Yoga with Karel : March 2015

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Here is some motivating and inspiring quotes for your week. Have a great week, friends! (:

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What is one of your favorite quotes right now? Tell me in the comments! (:

Unfortunately, there are many unknown sources. I use Pinterest to find these amazing quotes but some users change the links to benefit their own businesses. It is such a shame. When I find the original source, I will update them. Please let me know if you find them! Thank you!

Guess what?! MY SISTER IS HOME FOR SPRING BREAK! The last time I saw her was Christmas and I barely got to hang out with her then because she worked. ): So I am superrrr excited to hang out with her all week! I even took a day off work just to hang out with her. Whoohoo!!

So here is my sister. She is two years younger than me. Today, we decided that it would be fun to do the sister tag together! Here we goooo.... (:

How old are you both?
Kyra: 21
Karel: Almost 24. Eek!

Describe each other in one word?
Kyra: Yoga.
Karel: Disney.

Do people ever get you mixed up?
Kyra: teehee. yeah.
Karel: Yeah. People who know both of us sometimes interchange our name. I once had a conversation by a distant mutual friend and he called my Kyra the entire time. I didn't have the heart to correct him. haha.

What are your sister known for? What is their "thing"?
Kyra: Hahha. Yoga. Healthy living! Energy!
Karel: Ky is a tea addict. It is known.

Do you ever argue?
Kyra: *laughs*
Karel: We used to when we lived together. Now that we only see each other like 5-6 times a year, we don't argue as much. We occasionally do but not often.

What's the best thing about one another?
Kyra: She's potty trained.
Karel: We like pretty similar things. We are the same size in clothes and shoes so shopping and swapping is easy.
(We obviously took this question in total different directions)

Fave inside joke?
Kyra: Can't think of one.
Karel: "I'm so gangsta, I'm so thug!" part in the song. (;

Fave memory together?
Kyra: When we would always watch Full House together after school even though we weren't allowed.
Karel: Disneyland for Ky's 21st birthday.

Guess each others fave singer?
Kyra: Hm... who do you like? I go way back. The Format (nope, I actually don't have a favorite singer)
Karel: McFly? (Ha, yea)

Who takes longer to get ready
Kyra: Ha! You.
Karel: Me.

Heels or flats? 
Kyra: Heels.
Karel: Me too.

Pants or dresses? 
Kyra: Now, dresses.
Karel: I like dresses but I basically live in yoga pants.

Favorite animal? 
Kyra: Manatees. They're ocean potatoes.
Karel: Bahaha, okay my answer isn't that cool. I love elephants.

If your house was burning down, and your entire family was sure to be okay, what would you save and why?
Kyra: My mugs, because they are so freaking cute.
Karel: If I had my emergency kit all ready to go, that. But since it's not, I would pick my computer cuz it contains my entire life. Oh, or my old journals. Ah! Such a hard one. or honestly, fuzzy socks.

Comedy, horror, or chick-flick?
Kyra: Comedy.
Karel: Me too!

Blackberry or iPhone? 
Kyra: uhhhmm.... idk about you but I am gonna go for Nokia.
Karel: She lies. iPhone. We are an Apple family.

Favorite movie?
Kyra: Lilo & Stitch.
Karel: I don't think I have a favorite but one that I watch over and over again is The Holiday.

What is something weird that you eat?
Kyra: Balut.
Karel: I can't think of one thing right now but when I was younger, I would eat my mac and cheese with peanut butter. I think it is so gross now.

Do you guys have anything matching?
Kyra: Uhm, we should?
Karel: Yeah, we have tons of matching stuff. I got us both matching slippers for Christmas. We have matching sweaters from our mom. Idk, I feel like we have a lot of matching stuff. Oh! We have matching Disney sweatshirts.

What's your favorite TV show?
Kyra: Merlin. Dr Who. Shelock. Gilmore Girls. Good Eats. Community. In The Flesh. Royal Pains.
Karel: Gilmore Girls. Friends. How I Met Your Mother. You can tell who watches more tv between the both of us...

Us at Disney, always. (:

In our natural uniform of course. Me in yoga clothes and her in her Disney costume (she works for Disney!!)

I hope you enjoyed today's fun little introduction to my little sister! Hope you are all having a lovely week so far! (: Lots and lots of love and light. <3

I am a person that gets motivated with rewards. Since I am out of college, pushing for a good grade is no longer something I need to strive for. I decided to go back to elementary school when my mom would give me stickers for everything. BUT it is the big girl Karel version. So today's list corresponds to my habit tracker. Now, I have a habit tracker in my planner. Below is my sticker book habit tracker.

(Haha. I was going through my childhood bins and found this little Hello Kitty notebook. I apologize for the mess in there but it is real and how I write and how I track. I had no intention for the public to see my personal habits but I think it is a fun system!)

So every other week, I will go through the habit tracker in my planner to place stickers in the corresponding habit. In the picture above, you will see two habits: meditate and journal. The top left corner shows a goal and a reward. The goal is the number of stickers I need to get in order to get my reward. But that is not all! In the center, you will see a point system. Meditate is 10 points and journal is 5 points. So when I reach my goal, I get that amount of points. I keep track of points on a separate page. One point = $1. I can spend my money whenever I want to get something on my wishlist. So below is today's list! (Now, my system works for me. I used to have less complicated system in college. This system helps my bank too! If I want something, I just write it down and after a month I realize I no longer want it. If I still do, then it ends up on my wishlist. )

Wishlist
Note: these are items that I have wanted for a long time that made it on this list. Since I have wanted it for a long time, having to wait until I get enough points make it much more rewarding!

LUSH bath bombs and bubble bars - because who doesn't like a warm, relaxing bath?
planner - I have to admit, I am a planner snob. So not just any planner will do. In the past six months, I have been through three planner styles. I have to accept that I am a creature of change. Routine does not make me productive. I have my eye on a Plum Paper planner because it is affordable than the usual cult favorites with the fun bonuses of the favorites.
crystal clusters - because why not.
mason jar cap - THIS specific one. I saw this on my instagram and fell in loveeeee! It is actually not on my wishlist, it is part of my reward if I make and drink 30 green juices. Quite the motivation! It is so beautiful and it is bamboo!
lokai bracelet - I love everything about this bracelet. You can read more on their website.
EO diffuser - so many benefits of aromatheraphy. I need to invest in one of these babies instead of burning my oils. eek!
agate coasters - I have had my dinky little cork coasters since freshman year of college. It is time for an upgrade.
bluetooth speakers - We use these speakers at work and the sound is incredible. I want to use them for teaching yoga outside. I currently use a bowl to put my phone in to amplify the sound. I think these will look less... cheap. ha!
Time is Now watch - a great reminder to be present
dresser - I have always wanted a dresser. Unfortunately, I will not be getting this anytime soon since I currently do not have room to put it. But when I move, you know I will definitely get one.
DSLR - I have been wanting a DSLR for almost a year now. I just love the way pictures turn out and my blog pictures aren't as nice as it was when I was able to use one. One day... (:
Lagoena drink bottle - one of the coolest and most thought out water bottles I have ever seen. And I absolutely love that it is glass!
Pearl Enso meditation timer - I cannot justify buying this because of the price which is one reason why it made it on the rewards list. This is the clock my yoga teacher used during my yoga teacher training and it is amazing.
everything from Inner Fire - Inner Fire is one of the only yoga companies that I love all the products. I would seriously wear everything from this shop.

What is on your current wishlist? Let me know in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links.
I am not sponsored or getting to paid to endorse any of the items mentioned above. I bought and used all these items myself and they are truly my favorites for this month. Thank you!

Happy Yinspiration Monday! I have been enjoying posting these because I get to look through so many motivating and inspiring quotes which really helps kick start my week into a positive one. Hope you enjoy!

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What is one of your favorite quotes right now? Tell me in the comments! (:

If you are anything like me, you are feeling really off this week. Today is a BIG day - it has been said to be the most important day of the year (astrologically). Today is the New Moon. It is also a solar eclipse AND the spring equinox. Holycrap. That is a lot to take in. [[ I have been following Mystic Mama for a short while but I really love reading her posts. She wrote a beautiful piece about what is going on today. Check it out because it is so incredible!]]

The New Moon is very important to me. It is the start of my month. I only started following the moon calendar recently and it has made such a big difference. I find it easier to track my energy levels and habits on a moon calendar rather than a traditional calendar.

Getting ready for tonight! (:

I look forward to the New Moon because I find that I have a more positive outlook on the month to come and I have higher energy levels. These past few weeks leading up to the solar eclipse, new moon, and the spring equinox has been pretty difficult. I've had up and down energy through out the week and it has been really affecting my stress levels. I took this as a sign to take it easy. I wake up a little later than usual, meditate, and do my morning routine. I have been watching a lot of Friends and I have been laying in bed. I haven't had the energy to do anything else. I am hoping that my energy picks up today!

Tonight, like every New Moon this year, I will be doing my own personal New Moon Celebration/Ritual. I had the honor to join my yoga sisters and brother for the first New Moon of the year in Costa Rica. I loved it so much that I decided to continue it with my own little special touches. My celebrations take around three hours because I practice a full yoga class in the middle of it. I love it so much!

Anyway, thank you for reading. It has been a while since I have posted a personal post on my blog. I hope you all have such a beautiful and lovely New Moon.

Let me know how you have been feeling this week leading up to today in the comments! I am also curious if any of you have any special New Moon rituals that you do. Let me know (:

Thanks for visiting. Lots and lots of love and light to you. <3

Courtesy of Mysitc Mama

Another Monday means some inspiration and motivation for you and the coming week. I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead! <3

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What is one of your favorite quotes right now? Tell me in the comments! (:

I have a hard time finishing things. It is not because I get bored with it or I do not want to finish it. It is because I have so many things I start and continue that it just takes so freaking long to finish a project. For example, I started a painting that could have taken a week but because I had so many other things I occupied my time with, I finished it in a month.

I am a planner but take a long time to finish. So here is a random list of things I am working on right now.

learn Spanish
teach yoga
yoga extended education
baby Ziggy (cleaning, feeding, playing)
CMP (tarot, chakras, crystals, astrology, pendulums, flower essences)
Yoga with Karel (website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr)
Karelsells (making jewelry, buying materials, packaging, advertising)
Moontime and moon rituals
morning and night routines
crafts and DIY
gardening (being a good plant mom and not kill anything)
veg cooking
health (meal planning, cooking, running, working out, etc)
FUN! (Sims, being a blob & laying in bed, soaking up the sun, singing)

It's here! I am officially teaching a month long course at the park. Come join me! Click here for more information.

Also, no class April 5!

Happy Monday friends! Hope you had such a lovely weekend enjoying nature and relaxing. Here are some inspiration and motivation for you this week!! (:

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What is one of your favorite quotes right now? Tell me in the comments! (:

A name is your identity. It is the name you identify with. All my life, I identified with "Carol" until now. I am blessed to have a name I identify with that is already my birth name. I completely understand why people change their names. It is something that they once were but, as life goes, people change. Avani wrote a beautiful piece on the PYC website about this that I truly connected with that encouraged me to reflect on my own name.

Since I started school when I was 5, I introduced myself as "Carol". So all my life, I went as this common pronunciation. I always knew that "Carol" is not how you actually say my name but I just went with it because I figured I might as well make it easier for the people around me.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving when I was playing Monopoly with my cousins that I realized they called me "Karel" as in "kah-rel". It is exactly how it sounds. If my entire family calls me that and very few select friends, why don't I go by that? I made a decision that when I left for yoga teacher training, I would go by my real name "Karel".

It is so much easier when you go into a group setting and introduce yourself. It is the first time they ever met you, so they only know you by that name. So my entire time at teacher training, I went by my real name. I truly embodied and embraced my new name even though it was mine since the beginning. It is strange because it wasn't until now that I truly connected with my name.

After much research about my name, I found out that "Karel" is a common male name (thanks, mom). But in 1939, less than .006% females were named that. I have honestly have never met another person with my name, and as I got older, the more I liked having a unique name. I always that "Oh, Carol, it means happy, joyful song." But researching what "Karel" means meant so much more to me. Strong and Free. I like that. Especially in the past three years, I feel like I have truly embodied the meaning of my name.

So I ask, with the kindness of your heart, to please call me "Karel". I am already shocked with how open some of you have been and understand how important it is to me. But going into a fit of giggles and not even trying is hurtful. I see how it is difficult to make the change but I only ask for you to make a conscious effort.

Courtesy of Pavones Yoga Center Blog.
The Meaning of Karel
The Meaning of Karel 2

Join me for some YOGA IN THE PARK.
Saturday at 10:30am
Click here for more information.

Things to know:

Class is donation based.
Depending on surrounding activities, we will either be on the grass or the concrete area.
Dress for the cold, but I will bring the heat.

A little collection of inspiration, motivation, and saying for your day. Enjoy!

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What is one of your favorite quotes right now? Tell me in the comments! (:

It is time for another favorites! This month, I forgot to write down my favorite products I have been using this month. So I decided to think of a bunch of different categories and found my favorites that way. So here are some products that I loved this month.

Tiny Prints - I used Tiny Prints to make my thank you postcards to the people who donated to my yoga fun. I really love how they turned out! I thought they were going to be bigger but I didn't pay attention to the dimensions, so that is my own fault.

Zoya Nail Polish in Burke - I used this on my toes this month and I am probably go to do them the same color next month because I really love this shade of pink right now! I usually do a print or a glitter or some sort of design but this month I decided to go plain and I really love it.

Mala beads - I got these in Costa Rica but when I get my Etsy shop back up and perfect my mala making skills, I will start selling some. I used this on the plane in January, so it really should have been in that favorites but it wasn't. I have been wearing this whenever I teach yoga. It helps me truly focus and remember my practice during my teacher training. I love to use my mala beads when I am having a difficult time focusing during meditation.

Duolingo - I looovvveeee this app! I have it on my Kindle but you can get it on your phone and use it online. It is basically like Rosetta Stone but free. And I like free! I decided that before I go back to Costa Rica, I really need to learn Spanish. So that is what I am doing right now. It has different levels, and you have to finish segments before going to the next level. During each session, you have 4 lives, and if you get something wrong, you lose a life. You get "money" to buy stuff from their "store." You can buy extra lives or clothing for your person or extra sessions. I just bought the flirting session. Hey, you never know... haha. Duolingo makes it fun to learn. I also like that they show different bars underneath when you finish it. As the bars go lower, you can go back and review it to make it stronger. I try to do it everyday but right now I made a goal to do it every other day. At the beginning of the week, I go back to each level to review what I learned so I don't forget it. I really love this app!

quote journal - I stole this idea from my yoga sister, Gabi (hi Gabi!!!). She had a journal full of quotes that she comes across. You never know when you need a good quote.

Lucas' Papaw Ointment - Another dear yoga sister of mine (hello Bec!) gave me this on the last day because I used hers and fell in love during training! I have been using it so much for basically everything. This is apparently a big thing in Australia. AND I found that Amazon sells it so you know that I will be getting it there when this tube runs out. It is basically like Vaseline but all natural. It is made out of fermented papaya, I believe.

What are you favorite products from this month?

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