Today's pretty little thing | Brighten up your day

Brighten up a somewhat grey day with beautiful flowers. This tulip had broken of from the rest of the bouquet but it looks lovely on its own on top of my mantlepiece.

Today started of rather gloomy, not just weatherwise. I was also feeling tired and drained walking into the office.

However, the sun is shining and I do love pink flowers. I feel inspired and I think I might even go for a jog along the riverside to gather some energy for the weekend. I am going out exploring new places and revisit some well known places this weekend to gather some material for my blog.

Have a lovely afternoon everyone!

The Nighthawk Diner | Second time

What could be better after a late night out or a lazy Saturday afternoon than going for some proper diner food?

We made another visit to the Nighthawk Diner on Grünerløkka in Oslo.

This time, I decided to try a chilidog. Yummy sausage in a soft bun-bread with some chilli on top, pickles, fries and roasted veg on the side. Add a milkshake and you don't have to eat any more all day! (Chocolate milkshake for chocoholics like me - I was halfway through when I realised that I should have taken a picture). Mr. T went for the chili which was very nice, but not as nice as his special homemade chili. The chili portion was smaller so my fries managed  to find their way across the table.

The Nighthawk Diner is meant to have a green/organic profile, i.e. use as many organic ingredients as possible. Most visitors probably wouldn't know this and Oikos (Organic Norwegian organisation for  producers and consumers) would like to see some clearer descriptions of which dishes/ingredients on the menu that are organic. (See an article on Oikos' website about it here).

Anyways, this diner is highly recommendable, but remember to book in advance if you want to avoid queing on the outside!

FOLLOW-UP | ASHTANGA YOGA

I was met by a discrete citrusy scent as I entered Puroyoga  in Bygdøy Allé in Oslo. It looks nothing like a yoga school from the outside - just an ordinary entrance.

They do advice you to have completed a Level 1 Ashtanga yoga course in order to attend the drop-in classes. I haven't been practicing yoga in a couple of years and I may have overestimated my yoga-skills...

I put down my mat on the floor, lay down and tried to concentrate on my breathing as we waited for the class to start. It was a tad too warm in the room, but I figured they would turn on the airconditioning or open a window before we got started. (I was mistaken).

We stood up as the class started and began with an opening chant. All I could contribute with was the "OOOOM". I must admit that I did find this somewhat funny and was giggeling a bit inside. I know, I wasn't being terribly serious at that point, but I really tried getting into a "yoga-mode".

The class more or less followed the Primary series postures outlined in this illustration.

Suffice to say that it was hard work, and I was boiling. The heat of the room and the fast pace by which we switched between the poses made it feel like a proper work-out. Ashtanga yoga required concentration (breathing, changing poses as well as doing it right), flexibility and strenght. My concentration span isn't the best, I am quite supple (it became painfully clear that I am not equaly flexible all over) and I have been doing some weight training for a while so I managed ok strenght-wise.

The instructor demonstrated all the poses and she also went around guiding us. She was encouraging yet calm. Thumbs up for the instructor. Having attended various classes throughout the past 10 years has made me realised that whether you like your instructor's method or not matters a great deal - it can really put you off a class if you don't enjoy the instructor's way of doing things.

The conclusion thus is that the level 1 course is a prerequisite for anyone who would like to learn ashtanga yoga. I would even consider starting on scratch again even if I did practice yoga on and off for 2 or 3 years.

Attending this class made me aware of my physical limitations at the same time as I felt more relaxed and exhausted - but in a good way.

Earth Day or International Mother Earth Day?

Today the 22nd of April is both Earth Day and International Mother Earth Day.

2010 will mark the 40th Earth Day celebration. Earth Day began in 1969, led by Senator Gaylord Nelson who wished to highlight the environmental issues of those days. Earth day started as a social grassroot movement and has throughout the past 40 years spread around the globe, expressing itself through campaigns, expositions, conferences and many other means of raising awarenes about the state of our planet.

The International Mother Earth Day is the result of a proposition presented by the Bolivian government in 2009. The United Nations General Assembly declared last year that the 22nd of April will now be the International Mother Earth Day. The International Mother Earth Day is not the same as the Earth day described above, nor is it a replacement. This shows how social activism can reach a status of global consensus all the way from grassroot levels to global political institutions. This acknowlegdement by the UN should therefore best be seen as a reinforcement of the orginal Earth Day.

There are events across the whole planet that mark this day. Earth Day activites are unfortunately not very widespread in Norway. Even if we are not participating in anu Earth Day events, we can still reflect upon the choices we make in our everyday lives and perhaps make our own action plan - not just for today, but for the next year, or an even longer time. This can be done by changing some or several of our current habits that have a detrimental effect on our planet's "health". There are many areas of which to focus on such as: climate change; conservation and biodiversity; deforestation; sustainable energy; pollution; recycling and waste management; sustainable development and so forth.

Today is the day to "Talk Green" and for "Green Ideas". What can we do to take care of planet Earth? Maya's bubble is not only a place where I can write down some of my ideas, but I would also like it to be a forum or a platform for others who want to either build further on what I write by sharing their ideas and knowledge, or engage in discussions and put forth some of their opinions. My knowledge is, for most of the areas, quite limited, and I would love to hear what others have to say.

The photographs shown here are from a trip I made to the Amazon a couple of years ago. I thought they might be suitable for this post.

*Both the pictures used in this post are from my private collection. Please do not distribute or publish these elsewhere. Contact me if you would like a copy.

APRIL | Activity of the month | ASHTANGA YOGA

This is the first "Activity of the month" post which is part of my blog plans described on the page of the same name in Maya's bubble.

I will be trying out a class of Ashtanga yoga at Puroyoga, a yoga centre in Oslo, this evening. It has been buzzing around me recently and I have been running around like a head-less chicken. I therefore think that I am ready for reducing my stress levels and bring some harmony back in my life. A body and mind activity like Yoga must be the perfect solution.

Ashtanga or "Eight Limbed" Yoga (in Sanskrit) is a dynamic type of yoga where you focus on movement and breathing. . This is a great way to stay to stay fit and some claim that it might help if you are trying to loose weight. Some of the physioloical benefits of practicing Ashtanga yoga is that it enhances strength and flexibility. There are also several psychological benefits - it is said to calm the mind and hence reduce stress and anxiety.

There are six series in Ashtanga yoga and I will be trying out the "primary series" which "realigns the spine, detoxifies the body, and builds strength, flexibility and stamina". (From About.com) The series consists of appr. 75 poses including the sun salutations (versions A and B) as well as standing poses, seated poses, inversions and backbends. The last part of the session is relaxation.

To be continued after class.

NAMASTÉ

Morgeninspirasjon og ny side

Jeg fikk en liten luftetur i morges og følte meg plutselig veldig inspirert. Det var deilig vær og solen tittet allerede frem.

En av tingene jeg fikk se på spaserturen var disse fine fargene.

Jeg har nå lagt til en ny side i egen fane ved siden av "HOME" under blogg tittelen. Her skriver jeg litt om hva jeg ønsker å gjøre fremover innenfor øko/etiske- eller andre temaer som jeg synes er intressante.

Riktig god helg!

PS: Dersom noen vil gjette på hvor dette er, så er det bare å kommentere ;)

Ikke mer reklame takk!

Da fikk jeg klistret klistremerkene fra Grønn Hverdag på postkassen. Phew det var deilig! Ikke flere bunker med avfall som som røskes ut av postkassen fordi den alltid blir stappet full med uadressert reklame. Vi mottar rundt 50 kg uadressert reklame i året.

Reklame er irriterende og samler seg opp i bunker før man får kastet det i papiravfallsdunken, men dette er ikke det mest negative. 

For det første så belaster produksjon, distribusjon og gjenvinning av papir reklame miljøet. Det er energikrevende og leder til enorme CO2 utslipp. Det er tidligere estimert at det blir produsert 60 000 tonn CO2 som et resultat av dette.

For det andre så ligger det en del makt i reklame. Mange velger å tro at de ikke blir påvirket av reklame, men reklamens makt skal man ikke undervurdere. Kjøpepress blant unge samt våre forbruksvaner er til en større eller mindre grad et resultat av reklame. Det er klart at man ikke kan unngå reklame, men vi kan hvertfall forsøke å få et mer bevisst forhold til hvordan vi lar reklame innvirke på oss og livene våre. For en tid tilbake var det en reklame for en gul sitron-zalo som så utrolig fristende ut. Zalo av alle ting! Jeg aner ikke hvorfor jeg fikk så forferdelig lyst til å kjøpe den, men den så nesten spiselig/drikkelig ut på reklameposteren, fristene og veldig gul - som godteri (jeg er ikke engang så glad i smågodt).

Selvom bloggen min er helt ny og jeg aldri før har rettet mine meninger mot resten av verden, så har jeg har i flere år rettet et kritisk blikk mot det såkalte forbrukersamfunnet. Da mener jeg ikke at det er galt å være en normal forbruker, at kapistalismen er ondskapen selv og at vi alle må slutte å kjøpe ting. Det jeg selv forsøker å gjøre er å ta fler bevisste valg og tenke meg om to ganger før jeg lar meg påvirke til å kjøpe alle de tingene man bare MÅ ha. Jeg forsøker rett og slett å stå i mot kjøpepresset. Det er et usynlig press, ikke bare fra de mer åpenbare kanaler som reklamebransjen, men også fra samfunnet, vennekretsen, jobbmiljøet osv. Det er selvfølgelig svært individuelt hvorvidt og til hvilken grad man lar seg påvirke, men man kan ikke benekte at det varierer fra person til person.

Synliggjøre bloggen min

I håp om å få fler lesere har jeg presentert bloggen min på Bloggurat.

Beautiful Blogger Award!

Blogg award..? Oj så gøy!

Jeg er veldig ny i blogg verden og litt treg...

Oppdaget nå, etter en liten pause fra datamaskinen at jeg har fått min første award fra Nanne. Hun er den første som la igjen en kommentar på bloggen min og det var jeg selvfølgelig veldig glad for! Nanne har forøvrig en kjempefin blogg (som jeg vanligvis følger med på).

Det følger noen regler med denne blogg award nominasjonen;

1. Takk den personen som nominerte meg til awarden.

2. Kopier awarden til bloggen min.

3. Linke til personen som nominerte meg til awarden.

4. Skrive 7 interessante ting om meg selv.

5. Nominere 7 andre bloggere til awarden.

------------------------------------------------

1. Tusen takk Nanne! Dette var veldig artig.


2. Det er gjort.


3. Nanne’s dagbok. Kjempefin blogg!


4.
5. Nominere 7 andre bloggere til awarden

• Jeg har nesten alltid en kopp te i nærheten. Nå er det Hvit øko te fra Qi.
• Av musikk så følger jeg for tiden med på fremgangen til den Colombianske gruppa Chocquibtown.
• Den siste boka jeg ble ferdig med var "The Lollipop Shoes" skrevet av Joanne Harris.
• Jeg kjøpte vaskenøtter for flere uker siden men har fremdeles ikke testet de ut. (Fy!)
• Maya (Maja) er et av mine (familie)kallenavn.

• Anne som står bak http://naturliglivsstil.blogspot.com/ Engasjerende og tankevekkende innspill!
• Nanne - en fin og stilig blogg! Denne følger jeg med på :) http://nannesdagbok.blogspot.com/
• Sunniva som skriver om klima og miljø i http://only1planet.blogspot.com/ En veldig interessant grønn blogg!
• Bloggen pusteord, http://pusteord.blogspot.com/ En hel familie som har valgt den grønne sti! Inspirerende!
• Denne bloggen er kul, og hun har allerede fått 3 awards, men en til skader vel ikke. The Soulprincess: http://soulprincessnr1.blogspot.com/
• Og sist men ikke minst, Glam bibliotekaren. Dette var mitt første møte med bloggverdenen; http://glambibliotekaren.blogspot.com/

Vår

Sola skinner og fuglene kvitrer. Ikke en snøhaug å se i Oslos gater - det er virkelig blitt vår. Vinduskarmen min er blitt dekorert med disse fine hvite mini orkideene.

Det har vært stille fra disse kanter noen uker, men det vil komme fler innlegg fremover. Påsken ble brukt godt til å slappe av og finne inspirasjon.