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Prague – Dresden – Vienna Travel Essentials

I love travelling, but unfortunately I absolutely HATE flying! The one thing that helps me keep calm and carry on is making sure I pack properly so that i don’t leave anything behind. This trip was going to be different than the rest I have been on though, simply because I do yoga now so I really wanted to practice in new and amazing environments.

I was packing up all my things and I just had to snap a pic of these wonderful Euro trip must haves!

These are a few of my favourite things! When the dog barks, when the bee st… ok I’ll stop.

Laid out above on my mandala round from Yellow tree Company – you will see pictured my amazing Yoga Paws, TKEES flip flops, Way of Will essential oils, Parkdale Butter, Herban Essentials Towelettes, Ray-Bans, Le Specs, Tangle Teezer brush, Kiehls Sunscreen, NEUlotus, EOS, and jewellery from Miansai, Links of London and Kate Spade! Yeah, that’s quite a mouthful, but honestly these things all made it into my suitcase and carry-on and I am loving every second of having these things handy.

The Yoga Paws, were the most obvious to bring along. I knew I would be practicing outside so it was amazing to have a grippy mat stuck to my hands and feet at all times. I actually carry these everywhere with me in Toronto so I made sure to pack them first. I would have been devastated had I forgotten them. (OK, that’s a bit dramatic)

Herban Essentials Orange towelettes came in handy on the germ plane ride… before, during, after – all the time! I carried the Tangle Teezer in my carry on too, it came in handy as we were landing. I never usually carry a hair brush, I hate bringing them on trips because mine is a heavier bamboo one and it is just not fun to lug around. This brush is PERFECT!!! It untangles major knots instantly and it is so light to carry. I highly recommend it, go get one NOW. Another carry on essential was my NEUlotus which will make for a comfy butt pillow on the plane ride! It also will help keep circulation flowing much better than sitting directly on the uncomfortable plane seats. If you want one too make sure to use the discount code asanavanessana10 on your next order for 10% off NEUlotus!!!

I have to say, Way of Will is killing it. The Frankinscense + Borane Sensitive Skin oil is amazing. It absorbs into my skin right away and is perfect for day time. It is a soft silky finish and you don’t feel oily after applying it. It comes in a really cool bottle too. I also packed along my refreshing Blackspruce + Rosemary face spray for those hot, hot, hot Prague days.

Way of Will

Way of Will

Sunglasses are a must of course! My Ray-Bans keep it casual while the Le Specs really pop! These are both really great brands for a budget too, especially the Le Specs which are relatively less expensive than most brands.

Kiehls SPF 50 face sunscreen for sensitive skin! This had to be packed along. The strong sun rays in Prague are super harmful and I did not want to get my face burned. I hate wearing face sunscreen, it usually gets so oily, but this face cream is incredible. It is light and absorbs super quickly into my skin. It is kind of more expensive than I would usually pay for sun screen, and such a small bottle – but I haven’t felt anything as light and protective as this, so quality over quantity is what I keep telling myself haha.

Last worth mentioning is my incredible Parkdale Butter set. The Espresso face Balm is OMG so incredibly creamy and delicious (don’t eat it though). It is like actually applying butter to your face, but with the benefits of not applying actual butter to your face! I also brought along my CocoaNut Body butter and Peppermint Lip Balm. I know my skin gets super dry after a long sunny day and I need something that will replenish and hydrate my skin overnight. This stuff is just that. I put it on after my shower and feel super soft all night and wake up with glowing skin. I need to write a separate review on these because there is more to talk about – maybe with an update on how my skin does in Europe with these yummy creams from a familiar place, my hometown, Toronto!

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I laid these all out on this amazing mandala roundie from Yellow Tree Company. It will come super handy for picnics and yoga in the parks! Can’t wait to try it out! The pattern and colours are so beautiful too.

Hope you like my travel essentials!

 

 

Urban Yogini

I had the chance of meeting the wonderful Ave @avemariabell, who I had been chatting with on Instagram, we share a lot of similar interests and both live in Toronto. She messaged me the other day to meet up as she was hosting an Insta meet and I thought it would be so much fun!

I was hesitant at first because the weather has been sooo horrible lately, and it didn’t look like it was going to be warmer that morning but we all met up anyways around the Kensington area. Ave also invited super talented photographer Diego @urbvnex!

We walked throughout Kensington, making it to a few places I have never been before on our photo walk. Check out this place in the photo below, I need to go back there to do some yoga for sure. Today was just waaay too cold.

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After stop number one, we went out to find some graffiti, always my favourite to take photos of and with! We passed so many cool spots on the way to the best graffiti in Graffiti Alley but I promise to go back and take some photos there because I saw some incredible art work!

After making it to Graffiti Alley we tried out a few classic Urbvnex puddle shots, which I was blown away by. He basically set his camera in a puddle to take this photo!

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Photo by @urbvnex

We made it to the classic graffiti spot by artist Uber 5000 and not only did I get to yoga pose, but I had Ave join me as well. She was hesitant since it was such a narrow spot, but we made it work! All for the shot! haha

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We were pretty frozen after strolling through the alley and made it to Tim Hortons to snack and warm up. After thawing for half an hour or so, we had the amazing Mike @thrumikeslens join us. I previously collaborated with him on a rooftopping yoga adventure you can read about, that was incredible and surreal.

After Mike dropped by we decided to head out again and take some bridge photos. This bridge has one of the best views of the CN Tower and at night it is amazing, but there is no way I would be caught dead outside that day!

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Hollowback Handstand wearing K.Deer Leggings and using my Yoga Paws! Yogo Anywhere Yoga mat.

 

Below is a funny behind the scenes photo from my boyfriend Martin of Diego & Mike. Committed to the craft I have to say!

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Unfortunately, Ave had to leave but we promise to have more Insta collabs soon! Our Urban yogi journey is just beginning!

I brought a yellow smoke grenade, just incase we manage to find somewhere fun to set it off. And luckily we did. There is this one building formerly the Loblaw warehouse that I just LOVE, but they are of course knocking it down to build a condo. I swore I had to get in there before they completely knocked it down, and I was with the right guys to do that!

We found the perfect spot to set off the smoke grenade, I really wish I brought more. Not bad for my first time, but I really didn’t expect that much smoke. WOW. Did I get a lot in the face the first few seconds.

These smoke grenades are amazing. I bought them at rocketfireworks.ca and they are about $8-10 each. They last about 1 minute 30 seconds so I really had to think fast about how to use it.  Mike managed to grab a couple incredible shots! I hope we get to do some more when it gets warmer later.

 

 

Dancer Pose / Natarajasana

Dancer Pose / Natarajasana

 

Wheel pose / Dhanurasana

Wheel pose / Dhanurasana

I was pretty low on energy after this and we were all freezing so we decided to end the date at noon! That’s how worn we were. But I swear we will bring to you more Insta meets and possibly some LONGBOARD YOGA?!?!?!?

Extra special thanks to @avemariabell @urbvnex @thrumikeslens