Catching the wave

Some days are just magical and Life is playing vividly within you. It feels like catching a big wave, finding the exact balance and then just ride along, trusting the ocean to be supportive and to bring you to your perfect place. Those days are like tuning in to a certain frequency and feeling the equilibrium within that current. 

Those are the days when the heart and mind is open and anything is possible. Interesting meetings occur and at the end of the day you'll go to bed with a big smile knowing and feeling with every cell in your body and every space in your heart, the (in)visable connection between all meetings and happenings in Life. 

The year when it all changed

Last year, by this time, I was still in Japan. It was autumn, just like now here in Sweden. It was the harvest season and naturally there was a strong focus on food! Well, in Japan food is always important! I remember I enjoyed making natural sweets out of steamed Sweet potatoes adding some coconutmilk and chopped walnuts.  They look pretty yummy no?

The photos below used to make me happy but now when I look at them I get very mixed feelings. The pictures are taken a year ago from a local farmer's market in Nasu, situated in north Tochigi prefecture just beneath Fukushima prefecture. 

Recently I saw news that a couple of months ago, beef from Tochigi was banned due to high contamination levels. That means, beef from four prefectures now have been banned. So how about the rice, vegetables, fruit and water? Are they safe? How about all the innocent children eating this every day?

Looking back at last year's bountyful autumn makes me happy for the past. That we could live a life taking so many things, especially food for granted.  It makes me feel how rich yet innocent we were. Not knowing what was going to come. Not knowing how fragile life actually is and how one happening can change everything. 

Even if it sometimes feels like we can't do much to change the situation from the other side of the world, we can take a look at how we live. What kind of energy-sources are we supporting and what do we want to support? Are we ready to give up some comfort to create a more sustainable future? What kind of world do we want to create? What kind of world and lifestyle can we with confidence show and teach our children? 

While contemplating that, sending our love and healing to the people, to the nature and to this world that are suffering is a strong support more  than doing nothing at all. This is a great way to develop compassion. 

I pray for healing. I also pray for the correct information to be revealed in order for people to be able to make active choices. 

I pray for the children to have a bright future with a healthy nature to play in.

In the mood for autumn

The past few weeks have been filled with small projects. I have been doing everything and nothing at the same time! You could say that there has been a focus on being in the nature, reflecting upon nature, picking edible mushrooms in the forest, cooking and making crispy bread, making a sourdoughbase  and then sourdough breads, making wild yeast, spending time with friends, family and meeting new people. On top of that the usual stuff like practicing yoga, studying Ayurveda and working. You could say it has been a typical autumn so far. The only thing I miss, is sitting by the fire, waiting for the なべ (japanese stew/soup) to get ready. In my heart I share those moments with my japanese family and  friends. I miss you all and send you lots of love.

Nature's camouflage!

Saturday night

How will you spend this Saturday night in the beginning of October? I am being fortunate to celebrate this evening by joining a pranayama, bija-mantra and kirtan workshop! I am really happy about this and I am looking forward to meet these teachers (new to me) and to reconnect with my yogi-friends out there. Lately when I am joining a workshop I am always meeting someone I already know. We are all drawn to the same energy-boosting events. And yes not to forget, Stockholm is a very small place after all!

The teachers of today's happening are Todd Tesen and Michael Stewart.よろしくおねがいします！(yoroshiku onegaishimasu- there are too many translations for this expression, but I am sure some of you will understand! ) Have a lovely evening! Namaste.

Autumn is here

The leaves have turned slightly yellow. Some of them are even orange or red! The other day it was rainy and the temperature was about 10°C. This means it is already autumn, no? It feels so early though.

In Japan, the autumn comes gradually, step by step, in a gentle way to prepare us. In Sweden it comes more abruptly. All of a sudden it is dark and cold and we find ourselves using a jacket, wrapped in a scarf and wearing boots saying  "Hey, what happened to the summer?".

Momiji-tree near my village in Japan, last year.

There is something calming about this season though. It makes me relaxed and gives me inspiration to learn something new and at the same time it gives me power to deepen my interests.

If you have a tendency to run out of energy during this time of the year, it can be truly life-saving to have small projects to focus on. In my case that would be my yogapractice, which is actually not just a small project but a Life-long focus : ), and my ayurvedic studies. Well, that is a practice to keep up for a life-time as well, but anyway you know what I mean!

The autumn gives time and space to naturally withdraw a little. Withdraw from all that outgoing summerish energy, being so externally focused, blooming and fiery. This time coming now is more slow and introspective. I believe we need some of that as well.

Feeling so much love and appreciation for the nature and for the earth also gives me a slightly different experience of the weather and it's seasons. That makes it easier to accept the dark and the cold (at least now I can say that when it is just in the very beginning of that looooong period without any Light!). We'll see in a couple of months! In the meanwhile, I will do my best to welcome this time that gives space for more quietness, creativity and stability.

Dinner at Lao Wai

The other day I finally got the chance to pay a visit at the Lao Wai restaurant in central Stockholm. Since I have heard that it is always crowded I made sure to make a reservation. Entering this small restaurant with a typical east-asian setting, minimalistic and clean, made me travel to Japan in a second. How about being in the present? : )

Anyway, the friendly staff welcomed us and brought us the menu. Wow! So much wonderful food to choose from! Finally!

Being a vegetarian in Stockholm is usually extremely boring when it comes to going out for food. The usual choices that you have are curries or soups, some roasted vegetables, sallad or vegetarian lasagna or pasta. I mean in the long run, how stimulating is that? I definitely prefer cooking the food myself rather than going out.

But that was until the other day.

Lao wai definitely won my heart!

http://laowai.se

It was just like the place I am dreaming of in here. Only using fresh vegetables, fresh spicies, lots of Soy-meat and tofu. All vegan. All gluten free. And the best of all NO MSG!!!!! 

The taste was real authentic chinese and taiwanese taste and I just couldn't stop eating! This is the place where a non-vegetarian person wouldn't even notice that the food is all vegan! That is an excellent grade for a Vegetarian Restaurant. After spending more than five years in Asia, eating asian food is what I call "real" food. It is tasty, healthy, makes you full, looks beautiful and has an idea behind.  Lao wai showed a perfect example of that.

We stayed for more than two hours and absorbed the asian atmosphere.  After a delicious dinner, we stepped out in the rain, full, satisfied and smiling. Suddenly we were back in Stockholm again...

The restaurant Lao wai has existed for 18 years now. Same place. Same owner. I hope to see that place continue to bloom for a loooooong time in future! Big thanks to the friendly staff for such great food!

Xie xie.

September moon with the yogateacher Ganesh Mohan

I just realized that more than two weeks have passed since I last posted something! Five days ago was another Fullmoon. Oh, time really flies! In Japan they say that the most beautiful moon in a year is the september moon. It is is called "chu-shu no meigetsu". It is said to be in the middle of the autumn and it is the harvest time of the year so it is an important moon.

Some part of me really wanted to celebrate this special moon from my sacred place in the japanese mountains but instead I was in Sweden joining a wonderful Yogaworkshop for the great teacher Ganesh Mohan. Of course, I don't regret that at all.

Most of the lectures were based on discussions and philosophy covering some parts of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It made me  feel certain of that we need to have a core in the practice- something to hold on to. We need be clear about why we are practicing yoga. Sometimes yogaclasses in the west can be really "fluffy and flowery" without any  real direction or just far away from the source.  There is nothing wrong with that, it might still benefit many people,  but for me I need to stay in touch with the basic concept of Yoga and stay to the teachings that are firmly rooted and have been supported and paved out by the people that have walked the path before me.

Three days filled with yogaphilosophy and therapeutic yoga leaves me with more confidence to what is true to me. I am so happy for having received this chance. Namaste.