It's only been a couple of months since I was introduced to Vedic Meditation through Emily Fletcher, yet it feels like it's always been part of my life... From the first videos I watched, I resonated so strongly with Emily's words and energy, that I knew I had to take the dive. Within 4 short days, Emily transformed the way I thought and felt about meditation. She made it sound simple, easy and fun (no joke) and gave us the ins and outs about what meditation would bring into our life. It's only been 2 months now but I can already feel major shifts in my relationship to stressful situations, see old patterns fade away and a sense of grounding settle in.... As you know, this blog is NOT a commercial one and I only write about people and initiatives that I experienced for myself and loved so much that I felt called to share them with my community. So I will leave it as is for now, hoping that this post triggered your curiosity enough to want to know more. Emily's next Intro to Meditation Talk in New York will be held on June 10th at 7pm. For those of you who are not in NYC, Emily offers Zivamind, the same teaching from the comfort of your home. And to finish on a powerful note, here is the link to one of my favorite video of hers "The Divinity of Desire ~ What you want is already on the way" because we all need to remember this stuff!

Years ago, I bought Yamerra products on one of these pop-up markets on Broadway. The pure Shea butter based skin-care products left an indelible mark in my memory, so much so that I decided to reach out to her beautiful founder, Maryam Moma, so we can meet again and talk natural beauty, wellness and wisdom. In Maryam's world, Yamerra stands for being driven with love, upward-moving, growing at heart and that's the energy Maryam stood in while starting her brand a few years ago and the one she's in today to make it blossom one step at a time. Maryam originally started making products that would heal her dry and scratched skin from playing in nature too much as nothing on the market would do the trick. She expanded into soaps, body butters, hair oils and is now launching her very own lighter-texture body lotions and men products. All her ingredients are carefully sourced from the best of the best. If there was one thing Maryam would not compromise on, it would QUA*LI*TY. You can find her products online, in a few stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Japan and if you are a traveler of the world as... hum hum... some of us, she just opened her very own mini-boutique in her native Nigeria. Need I say more for you to get your Shea own or does Maryam's skin below speak for itself? I thought so...

While running errands all over Manhattan in the last few months, I once stumbled upon this cute little pastel bakery on the Lower East Side, which, obviously, caught my sweet-tooth attention. Tu-lu's gluten-free bakery originated in Dallas, Texas, out of necessity for its founder, Tully Phillips, to enjoy her favorite treats after being diagnosed with gluten intolerance. 
Walking into Tu-lu's is like walking inside a doll-house offering an adorable and scrumptious experience. Well-known for their cupcakes, they also offer a wide assortment of cookies, muffins, paninis made with their sunflower bread and frozen-cookie dough that you can bake at home, with some vegan options. I was lucky to taste one of their dairy-free baked Doughnut and Snickerdoodle cookie, both deliciously sweet and gingery! Need a pick me up on that rainy Thursday? Well, you know what to do and where to go now!

The beauty of living in NYC is that there is always something happening. Yesterday was one of those days where I got the chance to attend a great event at the ABC Carpet and Home store, all about Beauty, Wellness and Wisdom. Three of my favorite topics in the world ~ needless to say, I was a happy girl. I was fortunate to listen to a talk by Joe Cross from the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", a very interesting panel about Food as Medicine, led by Jason Wachob, founder of Mind Body Green, an intimate conversation with my beloved Ayurvedic practitioner Dr. Pratima Raichur, among others... 
But the highlight of my day was listening to Latham Thomas' speech about OWNING OUR GLOW. Founder of Mama Glow, a company that offers nutrition, wellness and birth support to the mama community, Latham was beaming radiance from the inside-out and inspired me in many ways. She started her talk by "I'm not here to teach you anything but just to remind you of who you are" and every single word that she spoke echoed something, somewhere deep within indeed.  
"Wear your Goddess out, Share your Unique Story, Ignite other's Light" are a few of the simple yet powerful pearls of wisdom I resonated with. But what stroke me the most, was the alignment between her words and her presence. She is a true embodiment of a strong, feminine, grounded and confident woman, and in being so, she reminds us of our birthright to reclaim that queendom we all deserve as the contemporary women that we are. Psst... I'm reading her book "Mama Glow, a hip guide to your fabulous abundant pregnancy", read on mamas-to-be, it's amazing!

Living in NYC and not know about Pure Food and Wine is like going to Paris and not know about La Durée Macaroons. Sacrilege... in the world of Raw Food, or as I like to call it better, Living & Bursting Food. As the first upscale raw vegan restaurant in the Big Apple, PF&W made a name for itself among the health nuts, and perhaps more surprisingly among the foodies as well. The menu offers a one of a kind plant-based selection of dishes made with the bestest and freshest ingredients and a real sense of creativity and passion for good food. Need I say that their desserts are absolutely mind-blowing or do the pictures speak for themselves? Yes, it's on the higher-end, so find yourself a good reason that calls for celebration and go indulge on pure food and wine (or ginger shots), I promise you, you won't regret it!
www.pure-food-and-wine.com

Exactly a year ago, I was embarking on what was going to be the best month of my life. For the first time ever, I never wanted to be anywhere and anytime else but where I was. 
Heading to India, I had no set plans other than immerse myself in the Indian culture and take my first teacher training in the mother land of yoga. The synchronistic encounters from my first 2 months there led my to Yogi Sivadas in Dharamsala. 
For the next 30 days, I woke up to the sound of nature as the sun was coming out, meditated in my room overlooking the Himalayas, chanted with the 10 yogis from all over the world who underwent the training with me, practiced 4 hours of yoga and listened to fascinated lectures about yogic philosophy, Ayurveda, sutras, kriyas, chakras, mudras...
Will I ever be a yoga teacher? Who knows, but there is not a day that goes by without me remembering the wisdom I gained learning from such a knowledgeable, genuine and inspiring teacher. I would recommend this experience to anyone looking for time away from the tribulations of our world and inside what it really meant to me: the school of a way life. 
www.yogatribe.org