my life, spirituality, travels and more
Health is your greatest wealth - my experience with Susa's Deli (home delivered healthy meal plan service)
*In collaboration with Susa’s Deli
New Year - New me? - A cliche worth committing to!
Well hello hello hello and happy new year everyone!
Each year, there is a desire in each one of us to do a little better than we did the previous year, and in particular when it comes to taking care of our bodies and our overall health. With infection rates on the rise and new variants appearing from right and left, there’s even a deeper emphasis on health this year. Boosting the immune system is not only good for you, but actually provides protection against disease by creating a barrier that stops those nasty invaders (antigens) from entering the body. Perhaps this profound significance of staying healthy will also aid us all to not only making, but actually sticking to our new years resolutions of a “new healthier me” this year?
Many people may think that new year’s resolutions are nothing but silly cliches that people create to make themselves feel better. Personally however, I find that new years are magical. Energetically they offer us a fresh start a clean slate and therefor an opportunity to start anew and create better healthier habits. I actually once turned a new year’s resolution of becoming vegetarian into a 12 year lifestyle commitment (until I noticed I was low on iron).
You can check out their different meal plans here.
What makes the first week of January even a little more special for me, is that both mine and my boyfriend’s birthdays happen to fall on that very first week of the year. This year we were lucky to kick it off and celebrate all these festivities with a collaboration with a small family run meal delivery business, Susa’s Deli.
Susa’s Deli is a prepared meal home delivery service that currently offers three different plans: 7 days, 30 days and for two weeks. You can choose between a vegetarian or mixed meal plan. You’ll get three meals per day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. All meals are made with healthy and nutritious ingredients, using fresh local produce and you set up the drop off times according to your schedule.
If you’ve followed me for a while (or read some of my previous blog posts), you may also know that I am really into subtle energy, and that I also emphasise Albert Einstein’s quote of “everything is energy”. The food you eat, the thoughts you think and the actions you take. Since food is a huge source of energy and an actual component of what makes you into you (a.k.a. you are what you eat) it is extremely crucial for your overall health and wellbeing to eat healthy. When we eat nutritious rich food, not only do we feel better, but we vibrate on a higher frequency, and therefor have more energy, feel better and actually think clearer.
One of the beautiful things about Susa’s is, that all their meals are home made using local produce and Finnish ingredients. You can check out their list of the producers they use here. I enjoyed all the meals, but my personal favourites were the green smoothie (pictured), veggie soup, chicken curry, mozzarella wraps, sweet potato patty pasta, quinoa salad and fish soup. Another aspect that I enjoyed about this service, is the easiness and convenience of it. Instead of spending time (money and energy) on thinking about what to cook and what to buy from the store, you have these lovely ready made meals that you only need to heat up. It also made me think how this service would be very suitable and helpful for busy people or families alike.
Another thing that felt great about this collaboration was connecting and working with another small business. When I received the first delivery, I was touched by the hand written note explaining each meal, which made it feel very personal.
Interestingly, there was a strong synchronicity of me landing this collaboration. Just a couple weeks before being contacted by Susa’s, I had connected with a customer at my Pop Up Shop who spoke very highly about Susan (one of the founders of the company) and her other services as a channeller. As it also happens, I’ve actually once had a session with her many many years ago, even before my years moving to Mexico. This made it all feel very aligned and like a collaboration meant to happen. As I am a strong believer in synchronicities (instead of coincides), perhaps there’s also reason you’re also reading this blog post… perhaps you've decided that the coming year is dedicated to changing your habits and start living a healthier life? If so, I truly recommend this service. Not only is is all of the above, but it’s quite affordable in my opinion! You can check out their website here and the different meal plans here and give them a follow on their instagram here. We all know covid-19 has been tough on small businesses, so let’s choose wisely the ones we support and buy from!
Cheers to a happy healthy 2022!
Xx,
Eva
"Why am I so tired"... sound familiar? Sometimes rest is not enough! + GIVEAWAY
In collaboration with puhti.fi
I guess it’s safe to say this year has been heavy in many ways. The world is faced with a pandemic that is causing us distress, worry, fear and anxiety both health wise, economically and socially, not to mention the polarization on how we handle and view these exceptional times. Even if we might fall into the group that’s not “that affected”, or are not in the so called “risk group”, the continuous collective worry, media overload and fact that the pandemic is wreaking havoc worldwide can be devastating for the nervous system. No wonder we might feel a little tired, overwhelmed or even depressed.
To be frank, even if I give out a quite positive image of myself on my social media feed, this spring, summer and fall have been pretty heavy for me as well. As you might know, I recently launched my very own yoga clothing line made out of ocean waste, called Moonah Wear (check it out!), which has obviously been so so exciting, but simultaneously super scary. I’ve invested not just a big chunk of my savings into this new company, but also so much time and energy.
It has also felt (and still feels) scary to be starting a new venture during these very unusual times with a downward spiraling economy. If you’ve just found my blog or social, you might not know that in addition to running my yoga clothing line, I teach yoga as my profession, which obviously also has been compromised during the pandemic. Even so, I still consider myself to be very privileged, lucky and blessed to be working with what I love and quite well off compared to many many others that have lost their jobs or even worse. But what I do want to highlight instead, and what I am here to openly share about are my feels in a very real and vulnerable way. So, as much as it’s been super exciting to be working with this passion project, it’s definitely also been a lot.
Even so, sometimes feeling tired is not just a symptom from being overworked, overwhelmed or having an overstimulated nervous system. Sometimes you might actually be lacking important minerals that are crucial for your overall health. And at times, it’s the sum of all of the above. Yet, making sure your body has all it needs to function properly is key 🔑.
I first started feeling tired as the days started getting shorter and the weather started cooling off. I figured it must be the decrease of sunlight (which it actually also is), but I didn’t really think that much of it. Slowly and surely it would get worse and I had some mornings when I actually struggled to get out of bed 😞. It made me think, this can’t just be from “being tired” or “overworked”.
Luckily, I was able to team up with Puhti , which is a company that offers a variety of packages to scan your blood to give you an idea of your overall health. They offer laboratory tests (without a doctor’s referral) and help with interpreting the results.
Nature is medicine, yet sometimes nature & sleep is not all we need.
Shot by Jonna Monola. Halti sleeping bag.
The results come in super quick and I actually got most of my results already on the same day. Oh, and by the way I am scared shitless of needles, but their lab staff is super friendly and understanding and they actually offered me a juice box as I started feeling a little nauseous during the blood test 😊.
Before I share my results I’ll just drop the symptoms of both ferritin and Vit D deficiency here below, let me know if you can relate 😅:
Signs and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency might include:
Fatigue.
Bone pain.
Muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps.
Mood changes, like depression.
Signs and symptoms of low ferritin levels might include:
unexplained fatigue.
dizziness.
chronic headaches.
unexplained weakness.
ringing in your ears.
irritability.
leg pains.
shortness of breath.
Vitamin D is important for health. Some of its roles in the body include:
helping with the absorption of calcium
maintaining healthy bones
regulating genes and cell growth
preventing osteoporosis
modulating the immune system (via Medicalnewstoday)
Ferritin isn’t the same thing as iron in your body. Instead, ferritin is a protein that stores iron, releasing it when your body needs it. (via Healthline.com)
I had never before had any similar tests taken, so for me it was super interesting to see “my health on paper” so to speak. It made me emphasize with people that have hypochondria, as it was actually super fascinating having all this new information to dwell upon now on “paper”.
And waddaya know, I was deficient in both Vit D & ferritin.
Days are getting shorter, weather is getting colder. Shot by Jonna Monola.
As you can see below on the first chart (text in Finnish) my result for D vitamin falls into the red zone, meaning I am D vitamin deficient.
I am also low on ferritin, as it falls into the “alert zone” just before the red zone. Please note: I’ve been on a vegetarian diet for 10+ years.
Luckily, both of these deficiencies can be reversed with supplements. If you live in a sunny place, you should get enough Vit D from spending at least 20 min outside, but if you reside on the Northern Hemisphere and have long, dark winters 😱🥶 you’re most likely going to be needing some extra Vit D. (PS. I highly recommend checking out Puhdas + and my discount code EVA25 for any purchases).
So, the lesson here is: if you’re suspecting you might be lacking in any vitamins or minerals or having any of the above mentioned symptoms: check yourself!! Health is the greatest wealth, fo reals! Sometimes sleeping more, or resting more, or taking “you time” is simply not enough, especially if you might be deficient in some super important minerals/irons. I truly and highly recommend getting yourself checked, especially now as we are moving towards darker times. Puhti is giving away one free blood screening, so make sure to comment on my blog post, as one of the commentators will WIN A FREE blood scan (participant must be in Finland). Winner will be announced in a week from now, on Sunday, Nov 1st. Yay!
Stay healthy,
xx
Eva
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
ESSENTIAL OILS 101: Essential oils to balance your 7 chakras
In collaboration with Puhdas+ use code EVA25 to get -25% off
ESSENTIAL OILS 101: Essential oils to balance your 7 chakras
If you’re into natural wellness, surely at this point you must have stumbled upon essential oils. The world of essential oils is vast and can feel somewhat overwhelming with so many different oils and usages. I decided to create a guide, that can help you navigate through the world of essential oils, using the chakras (energy centers of the subtle body) as your map.
Before me dive into these, let’s cover the basics first. An essential oil is a concentrated liquid made from parts of certain plants like leaves, herbs, barks, roots, seeds and rinds into a concentrated oil through extraction. The idea is to capture the flavors, scents, and overall beneficial properties from the plants into potent oils than can be used topically.
You can use essential oils, well, for a variety of things including; aromatherapy, treating skin conditions, soothing muscle inflammation, headaches and so much more. Another lovely way to use essential oils is using a diffuser. I use the Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser from Puhdas+ and absolutely love it, as it acts both as a diffuser and a humidifier, and is perfect drier climates (such as Finland).
The easiest form of usage, is to simply apply a few drops of the oil in your hands, rub your hands together and then inhale the scent. Even though I root for natural products, please note that even natural substances can be irritating or cause allergic reactions. Like anything else you put on your skin, my recommendation is to test a little bit on a small area and see how your skin responds.
Some of my favourites from Puhdas+
Certain oils, such as rose, ylang ylang, lavender (my absolute favourite 😍) help you relax and are good to use before going to bed when you want to wind down. Peppermint oil is great for treating headaches and migraine attacks, whereas ginger oil can help ease discomforts of the stomach and bowel. Lemongrass oil serves as a natural repellent for mosquitos and insects. Essential oils can also be used to freshen up things like laundry. Like I mentioned in the beginning, there’s a myriad of ways you can use essential oils and to cover them all would probably take a book or two 😅, for that reason, I decided to approach the subject through the Chakra System. Below you will find my favourite oils and which chakra they relate to.
Root Chakra
This chakra governs stability, security, your primal needs and feeling grounded and connected to Mother Earth.
Color: Red
Location: base of the spine
Physical manifestation: kidneys, adrenals
Essential oils to activate/balance: cinnamon (my top pick), myrrh, patchouli, cedarwood
Sacral Chakra
This chakra is related to your emotions, sexuality, pleasure and sensuality.
Color: orange
Location: just below the belly button (by the reproductive organs)
Physical manifestation: reproductive organs
Essential oils to activate/balance: sweet orange, ginger, jasmine, ylang ylang, clary sage
Solar Plexus Chakra
This chakra is about our personal power, will and courage.
Color: yellow
Location: stomach
Physical manifestations: stomach (digestion), gallbladder, liver
Essential oils to activate/balance: lemon, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass
Heart Chakra
This chakra is the expression of love, compassion and joy.
Color: green (or a rosy pink)
Location: chest
Physical manifestations: heart, arms, hands
Essential oils to activate/balance: rose, lavender, bergamot, thyme
Throat Chakra
This chakra is governs our expression, truth, speaking up but also our ability to listen to others.
Color: blue
Location: throat
Physical manifestations: lungs, respiratory system
Essential oils to activate/balance: eucalyptus, palmarosa, camomile ginger, lemon
Third Eye Chakra
This chakra is our wisdom center, connecting to the unseen, our psychic abilities and intuition.
Color: indigo
Location: between eyebrows
Physical manifestations: eyes, head, lower brain, pituitary gland
Essential oils to activate/balance: clary sage, bay, peppermint
Crown Chakra
This chakra is about our connection to the divine (source), unity, giving us access to higher states of consciousness.
Color: white
Location: crown of the head (above the head)
Physical manifestations: brain, pineal gland
Essential oils to activate/balance: lavender, sandalwood, frankincense
Make sure to take advantage of this generous discount code from Puhdas+ use code EVA25 to get -25% off your purchase!
That’s all for now,
Best,
Eva
Pictures by Jonna Monola
10 ways to whiten your teeth naturally and my review of Blackwood by Splat 🖤🌲
Sponsored blog post by Splat
10 ways to whiten your teeth naturally and my review of Blackwood by Splat 🖤🌲
Ever since I was a little girl, I remember looking up to all the beautiful Hollywood stars with their gorgeous, perfect white smiles, thinking to myself; “geez, I want that too”. Having a radiant smile is contagious and I truly love these following quotes and find them to be true; “a smile is the prettiest thing you can wear” and “a smile is the most beautiful curve on a woman’s body”.
However, if you’re feeling insecure about your smile, smiling can even become a struggle, which is sad, since smiling actually boosts your immune system, because your whole body relaxes when you smile. Many feel hesitant to undergo laser treatments, which is understandable, but luckily there are ways to whiten and brighten your teeth naturally, without synthetic measures.
When I was asked to collaborate with Splat, I was very excited, since not only have I always aimed for a whiter smile, but I also love to choose natural, sustainable products and I try to be eco-conscious about my choices. This toothpaste happens to be made out of natural ingredients (up to 96% ), including activated charcoal from Karelian birch trees (which whitens effectively), natural menthol that refreshes your breath, and juniper extract (great for keeping your gums healthy). Oh, not to mention the product is completely cruelty-free and sustainable (happy dance 🕺).
Below, you will find my 10 top tips for whitening your teeth naturally, including my product review of the Blackwood toothpaste by Splat.
Blackwood by Splat 🌱🖤(including activated charcoal from Karelian birch trees): I’ve been using Blackwood by Splat for a couple weeks now, and in all honesty, even if I was excited to try it out, I was also a little suspicious in the beginning. The reason is that even if I do prefer natural products, not all of them work as well as conventional ones. Let’s take natural deodorants as an example 🙈 (side note, if you’ve found one that works, please holler at me).
Luckily, I was positively surprised with Blackwood. So, when I first started using the toothpaste, I was a little wary as the toothpaste is completely black. That being said, I was also intrigued and it felt very different from what I’m used and almost counter intuitive (who knew it would take the blackest toothpaste to make the whitest teeth). As soon as I started brushing my teeth, I was pleasantly surprised, as I immediately noticed the fresh scent and refreshing taste. I instantly liked the product and was happy and quite relieved actually (imagine to write a review for something you wouldn’t like 😅).
Probably the best thing about it was, that already after one single week, I started noticing a difference and felt that my smile was looking brighter. The more noticeable difference was after two weeks, when I felt that my teeth had actually turned brighter. In a nutshell: I absolutely recommend this product, because not only is it natural, sustainable and cruelty free- it actually does whiten your teeth when used consistently.
Practice oil pulling: Every morning for 20 minutes, swirl coconut oil in your mouth.
Brush with baking soda: Mix a tsp of baking soda with water and use it as toothpaste-let it sit on your teeth for 1-2 minutes.
Use hydrogen peroxide: Mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide & water and swish this mixture around your mouth for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Use apple cider vinegar: Mix a ½ spoonful of vinegar with one glass of water. Rub your teeth with the mixture.
Eat fruits and vegetables.
Flossing (no, not the dance 😂).
Cleansing your tongue with a tongue scraper 👅: This will remove bacteria from your mouth, and help you maintain better overall hygiene in your mouth.
Strawberries 🍓: Crush the strawberry to a pulp, then mix it with the baking soda. Spread the mixture onto your teeth and leave on for 5 minutes, then brush thoroughly.
Last but not least, the obvious way: reduce 🚫: coffee ☕, tea, red wine 🍷, liquorice, and other foods that easily stain the teeth.
So, having a white smile, I think we can all agree upon, is something many of us strive after. And when you feel confident about your smile, voila, more reasons to smile! Make sure to check out my instagram post for a video review and follow Splat on instagram. Oh, and STAY TUNED as I will be hosting a giveaway soon where you can win a batch of the toothpaste (8 packages) a long with a YOGA MAT for you to practice home, so that you can take care of your body in a holistic way. Yay!
how it works:
🖤 Activated charcoal, the element that gives its black colour, naturally whitens, adsorbs odours, and removes stains, leaving your teeth spotless and perfectly clean.
🌱Juniper tree extract, a natural antibacterial ingredient, leaves you with fresh breath for a long time after toothbrushing.
My instagram: @evaestlander
Splat: @splat_nordics
If you live in Finland, you can find the toothpaste at your local S-markets & Prismas (incl. their web shop).
With a bright smile 💚,
Evita
xx
Poppy & Peonies - a fun photoshoot in Sayulita
Living in Sayulita is pretty amazing for several obvious reasons: tropical climate, beautiful beaches, Mexican food & culture, colorful houses, waves and the community. On top of that, it is now also become a popular place amongst international brands to shoot their lookbooks, catalogs and commercials here. I'm very grateful for that as it has given me now several opportunities to meet many big and small business owners and work with them here in Sayulita. I recently did a photoshoot with the talented Adrian Doza (NY photographer) and with the lovely founder, Nat from Poppy & Peonies, an online store selling chic and handy handbags!
Check out their lookbook on their website here. Follow on ig @poppy_peonies and enjoy these cute spring-y pictures!
Until next time,
xx
Eva
