{Insightful Sunday} To thine own self be true.

I've previously touched on the importance of intuition, listening to oneself, trusting in your gut feelings, but another really important thing is to be aware of how others are influencing you.

Think about how often a situation arises, whether it be a relationship drama, a family quarrel or a dispute at work, whereby you invariably find someone who seems to feel the need to impart their wisdom upon you, usually in a misguided attempt at helping, whether you asked for their advice/opinion or not.

It's somewhat inevitable that those around you will have an opinion on what's going on in your life, however, it's important to remember that regardless of their intentions, it is ultimately your life & your own opinion, thoughts or feelings on the matter in hand, that are the only ones relevant.

It's equally important to remember that everyone's opinion on a matter will be based on their own ideals & philosophies, which may have no connection to your own.  Everyone is battling their own demons & dependable on their mindset, their pearls of wisdom may be tainted by their own fears, which they're projecting onto you & your situation.

Of course it's important to be able to have an outsider's perspective on a situation, especially when, at times, we can be too involved to see things clearly, but be mindful of what others are saying & learn to recognise if what they're saying to you imposes a sense of negativity, or whether it is uplifting & resonates with you.

It's very easy to be led astray by others, especially when you don't necessarily have the confidence or conviction to trust in your own opinion or judgement.  It's important to hear people out, but take the time to listen to yourself.  You know inside whether what people are saying is right for you or not, know that & stand by it.

Don't be afraid to have a differing opinion, even if it seems illogical, or doesn't make sense to others.  Remember everyone is different & what works for one, does not work for everyone.  There will always be someone who disagrees with you, that is something you can count on.  Which is why it is so important to follow your own guidance, not that of others.

Your life must be led the way that is right for you.  You choose the path & just as you would not wish to be judged, do not allow yourself to judge others & the path that they choose to take.  We cannot all go the same way.  We must do what is right for ourselves, regardless of public opinion.

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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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