my life, spirituality, travels and more
Wrapping up 2021 & What I learned from hosting Pop Up Shop(s) in Helsinki
Well hello hello, long time no blog.
Thanks for tuning back into my scribbles! We are soon to be wrapping up the year, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon this past year and also share some of my experiences from now having hosted two Pop Up Shops for my yoga clothing brand, Moonah Wear. And, yes, if you’ve lived under a rock, this may be new information for you, but I launched my own sustainable yoga clothing line back in 2020.
Having my own yoga clothing company, in addition to being an entrepreneur within the fields of wellness and yoga has been a rollercoaster and such a massive learning experience. I’d be lying if I wouldn’t also say it’s at times been challenging, frustrating, scary and even stressful. That being said, I get to work with things I love.
Okay, so I think it’s fair to say this year has been a crappy sequel to 2020 (in terms of the pandemic). Right now, infection rates are on the rise and new restrictions in place here in Helsinki (hence having the time to write this blog post as all yoga studios are currently closed). Looking at the bright side however, it seems as if this new variant may be less dangerous 🤷♀️. Anyways, this blog post is most definitely not about the big C, but neglecting its affect on us all when reflecting upon the last year would also be disingenuous. The toll it has had on us small business owners is devastating.
If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen my stories last year about me missing out on all Christmas Sales with Moonah Wear due to the pandemic and various production problems (not that I expect you to remember them lol 😅). Due to that experience, I had decided that history was not going to repeat itself this year. This is why I had decided to book a venue for hosting my very first Pop Up Shop in the heart of Helsinki before Christmas. Turns out renting a beautiful venue in the city centre is not only expensive, but quite challenging as a one (wo)man show. Long story short and a few meetings later, the lovely Pukhraj Ranjan from Moi Namaste and I decided to team up as we share the same values, are both female entrepreneurs working within the sustainable textile industry and both quite new to the world of running our own businesses. Together we decided to co-host our beautiful Mindful Moments at Spalt PR on Iso Roobertinkatu 30 in Helsinki in November and then another Pop Up Shop in Ullanlinna on Tehtaankatu in December.
As my business is an e-commerce business, the whole idea with the Pop Up Shop was to create a week filled with different events so that people would get a chance to get the full brand experience, meet up with the founder, hear the story behind Moonah Wear and get a chance to see and try on the yoga wear in person. We made sure to create an interesting schedule with free events everything from sound baths, yoga, a full moon circle to even an influencer event with Champagne Yoga.
Our beautiful Instagram wall wouldn’t have been the same without the Peacock chair from Parolan Rottinki. Pic by Johanna Keto.
The key is having a killer Instagram Wall
But, the one thing that lured in customers and people alike (in addition to the great location in Punavuori), was our amazing Instagram Wall. And this, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off without some of our very generous sponsors including Parolan Rottinki with the most stunning Queen chair (they call it the Peacock chair, but honestly, I felt more like a Queen on my throne on that chair 👸) and Cafe Cucca with their flower installation.
The chair was such a hit, because not only did almost every single customer and guest snap a photo of themselves on it, they also shared it on their socials, tagging us and generating more traffic and brand awareness for us.
Another great advantage with the chair was that we had positioned it just in front of the main entrance to the shop with a neon sign saying “This must be the place”. This created curiosity in all the people passing by, as they would see the “throne” and that sign, eventually wanting to come check out what it was all about.
MY TAKEOFF FROM HOSTING TWO POP UP SHOPS
Hosting a week filled with events and manning a shop morning to night was tiresome, but such a great experience. We got to meet with so many customers in person and to share our stories and make new connections. I also believe it created more brand awareness and even a small buzz for our brands during that one week period. It did result in more sales than a regular e-comm week as well. I also loved working and collaborating with another woman owned business, as it can be quite lonely at times running my own company. We even created a collaboration Kimono (the Lunar Kimono) as a lovechild from our collab. The Kimono is made out of GOTS certified cotton with a traditional block printing technique honouring Indian craftsmanship.
Our second Pop Up Shop was not as successful as the first one we hosted in Punavuori. I think for a number of reasons: first, the location was not as great as the one of our initial Pop Up, secondly, we didn’t have the same killer Instagram wall (even if we had the gorgeous chair on display), third, nor did we host daily free events, as the space was smaller, not to mention the infection rates were on the rise again. Now in hindsight, I am happy we hosted both Pop Up Shops, as I definitely learned so much from both of them. In 2022 I am most definitely looking to host more Pop Up Shops, making sure to create an Instagram Wall in each single one and perhaps even taking Moonah Wear on a tour to my beloved Sayulita, Mexico.
But in the meantime, stay tuned and follow Moonah Wear on instagram check out the most beautiful chair from Parolan Rottinki, as they also recently just restocked (it’s been out of stock for a while) and make sure to also give me a follow to stay in the know of my upcoming shenanigans.
Thanks so much for the read and wishing you a happy, abundant 🎉NEW YEAR 2022 🎉
X,
Eva
Below you will find a mixture of some pictures from the Pop Up Shop at Spalt, Pukhraj and me, Moonah Wear shots, as well as the collaboration Kimono and the new High Priestess Hoodie.
Our New Home: a preview
In collaboration with SMEG
Our New Home: a preview
If you follow me on the gram, you might have lately noticed an increase in sunset shots in my stories. The reason is, that’s our new view from our brand new home. We’ve recently moved into a new building with a stellar ocean view just a stone’s throw away from the heart of Helsinki. I counted that I’ve lived in 17 different homes (in three different countries) before this apartment, which is the first apartment that I have bought (well with the bank 😅).
We’ve now been living here for a couple months and I still feel like I need to pinch myself as it feels like a dream. Having lived in Mexico for so long and having been in such close proximity to the ocean and nature, I’ve really missed seeing the ocean on a daily basis and now having this view and being able to watch the sunsets from the convenience of my own home, I feel connected to the ocean again. I find it very calming and soothing to just stare out at the sea without doing anything else.
We bought the apartment last year before it was completely built, without fully knowing if we would love it when we were going to move in. Some would perhaps argue that is buying a pig in a poke, however as my boo works within the field of real estate and property management, I trusted his expertise on this. Obviously we got to see numerous illustrative 3D drawings and images to get an understanding of what the apartment would be like, its layout and design. We also got to pick all the materials, such as the flooring, kitchen countertop and backslash, bathroom tiles along with choosing between a bigger wardrobe or a sauna (we obviously chose the latter). We also got to pay a visit to the construction site a couple times to see the process.
Buying a new build means we didn’t have any pre-conceived ideas of furniture arrangements from the previous occupants, so we had the opportunity to create a layout that works perfectly for our needs. The apartment is a three-room apartment with a sauna and a balcony and as the apartment is high up with big windows with lots of natural light, we wanted to keep the airy feel and keep it light. We both love Scandinavian design, but I am very into well, I guess what some people would describe as ‘bohemian’ decor. So we had to balance out the boho with some clean Scandi elements. We both love small sprinkles of colour and this is something we are slowly bringing in piece by piece.
It’s all in the details
Head over to my instagram to win a SMEG toaster like this!
Decorating your home in a style you love doesn’t happen overnight. For those of you who have moved know that it takes a while before your furniture and all items find their new places. What really makes a room design special are the little details and for this reason, I was super excited to team up with SMEG from Idelux to collaborate with their kitchen appliances. I am obsessed with their style, 50’s design and colors and in love with my mint coloured toaster and kettle, which sit in our kitchen perfectly. I am also very excited to host a giveaway on my instagram feed, for you to able to win a SMEG TOASTER of your own. Make sure to participate! (in Finland only 🇫🇮)
Even if our home isn’t exactly how I envision it to be yet, I still am quite happy and pleased with how it is right now and the process of slowly collecting more beautiful pieces one item at a time. It’s a creative process and it’s not easy to decorate slowly, it is hard patiently piecing things together over time. But I guess that’s the beauty of it too.
Work in progress…
One of our bigger projects is making our balcony cozy, as it’s quite a large space. I am content with the table and cushions that I got from Nougat as they match the style I want to create perfectly. Nougat offer these tables in two different sizes and have a beautiful collection of decoration items for you to explore, if you live in Helsinki. The best bet is to go check out their showroom in Kalasatama. We are also planning to add a wooden flooring to the balcony to soften the feel, plants and more floor cushions to create a cozy little nook to read a book, enjoy the sunset or perhaps have a glass of wine.
Another still not finished project is the second bedroom that is currently my boyfriends work space (gaming room 🙄)/my yoga space. We are still deciding on how to decorate the room, but in the meantime it works to keep the space quite empty, as I’ve used it to teach yoga virtually during the era of covid-19.
Last but not least, we are also in the hunt for beautiful lamps as lighting has a huge impact on the way a space looks and feels, and it can make or break an interior-design scheme. If you have any ideas on beautiful bedroom lamps, please hit me up!!!
That’s all for now!
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Much love,
Evita
10 things you can do right now to feel better + learn the energetics of the situation
10 things you can do right now to feel better + learn the energetics of the situation
Did you know the word ‘Corona’ translates to Crown?
The seven chakras of our energetic body.
The crown of your head is the highest part of your physical body, but the same applies to energy. If you’re unfamiliar with the subtle body, it consists of 7 primary chakras, or energy fields (the word ‘chakra’ translates to wheel and refers to how the energy moves and spins in the energy center).
These chakras are all connected to different areas and aspects of ourselves, our physical bodies and our lives. All of these correspond to functions of different organs. The chakra system runs along the spine and is connected to our nervous system. The first primary chakra is located at the base of our spine and is connected to our sense of survival, our home, our finances and everything we need in our lives in order to feel stable, grounded and supported. The second energy center, located by the reproductive organs, is connected to creation, creativity, sensuality and sexuality. The third energy center is linked to our ego, our core, our sense of self and sits in our solar plexus. The fourth is the heart center, our center for love. The fifth energy center i connected to expression, communication and truth, located at the throat. The sixth sits between our eyebrows and is connected to vision, intuition and wisdom. And the seventh and last one is our sense of unity, belonging, connection. The seventh and last chakra is considered to be the highest chakra representing higher consciousness and unity. You can think of it more as WE energy instead of a ME mindset. It’s what brings us all together and connects us all into one. Interestingly enough, this virus also carries its name.
For a long time already, humanity has been dormant and in darkness. Blindsided to our own greed, actions and choices, we’ve reached a point where our planet is hurting. Here’s the thing, everything is energy and everything has its tipping point. The energy we all hold individually also gathers and forms together into what is called a collective consciousness. This collective consciousness holds our shared beliefs, thoughts and ideas. This collective consciousness has been napping, for well, quite some time now. But now, we’re being told to wake the *insert whatever strong word of your liking* up in a very real way, that surely affects us all in some way or form. The coronavirus is on everyone's lips and minds right now. We’re all talking about the myriad of ways of how it’s touching our lives and worry for our health, finances and the insecure future. As horrible as the situation might feel, this is also an opportunity for change and to become united.
When you think of the virus from an energetic point of view, one could say it pierces through our heart center, both through how it actually affects the people who get sick and also through causing anxiety (that is often felt in the chest through heart palpations or pressure) for many others. In a more Western view we know that the virus attacks the lungs. We know that the virus spreads through touch and physical closeness. These are also aspects of the heart chakra. The heart chakra is connected to the element of air, our lungs and breathing. The sense that is connected to the heart chakra is our sense of touch and the virus also spreads through both the air and through our biggest organ, our skin, again, both connected to the heart center. Emotions that are connected to the heart chakra are; grief, sadness, compassion, love, joy and balance.
And clearly we’ve been living out of balance for a long time already. When this energy enters our hearts it drops down to the root chakra, where many of us might feel compromised currently. We feel a rush of fear take over, as our root chakra is connected to our adrenal glands and to our sense of survival. It’s interesting when you think of people’s reactions and how their primal instinct is to hoard toilet paper and groceries, which are all very basic needs. A primitive reaction, but very understandable when you think at it from an energetic point of view.
In yogic philosophy we are taught how the Kundalini energy sits at the base of our spine and by rising it up to the crown chakra we can become united. In order to reach samadhi or higher consciousness (lift the energy to the crown chakra), our lower chakras need to be in balance and harmony, so that the higher chakras can also open. In order for us to balance this, we need to take care of ourselves, our mutual home, our planet, and each other, and now more than ever so. We need to start building the energy from the bottom up, so that we can feel united and lift the energy up to the crown chakra, our last and seventh chakra and become united. We need to start with the basics.
We’ve clearly been exploiting mama earth and too focused on the material plane (first chakra), which is why now we are being shaken to the core in this energy center. This overcompensation and exploitation of natural resources has no reached a point, where we have an opportunity for change, to become more united. Interestingly enough, from an energetic point of view, when you think about the origin of where the virus stems from, it’s from a food market with animal products. And this is part of the problem and key causes of global warming: animal agriculture. We’ve been consuming and using meat and animal products that are not necessary for all to live and particularly in the amounts that many are consuming. The heavy and toxic energy from dead animals transforms to energy too, which is something we’ve been carrying in our fields of energy.
Now, we are asked to to wake up, think about our choices when it comes to consumerism, our diet and health. But without being too hard on ourselves. Surely there’s a bigger picture here at play and a call for a collective wake up. That doesn’t mean you need to stop being human. We are all in this together and we need to come together and support each other, but we also need to take care of ourselves and our health. Fear lowers the immune system, which is why it’s even more important than ever to stay connected to ourselves through self-care, a healthy diet and exercise (did someone say yoga?). You know what else helps; HUMOR. I think just like with everything in life, balance is key. Don’t be hard on yourself for enjoying your Ben & Jerry’s or binge watching your favorite Netflix show, while everyone else is posting their workout videos. Because self-help can mean a lot of different things and this is also a time to rejuvenate, relax and destress. Take this time to do you. And if you’ve had a breakdown or two, that’s okay too (🙋🏼♀️). This is the human experience. I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster during this time too and just because I am analysing the energetics of the situation, doesn’t mean I have it figured out. But I try to remind myself that, the only constant is change, and this too shall pass and luckily there are ways to work things out.
Here are 10 tips for the handling the situation:
Buy a voucher from a struggling local business.
Boost your immune system & get your vitamins! Tip: If you live in Helsinki, I highly recommend ordering a berry snack in form of a Quarantine package from Bär Bar
Stay connected to your body. Practice yoga & meditate! Tip: You can check out our online community on Facebook with a local studio here in Helsinki. I had a class yesterday for stabilising the Root Chakra
Make sure to maintain healthy diet and get your exercise going! Tip: Check out my fave PT Kanerva Ahonala and her e-course Paremmille Tavoille (Improve your Ways), which is an e-course for making healthier choices with your diet. Only in Finnish tho.
TURN OFF THE NEWS. You don’t need to read every single news there is - instead you can use this energy into something else. read book or listen to ebooks. Tip: If you’re into spirituality or want to learn more, join me and Jonna Monola for our online course Sacred Ceremony with two guided meditations, and ebook and two yoga practices.
Get your creative juices flowing or start a new project/course/hobby: paint, draw, sing, dance. Tip: Here’s a playlist I made to calm down your nervous system. Or sign up for an online class! I just signed up for Yale’s most popular class for free: How to be happier in your daily life
Nature. As long as we are still allowed outside, take a walk or go out for o run. Enjoy the sunshine. I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.
Gratitude. We are privileged. At the end of the day, we are told to stay home, not to go to war. That being said, you’re allowed to feel your feelings so don’t be hard on yourself if you do feel confused, sad, worried or fearful. It’s human, when you feel those lows try to direct your attention to the good stuff you already have.
Call your friends and loved ones. Tip: There’s a bunch of great apps such as Whereby and Houseparty, where you can talk to a group of friends simultaneously and host virtual wine parties/coffee chats or whatnots.
Laughter. There’s a reason they say laughter is the best medicine and I’ve seen some of the best memes ever during this time. A special shoutout to my meme sender and good friend, Eder, who always keeps me supplied with the funniest stuff. Please feel free to share your favorites with me too! Either by commenting or DM on instagram. Here’s a couple of my faves this far:
5 x 5: My Top Lists of gift ideas this Holiday season, my current favorite instagram accounts, beauty products and more...
5 x 5: My Top Lists of gift ideas this Holiday season, my current favorite instagram accounts, beauty products and more...
Everyone loves lists! Lists are a quick and easy way for our brains to gather information and make sense of things. Whenever we encounter new information, our brains immediately try to grasp wether or not this new piece of information is relevant for us. Just like you are currently assessing these lines that you’re reading. The process is instantaneous and we don’t even understand that we are constantly evaluating what we are seeing or reading. As we are continuously bombarded with images, headlines, news and texts, our attention span is nowadays extremely short and there’s something in numbers that make them pop out more than just the ‘normal’ headlines. Lists tap into our preferred way of receiving and arranging information at a subconscious level; they hit our attentional sweet spot. Cool, so now that you’re on board with lists, I’ve gathered a few for you to enjoy; everything from silly favorite beauty products to my favorite podcasts at the moment and so forth.
5 ideas for gift giving this Christmas that doesn’t involve buying more stuff (aka zero waste!):
Give a staycation: pick a nice hotel in the city and plan for a romantic getaway in your own home town/city (this gift idea is only for your partner duh)!
Give a massage session or session to a chiropractor or any other healing/bodywork or pampering gift!
Give a wine tasting course… I mean who wouldn’t benefit from a little extra knowledge other than always ordering that same ole Sauvingnon Blanc or Malbec…. 🙋🏼♀️
Give a yoga private/course or a one month yoga pass to their favorite yoga studio!
Give a floating experience!
My five fave podcasts at the moment:
The Goop podcast by Gwyneth Paltrow - from doctors to creatives, CEOs to spiritual healers, this is a good mix of it all.
Expanded by Lacy Phillips - Get your manifestation to the next level, no more unicorns, puppies and “only positive thinking”.
The Influencer podcast by Julie Solomon - If you’re in the marketing biz, there’s some useful tips and interesting convos.
Auta Antti! by Antti Holma (in Finnish) - In this hilarious and brilliant podcast the Finnish NY based actor answers to his listeners questions and the answers are not just funny, but actually very very wise. I almost pee myself as I laugh so hard.
Under the skin with Russell Brand - In this podcast Russel explores what's beneath the surface - of people we admire, of the ideas that define our time, of the history we are told.
5 tips for surviving winter in Helsinki
Embrace the season. It’s crazy how in our society things tend to speed up during Christmas with the year coming to an end, people run around like crazy. The problem is that at the same time people are tired, exhausted and stressed AF as naturally we feel like hibernating and sleeping in for longer. The reason is simple: we are not living in alignment with the season. Winter should be a time to slow down, cuddle up and get cozy with your woollen socks. This is literally the opposite of our modern society. So my very first tip is to cut out the unnecessary commitments. Make space for nothingness.
Yoga. Not a shocker here, but self-care goes a long way and especially during the darkest time of the year. If you’re not into yogi, then do your thing, whatever it might be (crossfit?). But exercising will give you well needed boost of feel good hormones (serotonin).
Get a sun lamp. Some people argue that this is going against the natural rhythm and season (and even my first tip). HOWEVER, some people get truly affected and depressed of the lack of day light and if you happen to be one of those people, there are luckily methods to counteract the darkness blues. I use mine in the mornings so that I have an easier time getting out of bed.
Pretend that you’re a tourist. Helsinki is a really nice city and there’s lots to do even in the winter time, so put your jacket on and go on a city stroll to Tuomaan marrkinat (market) and walk around and voila you’ll start to feel all jolly and fuzzy inside.
Decorate your home during the holiday. I swear, when we got a christmas tree last weekend everything felt a little better.
Being a tourist in my own home city is kind of nice.
5 Interesting & different instagram accounts worth following:
@connecting_consciousness : Mysticism, kind of out there, might be too much for the science loving instagrammer.
@chaninicholas : Astrology as its finest. Chani started learning about astrology at a very young age of 12 years and shares her wisdom on her feed.
@emotionalclub : Depression isn't funny, but dark humor sure is. This account is all about embracing the humor in everything, even depression.
@tobemagnetic : Lacy gets it. Her instagram is straight on and she cuts through the New Age ‘just think of something positive and you’ll attract it into your life’ BS.
@wat.ki : This feel good account follows the life of tho adorable dogs: Watson and Kiko along with their other animal friends.
My five favorite beauty regimens/products I am obsessed with right now:
Hydrating nutrient mist from Mad Hippie - I received this hydrating mist as a gift a long time ago on a retreat that I was co-hosting together with SurfYogaBeer and I just recently started using it. Now I use it every day and it really makes my skin glow like no other serum, cream or anything else I’ve tried in a loooong time.
Skinperfect primer by Dermalogica - I love the velvet texture and it smoothes out the fine little lines and uneven spots on my face.
My Simply Natural - hairbrush. I have hair is fine and gets easily super tangled, so this baby has helped a lot. Especially now with my long extended curls.
Oil pulling with coconut oil - this simple technique of swishing oil in your mouth improves not just your oral health, but your overall health as according to Ayurveda, all disease start in your mouth. I try to do this at least 3-5 times a week in the morning for about 15-20 minutes (which is annoyingly long), but it leaves my mouth feeling fresh and on top of all bleaches your teeth in a non harmful way.
My amethyst jade roller from Embrose - There’s been so much hype in the beauty world about face rolling and gua sha, I had toto try this out and I have to say, I do notice a different. My skin gets more plump and soft whenever I use the roller.
I’d love to hear some of your favorite podcasts or any other input you might have to my lists!
Happy Holidays!
xx
Eva
PS. Make sure to check out my upcoming events if you feel like you could benefit from some strechin’
Tuomaan markkinat by Senate Square in Helsinki. Image: Jonna Monola
Follow your bliss: Why I quit my job
FOLLOW YOUR BLISS: WHY I QUIT MY JOB
One of the biggest struggles for me has always been decision making. Be it big or small, I find myself pondering the options and outcomes way too long. Lately though, I feel as the universe has been handing me big platters of decision making practice and I am slowly honing this skill and becoming more intuitive, especially when it comes to decision making for myself.
I feel like I’ve always been pretty gifted in seeing and supporting my peers in the right direction for their highest self, but when it comes to myself, it’s often been foggy, messy and uncertain. Luckily though and like I wrote in a previous blog text on my decision to relocate back to Finland (after having lived in Mexico for nearly seven years), I am slowly learning to listen to that squeaky little internal voice and whisper (before it becomes a roar).
After moving back to Finland, I quickly started working with event production. It was a massive change coming from the laid back beach life style and after having been my own boss and working within wedding planning and the hospitality and wellness industry in the tropics. All of a sudden I found myself in a hectic corporate world with completely new tasks, in a new environment and with a very different client base. With a pace where your daily hours run out and you add darkness, cold weather and adjusting to Finnish culture and customs into the mix, you have yourself one exhausted gal. And when exhaustion happens, energy shifts.
This shift manifested in many ways; I started experiencing bodily stress symptoms such as eye twitching, bloating and even mood swings. My body knew before my head did, it was time to slow down and change direction. It was simply way too much and way too fast. I did my best to keep pushing through as I didn’t want to give up and I thought to myself that maybe things would change for the better as there was a vague silver lining in foresight. When things didn’t fall through as I had hoped, I finally decided to resign. It was time to breakthrough my fears and leave the secure corporate world for the unknown world of entrepreneurship.
“My body knew before my head did, it was time to slow down and change direction.”
Letting the dead leaves drop.
Follow your bliss.
Because what it all comes down to is time. And life is short. The time you have in this precious life is scarce and your days are limited. As cliche as it may sound, if you’re not going to chase your dreams or try something you’ve always dreamt of, you’ll probably regret it later in life. Sure, it’s risky, crazy and nerve wrecking, but for me it is absolutely necessary and having regrets later is not an option. There’s also the benefit of working with what you love and on your own terms and you get to enjoy a whole new level of personal, professional and financial freedom. Besides, being an entrepreneur is not completely new to me as I used to work for myself also while living in Mexico. That being said, in all honesty, there’s a huge difference in running a business in Mexico compared to Finland. But, I am up for the challenge and more importantly, I simply have to give it a go.
I also believe in the phrase “todo pasa por algo”, meaning everything happens for a reason. I needed to go through this year to get clarity on what it is that I want to pursue and what is truly important to me. I am extremely grateful for this almost one year that I worked with a lovely team and for the fact that I get to call my ex colleagues not just my former co-workers, but friends. We had a good run and I truly wish the team all the best of luck and success in the future.
You know, it’s interesting now in hindsight reflect upon my decision and notice how big decisions and releases tend to happen around fall. There’s wisdom in nature and just like the trees you can let the dead leaves drop. You release and shed and let go of the things that did not serve you for something new and better.
So what does the future hold for me right now you might ask? Well, I am going to work with the things I love; yoga (corporate yoga classes, privates, studio classes and yoga retreats), wellness, copywriting, content creation and marketing. I am very open to new opportunities and projects and if you see that there is something we could work on together, make sure to drop me a line. I will also be launching something I’ve always dreamt of, so stay tuned for this secret I am revealing in the near future. Oh, but first things first, I am heading to Mexico to enjoy life on the beach for the darkest month of the year; November.
Let me know if you’ve made any similar transition or have any tips, tricks or input on this scary journey that I am about to embark. I would love to hear from you!
Stay tuned,
Con amor and excitement for this new chapter,
Eva
SUMMER UPDATE: What I've been up to lately + how to listen to your body
Dear reader, thanks for circling back to my blog even after this mini break that I’ve taken. The reason for the little pause is very simple: I’ve needed time to recharge, reset and relax. I definitely still believe in the practice of commitment and consistency with blogging, but what’s even more important than that (or more valuable than SEO optimising), is to truly learn to wind down when you need to. And I feel like this is something many of us can relate to. People (we) need to stop glorifying being busy and make room for, well, nothingness. Can’t we just please start a new trend where doing nothing is the coolest thing on planet earth 😅!? No but, jokes aside I feel that especially as a yoga teacher and someone who teaches people to unwind and tune in with themselves, I also need to practice it, not just preach it. And that’s exactly what I am doing right now, sitting in my summer cabin overlooking the Baltic Sea and simply taking it super chill without any schedule nor plans. Thanks to taking this time for myself I’ve now finally felt inspired and energized again to start writing and I started to reflect over how much I’ve actually needed this, to just be still without the hustle and bustle of the city life.
Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time here at our summer cabin, which is just an hour outside of Helsinki. We are in the midst of remodelling a small cute summer cabin (the sauna house) and making it into a space for me and my boyfriend. It’s been a bigger project than we first anticipated but I won’t go too much into detail right now as I am dedicating a full blog post to it very soon (with before and after pics, so stay tuned!!). In addition to spending time here, I’ve also been to a friends summer cabin celebrating midsummer and then enjoyed a fun and wild weekend in Hankoo (the most southern city in Finland) with an amazing group of friends. I’ve also taught a few yoga classes, gone to an amusement park (Linnanmäki), but other than that it’s been down time and laying low. And lemme tell ya, it’s been very needed. I feel like I am still digesting my new life of living back in Finland and trying to rejuvenate from the heavy winter and the busyness of it all (my day job as an event planner can be pretty hectic). Luckily, I am planning to escape this winter for at least parts of it.
At Linnanmäki, pic by Jonna Monola. Pants Vimma Company.
So how do we make sure to stay energized, healthy and balanced without burning out or over exhausting ourselves? What it all comes down to is learning to listen to your body and knowing when to slow down. I wanted to share some practical tips I’ve found to be useful as I’ve learned that my body is often way smarter than my head let alone my silly ego. The thing with your body versus your mind is that the body is continuously giving you cues and subtle messages on what is good for you and what isn’t, the problem is just that we a) ignore them or b) don’t see these messages in the first place. The mind loves to come up with excuses, distractions and falsities. Listening to your body or yourself is applicable to not just your health, but any other area of your life as well. If you just learn to tune into your intuition and gut feeling more than staying in your head, you’ll start noticing how things unfold in a very different way.
But what if you don’t know how to listen or you don’t know what actually works for your body, then a phrase like “listen to your body” can feel like nagging or plain useless. The truth is we are all different. Not only through our unique lives, patterns, relationships, circumstances, jobs, living situations, rhythms, eating & sleeping habits, we also differ in what our idea of health is. So where does one start? I made a few key notes that I feel that can be helpful on this journey towards becoming more self aware.
Pic: Chiara Hammerer Watch: Aarni Woods
Every day make sure to have a quiet moment just for yourself where you ask yourself these three questions: What am I feeling, physically? What am I feeling, emotionally? What am I thinking? Pay attention to what comes up. Just like with any new skill, this will be a process and some days you’ll get answers right away when at times you’ll think about your neighbours dead cat. Lol.
Journal first thing in the morning for 30 days straight. Commit to this practice and write two pages each morning before anything else. You’ll be astonished at how much will come up.
If you feel like you need to learn to listen to your body more think about the why’s. Why do you want to listen to your body. What is it, that is not working for you? Do you perhaps already have some physical symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, bloating, insomnia, lack of energy, a disoriented body image, relationship issues, lack of drive or direction. Or anything else that does not sit right with you. Think about your goals. What are you hoping to achieve? Is there a specific goal you want to reach, such as a more balanced relationship with food or better stress-reduction habits? Why is this important to you? Any goal is most successful when grounded in purpose.
Meditation, yoga or any other practice, exercise or hobby that helps you connect with yourself.
SLOW DOWN. Your health is your greatest wealth and priority. If you don’t know where to start or everything else sounds like gibberish, this one is pretty simply. Just clear your calendar, baby steps.
Pic: Chiara Hammerer
Towards a healthier, happier mind body connection y’all.
Happy trails and summer smiles!
Con amor,
Evita
PS. I will be posting more often from now on now that I am feeling energized again, pinky swear!
Why did I move back to Finland?
Why did I move back to Finland?
Yes, why!? I guess it’s a fair question and a question I have received a lot. I mean, why would someone trade the tropical breeze, warm weather and an easy lazy lifestyle for slush, darkness and the 9- 5 grind? Why oh why would one leave a life of sipping margaritas on the beach and dem delish tacos for a society where the norm is not to say hi to their neighbors.. And lemme tell ya, dem tacos sooo good. So yes, I get it, it’s a legitimate question to ask and I understand that it might seem odd, and rightly so. But before spearheading into the why’s, I just want to acknowledge that it’s kind of impossible to write this post without spilling the beans on some sensitive and personal stuff. I will do my best to not dive into the details of things, partially to protect the people I have crossed paths with and also to protect myself as I don’t see it necessary to vomit my private life all over the interwebs. That being said, my aim has always been to be honest and to express my truth, so there obviously will be some personal sharing along the way. I also want to emphasize that life isn’t always what it looks like and this needs to be addressed more and more and more. The images we see on social media or in blog posts are merely little, snippets of framed perfect moments, so next time you see a chick posing with a coconut on the beach, don’t be fooled, she might actually be lost.
I mean, look at that beauty. By Jess Leigh.
Perhaps the first step towards answering this question is revealing why I originally moved to Mexico. Well, I moved there right after having graduated to help run my exe’s (important notice, he obviously was not my ex back then) family businesses in a small little beach town, called Sayulita, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. I had been to Sayulita twice before moving there and I had also spent one semester in Bali, Indonesia, so living in a tropical climate was not new to me. Even so, moving somewhere with the possibility of never returning can be a little intimidating. And that it was indeed. Initially, I felt a little anxious, ungrounded and lonely without my tight group of friends and my only support at that time was my partner. I’m a Capricorn and my people are my everything (you might know this if you’re into astrology, however if you think it’s complete woo-woo, well, let’s just say my friends and fam mean a lot to me), so the start was not just smooth sailing. I was surrounded by a new culture and a language that I did’t speak nor understand. I sometimes felt like a sore thumb as I stood out with my light blonde hair, even though Sayulita has a fair share of blonde expats and even more so nowadays. So, what I’m trying to say is, I was faced with some challenges in the beginning. But slowly, just like with anything else in life, I started settling in and making friends and gradually I learned to understand Spanish and then finally later to speak it. Life became easier, things started flowing and all of a sudden I was living the dream in a beautiful, vibrant, boho beach town of Sayulandia (a nickname for Sayulita). My life felt good and things were looking up.
My days consisted of co-leading my exes family businesses (hotels, surf school and shops), practicing yoga, surfing and watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, not too bad, huh? So it’s only fair to say that I had a few truly magical years. I was also running my co-owned yoga & surf company, hosting retreats and working for a handful of interesting businesses in a completely new environment. Boy, did I learn a lot and this time definitely shaped me. But as some of us might already have learned in life, life is not always a walk in the park, nor is it always a bed of roses and sometimes it can throw you curve balls. And as you might have guessed, a curve ball was thrown at me. Hard. Eventually it led to me and my ex parting ways.
Okay dokay, so there I was all alone on the other side of the world in a small Mexican beach town. Life hack: do not live in a small town with your ex. Ha, no, but seriously, you can imagine it might just be a little challenging. Also, rumours travel very quickly in small communities and I with all do respect, there’s definitely some cultural differences in how men view women and wether or not it is appropriate to move on (or even be seen out) after a break up (stay tuned for our next podcast on Machismo!!). In the grand scheme of things, I was was alone in Mexico living on the other side of the world far away from my fam going thru a break up in a place that felt like the Big Brother house and everyone was watching the show. As I had worked with my ex (we had a company together) and also with his family biz, it didn’t feel appropriate to continue working with them, so besides to dealing with a break up, I also had to figure out what to do business-wise. Luckily, I quickly found myself on my feet, working with new projects and clients and running my own mini one person company. I also started working within wedding production and for a big luxury hotel along with my private yoga clients. Life was okay…ish, but in all honesty my heart was broken and I felt lost. Fortunately I had a group of amazing friends to share my days with and the distraction of living in a party town. In lack of better phrasing, I had a semi-good time for a while, but as I didn’t fully have a direction in life and was kind of floating in this in-between state of not knowing what to do, I eventually started drifting just a little too much. Unless you have the discipline of a true christian, Sayulita will suck you into the mañana mañana lifestyle. Even tho the easy tropical party paradise lifestyle can sound like all fun and games, it kinda gets old after a while. Not to mention the non existing dating scene in Sayulita that is, well, extremely limited. Slim pickings y’all. Another coping mechanism I had was traveling, which I did to distract myself from the reality of things, and the truth was that I was completely lost. Being lost and ungrounded led me to a couple of very interesting picks on the dating scene (🙈). But they did serve a purpose as they also pushed me towards the direction I needed to go. Which was, back home.
Easy living in Mex. By Jess Leigh.
Slowly but surely I started playing more with the idea of moving back home to the motherland. I even flew to Finland in January just “to see” if I could cope with the darkness and cold weather after having lived in the tropics for so long. My conclusion and field research prove me that it was doable, however not ideal, so I needed to think some more, I reasoned. After my trip to Finland in the winter, I returned back to Mex to now in hindsight, seal the deal and confirm my exit. Another few negative challenges took place of which I can name these few; my house was broken into, my safety emptied (yes they use a lot of cash in Mex and the nearest bank was a 35 min drive away) and I got stung by a venomous scorpion. The latter one was pretty gnarly and almost felt like I was being kicked out of Sayulita. Or as my friends like to put it, I graduated from Sayulita. So being the intuitive spiritual tree hugger that I am, I finally listened to that little whisper inside of me that actually at this point was more like a scream than a whisper, saying “buy a one way ticket to Finland” and so I did. And after that, things just aligned.
Okay, if you spent any time in Finland last summer you probs know that last summer was pretty darn stellar. Some people might call it false marketing, but it surely lured me in. People were happy and smiling, the sun was shining and the weather was almost well, tropical….. but most importantly, it felt right. When you are aligned with your direction, things have a tendency of falling into the right places and sure enough I met an amazing person that summer as well. He might have helped with the whole marketing campaign of Finland being pretty cool 🤩.
So here I am, now 7 months later after having relocated back to Finland (I had to go back to Mex after the summer in Finland), feeling grounded for the first time in a very long time. And, yes, of course the winter sucked, and yes of course I miss Mexico and yes of course I miss my friends and yes Mexico holds a place in my heart forever, but YES, this is where I am supposed to be right now. And it feels freaking fantastic to FINALLY feel like you’re where you’re supposed to be. Because I haven’t felt that in a very long time. And at the end of the day, Finland is such a great place to live in (and we also just won the world championships in ice hockey!!), regardless of the grumpy, non saluting neighbours. And luckily I am privileged enough to be able to travel (yes, I know climate change, but there’s a blog post about this) and visit Mex, which I am planning to do in November (the suckiest month in Finland, come with?).
So if there’s only one thing you take away from reading this whole long story, it’s listen to your gut. Because it knows. Sometimes it’s hard to hear, but the whisper is always there. So pay attention.
Con amor,
Evita
Friends with businesses / badass women: Meet the Boss lady of Bär Bar
Friends with businesses / badass women: Meet the Boss lady of Bär Bar
When I first started blogging back in the day, I used to have a category called “Friends with Businesses”. As the name kind of gives it away, I will trust your judgement on what the topic entails 🤓. Now, after having relocated back to my beloved motherland, I decided to resume this category (along with blogging) and today I will introduce you guys to no other, than the badass boss lady, founder of the berry snack selling, superwoman and former study friend of mine; Jasmiina Ojala. I will from here on also initiate a new category called Badass women and this post will definitely be filed under that. Why? Well, the media (and even blog posts) play a powerful part in how we see ourselves, what we think we can achieve, and what limitations we put on ourselves as well. The more women are properly portrayed, the more women will rise up in leadership and business.
Let me tell you a couple things about Jasmiina. First of all, she is extremely friendly and smart and has a cutting edge sense of sarcasm. Not only did she graduate from the Swedish School of Economics, but she also holds a Master’s degree in Law. Oh, and in addition to being the empress of her own company, BärBar, she also is Head of Marketing for St1 and what’s even more exciting, is that she just made her biggest merger agreement yet (side note: this is her joke, not mine) and got engaged 💍! Woop woop! AND, top off that, she now carries a growing berry bundle in her belly. So, to say that things are up for Jasmiina is not an understatement. Congrats on all four things!
With that much on one’s plate and with such success, you might expect someone to play superior or perhaps be pompous. Nah, not Jasmiina. She is humble, grounded and laid back. I decided to pick her brain a little bit and present this amazing human to my fellow internet scrolling audience. Before we head over to the Q&A, you might wonder what BärBar is. Simply put, it’s a health snack bar selling takeaway smoothies made out of Finnish berries. They currently have one location in the heart of Helsinki on Fredrikinkatu 30, so make sure to go check them out. There was recently actually an article in Helsingin Sanomat about the benefits of incorporating berries and lingonberries into your diet and this is Jasmiina’s mission as well. My Q&A is written in both English and Finnish, voila:
Q: Who are you? (a weird one I know, it’s just interesting to see what comes up first)
A: I am a 33 year old mama to be for a little baby girl and I live in Helsinki.
Mama to be, superwoman Jasmiina Ojala and me.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: My day job is working with marketing for the energy company St1. I started my career as a business lawyer but decided to swop careers to marketing, which feels more like my thing.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: In addition to running my own company, I exercise a lot, go to the gym and run. As a matter of fact, I’ve actually ran 5 marathons and hopefully several more 🙂. I also love reading.
Q: What is BärBar?
A: Bär Bar is a snack bar that sells healthy and delicious snacks made out of Finnish superfoods. We make wonderful smoothie bowls (Bär Bowls), fresh porridge and smoothies made out of Finnish berries. We’ve recently added vegan oat and pulled outs sandwiches to our offerings (made out of Finnnish oats of course). Our mission is to bring Finnish superfoods into the daily lives of our customers in a fun and easy way.
Q: Where does the name BärBar come from?
A: Well, the name involved the word berry (in Swedish) and bar. In Swedish the word ‘bärbar’ means something to takeaway or carry with you. This encapsulated our idea, as we love Finnish berries and we want to provide them into the lives of everyone in an easy takeaway snack form.
Q: Is there enough time for the mom to be to work with two jobs?
A: Yes, or at least still yes. The company is co-led by me and my partner and we work on it on the side to our daytime jobs. We have a team of four lovely girls working in the shop, so we don’t spend too much time there ourselves. That being said, our aim is to grow our business and our dream would be to one day be able to employ ourselves full time.
Q: When did you decide to start your own business?
A: We made the decision together with my partner and we first started talking about it in May 2017. The first BärBar openend its doors in January 2018.
Q: What has surprised you the most becoming and being an entrepreneur?
A: It requires perseverance and that you don’t give up. It also requires being innovative and having a lot of courage way beyond what I had expected. It’s extremely challenging to find good employees and when you finally do, hold on to them as tightly as you can.
Q: Any tips to new entrepreneurs?
A: Nothing comes easy and there’s no quick fixes. If you want to become an entrepreneur, you definitely have to be more of a doer than a dreamer.
Q: Would you change anything in hindsight?
A: I would’ve been more picky with our first location (we moved from Itäkeskus to Fredrikinkatu).
Q: What have you learned?
A: SO MUCH! I’ve learned so much about brand development and marketing. I’ve also learned about customer behaviour, the logic of retail business, how to increase customer visits, the significance of location and how to grow your business and the importance of being efficient and dynamic. I’ve also learned how challenging it might be to find good employees and the value of them.
Q: Where do you see BärBar in 5 years?
A: We’ve definitely grown and have more locations than just one (including abroad) and our brand is well known and our customer experience is rock solid.
Q: What message is it that you want to convey through BärBar?
Enjoying a berry good smoothie.
A: Finnish people need to cherish and appreciate more the wonderful, clean superfoods that we have here. We think it’s irrational to bring a bunch of superfoods such as goji berries, acai berries and exotic fruit, when our own forests are filled with the cleanest and most nutritious berries in the world! Globally speaking, our forests in Finland are extremely clean and the berries growing in them are off the charts! Also from a carbon footprint point of view, it’s insanity that we keep importing exotic berries and fruit pumped with a bunch of preservatives, when we instead could just benefit from our own local fresh ingredients.
Q: What’s your favorite berry?
A: I’d have to go with blueberry. I eat blueberries almost daily and I can honestly say, that I am nearly never sick and I feel healthy. This is something that has been more highlighted during my pregnancy. Many pregnancy symptoms such as vitamin deficiency and constipation are things that can be avoided by eating blueberries.
Q: What’s you’r favorite BärBar product?
A: One More Straw and the Tender Sea-Buckthorn smoothie. They are incredibly delish!
Q: Why should people eat more berries?
A: Because of their health! Berries are filled with good vitamins, fiber and dietary minerals. I guarantee that if you eat one cup of blueberries each day (all our products contain at least 2 cups of berries!) you will notice how your digestion will improve and how flues will stay away.
Q: Are there any more BärBar and Yoga events coming up? (STAY TUNED, GIVEAWAY NEXT MON)
A: YES! And perhaps even something for new mamas.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Positive feedback and the amount of loyal repeat customers that we have. People seem to like and appreciate our concept and our products and it makes me extremely content. I hope we can make people happy. It’s an important part of our concept.
Q: Favorite Instagram accounts?
A: @myberryforest - Not only is Tiina a lovely being, but she is amazingly talented in crafting tasty, vegan dishes made out of Finnish berries. Her pictures are also pretty. She’s designed many of our products and I hope we can keep working together in the future as well. Other than that, there’s not really any other favorites, I guess it’s nice to see what my friends are up to and admire beautiful nature photos.
Q: Life slogan?
A: This is a tough one. But if we have to dig a little deeper, I guess I’d had to pick one that entails the fact that dreams don’t work unless you do. The legendary Just do it from Nike is pretty good. And then perhaps one that encourages you to not to follow the mainstream, such as why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary.
Q: Share something weird about yourself?
A: I am afraid of water fountains and I like cold liver casserole (with raisins of course).
Thank you lovely Jasmiina!
Make sure to follow BärBar on instagram here. STAY TUNED, as we are hosting a GIVEAWAY next Monday for our upcoming YOGA & BärBar event later this spring in Pranama Kallio!
XX,
Eva
K: Kuka olet?
V: Helsingissä asuva 33-vuotias, tuleva pienen tyttövauvan äiti.
K: Mitä teet työksesi?
V: Teen päivätyökseni markkinointia energiayhtö St1:ssä. Aloitin urani itse asiassa liikejuristina, mutta vaihdoin muutaman vuoden päästä alaa markkinointiin, mikä tuntui itselleni luontaisemmalta alalta.
K: Mitä teet vapaa-ajalla?
V: Oman yritystoimintamme lisäksi harrastan paljon liikuntaa, ulkona lenkkeilyä ja salia. Olenkin juossut tähän mennessä 5 maratonia ja toivottavasti vielä monta lisää :). Rakastan myös lukemista.
K: Mikä on BärBar?
V: Bär Bar on välipalabaari joka tekee terveellisiä ja herkullisia välipaloja suomalaisesta superfoodista. Teemme ihania Bär Bowleja (smoothiekulhoja), tuorepuuroja ja smoothieita suomalaisista marjoista. Nykyään meillä on myös vegaanisia nyhtökaura- ja kaurapalaleipiä - kotimaisesta kaurasta tottakai. Bär Barin missiona on tuoda suomalainen superfood helposti ja hauskasti ihmisten arkeen.
K: Mistä nimi BärBar tuli?
V: No nimi piti sisällään hauskasti niin sanan marja, baari kuin mukaan otettava/kannettava (bärbar on ruotsia ja tarkoittaa kannettavaa), mikä kiteytti ideamme, eli rakastamme suomalaisia marjoja ja haluamme tarjota niitä ihmisten elämään helposti mukaanotettavan välipalan muodossa.
K: Riittääkö tulevalla mamalla aikaa kahdelle työlle?
V: Riittää ainakin vielä, yritys on minun ja avopuolisoni ja teemme sitä yhdessä molempien päivätöiden ohella. Itse baarissa työskentelee 4 aivan mahtavaa mimmiä, eli emme itse ole siellä päivisin töissä. Toki tavoitteenamme on kasvattaa liiketoimintaa koko ajan ja unelmissa on se että joku päivä pystymme työllistämään itsemmekin yrityksessä.
K: Koska teit päätöksen perustaa yrityksen?
V: Teimme sen yhdessä mieheni kanssa, rupesimme puhumaan yrityksestä toukokuussa 2017. Ensimmäinen Bär Bar avautui tammikuussa 2018.
K: Mikä on ollut yllättävintä yrittäjänä?
V: Se vaatii vielä enemmän pitkäjänteisyyttä periksiantamattomuutta, kekseliäisyyttä ja reippautta/pokkaa kuin olin ajatellut. Hyvien työntekijöiden löytäminen on todella haastavaa ja kun niitä löytyy niin kannattaa pitää heistä kiinni.
K: Mitä sanoisit aloitteleville yrittäjillle?
V: Mikään ei tule helpolla eikä lottovoittoja oikeastaan ole. Jos haluat yrittäjäksi niin pitää olla ehdottomasti enemmän tekijä kuin unelmoija.
K: Tekisitkö jotakin erilailla näin jälkikäteen?
V: Olisin ollut vielä tarkempi ensimmäisen pisteen lokaation kanssa (Fredan pisteeseen muutimme ensimmäisen jälkeen).
K: Mitä olet oppinut?
V: TODELLA PALJON! Markkinoinnista ja brändin luomisesta olen oppinut älyttömästi. Samoin siitä miten kuluttajat käyttäytyy ja retail busineksen logiikasta, kuten asiakaskäyntien kasvattamisesta, lokaation merkityksestä, keskiostoksen kasvattamisesta
ja operaativisesta tehokkuudesta. Myös se miten tärkeää hyvät työntekijät on ja miten vaikeeta sellaisia on löytää.
K: Missä näet BärBarin 5 vuoden päästä?
V: Meillä on auki selkeästi enemmän pisteitä kuin yksi (myös ulkomailla) ja brändimme ja asiakaskokemuksemme on timanttinen ja tunnettu.
K: Mitä sanomaa haluat välittää/levittää BärBarin avulla?
V: Sitä että suomalaisten pitää arvostaa ja fiilistellä enemmän oman maan puhtaita superraaka-aineita. Meidän mielestä on älytöntä että raahaamme maailman toiselta puolelta tänne kaikenlaisia eksoottisia ns superfood tuotteita kuten gojimarjoja, acaimarjoja, eksoottisia hedemiä jne kun omat metsämme ovat täynnä maailman puhtaimpia ja ravintorikkaimpia marjoja! Suomen luonto on kansainvälisesti niin puhdasta, että siellä kasvavat marjat ovat aivan omaa luokkaansa. Samoin on CO2-päästöjen kannalta outoa, että rahtaamme lento- ja laivaliikenteellä tänne säilöntäaineilla pumpattuna eksoottisia marjoja ja hedelmiä kun voisimme sen sijaan hyödyntää läheltä löytyviä puhtaita raaka-aineita.
K: Mikä on lempimarjasi?
V: Kyllä se on mustikka. Syön mustikoita melkein päivittäin ja voin kyllä rehellisesti sanoa, että en ole melkein koskaan kipeä ja kaikki arvoni ja terveyteni on huippukunnossa. Tämä on korostunut erityisesti nyt ollessani raskaana! Esim monet raskausoireet kuten ummetus ja vitamiinipuutos on sellaisia joita mustikoita syömällä olen pystynyt välttämään täysin.
K: Entä lempituotteesi BärBarilla?
V: One More Straw ja Tender Tyrni smoothiet. Ne on aivan älyttömän hyvän makuisia!
K: Miksi ihmisten tulisi syödä enemmän marjoja?
V: Oman hyvinvointinsa takia! Marjoista saa älyttömästi hyviä vitamiineja, kuituja ja hivenaineita. Takaan että jos syöt vaikka 1dl mustikoita joka päivä (kaikki tuotteemme sisältävät ainakin 2 dl marjoja!) niin huomaat eron siinä miten ruoansulatus toimii ja flunssat pysyy poissa.
K: Onko BärBarilla tulossa enemmän tapahtumia (vink vink), kuulemma oli suosittu Chakra Tune Up meikäläisen kanssa?
V: On! Ainakin joogajuttuja toukokuussa ja kenties jotain tuleville äideille ;)
K: Mikä motivoi sinua/inspiroi?
V: Se miten positiivista palautetta saamme asiakkailtamme ja miten paljon kanta-asiakkaita meillä on! Ihmiset ovat tykänneet konseptistamme ja tuotteistamme ja se tekee minut aivan älyttömän iloiseksi. Toivon että pystymme tekemään
ihmiset iloiseksi. Se oli meille tosi tärkeä osa tätä konseptia.
K: Lempi ig tilit?
V: @myberryforest - Tiina on paitsi ihmisenä ihana myös aivan älyttömän taitava loihtimaan maistuvia vegaanisia tuotteita suomalaisista marjoista. Hänen kuvansa ovat myös aivan super hienoja. Hän onkin suunnitellut meille monta tuotetta ja toivon että voimme jatkaa yhteistyötä vielä tulevaisuudessa. Muuten minulla ei oikein ole mitään selkeitä suosikkeja, on vaan kiva seurata ystävien meininkiä ja ihastella vaikkapa kauniita luontokuvia.
K: Life slogan?
V: Hmmm, tämä on paha. Mutta jos vähän syvempää haetaan niin varmaankin joku mikä korostaa sitä että pitää tehdä eikä vain unelmoida. Niken legendaarinen, Just do it ? Ja sitten joku mikä korostaa sitä, ettei kannata seurata laumassa muita, mm why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary
K: Kerro jotain outoa itsestäsi (jotain mitä kukaan ei tiedä)?
V: Pelkään suihkulähteitä ja sprinklereitä. Ja tykkään kylmästä maksalaatikosta (rusinoilla tottakai!).
Kiitos ihana Jassu!
10 things I’ve (re)learned after having relocated to Helsinki
10 things I’ve (re)learned after having relocated to Helsinki, Finland
Some of you might already know that I spent a big chunk of my twenties residing in a beautiful vibrant little beach town called Sayulita. Sayulita is located in the state of Nayarit on the Pacific coast of Mexico, just an hour North of Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita is a very magical town and holds a strong energetic pull. I can talk about Sayulita for days, so I’m just going to leave it at that for now and make a completely different blog post about Sayulita and its magic later on. So when I say that Sayulita is a small town, I mean REALLY, really small. If you go visit and ask a random person in town (given that it’s a local, not a tourist), “hey do you know Eva from Finland”, the odds are quite high that the person does know me or know of me. This will perhaps give you a better idea of what I am referring to when I say small.
Living on the other side of the world in a completely different culture, mindset, and country with a different language, different customs, and traditions truly left its mark on me and it definitely shaped me as a person a lot. In all honesty, I am somewhat Mexecuted (all my Sayulita friends will understand this expression) for the rest of my life. What that means is I am kind of “fucked” as my heart is torn between two different places. Life tends to have a plan and I am simply following it as it is, so you will never know where it will take you, you’ll just have to flow with it.
So flowing with life is what I did. It’s funny now thinking back of a time when I swore I’d never return to Finland, well, I guess they’re right when they say never say never. It’s been an interesting journey to come back to this lifestyle and there’s definitely been some adjustment issues and challenges trying to mold back into this kind of living. I mean for starters, it’s cold as FUCK or at least right now. Well, luckily there are good things too. So I made a fun little list of some of the things that I’ve noticed after having returned back to Finland. Some of them I obviously knew before too, but I guess I am wearing a new pair of goggles after having lived in Mexico.
The funny thing is though, that Helsinki, Finland and Sayulita, Mexico are the complete opposites, in every.single.way. Lemme give you a few examples for starters: Finland: cold Mexico: hot, Finland: organized, Mexico: not organized, Finland: don’t salute your neighbors, Mexico: tell the coconut man about your dental issues. And the list goes on and on. So this blog post is a collection of these little observations and differences for you to enjoy. Please keep in mind that these are my personal remarks and I hope you take them with a grain of salt. My intention is not to offend anyone that represents either part of the two cultures and I truly love both cultures, countries and customs a lot. So here ya go:
1. People expect you to always be on time, they get upset if you’re 5 min late
Okay, seriously Mirkku, take a chill pill, scroll thru the gram, 5 minutes is only 5 minutes. If we were in Mex, I wouldn’t have even left my house yet. Sure sure sure, some of you might argue that it’s selfish and rude to make someone wait and I get it… but 5 minutes, seriously!? Anyways, I’ve noticed as a custom you’re supposed to let the person know that you’re meeting that you’re 5 minutes late. This will make it more tolerable and acceptable. Anyways, some of you Sayulitans might smile.
2. People mean what they say
So you know when you bump in to a person on the streets of Sayulita that you somehow (weird huh) haven’t seen in a while and you say to each other “we should catch up and hang out sometime, maybe grab a coffee”. When you say this in Finland they will literally pull out their calendar and set a date. It’s kinda nice to know that you can trust what someone is saying they actually mean and people don’t just say things to because it sounds nice.
3. There is no small talk
I love small talk. I love chit chatting about random things, talking to strangers and I truly enjoy it. It’s a nice way to acknowledge the other person and exchange some words or thoughts. Not just that, it will make time pass way faster if you’re in a bus, elevator or anywhere were you might be waiting for something. But unfortunately Finns don’t do it, they keep to themselves and think that you’re crazy person if you talk to them. I am trying my best tho and will keep chatting, even if they think I am crazy and have no friends (sometimes that’s the assumption). Luckily, however, there has been some positive change lately as Helsinki is becoming more international and the traveling Finns might not be completely turned off if you start talking to them.
4. November equals death, it’s simply the worst month. Run. Escape. Avoid it at all costs
As much as some people in Sayulita might hate the rainy season of July through Sept, lemme tell ya you haven’t experienced November in Finland. I made the novice mistake of coming here in November (dumb dumb) and holy fuck, what the actual fuck was that. Not only was it cold, but the worst thing was the lack of light. Because there is none. NONE. Let me repeat that and let it sink in. No daylight. Well, maybe like a couple hours each day, but nearly no day light. It’s the complete opposite in June though, the sun won’t set and the sun is shining 24/7. The thing for me is that the amount of light has a direct correlation with my mood and energy level. I felt as if someone had just pulled the plug on me. So my advise is, if you live in Finland and want to feel like a human being, escape November. There’s not really any other way. I already made my escape plan and next November you’ll find me in Sayulita sipping margs, doing yoga and soaking in the sun. Come with if you also need to escape this crazy month that people somehow survive. Srsly how do they do it?
5. The tap water is pretty amazing
The drinking water in Finland is the cleanest water on planet earth. I shit you not. It’s cleaner than the bottled water you buy in grocery stores anywhere and we even use it to flush down the poo poo and pee pee. Yes, that same drinkable, beautiful, delicious water goes down the toilet. This is one of the cool things about living in an organized place, little perks like drinkable, clean water. In Sayulita there are days when there just simply isn’t ANY water in the entire town, for days. When you live in a place like Sayulita, you learn to truly appreciate the things Finns take for granted. So wow on the tap water in Finland.
In Finland always loving Mexico. Photo taken at Flow Festival last summer.
6. The trash bins are super small
This might be a weird observation, but why the heck are Finnish trash bins so tiny!? I mean, you have to constantly be emptying them. In Mexico and the US they have BIG trash bins that can take a lot of trash. Anyways, minor detail but still something I’ve noticed.
7. People are afraid of germs
I don’t know if this is just me, but I’ve noticed that when people in Finland drop something on the floor (in their homes) or even on the table, they decide that it’s not edible anymore. Maybe I’ve acquired a stomach of steel living in Mex, but why wouldn’t I eat something that just fell on the table for a second? Another weird thing is how people obsess over the best before dates, I mean, they’re recommendations. It’s just something printed on the product because of legislation, but it doesn’t automatically mean that the item has spoiled at that specific date. Smell it, taste it and you’ll figure it out. I don’t know, this might be a personality thing and has nothing to do with culture.
8. There are systems and apps for everything
Finnish people are Very (with a capital V) efficient. There are apps for everything and systems for everything. Every process is simple and quick and user friendly. Mobile Pay this, order your bus card with that, order food with Wolt and book your yoga class with that. I mean holy smokes.
9. Everything is so clean, there’s no dust
So fresh and so clean clean. Ha! Well, yes, in Sayulita you see people constantly sweeping the streets and watering the streets for dust control. Nope not in Finland, there are machines for this too.
10. You don’t get cat called
Even if Sayulita is a melting pot for many different cultures and has a lot of expats (or immigrants, however you wanna look at it), as a blonde woman you’ll most like encounter some sort of sexual harassment, cat calling or machismo nearly on a daily basis. Not in Finland though. Even if it’s not completely equal and there’s still a lot of work to be done, such as equal pay and the employment of women in a fertile age, I’d say it’s still a pretty decent situation to be a woman living in Finland. You very seldom have to worry for your safety or get annoyed by someone whistling at you when walking down the street to go buy an ice cream (funny weird lil fact: Finns eat the most icecream in the world).
So those are just some of the things I’ve noticed. If you have some observations yourself feel free to drop a line in the comment section below.
Con amor,
Evita
2019, a year to manifest your dreams
2019, A YEAR TO MANIFEST YOUR DREAMS
It’s been forever and ever since I last updated my blog and A LOT has happened since. First and foremost, happy New Year (a little late as we are almost thru Jan)!!! I think I had almost given up on this fun little side thing I used to do, but oh well, here I find myself typing yet again. Happy that you found your way here too and are reading my scribbles.
In a nutshell 2018 was a crazy year. It’s hard to even recap everything that happened and honestly a lot of it is very private & sensitive information and not to share with the world wide web. That being said, with great growth comes some growth pain and what I can say is holy shit I’ve grown this last year. In some circles people refer to the years 2016-2018 as a metamorphosis and explain how the year 2016 was the cocoon year, 2017 the caterpillar year and finally 2018 the butterfly year. When I think about my own past it makes a lot of sense as last year was when I finally spread my wings and flew. Not just figuratively speaking, but I actually flew away from Mexico that’s been my home for the last 6 and a half years. This was a tough transition and something I’m still struggling with. Even if Finland is a great country, holy shit, lack of light is a bitch, I’ll tell you that much. Also, moving from the other side of the world to a new location, even if it’s your old home country, is challenging, on many levels. I feel like I am not the same person I used to be before and I don’t perhaps fully fit in. Yet.
Mexico holds a huge place in my heart and I will always keep going back. And perhaps this is just a lil breather, I mean who knows. Life tends to surprise us in many unexpected ways. Either way I feel that I am where I should be right now and that I’ve made some really smart and healthy changes. That being said, there’s still many things to conquer, manifest and master. BUT I’ve decided that this will finally be the year I step outside my comfort zone and actually make shit happen. If not now, then when!? I guess each January we get a spurt of inspiration and feel more driven, for me especially being a Capricorn and having my bday just a few days after New Year’s it truly feels like I’ve turned a new page in my life. And today I took the first step. I understand all of this might seem a little cryptic as I am not revealing what it is, but I promise you, if you stay tuned, eventually I will reveal and show you guys my new project.
To come back to the metamorphosis I’d say that 2016 was a brutal year in many ways. It felt like I was dragging myself forward and everything around me was collapsing. If some of you understand Tarot cards I’d compare the year to the Tower card in the deck. I guess the year 2016 was only preparing me for the the following year, which was even worse. All this while living in a beautiful paradise surrounded by warmth, the sun and happy people. I guess it’s true what they say that paradise is a state of mind and not a location. The following year, which is now last year, was when I finally made some changes. But the changes didn’t come smoothly. I guess they never do. I remember a teacher of mine always referred to the process of a seed sprouting and how violent the actual transition is as it breaks thru and that this comparison also goes with real life growth.
All in all life is full of mystery and I find that this time of the year it’s a good moment to pause, assess the last year (or perhaps even last couple of years), get clear about what it is you wish to manifest for the new year and do some goal setting. I am a huge fan of vision boards and truly believe in their manifestation power, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept a quick google will do the trick even here. I also love writing things down and journaling about what I wish to accomplish and again highly recommend this practice too. So finally, what I wish to say to you is, let’s truly go after those dreams, cuz if we don’t they’ll come and bite us in the butt on our death beds.
That’s all for now. Go get em tiger.
Con amor,
Evita