Month: June 2015

how yoga teacher training brought me closer to God

Published by chelsea

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a believer in Christ. I grew up going to a Lutheran day care, attending Lutheran worship on Sundays, youth groups during the week, and went to Catholic school for my entire education before college. My hometown is located in the Bible Belt, and is governed by leaders and members of the southern Baptist churches. In college, I still attended Sunday worship at a Lutheran church, and occasionally went to Bible studies. But it wasn’t until I moved to Puerto Rico that I really discovered the depth of my faith. At first, I found it difficult to assimilate to the Christian community here in Rincon, as all that I was accustomed to was traditional Lutheran services. So I used that as my reason for not attending any worship – the Catholic services were all in Spanish, and there wasn’t a Lutheran service at all. But something was missing, and it was obvious to me. My Sunday mornings felt empty, and my weeks only included casual prayers and …

canggu & ulu , beachin it in bali

Published by chelsea

Six days after arriving in Bali, we journeyed from Ubud and the central mountains out over to the coast. I was definitely not prepared for the beauty that awaited us on the west side of the island. Pictures do not do is justice. Your presence is required to soak. this. in. We stayed three nights at the gorgeous and unique Temple Lodge, perched atop the cliffside over Bingin Beach. Serene, isolated, breezy, island-like. With just a handful of rooms, we rarely encountered many guests except at eating times. While Evan surfed, I would explore the Balinese art of massage (several days in a row..) or wander down the cliffside staircase to the water below. We snorkeled out over the reef, ate fresh caught fish-dinner right on the beach, and walked from one cliff to the next in the soft white sands. We rented a scooter and toured the Uluwatu – Pecatu area, stopping over at Single Fin bar for a drink at sunset, and wandering down their cliff side to check out the swell at …

My Morning Routine: 7 Ways to Positively Start the Day

Published by sunburntandsalty

How you begin your morning sets the tone for your entire day. How often do you hit snooze when the alarm goes off, dreading the work or school day ahead? Or with one eye open do you immediately grab your smart phone and begin checking your email and social media sites? Now, I’m all too aware of this song and dance, and the mornings I find myself caught in the routine of snoozing, browsing and Instagramming, I notice that it leaves me feeling agitated, drained, and straight up not good enough… all before I’ve even really begun my day. I started becoming more aware of “morning routines” during my 200-hour yoga teacher training. Each morning of the training began the same: meditation, journaling, verbal “let go’s,” and practice, all of which allowed us to get clear and grounded before we moved into our 8-hour day of study. Now before this, I never really had much of a morning routine… well except for hitting snooze, wasting time on Instagram, and chugging coffee as I’m rushing out …

goodness can be pre-packaged

Published by chelsea

I am a smoothie making machine. A smoothie constitutes second breakfast for me (first breakfast is usually museli; no I’m not a hobbit, just someone that is always hungry and plans ahead). I’ll make a smoothie for snack or lunch, and maybe a dessert smoothie for after lunch. I have tried all brands of greens powder and plant based proteins. So when I first discovered ALOHA on Instagram, I was naturally very curious. ALOHA is a company based in New York with roots in Hawaii that distributes pre-packaged dietary supplements in the form of “greens” and proteins (and chocolates!). Now what sets them apart from what you typically find in GNC is, well actually several things. Ingredients are sustainably sourced – they search for the raw materials and don’t cut corners just to find a cheaper alternative. But not only do they start with the ingredients, they take it a step further to ensure they are using sustainable methods to package and ship, as well simple every day life like cleaning their showroom in NY. …

cultivating solitude: finding a spiritual moment in bali

Published by chelsea

I prepared for the journey to Bali like most others: I scoured the internet for off-the-beaten-path trips and cannot-be-missed sites, I poured over a guide book, dogearing what I thought Evan and I would both enjoy, I screenshot-ed Instagram photos from popular Bali travel accounts. But there was really only one thing I was truly looking for…the authentic Bali. Evan and I were warned of the crowds, we were prepared for that. So we made the effort to scout out accommodations that were more secluded, and avoided cities and towns like Kuta and Seminyak where we already knew we would be bombarded by drunken parties and expensive night clubs. Definitely not our scene. Our guide book tried desperately to show us the real Bali. But cliffside bars overlooking crowded surf spots was not our idea of “real”. Luckily, we had a great host at our place for the first three nights, who recommended several tours that gave us a true taste of rural, cultural Bali. One of those places was Jatiluwih rice terrace, a world …

travel: central bali

Published by chelsea

I was recently married and traveled to the southern hemi to spend my honeymoon in Bali for one month. Evan and I were able to experience and see so many things in this time, but we already feel that draw to return again some day soon. When you think of Bali, you immediately daydream of gorgeous beaches, bikini clad chicks, surfers, lush jungles and Instagram snapshots of Kuta parties and infinity pools. Well, the real Bali is not too far from that image. Even though tourists make up 1% of the island’s population, it is actually quite difficult to get away from them. Of course, it depends on where you go, and we were able to find many spots without hordes of crowds. The average tourist is European or Asian, we encountered a few Americans. Whenever anyone (Balinese or tourist) asked where we came from, we always started off with “Puerto Rico”. After the look of bewilderment, we followed it up with “it’s in the Caribbean sea”. Again, the ponderous looks. Ok, America. Ah, YES! …

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: and the winner is…

Published by papaya_and_lime

Ladies & gentleman, a drum roll please… The Lulu Dk Giveaway has officially ended and a winner has been chosen! We are stoked to announce that Kimberly Catapano is the winner of our beautiful Lulu DK temporary jewelry tattoo giveaway! We have sent you an email Kimberly and you’re beautiful arm candy will be winging it’s way to you from Bali before you can say ‘bohemian tattoo’. Also a huge internet hug and a thank you from Chelsea and myself to all of you beauties who took part and submitted your entries, we value your participation so much! Happy Thursday, folks.

bircher museli, your new breakfast

Published by chelsea

While in Bali, Evan and I ate like kings. We literally planned our day based on where or what we wanted to eat. This was especially true in Ubud, where we were spoiled by choice. However, I have to say that one of my favorite breakfasts was in Canggu at the Samadi Bali yoga center: bircher museli. Now, I woke up early to practice a Mysore ashtanga yoga class (which I had never done before, but truly loved it. I’ll share more about this experience later), and then after my 1.5 hour sesh, I would visit their wellness center and order a masala dosa (Indian breakfast) and wait on Evan to scooter over from surfing. He would order this wet museli, which we had never tried before. Bircher museli is essentially museli that has been soaked in milk or fruit juice overnight (or at least half n hour). Interesting, but so tasty. So once we got back to Puerto Rico, we had a list of delicious meals we couldn’t wait to try out. This was …

new to the tribe: Cait from Sunburnt & Salty

Published by chelsea

Welcome to the tribe, Cait! I met Caitlin here in Rincon, after attending her yoga class at a local studio. I loved her style, her energy and her smile, so naturally I kept going back week after week, and sometimes several days a week! I remember when I completed my teacher training, I returned to Caitlin’s class to see such a smile of welcome & acceptance into the-new-to-me world that defines a yoga lifestyle. Caitlin has always been a yoga inspiration for me – she challenges me to try new poses and take my practice a step deeper, and she is such a representative of what yoga really means. A genuine person, this girl! Cait blogs and shares her surf, wellness, yoga and lifestyle over at Sunburnt & Salty – a perfectly fitting name for her yoga company, as literally every time I see her she is either one or the other, and many times both! You may even recognize her from this past post of surf art DIY and paddleboarding excursions with the ladies! …

giveaway: ‘Lulu DK’ Beachy Boho Tattoo Jewlery

Published by papaya_and_lime

Two weeks ago a work commitment saw me jetting out of my beloved Bali and spending a week at a travel retail convention in Singapore’s glamorous Marina Bay Sands. It was quite an adjustment to switch from breezy island gal to professional business lady: swapping flip flops for shoes and straight-drying my hair- I felt a little like Superman putting his spectacles back on and becoming Clark Kent again. But that’s not to say that I had a boring week. Far from it, as I had the opportunity to discover some exciting new brands in the Duty Free arena and was lucky enough to fly home armed with a bag full of samples and goodies to try. By far my favourite discovery of the entire show was New York based designer Lulu DK’s line of non-toxic temporary tattoo jewelry. Tattoo jewlery exploded onto the fashion scene last year with the fashion-forward pinning and ‘gramming photos of bronzed boho babes adorned in beautiful gold & silver jewelry designs. By now there are several brands on the market to choose from, but I feel that Lulu DK’s tattoos stand head and shoulders above the crowd as each tattoo …