It’s pouring with rain, a rare sight in Dubai. I’ve taught my morning classes at Barakah and have cancelled all of my unnecessary plans in favour of making a coconut milk hot chocolate and sitting down to do some blogging. I also have my cat on my lap, he is clearly feeling the cold snap as this is rare for him. No complaints for having to type around him.

I thought I’d share an old-school style blog post (let’s face it, any form of blogging is “old-school” these days) on my current favourite things.

Desert Mornings

My 2022 yoga teaching got off to an amazing start with a sun rise session in the Al Faya desert. I’ve not visited the desert that much in the almost five years I’ve lived in Dubai (aside from a couple of desert safaris with visiting friends which just made me feel very carsick) and it’s amazingly beautiful, especially in the winter when it is cold in the mornings and feels like being on another plant. Yesterday I visited the Warsan desert for a photoshoot and – not wishing to sound like one of those internet people – something incredibly exciting happened and I can’t wait to share the photos soon!

Watching

Very, very OG readers will know that my blog started life as a beauty blog – over 12 years ago now. I’ve recently been watching Dr Samantha Ellis on YouTube and love her channel for it’s mix of medical dermatology, skincare, make-up and insights into her life as a doctor. I also appreciate that she is, ahem, a little closer to my age than the majority of YouTubers appear to be.

And just like that… I started watching And Just Like That and while I expected to hate it, I don’t. I’m not a big TV-watcher and I’m sure there are probably more relevant, educational and compelling shows out there but I like to keep my entertainment on the lighter side. While there are plenty of cringe-y moments, and a definite lack of Samantha Jones, I’ve actually found the show to be nostalgic and funny. Even when I watched the first seasons while at university, during the nascent years of this blog (I had the M&S Carrie and Charlotte dresses – think I still do somewhere), the series was already 10 years old so it’s funny to have grown up with something so ingrained into popular culture which has never really been for *my* generation.

Drinking

It’s cold outside and there is no central heating in Dubai homes. I’m properly enjoying hot drinks and have been making my own vegan hot chocolates. Super easy, even for a non-domestic goddesses: 2 tablespoons of organic cacao, 2 tablespoons of organic coconut sugar, mix with boiling water into a paste and top up with oat or coconut milk warned in the microwave. I prefer coconut milk but I find dairy-drinking friends prefer oat milk.

Yoga

I’m currently hosting my first yoga challenge on Instagram with Rumi, a sustainable and plant-based active wear brand. It’s not too late to join in, and I’ve also been given a code for anyone to use on their website if you want a new mat or activewear (I’ve been using Rumi mats for the last four years and love them). Enter LILLIAN10 at checkout for 10% off.

I’ve been listening to Yoga Land podcast for the last couple of years and I’m loving the new Yoga Teacher’s Companion. The audio or video sessions are short (around 15-20 minutes) and perfect for watching/listening to while I’m getting ready. I’d highly recommend these if you are interested in anatomy and how a better understanding of how different bodies work can improve your teaching. There’s an emphasis on letting students explore and work out what feels good for them, rather than telling them what to do and what should feel good.

Listening

I get through a lot of podcasts while driving and walking, and my recent favourite is Bad Women, an exploration of the lives of the women murdered by Jack the Ripper and how we have got their stories so wrong. It’s also an interesting social history of an area of London not too far from where I used to live, and a look into the extreme levels of poverty in London at the time.

Reading

I’m doing my restorative yoga teacher training in two weeks time (this course) and so i’ve been catching up on the pre-reading for my course. I honestly feel like this is so needed, both for my students but also for me!

My first book of 2022 was a re-read of one of my favourites, The Secret History. I still love it and couldn’t wait to read it each evening, despite knowing what happens (you can follow my 2022 reads on Goodreads here). It was great to re-read it after listening to Once Upon A Time At Bennington College at the end of last year and learning more about the author, and real settings and people who inspired the story.

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What have you been enjoying so far this month?