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TT200 final exams @ Sangha

TT200 final exams @ Sangha

Saturday, October 17, 2015 – Sunday, October 18, 2015
9:30am 09:30

✚ gCal
✚ iCal

Final exams / Karma yoga weekend @ Sangha

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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” MLK
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I religiously read labels on food, clothes, cosmetics, I try not to buy anything packaged in plastic. I often take cosmetics to my beautician like my (vegan) nail polish when I go to get a manicure or pedicure. All of this takes more planning, is more time consuming and makes simple things less convenient. Usually I am happy to and wouldn’t have it other way. But, on a day like today, when I’m feverish and foggy brained but still need to do 100 things before I leave for Sri Lanka in a few days, I get grumpy and annoyed with everything. Myself first. So a moment ago I heard my lower self saying “why can’t you just be normal?!” as I told my beautician no to the regular nail polish (I forgot mine) and she tried to sound like she understands but I see she doesn’t (which I totally get). I’ll just do it at home I said and in order to avoid further conversation where my grumpy today’s self might say something she’ll regret, I took my phone, checked Instagram and saw MLK’s quote I shared here. It instantly made me feel better. Yes, I know I’m sometimes extreme. But I keep rising the bar for myself and once you take a step forward and see things from a different perspective you can’t go back without feeling compliant. And I refuse to be compliant and silent about the things that matter (to me). I refuse to be a part of the problem. And I know it all starts with me, my daily choices, small things which are just a piece of the bigger picture and thus, big things. Like cruelty free nail polish.;)
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Photo @sanjinkastelan
#mlk #inspiration #love #vegan #awareness #consciousconsumer #crueltyfree #change

*** Retreats in Portugal 🇵🇹 @olive3.yogaretreat - September/ October 2019. ***
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Limited spots open during our teacher training month in Ericeira for all of you who would like to join us for AM and PM yoga classes, and take the rest of the day to chill, explore, surf... Each week we’ll teach a different content and you can pick the one you like or join us for two or even three weeks.
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Dates:
28.09.-05.10. The joy of Presence
05.10.-12.10. Flowing with Nature
12.10.-19.10. Chakra Vinyasa
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More info and registration on my website - link in bio
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Photo @sanjinkastelan
#yogaretreat #portugal #ericeira #yoga&surf #surf&yoga #vinyasayoga #elementalflow #chakravinyasa #yogaholiday

The vegetarian myth
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If you are, just like I was a few years ago, eating a mostly plant based diet, but still adding a bit of milk in your coffee and honey in your tea, a bit of cheese on your pasta and butter on your toast, occasionally an egg for breakfast or yogurt with your cereal. If you like your leather shoes and your wool coat and you believe you’re doing enough because it’s too complicated to order shoes online and too much of an effort to check every single label. You feel good because you believe you’re doing enough. And you are. I’m not here to tell you you’re not. But, I feel we have reached a point where enough is not enough any more, and it will soon be too little too late. We are at a pivotal point and we all need to do more.
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But why you, you ask? You’re already doing so much. Well, I believe it’s because you’re already on the other side. You have already opened your eyes, you’re already a change agent, you already know, so going the full distance will not be a problem for you. It will however inspire change and have a big impact. And you will have only one regret - you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Dairy and egg industry is as bad as meat industry. We see fur as something horrible now yet we wear leather which is no different. To us it’s a spoonful of honey, but to a bee it’s 40 days of work. Basically, her full lifespan.
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This will be my final #vegan post, at least as a part of #veganuary movement. I hope I inspired some of you to give veganism a try. I hope I at least inspired you to think about it. If you need any tips and more info, I am here for you. We are the guardians of mama Earth and of those voiceless. Let’s keep them safe. Let’s respect ALL life. For us, for future generations and all sentient beings on this planet. Om Shanti.
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Pix @sanjinkastelan #veganworld #sufferingfreeworld #change #changeagent #consciousness #veganism #awareness #yoga #together #community #sangha

My 10 year transformation doesn’t look very transformative, at least not from the outside. First photo taken in India on a teacher training retreat with my teacher Shiva Rea @shivarea108 Second one is from Portugal teaching a teacher training retreat myself. I don’t look much different except for a few more wrinkles on my face now and a few more tattoos on my body. I’m still teaching yoga and loving my job, still traveling, still challenging myself and taking leaps of faIth. I’m still a rebel with a cause and am passionate about the same things. Was a vegetarian already for ten years, now I’m vegan. Even my Natarajasana still looks the same! But, that’s all on the surface. Underneath it all so much unfolding happened in the last decade. Looking back so much has happened, there were many challenges on all levels, but they made me stronger, softer, wiser, more confident and more aware. I’m so much more conscious about the world, myself and the impact of what I do, say, buy, eat. I guess it’s called growth. Grateful for all of you who were a part of this journey. Let’s keep growing together! 🌱💚
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#10yearchallenge #yogini #growth #consciousness #awareness #veganism #life #natarajasana #india #portugal

♡Understanding♡
“How much we long to be understood. Fundamentally this is not about being in agreement though that seems to make things appear easier. But understanding is much deeper than that. It is a profound spaciousness that grants another person the chance to be known from their own perspective and revealed in their history, their joys, their sorrows, their struggles and strengths. When we really understand one another that way it is like making a beautiful ring of support. The jewel of the self is given a setting in which to be held and seen. It is one of the dearest parts of friendship. When we embrace the sanctity in each other we have a foundation on which much can be built.” Gunilla Norris
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I was catching up on some reading and thought I’d share this gem from one of my favourite authors when it comes to inspiration and wisdom. This is from “Sheltered in the Heart” one of her more recent books. People often ask me what I read.. this is one of the authors I go back to always (if you want more just let me know!) But, I’m sharing it also as a little thank you note for all of you out there who understand. Thank you for reaching out, thank you for your support, thank you for being you. love you. 💗
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Milano tribe see you tomorrow 💕Looking forward to seeing your beautiful faces, and those interested eyes.
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Photo @sanjinkastelan #understanding #space #kindness #sangha #community #love #yoga #milanoyogatribe

A friend who has been reading my latest (veganism) posts said she had no idea being vegan is so difficult. “There’s so many things to consider and think about it seems like a mission impossible.” She also said I come across as judgmental sometimes. Ouch! I have to say her comments made me sad as it’s opposite from my intention. But she did make me think.
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Firstly, I would like to clarify my intention. As always, it’s to inform and inspire so we can, together, create a positive change in the world. With social networks like this one, giving everyone a voice, I feel it has never been easier to do that. So it is my belief we should use our voice to support one another, inspire, inform, speak our truth without fear, and create a beautiful world together. Secondly, being a yoga teacher I feel it is also my Seva (service) to share knowledge and to give a voice to those voiceless, not just use this platform for my own (business) agenda. Writing the posts, doing the research so nothing I write is unchecked, finding the right article to link and photos to share in stories all take time. Time I don’t have much of. I do it hoping that it will make a few people think, research and perhaps change and create a positive ripple. I don’t judge anyone eating meat, dairy, wearing leather and wool. Most of the people I love still do. I used to do all of that (except meat) myself up until only a few years ago. I wasn’t aware, I didn’t think, I didn’t know. But, I am SO grateful for those who did and who spoke out. On socials and in my life. I never thought they judged me, I don’t see the world like that. For me truth is truth, it comes without a particular flavor so I sometimes just forget to put a pink ribbon on top of my truth(or don’t choose my words carefully).
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No change happens overnight. It’s a gradual process starting as an intention and slowly growing from there. If you’re interested in changing some habits all you need to do is take a first step. Start small, pick your battles. Everything else will come naturally. Our essence resonates with good and clean intentions and you’ll keep on going because it’s a beautiful thing, dwelling in your #essence 💗
#love #compassion

The wool myth 🐑
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When you think of wool you may think of a warm winter hat and scarf, a soft cashmere sweater or a beautiful suit. When I think of wool, I still remember my grandma sitting next to a wood stove, knitting woolly winter socks for all of us kids. Or my old designer purple sheepskin coat I used to love wearing. But now, after a video I saw during PETA wool campaign a few years ago which made me see the shadow truth of wool industry, I also see the unnecessary suffering. With so many cruelty free fabrics, there’s really no need of to torture animals in order to wear their skin, fur or wool. (Link in bio for a short video of Joaquin Phoenix, @joaquinptv a long term vegan, on why he ditched wool.)
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There’s many things we just don’t question or think about. Nobody thinks about torture when eyeing a beautiful coat in your favorite shop window. We trust and we buy and buy and buy more. This world is designed like that, we’re blindfolded consumers trusting a voice in an ad saying something is beautiful, healthy, tasty. They don’t speak of the true cost because people would then take the blindfold off and question. And big industry doesn’t make money on those who question.
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However, if we don’t buy the narrative we’re constantly being sold, we’ll force industries to change. We can still buy that beautiful coat, only it will be made from cruelty free and ecologically sustainable material. Something which came out of suffering is not and cannot ever be beautiful. It’s just bad juju. And nobody wants that, right?
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A PETA @peta investigation of more than 30 shearing sheds in the U.S. and Australia uncovered rampant abuse. Shearers were caught punching, kicking, and stomping on sheep, in addition to hitting them in the face with electric clippers and standing on their heads, necks, and hind limbs. One shearer was seen beating a lamb in the head with a hammer. Another even used a sheep’s body to wipe the sheep’s own urine off the floor. And yet another shearer repeatedly twisted and bent a sheep’s neck, breaking it.”
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Photo @sanjinkastelan #saynotowool #veganuary #vegan #sustainablefashion #susainability #crueltyfree #goodvibesonly #youmatter #consciousness

The happy cow and a free range chicken myth 🐓
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Unfortunately there’s no happy cows or free range chickens. Humans consume too much animal produce for that to be possible, livestock is already taking up so much space; it is the world’s largest user of land resources. In the US for example “grazing land and cropland dedicated to the production of feed representing almost 80% of all agricultural land. Feed crops are grown in one-third of total cropland, while the total land area occupied by pasture is equivalent to 26% of the ice-free terrestrial surface”. ~ The Guardian
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“Meat eaters may think vegans look down on them – but actually no one is more scornful of carnivores than the meat industry that feeds them. While frontline workers slaughter 22 million animals each day in the UK alone, teams in the back office rebrand those carcasses, packaging them up and using inventive words to hide the truth from the consumer.
Of all their cons, the “free range” egg is perhaps the most audacious. You’d need Disney-level imagination to believe the UK can produce more than 10bn eggs each year without inconveniencing any chickens. But by slapping “free range” on the label, and perhaps a nice pastoral scene with a few chickens roaming free, most consumers never realise how the eggs came to be in the box.” ~ The Guardian (link in bio for full article) @guardian
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In conclusion, your “free range chicken” may not be crammed in a shoebox size space, but it’s certainly not running around a large field, happy and care-free. Land is too expensive for that, just think about it.
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#veganuary #tryvegan #futureisvegan #consciousconsumer #goodvibesonly #nosuffering #plantpowered #veggies #gardentotable
Pic @sanjinkastelan

The leather as byproduct myth 🦊
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I know. You love your leather shoes, your leather bag and that cool biker jacket. So do I. And I still own and wear them, and will until I wear them out. But, since I researched and read more about the leather industry, I haven’t bought anything made of leather in years. If you’re interested why, I’ve linked a page from @weareveganuary explaining why there’s no such thing as ‘a leather byproduct’ in my bio. Please read. Knowledge is empowering.
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But, there’s good news for all fashionista’s out there as well as for animals. Vegan leather industry is growing super fast thanks to increased demand as well as some more conscious designers like @stellamccartney creating organic, quality materials which are suffering free, artificial colour free, bad ecological impact free. Basically, bad vibe free.
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Today you can really get anything you like made in sustainable, breathable, high quality materials which are better for you, the environment and, of course, don’t cost a life. It’s win-win-win.
Also, there’s cool brands like @pelechecoco offering uber cool biker jackets made out of vintage leather sourced from all over the globe.
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If you’re interested these are some of my favourite items/ brands: I absolutely adore my vegan Stella Stan Smith adidas sneakers 👟 ,my @matt_and_nat_ wallet, biker boots by @beyondskin , my @goodguysdontwearleather white sneakers and @naeveganshoes black high top sneakers. Also check out @willsveganstore! You can find all snd more on @avesuveganshoes website. All of these are European brands as I prefer to shop as locally as possible, but there’s many more. You’re welcome to share your favourites in comments below:).
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Photo @sanjinkastelan
#vegan #veganleather #cleanfashion #sustainablefashion #consciousconsumer #veganuary

The protein myth 🙄
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As a vegetarian for 18 and vegan for the last three years, I heard the “where do you get your protein” question one too many times. Five years ago I would do my best to explain, a few years ago I would point to the fact that some of the biggest, strongest and most enduring animals like gorillas, horses, zebras, elephants, hypos etc. are herbivores. Today I just roll my eyes. Because google.
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The truth is, the protein obsession is passé. So last century. So caveman. Today we know better. Today we know too much protein is actually bad for you. Today we know best protein is obtained from plants. Today there’s more and more plant powered pro athletes proving this by doing what they do best - winning. No better way to put a stop to the protein myth then seeing them do their thing. People like ultra endurance athlete @richroll whose entertaining and informative article from a few years ago I shared in my bio. Read it. It’s quite funny.
Thanks to humans like strongman @patrikbaboumian , weight lifting champion Kendrick Farris, pro wrestler @austinhealyaries ultra runner @scottjurek runner @morganmitch , cyclists @veganolympian formula 1 champ @lewishamilton , tennis legends @djokernole @venuswilliams , pro surfers @tiablanco @alanarblanchard NBA stars @kyrieirving @illwil21 NFL players like @dmorg91 @williams @kaepernick7 and @griffwhalen (whos dogs are also vegan), boxer @mrdavidhaye bodybuilders like @nimai_delgado @domzthompson @frank_medrano @conscious_muscle the animal protein myth is finally debunked.
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Grateful for those who share the light, athletes and ‘regular humans’ like you and me. Btw, thank you for words of support all of you who DM’d me. Thank you who criticise as well. Maybe it’s not me but your conscience?
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Pix @sanjinkastelan
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#vegan #veganism #veganathlete #plantbased #consciousmuscle #veganyogini #changeiscoming #consciousness #yoga #offthemat #veganuary

$🐮The milk myth • Most of us grew up with the idea that milk healthy and important for bone health. But, is this actually true? Most of the research not funded by dairy industry found inconclusive or no evedence. However, there is evidence pointing in the opposite direction. (please check the links on the bottom of my last blog) • Bone health? Some studies (like Harvard milk study) claim that more milk consumption in teen years led to more risk in fractures in older adults. There’s more similar research, please check my blog for details. • Lactose - just like any other mammal, we lose the ability to break down lactose as we grow up, so lactose intolerance is very common, affecting over 65% of adult humans. Symptoms range from no symptoms to digestive problems and gas to migranes. Consuming something which we can’t break down causes inflammation in the body which leads to bigger issues like auto immune diseases. • Casein - the protein found in dairy, called casein, has been linked with many different types of cancer, especially ovarian and prostate cancer. • Saturated fat - dairy is full of saturated, artery clogging fats and contains cholesterol. • Environment - water use, carbon emissions, pollution, you name it. Dairy industry is right there, hand in hand with meat industry. Cows are fed grain (not their food) which can instead feed all 795 million starving people today. This is 1 in 7 people on the planet who can be easily fed if we decide our taste buds are worth it. • Suffering - just like any other mammal, a cow needs to have a baby in order to produce milk. So in dairy farms they forcefully inseminate them (read: rape them) and take their baby when it’s a few days old so they can take (their baby’s) milk. Cows cry for their babies for days and babies cry for their mums. Just like any other being. Baby calf gets to drink formula snd will end up like her mum or, if it’s a male calf, gets killed. Just so we can have that cafe latte or enjoy the cheese. Same goes for goat and sheep. So, even if non of the health issues and environment impact factors were true, isn’t this more than reason enough to say no to dairy? • #saynotodairy #govegan #yoga #vinyasa$

Hello Veganuary! @weareveganuary
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Veganuary is a charity organisation promoting Veganism and inspiring people to try plant based diet at least for two weeks in January, see how they feel and hopefully make the switch. It started in 2014. and have since then inspired many to reconsider their food choices, even some pro athletes like the surf legend @kellyslater (I wonder if Kelly went back or stayed plant based... Couldn’t find that info. Please enlighten me if you know).
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Inspired by Veganuary, throughout this month I will post information and inspiration (facts, recipes, inspiring stories etc) about plant based life style hoping to inspire some of you.
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To kick start this idea I wrote a blog which more than anything has to do with hope and love. Link in bio.
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Also, if you have your vegan story to share please email or dm me and I will share it as inspiration at the end of the month in another blog post. 💕
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Photo by my almost vegan brother from another mother @sanjinkastelan ;)💗
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#vegan #veganism #veganuary #plantbased #newbeginnings #consciousliving #inspiration #vegansoul #animalrights #environment

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead! May it be healthy and filled with love, laughter and joy, wonderful new adventures, positive changes and more awareness. May you have more time for you and for people you love, courage to live your dreams and to to be the change you want to see.
Much love, Nina ❤️
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#happynewyear #love #joy #change #hapiness #newbeginnings

What were your happiest moments of 2018. Where were you? Who did you share them with and what do they tell you? Reflecting on this can help you set clearer intentions for the new cycle.
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I don’t have a diary, but I do have numerous notebooks where I draw, write down my ideas, thoughts, things that inspire me, poems, quotes etc. This is also my space where I say goodbye to the year past, and write down my intention for the next one. It’s my little New Year ritual.
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Writing things down help me see a pattern, and generally help me get clarity on which way to go. Looking at what I wrote as the happiest and most content moments from this year, made me see a constant I see I need to follow clearer than ever. This resulted in making some hard decisions much easier.
I usually I write down the following..
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*** Let go ***
what am I most grateful for in the year past, what were my happiest moments, what am I willing to leave behind (this can be from something material, to a job, relationship or a impulse/ behaviour), what do I need to make peace with, what do I need to forgive.
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*** Embrace ***
I write my intentions, hopes and dreams for the next year. Usually, this is not a list (neither is the first one), but a collection of thoughts, hopes and visons of the future.
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I’ve added a few pages in the stories so you can get an idea, but I believe we all have an individual way of expressing ourselves and if you decide to start your own new cycle ritual, do what resonates with you the most. It’s a good way to say goodbye to what was, be grateful as well as make peace, and embrace everything coming your way with the spark of hope.
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Photo @sanjinkastelan taken at beautiful @olive3.yogaretreat shala.
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#hapiness #newyear #newbeginnings #intention #connect #embrace #letgo #yogini #yogateacher #yoga

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