Love in a BOX

Mix Megapol yesterday was very MEGA. Had a great time, perhaps a TO great of a time!
Anyhow, the Afro Power Dance training went supa today. It is such a wonderful training to teach! If you have the opportunity to take it I highly recommend it.

After collapsing at home for an hour I am now on my way out again, searching for my squirrel (or not)!

Had a bit of an accident earlier, one of my friends is so tricky; he made me open my mouth and made me say things that weren’t supposed to be said. But hey, this is a very good opportunity to see if he is a VERY GOOD FRIEND or just a friend if you know what I mean ; )

My Pumped up dudes are waiting on Valand, my indie/creative/soulmates are waiting at the WorldCulturalMuseeum and my House Hotties Chickas are waiting at Trädgårn. (you know that I am NOT by any means putting labels on my peeps right!)

Now Gothenburg, get ready to ROCK!

Book of the month

Mo: What inspires me at the moment: "The Tipping Point - How little things can make a big difference" by Malcolm Gladwell.

"The Tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire"

I haven´t finished the book yet, but what I have read is truly fascinating stuff. Two of my favourite sentences so far is:

1: Little causes can have big effects and
2. Change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment.

One example used is how the shoe brand Hush Puppies went from selling only 30.000 pairs of shoes in 1993 to selling around 2.000.000 pairs of shoes in 1997 - all because of a chain of events - and little causes with big effects.

An inspirational and rewarding read.

Emergency Exit

This is my back up plan the coming weeks!

Jo: I am truly exited though!

Today and tomorrow I am teaching an AFRO POWER DANCE foundation training here in Gothenburg. Sportlife is stepping into the game. I love this class. The choreography is very simple, repetitive, and the moves are large, organic which makes the class itself an amazing workout for body, mind and soul.

2night helping MixMegapol to celebrate 20 years!

2morrow (Friday) my favorite boys are raising the energy in this city. First the amazing Navid Modiri (whom I’ll soon be doing yoga, meditation and coffee with : ). He is performing with his COBRA CHARLIE project at the World Cultural Museum (my former workplace). If you haven’t been there, Friday is a perfect opportunity, 20timmars festival!
After Navid’s gig I will be heading THE party at Trädgårn. HED KANDI! The guys arranging it never stop amazing me. Yesterday they took on FORZA at Hagabadet and as I was prepared to go to bed they shouted: -See u in the gym! Right on guys!

Saturday is Dance Camp and the HED KANDI boys (who by the way keep me updated in the NIGHT TIME Activities sector) told me about some wicked DJ playing at Park Lane. But before that it is the MIXED MARTIAL ARTS thingi where I might be running around show the SCORE!

Sunday: Big event with Hagabadet in Slottsskogen together with VOLVO. U can join us in “SÖMN Tältet” where I will be teaching you: WAKE UP, ENERGY BOOST and DYNAMIC MEDITATION, oh yeah!

Mon-Wed Yoga Teacher Training

On Thursday I start my Baltic Tour. I will be teaching Body Balance 41 and Body Jam 45 (right now I am trying to get the “house double/single tap” hahah). Les Mills is a fantastic concept with X clubs around the world, X people doing their classes every week so it is an honor to be representing this amazing concept!
I love the TaiChi warm up and the Pilates in the new Body Balance release. It is also a very very Sexy release : ) Gandalf who is the Program Director of Body Jam is a wicked dude. I met him for the first time in Sthlm last year. Must say that Body Jam 45 is the HOTTEST release so far!

23-25 May we have Workout Åre where I will be teaching my Les Mills classes + my Speedy Gonzales Core class in addition to a brand new HERE I AM class (oh this one is good)

30 May I will bring it to Gothenburg as Hagabadet goes Oriental! I will teach my HERE I AM class. This time to live music played by Navid Modiri + Povel Ohlsson. After the class we will step out onto the sun terrace, playing music, sipping on coconut drinks and eating juicy oriental food al nightlong.

But on the 31st of May I need to be in Malmö – presenting Body Balance and Body Jam

I will celebrate a challenging but successful month at SÖNDAGSKLUBBEN (again my TENDER IS THE NIGHT boys sweet club)!!!

My question to you:

Where will you join me and when do you bet that I will need to drink these six cans of cola?

NAMASTÉ

Police, police, potato pig...

My (eco-friendly) car...

Mo: ...eh, it doesn´t actually sound as good in English as it does in Swedish, does it? What is it with me, speeding, the police and slow cars in front???

This morning when I flew out from the city in my black Aygo 1l-engine-come-yellow-Lamborghini-in-disguise, I had a car pulling out right in front of me in the fast lane.

I have to practice more yogic thinking in traffic I KNOW, but at the moment I´m not really there, if you know what I mean, so the words that came out of my mouth weren´t really kind, loving and full of compassion... but it got me to slow down and actually pull over to the right lane.

So suddenly I´m sitting there contemplating overtaking the red Mazda on the inside (...and yes, I´m well aware of the traffic rules, but just as much as I can wind myself up concerning slow walking people in the street - yeah, I did join the Facebook group "I want to punch slow walking people in the back of their head" for a short while - I can REALLY HATE cars overtaking me and then sort of "hanging out" in the fast lane! GET OUT OF MY WAY or stay in the RIGHT LANE!).

Then I noticed him. Blue uniform at 4 o´clock. With a walkie-talkie and an ear piece. I watch in my rear mirror how a white motorbike pulls out from the overlay behind me. It has bright pink stripes running along it´s side mirrors. F..CK! What was I doing? 90km on a 70km/h road?

The MC follows me for about 150m.
...and then pulls out to the left, placing himself right behind the red Mazda.

Another 300m and there´s the sign: "POLICE". My eye sight is sh..t poor (excuse my language, but you are allowed to call it that, when you have to order contact lenses at a strength of -11.5! Bet you didn´t even know that the numbers went that high) but funnily enough I could see the blond police woman clearly, stepping out right in front of... the red Mazda, and waving him in!

YIIIIIIIIIHHAAAAAAAAA! That´s what I said yesterday! Money is coming my way!!!!!! I just made another 3-5000SEK today!!!!!!! Just by driving! Isn´t that amazing??? You must admit that that´s amazing! ;)

Sometimes logic defies gravity, (or something like that...)

Mo Money Mo problems?

Mo: Are you a spender or a saver? Do you believe "easy come-easy go"? Would you buy things repeatedly out of your budget? Or do you get a panic attack even at the thought of not having enough to make ends meet?

I have to admit that having no money is one of my greatest fears. And yet, I know I can spend money like no-one´s business. Always on the right side of red though.

What are my weaknesses?
If you are a regular to this blog you will know: Travelling. Shoes. Dresses. Facials. More travelling. More shoes. One or two handbags... think you get the picture...

More than once have I felt like Carrie in the beloved SATC...

The episode where Carrie goes to the bank to ask for a loan and the bank woman concludes that she holds a total of 1 dollar and 50 cents in her bank account and SJP in frustration realizes that if Manolo Blahniks were house buying currency - she would be a millionaire - well, even if I don´t collect Manolos and my bank balance has never looked THAT bad, I can still wonder sometimes what kind of apartment my shoes would translate to...?

However, I would never take out a loan to buy something that I couldn´t afford with what I have in my purse or in the bank, (if it wasn´t for a house). And very rarely do I overspend like I did when I was in my mid 20s. Sadly(???) enough I believe that at the end of the day, money gravitates towards those who have the courage to spend it, as long as its not taken to its extreme. (Think bailiff officer)

If that is true, I have a LOT of money coming my way very soon. Which is great, because at the moment there is just a little bit more than a few potholes to be filled...

(...and I´ll look damn FABULOUS while I´m waiting for it to happen!...)

En alldelles vanlig TISDAG, eller?!

Jo: Två barn som gick på samma dagis skilde sig markant från varandra. Den ene var optimist och den andre var pessimist. Personalen var så nyfiken på hur de kunde vara så olika, att de en dag bestämde sig för att utföra ett test för att som om de verkligen var så olika! De tog med pessimisten till ett rum fyllt med leksaker och gömde sig sedan utanför och väntade på reaktionen. När pessimisten kom in i rummet tittade hon sig omkring och sade:

-Det måste vara något lurt med det här. Så här mycket leksaker brukar jag aldrig få. Undrar vad som är fel?

Efter att ha noterat detta tog de med optimisten till ett rum fullt med hästskit för att se om även hon kunde bli nerslagen. När flickan kom in i rummet log hon och började kasta hästskiten omkring sig. Personalen blev mycket överraskad och frågade flickan:

-Hur kan du vara så glad över att ditt rum e fyllt med hästskit?

-Med så här mycket hästskit, sa optimisten, måste det finnas en häst i närheten.

REN KÄRLEK

Det är pessimisten i oss som klagar på oljudet när Tillfället knackar på dörren

Idag körde jag 45min CORE på Hagabadet! Det är ett av mina favvis pass. Deltagarna är helt fantastiska o vi ger järnet tillsammans! Min älskade Mango var med idag o döpte passet till SPEEDY GONZALEZ, det ligger nog något i det...



Just nu är jag TRÖTT på långa, långsamma, utdragna pass. Jag tänker: Kort, koncentrerat, hög närvaro, max prestation. Varför spendera timmar på gymmet när du kan vara klar på mindre än 45min (ja, jag lovar vi hinner med ALLT)! Ut i solen med mer, spread the LOVE! Kasta hästskiten flera meter upp i luften o hoppa så det skvätter i vattenpölarna (eller i ÄGGET här på Hagabadet :)

JUST DO IT

Happiness in a BOX

Do you remember the last time you were this happy?

My theme this week is:

EXPRESS YOURSELF

No Holding Back!

Getting my MOJO back...

Mo: Sometimes when I return back from travelling I feel like a mushroom. Spongy.
It´s like the flow has been broken. Especially if I had a particularly good flow before I left.

It could be work that gets affected, it could be training, it could be friendships and not so many years ago it could also have affected my relationship. Whether the travelling happens through work or for personal pleasure, it is a disruption.

When you are overworked, tired of the pouring rain and you just can´t wait for a break, then that disruption is more than welcome. It can really get your juices flowing for when you come back - full of creativity and life energy. But if you were already feeling quite great just before you left, it can take days, sometimes even weeks, before you get your mojo back.

My answer is not to stay at home. Travelling is a huge part of my every day life.

I try to deal with this confusion and break of the flow as fast as possible: Just do the things that you try to put on hold - the stuff that´s so easy to leave for tomorrow, because tomorrow might feel like a better day... No matter how boring and mundane these things might seem, they are the key to get you back on track.

That´s why today has been spent answering work emails, paying bills, booking work meetings, chasing people over the phone, cleaning my desk from old crap and other stuff that just seem to take ages... and tomorrow is another day... a day for getting my mojo back.

GLASSSIGT GlaGlasssssigt!

It has been a fantastic FULL ON Weekend!

Jo: 1. Started of with a GO GREEN event at Hagbadet: Experimental Pilates, Raw food, Spirulina, Eko red wine, all in a soothing flow with dear friends and colleges! Went from there to my soul brother's B-Party. The road to the apartment was covered in balloons, the bath tub filled with ice n beer, the fridge loaded with sparkling champagne, the kitchen layered with home made rhubarb, raspberry, apple, blueberry pies, the hall swam in chips from all corners of the world. There were camps battling in Sing Star, and wicked musicians ripping of everything from Håkan Hellström to Charlotte Perelli. I was standing in the middle of everything, smiling, loving my life, and shooting colorful serpentines at the people I love!


2. A Flea Market marathon running next to a Pilates Marathon! Is it possible to be in two places at the same time? YES IT IS! Kommersen in Gothenburg is… can’t really find the words for it so I’ll give u some situations:

a. It opens at 9am for us, the sellers. At 9.05 I got my table, and started to arrange some old DVD-players, VHS-players, stereos and a TV. At 9.09 there had been 9 diff MEN asking me if I had any watches to sell (what, did they actually expect the blond girl in the dress to open up her NIKE jacket and say: YEEAH, what do you want I got Rolex, Gucci, Breitling, what do you need : ), or perhaps cell phones?!

b. A woman comes along, grabs a T-Shirt, holds it in her hands for 20min, sucking in the smell of it, just to, for another 10min stick her head into it pretending to be invisible?!

c. People would rather buy a half used NIVEA facial cleanser then a DKNY top!

d. At the end of day 1 a woman wants to by a half-full/empty body lotion, she says: 10SEK! I answer: NO 5SEK! She says: NO 10SEK! I say: NO, 5SEK and that’s my last offer!!!


3. The Pilates Marathon at Hagabadet is beautiful, I teach a YogaLates class and my very dear friend Katy Appleton from London is one of my students. She is amazing! I am exhausted, we go for coffee and talks for hours n hours about Prana, Argentinean Tango, doing a retreat in Bali and Ibiza, gossiping about the yoga world, who has the bigger ego, what yogi hooked up with who, etc etc! After that I drag myself to my apartment, jump into bed and spend 4 hours on skype and youtube (Björn gustafsson, Grease, Flash dance, Saturday night fever, Staying Alive, Footloose, Monty Python Olympic, Eddie Izzard…and on and on).


4. A second day at the Flee Market and both Raz and I have overslept (no breakfast today either : ( ...). 2day is slower. We end up giving away all that is left to a STAMMIS at Kommersen, it feels good!


5. THE REWARD! I take my biatch out to the “MOST LIKELY NEVER TO FIND JO” place in town. I feel very outrageous when we order ribs, hamburger and 2 bottles of cider at Hard Rock Café! (First I tell the waitress that I want MEAT, loads of MEAT – she, not knowing me suggests the blabalSTEAK that weighs like half a kilo, hahhah, I go with the FAJITA, that is A LOT OF MEAT to me!). I love doing things that is so far from “you”, if you know what I mean. Take a walk on the wild side honey ; )





6. REWARD n2: ICE CREAM XXL – I can only refer to this amazing clip, watch it and multiply it with 13, then you have me, a Sunday afternoon, high on ICE CREAM! (Thanks soy!)

Chicago Style Yoga

Mo: Thank you Mango for sending me this link. See the bit with the "OM"-chanting - that´s more or less what happened in one of the classes that I went to last week... Enjoy. :)

My Precious

One down, one to go!

And THIS ONE will be my reward! YEESbamthankyoumam!!!

My teammate and me did a GREAT job at Kommersen today!!!

If you didn’t make it on Saturday, you’re in for some BIG competition on Sunday, the rumor is all over the place, there’s a new COUPLE in town … watch out

KOMMERSEN SÖN 4 MAJ 10-15

What a girl wants...

Mo: Some great things I brought back from the US:

Burberry shoes - fab colour with great gold detail on heel. Wanted the whole collection, but wasn´t sure I really needed a mac for just over 1.000 dollars....

Silver bracelets with cute charms in the shape of hearts and flowers from Guess . Couldn´t decide whether I needed silver or gold... so I got both.

One of my not so secret vices: Organic crunchy peanut butter from Wholefoods. As good on toast as in smoothies, or as it is on its own...

...and for the BBQ in the countryside this afternoon - 80s inspired dress from American Apparel worn with black fishnet stockings (unfortunately you cannot see them very well in the photo) and black peep toe patent leather platforms. Who said barbecues can´t be glamorous???

Questions to the Universe

Mo: Is it age-related-bad-memory-syndrome or am I just fantastically good at focusing on only one thing at a time, when I turn the cooker on - leaving the frying pan sitting on the highest temperature - and then when I sit in front of the computer dictating a really important work email - realize in a panic (15-20 minutes later) that my kitchen is almost on fire?


Is it sound thinking when I speed along the "Allén" at 90km/h (where the speed limit is 50km/h) and by chance have to slow down because some slow-driving-moron is blocking the way and I, because of this, just miss out on being caught for speeding and a) do not loose my driving license and b) do not get fined 5000SEK - and after this incident actually consider it 5000SEK earned - to be spent on shoes, a new dress and maybe a cute new bracelet?


Is it typically Mo, Swedish (or even European) to think it is a highly weird thing to see the following sticker on the sliding doors to a cinema complex (in, not surprisingly, the US):

As you may gather, I was not allowed inside.

Non-Verbal Communication

"Dance is also used to describe methods of non-verbal communication between humans"

Jo: I started dancing when I was 6 years old at Crazy Feet, a cool dance school in Lund. And I don't think I'll ever stop!

I am amazed by body language; I feel it so clear that it is MY WAY OF COMMUNICATING. I often fuck up when I try to express my feelings in words, and even misunderstand “the other”.

Hence… my day today has been… AMAZING cause I have been dancing in the rain with moves from Sabina Dahlfjälls Lyrical Dance chore in “So you think you can dance”, woooow. Pure Love, Passion, Anger, Disappointment, Frustration and Determination to Survive.

On the other side of the "inspiration coin" was this man; NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, a living proof that we all have the power and need to be true to ourselves!

Tell me, what song is your bootey shakin it to 2day?

...and the winner is:....

Mo: Arrived back home today. A bit tired but I´m trying to stay awake, so that I´ll be able to get my beauty sleep tonight... After 1 week in search of awesome yoga inspiration and some cool creativity in the big Apple, I finally found it - 1 day before returning home! First prize - without doubt - goes to

Kula Yoga

This is a well kept secret amongst New Yorkers and the studio is hidden between Church and Broadway in Tribeca, far away from the big (overrated) studios surrounding Union Square. I took a restorative class at Kula on day 2, and got intrigued by the class name: "Multi Intenso", on the schedule. A class so special it´s only the creator, David, who teaches it... the class outline promised hardcore, challenging work, both on and off the mat, and being a sucker for well written, hard selling, American class descriptions, who was I to say no?...
Boy, did I get my money´s worth?!

Before I get into describing David´s class further, I also want to give credit to Nikki.
I saw Nikki at Kula on the day of the restorative, since she was teaching a class at the same time. I loved the way she looked: healthy, strong, beautiful and athletic - and judging by the people streaming into her class, she seemed to be a very popular teacher. So... I planned my Tuesday in a way that I could start off with Nikkis class 14.15-15.45 and then continue with David´s Intenso 16.30-18.00.
Nikkis class was brilliant. A strong, very creative flow, with enough challenge to create a highly sweaty workout, yet sweet and non-intimidating. I loved Nikkis teaching style.
3 OMs in the beginning, some pranayama and then a head dive straight into it. Very nice and a HIGHLY recommended class.

Beautiful Nikki at Kula Yoga

I also heard very good things about studio director Schuyler´s ( a California born yogini) and Aarona´s classes, but unfortunately there was not enough time to sample their creative flow...

After Nikki´s 90min I was more than warmed up for David´s class. I must say I was fascinated by the people that started to drop in for Intenso. More tattoos than in LA ink! Also, quite a few guys - always a good sign if you want a hardcore workout. Well, I needed not to have worried. Let´s just say I got my fish fried (very Swedish expression...).

5 minutes into the class, we did our first handstand. Well, 15 of the 18 people in the room did.

I sort of watched out of the corner of my eye in complete AWE when a woman two rows in front of me slowly raised her body up from a forward bend to a 90degree angle and then - even slower continued up to a full handstand, just to hang out for awhile and then effortlessly drop down to chatturanga.

And so the 90 minutes continued. If it hadn´t been for David´s relaxed, very non-macho teaching style, it could have been intimidating and fear inducing, but because he was so laid back with a very open attitude, it became so much FUN and such a phenomenal CHALLENGE and very, very inspirational.

An absolute MUST for any flow searching yogi on a trip to New York.

Yes, Multi Intenso, indeed... thanks, David!

The runners up prize and special mentioning goes to Laughing Lotus. A cosy, colourful, warm studio with great flow classes. Both Nikki and David did their first training here.

I went to Bryn´s class and liked it a lot (I mean, what´s not to like about a teacher who turns the sacred chant Rade Govinda into a rap???? ...and you all know what I think about chanting in general...) not to mention Dana Flynn´s special home coming class last Friday. Sweet!


All in all a very intense week... New York is as awesome as it ever was. The weak dollar makes it a shopping paradise (or hell, depending from which angle you see it...). The yoga community is far behind L.A and the big studios in NY - well, I don´t know how they survive? I mean, you pay 15-20 dollars for a class and then you get directions for the changing room just to find either a cubicle with curtains (changing room??? ehh...in Europe that normally means at least a separate room with showers and lockers???), or the bathrooms are elsewhere to be found in the building, or the studio smells a bit funny, or...etc etc etc. Classes are far from packed, and during the day time there are rarely more than 9-12 people in a class.

The most upmarket place of all was Bikram Yoga Union Square - yes, where the famous fainting incident happened - small, but by NY standards luxiurious changing rooms (although the bathrooms were located in the corridor outside the actual studio).

As for the standard of the teachers... except from the ones mentioned above, mostly a huge disappointment considering yoga has been big in the US for at least 10 years. However, the ones who are good - they are brilliant and they shine.

Namaste for now...

Don't push the river, it flows by itself...

Kali "Black Mother Time"
The goddess who perpetually transforms life into a fascinating dance of death.

Jo: It is the 1st of MAY today, it is raining, I went to bed at 5:45 am, but it is OK, it’s a beautiful day, in many aspects and I would like to tell you the story of my favorite GODDESS:

KALI MA

Kali is one Universal Power which is beyond good and bad. She has a power that destroys and should be depicted in awe-inspiring terror. Kali is found in the cremation ground in the middle of dead bodies. She is standing in a challenging posture on the exhausted body of her husband Shiva. Kali cannot exist without him, and Shiva can't reveal himself without her. Kali is the manifestation of Shiva's power, energy.

Several famous myths tell just how uncontrollable Kali's energy is. Once, it was said, she dared to dance with Shiva, (the Lord of the Dance). They grew wilder and wilder, more competitive in their dancing, until it seemed the world would shake itself to pieces, and so it will, for beneath all appearances that dance continues.

Few understand Kali's spiritual significance. As a symbol of the worst we can imagine, as the most extreme picture of our fears, she offers us a chance to face down our own terror of extinction. But once faced and understood, Kali frees her worshipers of all fear and one is able to transcend the "pair of opposites" (good-bad, love-hate, etc).

• Kali is the color of the darkest night-a deep bluish black. As the limitless Void, Kali has swallowed up everything without a trace. Hence, she is black.
• Her luxuriant hair is messy and, thereby, symbolizes Kali's boundless freedom.
• Each hair is a jiva (individual soul), and all souls have their roots in Kali.
• She has three eyes; the third one stands for wisdom.
• She has four arms. The posture of her right arms promises fearlessness and boons while her left arms hold a bloody sword and a freshly severed human head.
• Looking at Kali's right, we see good, and looking at her left, we see bad.
• Kali is portrayed as naked, except for a girdle of human arms cut off at the elbow and a garland of fifty skulls. The arms represent the capacity for work, and Kali wears all work (action), potential work, and the results thereof around her waist.

Why Kali?

It is a FACT that one of the biggest problems in our western society is the false idea of a life without pain and misery. I don’t know, maybe it is deeply rooted in our Christian religion where GOD is ALL GOOD and the DEVIL is ALL BAD, they never unite, there is no apparent connection. This falsely promoted ideal life only creates more tension, more unhappiness, suppressed anger, pain and aversion. Cause when unwanted things happen we stand unable to cope with the situation, instead of dealing with it we run, or pretend like it never happened. By diverting the attention you only push the negativity deep into the unconscious, and there you continue to generate and multiply the same defilement. On the surface there is a layer of peace and harmony, but in the depths of the mind there is a sleeping volcano of suppressed negativity which sooner or later may erupt in a violent explosion.

There is no one in the world whose desires are always fulfilled, in whose life everything happens according to his or her wishes, without anything unwanted happening. Things constantly occur that are contrary to our desires and wishes. So the question arises: how can we stop reacting blindly when confronted with things that we don't like? How can we stop creating tension and remain peaceful and harmonious?

Escape is no solution; you have to face the problem, just observe it, face it. As soon as you start to observe, the situation/thought begins to lose its strength and slowly withers away.
Kali reminds me of this, of the duality and beauty of LIFE and helps me not to block out the unpleasant aspects of life.

GLAD FÖRSTA MAJ