Yoga Festivals ~ Summer 2016

Last Tuesday I went to my weekly yoga class to be met by my yoga teacher who looked calmer, more chilled out, smilier and generally floating more than usual. The reason? She had just just returned from a weekend spent at a glorious yoga festival called Yoga Connects.

Here she had experienced a range of classes and workshops with like-minded people and listening to her positive words got me fired up with excitement ready for the summer ahead. Six weeks of summer holiday ready to be filled with fun times with my children, new memories made for my little family, a new yoga festival and fun festival times at Camp Bestival. At the latter I will be escaping for a little 'me time' in the Slow Motion area which, coincidentally, is ran in conjunction with the team behind Yoga Connects - so how perfect does that sound?!

Project 366 2016 #29

School's out for Summer is all I need to say for week 29 of Project 366!

Day 199
A Sunday trip to Bath for my girl to spend some birthday money. We had some girly giggles hitting the likes of Claire's!
Day 200
Time to get back on track with the realisation that my next half marathon is less than 7 weeks away so I headed out for a 5 mile run before the sun hit the sky towards the end.
Day 201
A hot day out today and I had to take a quick trip up to the yard to fetch a tent and tent pegs so I could pitch the festival tent and give it the once over before Camp Bestival next week!
Day 202
The most wonderful gift from my colleague today at work - I'm going to miss working with her.
Day 203
The weather turned wetter and cooler tonight which was perfect for another 5 mile run.
Day 204
I spent some lovely time in the garden tonight with my girl where we had a go at a Yoga Game that I was sent to review. There were giggles and chilled out moments.
Day 205
Up and out this morning before the sunshine came out to run 10 miles around the villages, fields and country lanes. I'm feeling a bit more positive again about my next half marathon in September.

x x x

Yoga for Children {Yoga Card Games}

Tonight I spent a lovely hour in the garden with my girl on the yoga mat. My yoga mat is usually my space for some alone time; in the conservatory with the door to the house firmly closed or tucked away under a tree in the garden. 

Tonight though was different; instead of using yoga for quiet meditation and contemplation we used it to bond and giggle.

We were trying out Yoga Spinner; a fun yoga game to practise your yoga poses - or challenge yourself with something new. 

For every pose you 'master' you win a card and the game can easily be adapted to suit your level of ability. We soon had a healthy pile of cards each with myself landing the Triangle Pose but it was my girl showing me how to do Lotus Pose - clearly 10 year old legs are bendier than those pushing 40!

There are a range of Yoga Card games to try and we are looking forward to taking these camping and hitting the mat in the garden again!

x x x

Disclaimer: We were sent the Yoga Card games for review purposes. As always, views and opinions are my own.

#YOGAPOWERPOSE {Active in Style Yoga Competition}

Since reigniting my love for yoga, starting a weekly class and making plans to take myself off to a yoga festival I have discovered the joy of yoga clothing! When bending, stretching and twisting oneself into a multitude of yoga poses it is essential to feel confident in the clothes that are bending, stretching and twisting with you. Active in Style, who sell a range of worldwide fashionable yoga clothing curated from the best brands in the business, came to my attention recently and I lost myself for a fair while online pouring over beautiful leggings such as these... 

Products are selected based on their ability to move with your body so fabric isn't getting in the way of your yoga poses - because let's face it nobody needs extra fabric when getting themselves into poses like Karnapidasana!

Speaking of poses, Active in Style have recently launched a competition to win a £200 gift card and entering is as straightforward as striking a pose!
Simply upload your photo of your #YOGAPOWERPOSE to Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook, tag @ActiveinStyle in your photo and caption and keep posing.
The competition closes on 27/07/2016 and more details of the competition can be found here.

** 20% DISCOUNT CODE! **

For 20% off all full price yoga clothing here use 76SUNFLOWERS when you checkout!

Discount code available until 07 August 2016

x x x

Disclaimer: This is a promotional post. As always, views and opinions are my own.

Peppermint Mojito Matcha Iced Tea {Bloom Matcha}

Finally, the weather has switched on to the fact it is indeed Summer and we are in the midst of a mini heatwave with temperatures set to hit 31 degrees today! When the heat rises I tend to shift away from my hot morning cuppa and make the switch to iced drinks. I've been trying to be a bit healthier with my drink consumption; I've ditched sugar in my tea, made a change from cow's milk to soya and reduced the caffeine in my drinks choosing to drink more peppermint or cinnamon teas. Trying to be super healthy in the past I tried plain green tea and could not get on board with it at all so when Bloom Tea asked me if I would like to try out a Matcha green tea I was a little wary! However, looking through their products the array of flavours won me over and the Mojito Matcha jumped out at me.

With an abundance of mint growing in the garden I had no excuses to play around with the Matcha to make some iced drinks.
For a refreshing hit of Matcha the Iced Tea hit the spot.

 For a smoother drink I used soya milk and a little less powder for a more subtle taste.

Both drinks were delicious and if you are a fan of peppermint tea then this Matcha powder with peppermint and lime flavour will definitely suit you. It's also nice knowing that just 1g of matcha a day in your drink or meal is equal to 10 cups of green tea - and I know I couldn't knock back that amount! Bloom Tea also states that Matcha is a natural energy source, is high in fibre, boosts the immune system and has calming properties to reduce anxiety.

Bloom Tea is available online here.

x x x

Disclaimer: I received a pot of Matcha Powder from Bloom Tea to sample. As always, views and opinions are my own.

Project 366 2016 #28

Week 28 of Project 366 2016 saw some firsts.

Day 192
Lazy Sunday started with a stack of pancakes piled high with strawberries, blueberries and maple syrup.
Day 193
Finally I went and got my half marathon tattoo done!
Day 194
Nearly time for my girl to say goodbye to her favourite teacher who is leaving a couple of weeks before the end of term.
Day 195
Covering off and all cleaned up; 13 dots for each half marathon mile.
Day 196
Birthday presents for my girl all wrapped up.
Day 197
Ten today - I cannot believe we are in double figures already!
Day 198
A lovely start to the day with yoga on the lawn at Avebury Manor House with a lovely blogger and work colleagues.

x x x

Project 366 2016 #27

Week 27 of Project 366 2016 and another lovely week!

Day 185
Sunday and one of those unplanned days that turn out to be lovely. My girl invited Grandma and Granddad over for a morning cuppa which turned into lunch which turned into a lovely afternoon in the garden with a surprise visit from my brother in law and girlfriend - and crazy dog.
Day 186
Determined again to reclaim my shack I set to work today clearing it out and giving it a good clean. It feels like mine again - now to actually get in there and use it more.
Day 187
The weather forecast said dark cloud so it was lovely to see the sunshine come out. After some jobs in the house I dragged the yoga mat under the shade of the tree and practised a few moves.
Day 188
A typical back to work Wednesday so I had a chilled evening planning some blog posts, watching the Euros and noticed the rather green and yellow looking patio.
Day 189
Yoga day so all was good in the world for 90 minutes. Walking home the sun decided to come out following a grey day giving me a lovely Yoga Sky to snap.
Day 190
A tired Friday so a bit of yoga this evening and a look through my Simple Things magazine. I love these words on the back cover.
Day 191
Dragged myself out for a 5 mile run this morning and half way round I spotted some beautiful lavender outside my favourite cottage - so I had to stop for a sniff and a snap!

x x x

Camp Bestival 2016 ~ Last Minute Bits to Take!

With just over three weeks to go until Camp Bestival 2016 opens its gates my thoughts are turning to the arduous task of packing! Now, with six previous Camp Bestivals, and countless camping trips, under our belts I have the campsite packing list pretty much sussed, plus some necessary festival extras. But...there are always some last minute bits to take.

Extra toiletries to keep you super fresh, electric toothbrushes to ensure no slacking on the dental hygiene, covers to keep those brushes clean from any bugs - creeping ones and airborne, sun cream, bite soothers and travel sickness bands.

1. Skin Genius - Festival Rescue Kit

2. ERiiS - Sun Protection Milk

3. Zap-It! - Mosquito Bite Relief

4. Steripod - Toothbrush Protector

5. SEA-BAND - Travel Sickness Relief

Great for keeping the children's teeth clean is the Bruah Baby KidzSonic toothpaste. With a 2 minute flashing disco light timer and 30 second pulse reminder to move anround the mouth I know my kiddos will have clean teeth whilst out camping and festivalling this year!

6. Brush Baby - Spearmint Toothpaste

7. Brush Baby - KidzSonic Toothbrush

Taking a tween or teenager? Pack them their own special bag of No Junk from Skin Genius including facial wash, face wash, clarifying lotion, tissues, plasters, mints, toothbrush protector and lavender.

And don't forget these extras from Home Bargain's Festival Range with prices starting from 12p!

Tissues - 12p, Face and body wipes - 39p, Deodorant wipes - 39p, Anti-bacterial wipes - 79p, Body wipes - 79p, Dry shampoo - 79p, Eyelashes - 89p, Floral headband - £1.49, Welly socks - £1.99, Cooler bag - £1.99, Trilby - £1.99, Sunglasses - £1.99

So, I'll be making some extra room in the luggage to take these bits along to keep us all fresh, clean and looking the part.

It's not too late to join the fun down in Lulworth from 28th - 31st July.

Everything you need to know about tickets is here

x x x

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Soul Circus Yoga & Wellness Festival {Preview}

Ella, co-founder of Soul Circus Festival:

                                   "Soul Circus...A chance to shed the constraints of your real life and connect 

                                   with your inner freedom of expression be that in whatever way you choose."

Sometimes things happen in your life that lead you down different paths taking unplanned turns and finding new adventures. For my latest adventure I need to go back to the start. In January I added Practise more Yoga to my 40 things before 40 list; this was primarily intended to find myself a little me time on the mat at home and also to aid the increasing stress that running was putting on my body with my half marathon training. I began with a little bit of yoga here and there, dipping into YouTube videos but never really sure if I was doing it right. I then stumbled across a local, brand new, yoga class taking place just round the corner from my home in a beautiful converted barn; I couldn't resist and a taster session soon turned into a weekly date in my diary. It was soon apparent to me that yoga was having a positive impact on my life; clearing my mind, chilling me out, grounding me and giving me confidence.

As summer approached my mind turned to festival season and it felt like something clicked in me when my yoga teacher flagged up the beautiful looking Soul Circus, a boutique yoga and wellness festival in the Cotswolds - the idea of a festival with yoga at it's forefront sounded just the thing for me and I was keen to investigate further. I instantly loved the vision of Matthew Miller, the creative and media director, who has literally flipped the classic format of a music festival, with a wellbeing area as an add-on, and made the yoga and wellbeing take centre stage with the musical entertainment and culinary delights the, still important, extras. Already this was sounding perfect; a weekend away camping in a peaceful setting with just a short walk from the car park to carry the tent and yoga mat from, a range of yoga classes and workshops for everyone, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner, taking place in three specialised yoga pod tipi tents, organic food from a range of vendors washed down with locally produced cider and gin and live music from the Fat Hat Collective - a group of bands from the South-West joined together to promote peace, love and music.

The diversity of yoga classes and workshops is really exciting me and looking through the Soul Circus classes I am told that... our teachers will...inspire and inspirit you.
Words and phrases like Aerial yoga, Shake your Asana, ..outdoor sunrise class..., Rocket Yoga Beats, Gloga Rave, Yoga Body Painting, ...outdoor classes under a stretched tent..., ...live music yoga rave..., restorative yoga and Silent Disco leap out at me. Pair this with opportunities for meditation and mindfulness for some inner peace and I have tingling goosebumps at what is to come.

What I do know is that a beautiful picture is being painted in my mind and this festival looks like it is going to be something special.

Soul Circus takes place from 19 August - 21 August 2016 in Elmore, Gloucester and you can find tickets here and plenty of further information on the Soul Circus website.

x x x

Disclaimer; I have received a weekend pass to Soul Circus 2016 in return for previews and reviews of this year's festival. As always, views and opinions are my own.