can find them readily available online over at LoveLula, the online organic supermarket!

Have you tried Lavera?  What are your thoughts on natural cosmetics?

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{Insightful Sunday} Perseverance

After over twelve years of battling with manic depression, which saw me teeter on the edge of suicide more times than I can count, finally being able to feel at peace & really be happy is an almost overwhelming sensation.  When I think of all the times I nearly gave up on life, fearing that the fog clouding my mind would never clear, unable to enjoy the highs, in fear of the catastrophic lows that would follow, it all seems so alien to me now.

The past year has certainly pulled me through my toughest times & forced me to shed myself of old habits, old thoughts & any niggling negativity, that was dragging me down & stopping me from really living & enjoying my life.  Now, instead of smashing my head against a wall, or passing out on a cocktail of drugs & alcohol, my lowest point is at the bottom of a biscuit tin. 

No longer do I feel that pang of emptiness inside, that loneliness that ate away at me like a disease, slowly but surely blanking out the light in my eyes.  No longer do I feel the need to leap out of my own body, or cocoon myself in my own thoughts, that were always so tinged with madness & which pushed me further & further away from those I loved.

I may not yet have found myself whole, my life still very much a work in progress, but I have at least released myself from the ties that bound me.  From the heartache, the fear, the soul crushing negativity that was suffocating me & leaking the joy from my life.  I have emerged from my chrysalis, reformed & ready to take flight with new wings, in a new open & loving world.

I guess the one thing I've learnt more than anything, is to never give up.  It really is darkest before the dawn & even when it seems like the walls are caving in, persevering just that little bit longer can truly be the difference between the end & a new beginning.  Sometimes a little bit of faith, goes a long way.

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