Day 35: Self isolation

In the times of lockdown, you need pets.
You need cats.
You need dogs.
You need plants.
You need sounds of nature.
You need to sit on the ground. Straight back.
You need to feel your hip bones on the hard surface.
You need to make noises. Loud sighs.
Pretend to be an animal. Open your chest. Move your body.
Let your voice come out.
No one is watching.
Go wild. Be raw.
You are free.
You are happy (or sad).
You are love. 

Have a reminder for your 'Happiness Capacity'

There's a hidden joyful epiphany in finding your drafts when writing. The words you used, that you had forgot. The feelings that got faded away in time...

I got that today with finding a very old draft. 

I decided on a 30 day yoga today. I need to make a change. I need to bring light in my life again. 

Xmas dinner in the castle with loved ones

*I should always remember this smile, this night and how happy I can be.

London transition

Great.

Heavy rain in 1st of June. London. Yes, I am here in London, and yes I love (adore) the sun, but NO, I don't hate London weather. At least I keep focusing on its beautiful side. In this weather you get to enjoy your coffee and warm socks and cosy clothes always. You will enjoy when your fluffy friend (in my case, Maya) comes and sits on my feet.

Change of weather is a sign for me for a bigger change. I am in somehow a transition here. My high and low is exaggerated. And guess what? I don't have my yoga mat with me. I left it behind in Istanbul. As much I were connected with it (cause I had my very first sun salutations on it), and I thought it will stay with me for life-time but the quality was bad and my hands kept slipping on it. So I don't know where it is but I am looking forward to get a new one as soon as I get my first pay check.
It has to be turquoise. Like the ocean. Yoga will bring me back to me.

I just want to be alone these days.

I will work on my painting today.

Love you all.

eL.

Each day, One mantra;

Each day I try to find at least ten minutes of peace. Somewhere quiet to sit and meditate. Ashley is helping me with my daily mantra. It seems like whoever is into yoga, meditation or any other kind of act of peace can be related to you closely no matter where they are and no matter what they do. Isn’t it beautiful?

So here, I sit down on my mat. My very first mat. It’s safe. I close my eyes. I place the palms of my hands on my knees. As I take a deep breath I hear the sound of my dogs’ paws running towards me. And she sits on my mat. Back to back. I keep breathing. Inhale and exhale. After couple of moments I find myself not following the sound of my breaths nor in precious “now”. I find myself near the ocean. I see my toes under the sands. I feel the wind in my hair. And the smell of the salt.

This is my now. I will picture it as long as I can till it comes true.

I trust universe. And this universe will bring me near ocean on time.

The video is dear Ashley Albrand.

Love,

eL.

My dear June;

June is here.

I’ve decided to write about June.

It might be the last June that I will ever live in Istanbul, so it has to be special.

And it’s the first month of Summer.

There is a long list of items that we have to do. I guess from time to time we get bored of our list and we decide to change the app only. So far we are using Wunderlist, and it’s good.

I think a person does yoga every damn day, spend time with his/her loved ones (including dogs of course), is able to find a time to read a book, watch a movie, walk and think and be independent financially is a happy person. Nah?
This theory defines me as a happy person and I tend to stick with it in my dear June.

Here's the list of things that I want to do in dear June:

1. Do yoga more. I have signed up for Yelina's workshops of course.
2. Focus on my meditation.
3. Keep running. It would be awesome if I can make it 10 minutes everyday.
4. Write more.
5. Visualize more. (check out number 6)
6. Focus more on what I really want.

I am sure this month will be awesome.

Love ya'll!

Joy, love and peace;

I am back to Istanbul.

Cappadocia was awesome. The landscape was breath-taking. All those caves and stones were just so beautiful.

From the second day the weather got better so we could go out and explore the valleys and open air museums around. i will post the photos in flickr shortly.

With Mark and Jessica we walked, talked and laughed. We talked about life, love, death and how amazing life can be. We talked a lot about how I should record this video that I want to send to surf office, at the end we didn’t. When I got back I recorded it on the way to Mina’s house. I sent them last night. Let’s hope for the best. Cat says, “you should not be worried about things you can not control”, and I keep repeating it to myself.

Back to Cappadocia, I met a group of friends and we had such a good time with all of them. It’s really interesting when people come out of their shells and how they share, laugh together.

I really appreciate it.

I am busy right now and can’t write the way I want.

Enjoy the photo below till I share rest of them on flickr:)

Bests.

eL.

Breathe, believe and receive!

Hi everyone,

Have you ever think about “Mantra”s?

I mean when was the first time you heard about them? Did you use them? Do they make you feel comfortable or you feel stupid while repeating your mantras?!

For me, the first time in my life I heard about mantras in this book. My boyfriend had broken up with me and I was very young and in love. I thought I could die with this broken heart, I needed some comfort, even talking to my friends was not helping, I needed more than that.

In the search for a real love, I started my mantras at the edge of 20. I used to write all the time, I used to repeat these mantras all the time, whenever I was sad I used to repeat that I am happy and grateful, and to tell you the truth I can never, ever disregard the effects and impacts of them on my life.

Now today let’s just take a moment, sit somewhere comfortable, drink something warm and delicious, grab a pen and your journal. Just start to write.

Me writing, relaxing and being grateful in weekend!

Write about the reasons you are proud of yourself. The changes that you wish to see in yourself. Make them simple, lovely phrases and repeat them in your meditation. Try to imagine it. Try to be it in your mind. Feel each aspect of it. And enjoy being it.

Healing Mantra by CarlyMarie

There’s nothing better in life than being grateful and hopeful for things yet to come!

Love you all.xoxo

Breathe in, Breathe out;

Everyday people are dying around the world and I just get the news. I search their name and read about their life. 

These days I keep thinking about other people. Their problem, their struggles and their feelings. For first time I don’t feel any responsibility towards them, but for first time I understand them. I mean I have come to the point of understanding the changes between people. When someone is stuck in a destructive relationship, or when someone is not happy with how they look, or when the other one cannot decide which aspect of his life means more to him.

I think there are few people who are able to figure out themselves, I think for most of us we have to experience life. And through experience we will learn what matters the most.

I can be happy with simple things. I am not searching for power. I am trying to find peace. It’s peace that pushing me to nature, not to shout, love music and adore walking. It’s peace that motivates me to go on my mat everyday and stretch. When I am doing yoga, I feel that I am paying attention to my body, to all the muscles which have served me nearly 10 years and I didn’t thank them. I think they are all my responsibility, not people around me. My responsibility towards others are with giving them passion. Giving them hope and introduce them their inner body. Their breath.

Every inhalation of the breath prolongs life and every expiration of it gladdens our nature; wherefore every breath confers two benefits and for every benefit gratitude is due.

-Sheikh Muslih-uddin Saadi Shirazi

Check out my photos on my instagram. 

Plan for a miracle*

I MUA  is the song that I am listening to right now.

I will go to the volcano

Melt my heat in Mauna keas snow.

I will go to the volcano

Melt my heat in Mauna keas snow.

Get waist deep, yeah get barreled.

All the gifts returned tenfold

I will go to the volcano.

I will go to the volcano.

Melt my heart in Mauna keas snow

Melt my heart in Mauna keas snow.

Hell, good thing i don’t require much.

Makes it easier to move and stand straight up.

A little tough love and the gentle touch.

The more i struggle the more I’m stuck.

The less i speak the more i know.

The faster i move the slower i go.

I will go to the volcano.      

Melt my heart in Mauna kea’s snow!

Lately I am reading a book about “JOY”.  You might have read it. In the first half of the book, it talks about the difference between joy, happiness, pleasure and bliss. And how easily we can mixed their meaning with each other. We think we are happy, but it’s only pleasure. We think it’s a moment of joy, but it’s the one and only moment of bliss.
It’s so interesting.

For some reason I love to spend my whole life learning about these stuff about myself.

What about you? Can you distinguish these from each other in your life?

This weekend was relaxing. On Saturday, it rained the whole morning. Sadaf came here around 4, and we went to have a “huge” lunch in Bagdad Caddesi. We were hungry as if we had been stoned for couple of hours! LOL. At night we were dead tired.

Today I went to yoga. Guys, believe me or not I am getting much more better!!! I may start Ashtanga yoga soon. And we have started kicking our legs off the mat and sending them one by one to the air in addition to start hand stand! I am so excited (Happiness:D) 

Also with Ozge and Sam we had started a 30 Day Plank Pose Challenge. You can also start it. I am in third day, and my lower stomach is feeling lively.

Preparing my dear fruit salad;

Maya, looking at the fruit salad; 

Have an awesome week!

LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

eL. 

* By Osho

And it will be alright

Slow down. Take your time. And it will be alright.

Maybe when Imany decided to sing this, she had no idea that it will be alright. For real.

These days I am so damn inspired. Sometimes I am afraid that I might die soon. LOL.

Yes, I get angry. I get angry and I say the worst words that come to my mind. I say them. But in my heart I have this fire of hope that I know it will never fade out.

I see people around me; their problems. Their anger when something goes wrong. Their happiness when they achieve something and so on.

For me yoga and art have become a way to express it all. Colors have become the language. Forms have become my accent. In between all these curves, you can find me. This is how I curve this line. This unique line of my life. With love and passion. Each time I press my both hands on my mat, and I feel the rush of blood under my skin, I know I am alive. Then I will take a deep breath. And I will start it with down ward facing dog. And my spine just gives me this incredible feeling of liveliness.

This is life. Love is all around us. I just can’t wait to give all my love to the next person I run into. If you do not see it, just slow down. Take your time. And it will be alright. 

love to you all. 

eL.

Life is better each moment

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

Making lists. Words. Thoughts. Day dreams.

Mental visions that we are sure will come true only if we can do handstands better in yoga. Only if we can find the dream job and if we can hang out with that handsome guy.

Hmm. All of them can be in this very moment. You can start small. Actually, you “have to” start small. No other way. Promise yourself to be better in each step by the next month. And believe me you can.

To begin, begin.

These days I am inspired by free souls more than anything else.

I am much more fund of wind, and water than before.

Life, love is all around us.

I have started a 12 days of yoga challenge. It has started today. I will be working on my legs more.

What about you? What are your plans for this week?

Love you all. 

kisses. xoxo

eL.

Sunday, coffee, little journal. Silence.