Why I Yoga

Kaitlin Van Photography, back when my hair was short.

     Yesterday I got an email notifying me that I have been at my current yoga studio for 2 years. I've been wanting to write about why I practice for a while now, and this seemed like a pretty good sign that I should.
     Practicing yoga is the one "selfish" thing I do for myself. In almost every other aspect of my life the motivation behind my actions are to help someone (or some creature). Yoga is only for me.
     During the hour I have in a class I don't have to worry about whether other people are comfortable, or if there's anything more I can be doing. I just get to breathe and do what feels good inside of my own body.

      I first began my yoga practice when my mom offered to take me to a yoga retreat with her about 5 and half years ago. It was incredible but I didn't really "get" it. I liked how I felt strong and flexible but I didn't see how this was any different than dance or any other physical activity.

      It wasn't until 2 and a half years ago, when I was working a full time job, that I realized the true benefit of yoga (at least to me).  In my job I was giving all of myself every day. Anticipating another person's needs, working to make them comfortable and happy every minute. This hour gave me the freedom to only care about myself. If I do every challenging pose, great. If i sit in child's pose for 45 minutes, great. It's all about what my mind and body need that day.
    Yoga has pushed my to find my edge, to know when to breath and most importantly, that it's okay to put myself first sometime.

Also, If you're in San Diego and looking for a studio, come practice with me at Pilgrimage of the Heart!

Morro Bay

The view across the bay to Morro Rock

      This past week I finally got some free time to head up the coast to Morro Bay. I don't think I'd been there since I was a wee tot.  Here's some highlights from the trip!

     We camped at Morro Bay State Park, which was lovely. Personally I recommend trying to get a campsite on the upper loop, as we did for our second night. The campsites there are in a stand of eucalyptus, rather than out in an open field, so it feels more private.

     We spent our first day setting up and wandering around the marina.  We made our way up to Cayoucos to the Brown Butter Cookie Company.  These guys have amazing cookies!! I really regret not taking a picture inside, because you can see the cookies being baked right in front of you.  They even had 3 gluten free options!

     We made a delicious camp dinner (especially considering this was our first camping trip on our own) and a little campfire and that's about it.

Steak, Salad and Gluten Free Mac & Cheese. Keeping it low FODMAP on the road.

     The next morning we work up to mourning doves and got a jump start on our day with some breakfast burritos!
     Then we threw everything in the car and moved to our second campsite. Surprise, booking a campsite in the summer is difficult, so we're lucky we got  2 consecutive nights, even if it wasn't at the same site.

 

The second day was pretty packed.

     We grabbed kayaks and went across the bay to run around to the sand dunes that I had been dying to play on since the moment we'd arrived. Apparently there was a beached whale somewhere that was attracting a lot of harbor seals and other wildlife, but I've been down wind of a beached whale once before and it's not something I'd like to repeat.

     After a quick paddle back with the tide helping us along, we made lunch and set out for Montano de Oro State Park.   It's only about 10 minutes away from Morro Bay and well work the drive.  The scenery changes vastly when you get out the the area that faces the ocean. 

The little hook coming off Mondano de Oro is surrounding Spooner Cove

    We ended up at Spooner Cove, with is stunning. It's covered in perfectly smoothed beach stones (sorry southern California pals, this is not a sandy beach). And when we were there were heaps of beached Velella Velella.  They're basically like jelly fish that use a sail on the top of their body to skim across the waves, but if the winds change, they can get blow onto the beaches in hundreds.  The perfect treat for a bio nerd.

A dead Velella Velella

   But outside than biological oddities, it is still a great place.

A natural rock "pier" that you can walk out on, as long as the tide is low enough for you to get back.

The signature hole in the rock and my wonderful camping buddy.

     The second night we were relieved from our duties as camp cooks by the SLO Farmer's Market.  If there is a way to arrange your trip so you're there on a Thursday, you have to do it.  The market is 5 big blocks long, with musical performers at every intersection.  There's barbeque, fresh veggies, and most importantly, all sorts of sweet treats.

     But none so sweet as a view down their famous bubble gum alley! I remember putting my gum on this wall when I first came here at 5 years old, and I was probably just as excited this time! We left our mark on SLO in the shape of a lucky green mint clover.

We packed up or happy little camp the next morning and headed out to our next adventure.

Hither Hill Bags

 Hey ladies and gents! Welcome to my first "Trendy Tuesday"!
I'm gonna tell you about an awesome brand coming out of Montauk , NY' Hither Hill. I luckily won one of their giveaways a while ago, so I got to try out a few of their products and I have been so pleased!
PS- This is Scout the Dingo. I'm sure she'll pop up in more of my posts because she hates to be left out of anything.

The first is their travel bag, which I think occasionally listed in their "men's" sections, but I travel too so whatever.  This little bag is perfect. It fits everything I need, but it isn't too big.  A lot of overnight bags have tons of pockets and compartments, but personally I already have my makeup and jewelery in their own little bags, but I'd like to just keep it all together. This bag is great for that.  In the past months I've had it, I've taken it across the country a few times, camping, weekend trips up the coast, and if shows no sign of wear.  It's even pretty easy to get any toothpaste spittle off!
The sleek, classic design makes it an easy choice for yourself, or as a gift. Their items last, so even if style changes you'll still love this.

 

The other gem I got was this great tote. Personally I'm somebody that likes to bring basically my entire house with me to the beach, so I appreciate a bag that can handle that. Even with packing this bag to the brim with a beach mat, towel, water bottle, tons of sunblock, a book, hat and snacks, it shows no wear.  I love that I can change the height of the straps. Because we've all those bags that are all up in our armpits, or somehow hitting our knees. It's got a nice snap so all your stuff doesn't fall out and a zipper pocket so you don't have to rummage through your entire bag just to find your keys (detail shots below). But my favorite thing? It's super easy to get sand out. There are no extra large seams hiding it away until you put it down in your house or when it tips over in your closet. Basically, it's the perfect summer bag.

 So what makes them special? Well, like most small companies, the people who work at Hither Hill are passionate about what they do.  These products are designed to do exactly what you want them to do, they're designed to look good, and mostly, they're designed to last. And they're made in America. This means that designers can work hand in hand with manufacturers to make sure that you get the best possible result.You won't be buying another Hither Hill product because it broke, you'll be buying one because you loved your last one so much that you want another or you want someone else to experience it.   So if you've ever wanted a super sweet bag, go check them out!