On The Same Time Zone

Category: Reviews and Things I Like

Sustainable Christmas Presents Ideas for 2019!
My last “Sustainable Christmas Presents” post was written three years ago. Reading it now am struck by how much things have changed for the better, in terms of sustainable living and life choices being in the minds of every day consumer! Having the full information on how, where and by whom items are produced is so much easier. Those of us who will be in last minute rush will no longer need to opt for charity donations on behalf of somebody (although this is a great thing to do) but you can easily find sustainable alternatives for a range of gifts, regardless your budget!
So, in case you feel your nearest and dearest (or your boss) are not quite ready to hear you have sponsored goats/toilets/school uniforms on their behalf, here are some ideas of sustainable gifts. All of the products/companies below I am either a happy customer myself, or have heard great things of from trusted source.
Cosmetics That Are Good For the Skin and Planet
For cosmetics check out UpCircle Beauty, a company that takes used coffee grounds and turn them into beauty products such as scrubs. How genious is that? Everything is vegan, organic, sustainable, recyclable… For those small gifts and stocking fillers, check out their “under £10” section.
UpCycle Pamper Kit
In Finland, just head to Ruohonjuuri (or their website) for a wide selection of eco-friendly, cruelty free options. In Cyprus, my go-to shop (online and in Nicosia) is Eco Home Store.
Fairly and Sustainably Made Clothes
For sustainable clothing and accessories, I am loving how much more choice there is these days, for different types of activities. Also the quality of materials has improved so much. Personally I find my recycled plastic leggings these days far superior to the traditional poly-elastane mix leggings in comfort and in fit. As I have gone through a lot of leggings in my life, you can trust me on this one!
Weekendbee is a Finnish online shop that only sells active wear from companies that have sustainability as their core value. Their mission is to make its products, manufacturing, and operations as sustainable as possible. As well as some of the better known brands, such as Patagonia and Jack Wolfskin, they also stock smaller and newer sustainable brands.
Finisterre is a British brand that designs functional and sustainable outdoor products. Their items range from wetsuits to coats to dresses and jumpsuits. They also have a repair service for their products, based in Cornwall.
Allbirds Footwear and Will’s Vegan shoes  both have sustainability, ethics and fair wages in the forefront of their business model. I have also not met a single person who would not have been happy with their Allbirds and Will’s shoes so they are definitely something to check out.
Ninety Percent is a London based company sells the type of womens wear we all use: There are sweats, dresses, knitwear… They also share 90% of their distributed profits between five charitable causes. My next trackpants and basic T’s are coming from here for sure!
For leggings and yoga gear, FreeSpirit and Nitara are both UK based, female run and make leggings and tops out of recycled plastic and organic cotton. Designed for movement, these products do not start sliding or feeling otherwise awkward when in the middle of yoga class. N
Freespirit tops
If it is swim and surf wear you are after, The Seea makes amazingly elegant and highly functional products that last. I am still using pieces I bought 8 years ago! They also have an increasing collection of rashies, one pieces and bikinis made out of recycled materials.
Still using these TheSeea products, ordered in 2012…
Finally, Halla x Halla is a Finnish company whose swimwear fabric starts its journey as fishing nets, carpet flooring, and plastic from landfills and oceans all over the world. The products are manufactured in Bali, with the factory employees paid a fair living wage and good working conditions.
Other Sustainable Present Options
If candles are your thing, look out how they are made. For instance, candles made from soy wax usually burn cleaner and longer than paraffin candles, giving a more subtle fragrance. Another option is candles made of coconut wax that have a great scent throw and burns slowly. Beeswax candles are not vegan, but help purify the air as it burns and is often blended with other waxes as it has a scent of its own.
There are also many great option for non-material Sustainable Christmas Presents, one of them being one or a series of one-to-one (or small group) yoga classes. I am offering my private classes with -20% discount if purchased by Monday the 16th December. If this raises your curiosity, do not hesitate to get in touch !
What are your ideas for Sustainable Christmas Presents?
December 6, 2019
Long Reads for Holidays
The end of the year holidays are a good opportunity to slow down and catch up with some long reads. I have a habit of bookmarking all the interesting articles I come across, especially if they are related to the business and trends in wellness and yoga. Some of these articles I read when sitting in the bus or train I always have some unread ones stored away.
Here’s a selection of yoga and wellbeing related articles I have read and liked over the past months. Some I have already posted on my Facebook page or Linked In, some are new ones I have only recently come across. Catch up with the latest analysis and trends with the below list!
Wellbeing is a big business these days, and one full of contradictions and extremes as well. The Atlantic published this interesting analysis, “The Art of Woke Wellness”, in November 2018.
Want to see what may or may not be big in Wellness in 2019? Read the Well & Good list here, write down in the comments what you see taking off (and what not) and why, and we will check out them list next time this year!

Talking of trends, I am so happy to see this one taking off: Good old stretching! “Even just 20 minutes of stretching a week can counteract damage and prevent potential injuries.”
If you have looked at any London yoga studios schedule lately, chances are you have seen Gong Baths featured in the programme. Read here the Guardian’s article on what Gong Baths are all about!
This one is just weird for me: Technology to “track my yoga performance” is not something I feel anybody needs, as the whole point of yoga practise is to internalise and, well, not measure anything. Just because I have an opinion about it does not however mean that there is not a market for it so here you go, see for yourself!
Yoga pants – sorry, athleisure wear – at workplace? I am sure you have an opinion about that. Here is some background to to the topic. Feel free to drop your thoughts on this trend in the comments!
Want more? You can see my previous “long reads” list here.

December 16, 2018
OM Yoga Show London 2018 Pictures
A bit over a week ago I made my way to my second OM Yoga Show in London, one of the biggest yoga events in Europe. I was curious to see what is happening in the front of sustainably made yoga apparel, listen to some talks, meet friends old and new and also practise a bit of yoga.
Alexandra Palace in North London is an amazing venue itself. The show, as last years, was almost a bit overwhelming. So much so see and do! I’ll let the pictures to do most of the talking.
Big thanks to Nubyen Active Wear for my ticket to the show. I forgot to take a picture of their stand becaise we were chatting too much so here is another one of their beautiful yoga clothes!

October 31, 2018
The Open Yoga Day Cyprus 2017
The Third Open Yoga Day Cyprus is coming up on the 8^th October, hosted this time in Larnaca, under the theme of Satya, truthfulness. To learn more about this free & open for all event I sat down with two of the organisers, Mayka Sabova and Marilena Shyama Shakti, for a chat.
This is the third year this event is being held in Cyprus. Where did the initial idea for the Open Yoga Day Cyprus come from and who are the people behind it?
Inspired by similar events around the world, the Open Yoga Day Cyprus was founded by Marilena in 2015. There are many community events in other countries that offer various kinds of free services to citizens. The main principle of these types of events is to find enthusiastic and like-minded people who are willing to offer selflessly to others, without expecting a tangible reward in exchange.
These days it can be rare to find people who have the ability to offer selflessly, people who are committed, loyal and driven to dedicate their free time and energy for creating something for others. Yet these are the qualities of the people behind the OYDC. We share passion for yoga and we aim at bringing it to as many people as possible. Alongside our founder, we are a small group of volunteers (mostly yoga teachers and practitioners), who share the common vision and are willing to walk an extra mile for the benefits of others. We operate with the support of local municipalities and every year we have few private sponsors and supporters who offer financial or other assistance.
In addition to fostering a community spirit and sharing the passion for yoga, what is the main message you wish to promote with the Open Yoga Day Cyprus?
Our vision is to promote wellbeing through yoga, while contributing in building healthy communities. The more people practice yoga, the better our society can become. We want to offer an opportunity to everyone, regardless their level of physical fitness, age or familiarity with the practice, to try yoga, enjoy the outdoor group practice and cultivate the sense of belonging and unity. The world has become more and more selfish with people focused strictly on their own lives without considering the others. With this even we want to encourage people to interact. In this sense, we use yoga as a tool for social interaction, while spreading the message of selfless giving, togetherness, sharing, love and unity.
These are also the reasons why the event is organized every year in a different location across the island. This way, the people already familiar with the event mix with newcomers and the message can reach more people.
This is the third time the Open Yoga Day Cyprus is taking place. Have you noticed any changes in the yoga community in Cyprus during this time, and has that influenced how you are setting up the event this year?
We noticed that more and more people have started practicing yoga over the recent years, and more and more of them have become yoga instructors too. This has not influenced the way we planned our 3rd edition, but it will influence the future events to come. For instance, we would like to bring new instructors closer to the more experienced ones, as well as the new approaches of teaching yoga with traditional ones. In yoga we learn to go with the flow so we try to go with the flow of changes, the evolution of the yogi community and most importantly, with the flow of people so we can all open up, learn, feel and grow further.
How did you choose Satya, truthfulness, as the theme for this year?
Every edition of the event has a set intention. The power of collective intention is immense and when we do things, whatever they are, with an intention, we deepen the purpose of any activity. This year our intention is Satya, truthfulness. Satya was chosen by the founder of OYDC, Marilena Shyama Shakti, as the theme of this year’s event after she went through the gift of being pregnant and giving birth. For her, the experience of giving birth to a new life was so true and real and, of course, deeply personal, with truthfulness present in every moment. Whether it was the eye contact, reactions or the sounds of the baby, all of these profoundly impressed Marilena, as it made her realize that human beings are born so pure and it is our duty to preserve the ability to stay innocent and true to ourselves.
I don’t want to get ahead of things as this years’ event is still ahead of us, taking place on the 8^th October, but can you already talk a little bit about your future plans?
We wish to bring yoga community in Cyprus closer together by encouraging those who share our values to offer their services and contribute in any way they can. For this purpose we would like to boost our reputation as a non-profit initiative through the annual event, and perhaps with even more events in the near future. We promote yoga, which indirectly benefits all yoga teachers across the island as we create potential audience for them. Therefore, we would like yoga teachers and instructors to bond and cooperate through our events in order to create an effective and efficient yoga hub.
We are also collecting data about yoga instructors and centres across the island, with a vision to create a central online yoga platform with directories and many other features. Everyone who wishes to give something back to the community and is ready to offer selflessly can reach out to us and contribute with their talent, skill or service.
Thank you very much for your time Marilena and Mayka – I am sure this years event in Larnaca will be even bigger than the events of the past two years. I’ll see you in Larnaca on the 8^th October!
Click here for the Open Yoga Day Cyprus’s Facebook page and check out the programme of the below. The event is open and free for everybody but you are requested to bring your own mat and something to drink.
Tallenna
Tallenna
September 24, 2017
Yoga Tourist in Finland – Magnesia Festival
The first time I heard about Magnesia Festival, a two-day yoga and heartful living event taking place on a small island in front of Helsinki, was in May when a friend was visiting Cyprus for a weekend yoga-intensive with me. She had visited the inaugural event in 2016 and enjoyed it a lot. Whilst I am not really a camping-in-tent-festival type of person, I do enjoy the more urban type of happenings where you get sleep in a real bed at the end of the day. Magnesia offers this and combines a lot of things I enjoy: Summer in Finland, seaside, islands and ferry rides, yoga and a chilled atmosphere with smiley people not making too much noise.
August is also the main holiday month in Cyprus whereas in Finland it spells the start of return to normal life. Therefore it made perfect sense for this year to plan my visit to the Motherland a little later than usual, and combine it to visit the day one of Magnesia yesterday.
The programme the festival offers contains different type of yoga classes, discussions about relationships, ayuveda and nutrition, dance workshops, tea ceremonies and lot more. With my one-day ticket I could pre-book one workshop of my choice, in addition to which it was possible to queue to other ones to see if there was space. There was also non-bookable programme on the main stage outdoor where you could also buy food and just chill. The ticket also included the 10-minute ferry ride to and from the Lonna Island where the festival takes place. It probably does not surprise anybody that this being Finland everything was super organised, hassle free and any question you could think of was answered online before you could even think of them. Queuing was done in order with strangers happily chatting to each other and the natural personal space of about 3 metres all direction each was cheerfully sacrificed by all to accommodate as many people as possible to the workshops.
In the morning I took Marta Janeczek’s back- and forward bends workshop. Backbends and forward bends have opposing philosophy and benefits associated with them (physical and emotional opening, defiance in the face of vulnerability, stimulation of the nervous system vs. introversion, cooling down, soothing of the nervous system.) Whilst some yoga styles link strong backbends with forward bends closely in the same sequence, I have always been taught to (and it usually feels better for me personally) to at least have a slower transition and/or neutralising pose or two (such as downwards facing dog or a twist) in between them. I was really curious to see what kind of workshop was build around this concept and I was not left disappointed with this one.
I did not know Marta before hand (quite frankly I know very few Finland based yoga teachers by name, let alone have taken their classes) but just based on this one experience I would recommend to seek her out in her Helsinki based yoga studio. She has a really calm, humble yet fun vibe to her AND manages to fill the space she holds with that energy – a gift not given to many. Based on her bio she has an Iyengar influenced background and the class had a lot of detail about the anatomy of the asana we were given, always a winner with me. Marta’s workshop really refreshed my appreciation for and detailed knowledge of many “basic” asana such as the cat and cow poses and just for that, I am grateful.
My friend recommended an intuitive writing and yin-yoga workshop she had taken last year so we both had registered for that one. It was held in an old mine storehouse (in the olden days the Lonna island used to a mine clearing spot) with soft sunlight sweeping through the small windows in the sealing – and packed with people. I felt the class was maybe 10% writing and 90% yin but since you cannot really go wrong with yin, I was very happy to bliss out with the practise. I can always write at home but I cannot make that kind of unique setting with loads of people happen at a will.
The rest of the day we spent just bumming around the grounds, watching a flow yoga practise taking place at the central stage and enjoying the sun and soft sea breeze. The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday that was appreciated by everybody, as the summer in Finland has been extremely rainy. Big thanks for all the Magnesia crew for putting out such a beautiful event – I will definitely do my best to come back next year!
Tallenna
Tallenna
Tallenna
Tallenna
Tallenna
Tallenna
August 4, 2017
Yoga Tourist in Paris
There is a real yoga scene in Paris and as I was due to visit my old hometown over few days I naturally wanted to check out what is on offer. Cue a message to the “Finnish people in Paris” Facebook page (note to self, 1am on a Saturday morning is probably not the best time for any question) and googling along the lines “best yoga classes in Paris.”
First impressions? The prices! Apparently you can charge 35€ for a class (and not a workshop, a 60 to 90 minute class)! Average seemed to be around 15€ to 20€ a class but as there is a lot on offer it was worthwhile digging a bit deeper. Most places offer the first visit at a reduced rate and there are several more moderately priced options.
Second impression? Booking in advance online was required for most places. I had sort of forgotten that this is the norm in most big places (Cyprus, as a country, has 1 million people compared to almost 10 in Paris) as a class can easily be 40 people. On the Island we call that a festival! But I suppose booking things before hand can help you get organised with your life so I can definitely see the benefits of it too.
Just a random happy cat on the streets of Paris.
I was determined to start as I meant to go along so for my first class I booked a 8 am “Rise” session at The Yoga Factory (Metro Oberkampf). The name had popped up on most of my searches, the morning classes were prices very reasonably at 7 euros and you did not have to book. I found the place without too much trouble (but did walk past it once before turning back), filled in the form at the reception and was directed to the changing room. The place had a cool industrial vibe to it (hence the “factory”) and was busy even at the early morning.
Now two things happened that I take full responsibility of. Firstly, I somehow managed to omit the fact that The Yoga Factory is all about hot yoga, and in every class the room is heated to +28C. I was a bit surprised by the temperature in the room when I first walked in but hey, I was after new experiences and to be completely honest, I would have probably never entered the place had I known it was about hot yoga (yes, I am that open minded.)
Yes it says “Hot Yoga” on that thing on the door. I noticed it too when I left.
The other thing was that for some reason I had thought the class would be some kind of Hatha variation, nothing too crazy. Obviously I had not bothered to read the class descriptions either. Well, hatha it was not. “Rise” at The Yoga Factory was a full-on 60 minute vinyasa flow like I had not experienced it in several years. To give you an idea how fast paced it was, the 60 minutes included a generous pranayama practise at the start, at least 6 (I lost count) rounds of full Sun Salutation variations, 5 different warrior poses, half moon pose, a whole bunch of the most common standing poses, bakasana (crow pose) as arm balance, tripod headstand for inversion, full bow pose and savasana. All tied together to form a continuous flow that did not stop for a second.
I had said I was after new and different experiences so I was truly served with this one. It could not have been further away from my regular practise! Whilst I did find the class a little bit too fast and “full” for my taste it was also fun and surprisingly energising. With no booking and the 7 euro price tag for the morning and a 17:15 “Happy Hour” class I happily go back to the Yoga Factory when in Paris next time. I will also take my towel with me.
I decided however to pay a bit more attention to the next class I was booking. I figured that with all the walking around the city I could do with something more restorative so I booked a Meditation and Yin yoga class for the next day at the Studio Keller (Metro Voltaire). I had heard great things about this place and they offer an introductory class for 13 euros. After the booking they send me an email with the codes to the building (another thing I had forgotten, the door codes in Paris) and at the door naturally I tried them in the wrong order, the last one letting me in through the first door. Good thing I was on time.
Studio Keller is another beautiful place if a complete opposite to Yoga Factory. This one had a more traditional yoga-shala-meets-old-Parisian-apartment vibe to it with wooden floors and light colours, mix and match props and a lot of light. The class was divine, also pretty busy for a Tuesday morning but very relaxing and calming. After the 15 minutes or so (?) meditation at the start the teacher was very hands on with the asana practise, offering adjustments, helping with the props and to get deeper into the poses in an effective way. Just wonderful!
I liked the feeling of Studio Keller so much I decided to go back for more the next day but about that in the next post.
February 21, 2017
Good Yoga Reads Online
Here’s a round up of few yoga articles & sources I return quite often. Some of you have asked more information about the benefits of yoga and how does it compare to other physical activities so hopefully you’ll find these as useful as I have.
On Philosophy:
”The Eight Limbs, The Core of Yoga” by William J.D. Doran. Probably a two-three pager if you were to print this out, this is an easily digestable summary of the eight limbs and how they can translate to real life.
For an explanation and discussion about the Yoga Sutras I have not found any better than this website. There is actually a ton of material on this site even outside the sutras, AND a ”how to use this site” section. Much gratitude to Swami J for his site.
I’m a tree… no, a pillar!
On Yoga vs Other Types of Exercise
There is a growing number of interest in scientifically proving the benefits of yoga, both mentally and physically. The main issue with these is that with so many different types of yoga styles the studies made can have very varied outcomes. Nevertheless, here are few articles that I have found pretty informative and/or interesting, keeping in mind that it is usually advisable to mix up your exercise routine and interested rather than relying on one thing only.
Alisa Bauman wrote in 2007 about ”Is Yoga Enough to Keep you Fit?”
If you are a runner, you might want to read this.
And one about Bikram (hot yoga) and weight loss.
About the Muscles Used
Ok, some of these poses in this linke are not very accessible to even the most seasoned practiotioners but there are also some very common streches here. If you already have a practise, this might be interesting to see what musclegroups you strech. Just remember to incorporate your breath!
Chaturanga (the pose that looks like a plank that you then lower to the ground, arms by your body) is one of the hardest things in a yoga class in my opinion. It is so hard to get it right and the more vinyasa-style class you have, the more you do them. And the more tired you get, the chances are the less mindful you become about it. Here is a good article about how to get comfortable with your chaturanga in your head and here is a video of the physical aspects of it. You can always modify your chaturanga by placing your knees down on the ground.
Never easy but at least my wrists in line with my elbows and shoulders.
Tallenna
October 4, 2016