The Top 10 Must See Tourist Attractions in Paris

As the capital of France and romance, Paris pampers visitors with a distinctive atmosphere that makes tourists return to the city time and time again. The best time to visit Paris is May-early June and September-October. Here are the top 10 must see attractions for tourists visiting Paris.

1. The Eiffel Tower

The most famous attraction in Paris is, of course, the Eiffel Tower. The best way to get to the Eiffel Tower is to take the metro to Trocadéro station and walk through the park of the same name towards the tower. The view is stunning.

2. Louvre Museum

The most famous museum of the many in Paris is, of course, the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and many other treasures, and it is so popular that a ticket is definitely worth buying in advance.

Another almost obligatory museum site is the Musée d’Orsay, a true place of French art who is each. Here is a stunning, breathtaking collection of works by all the most significant artists of its time, from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. Especially stunning is the collection of Impressionist works.

3. Arch De Triomphe

The world’s most famous victory sign can be found in Paris, at the end of the world’s most famous parade street, the Avenue des Champs Élysées, in the middle of a busy roundabout.

4. Notre Dame Cathedral

The most famous of the churches in Paris is Notre-Dame , which was revived by Victor Hugo’s story of Notre Dame’s humpbacked bell ringer. In April 2019, Notre-Dame suffered badly from a devastating fire and the church will be closed for years due to renovations.

5. Hôtel des Invalides

Built as a military hospital, the Hôtel des Invalides is one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris. Admire the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte under the gilded dome of the magnificent l’Eglise du Dôme.

6. Pantheon

Built as a church in the late 18th century, the Panthéon did not serve in its original use for more than a few years until it was transformed into a graveyard for French tokens in the mention of the revolution.

7. Sacre Coeur

The most spectacular church in Paris from the outside is the whitewashed and domed Sacré-Coeur on Montmartre. The church, completed in 1919, is visible all over the city. The stairs leading to the church are a popular - and almost obligatory - hanging place.

8. Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge Paris (“Red Windmill” in French) is the world’s most famous cabaret, founded by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler in 1889 in the Pigalle district.

9. Champs-Élysées

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 70 metres (230 ft) wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. It is known for its theatres, cafés and luxury shops, as the finish of the Tour de France cycling race, as well as for its annual Bastille Day military parade. 

10. Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century.

10 Easy Yoga Poses for Beginners

Learn 10 easy yoga poses for beginners with pictures and their names in sanskrit. These asanas are well-suited for beginners and can be found in all types of yoga.

1. Easy Pose (Sukhasna)

2. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

3. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)



4. Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukho Svanasana)

 


5. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)



6. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)

 


7. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

8. Bridge Pose (Setubandhasana)



9. Child’s Pose (Balasna)



10. Corpse Pose (Savasana)



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Basic Yoga Terms - An Introduction to Yoga

Yoga is an old spiritual and physical discipline which originated in India. Yoga helps to improve your health and happiness through the practice of exercise and meditation. In yoga, one moves from one posture, asana, to another. This article provides you some of the most basic yoga terms to help you begin your yoga journey. 

Different Types of Yoga 

Hatha yoga

In the West, hatha yoga simply refers to all the other styles of yoga. Hatha yoga classes are best for beginners since they are usually paced slower than other yoga styles. Hatha classes today are a classic approach to breathing and exercises. 

Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga yoga involves a very physically demanding sequence of postures, so this style of yoga is definitely not for the beginner. It takes an experienced yogi to really love it. Ashtanga starts with five sun salutation A's and five sun salutation B's and then moves into a series of standing and floor postures.

Vinyasa yoga

The most athletic yoga style. Vinyasa was adapted from ashtanga yoga. 

Iyengar yoga

Founded by B.K.S. Iyengar and focuses on alignment as well as detailed and precise movements. In an Iyengar class, students perform a variety of postures while controlling the breath. 

Kundalini yoga

Equal parts spiritual and physical. This style is all about releasing the kundalini energy in your body said to be trapped, or coiled, in the lower spine. 

Yin yoga

Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with seated postures that are held for longer periods of time. Yin can also be a meditative yoga practice that helps you find inner peace. 

Restorative yoga

This style focuses on body relaxation. Restorative yoga also helps to cleanse and free your mind. Prenatal yoga. Yoga tailored for pregnant women. There are many more types of yoga, but these are the most common ones. 

The Basic Yoga Terms Explained 

- Asana. An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose, and later extended in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of pose or position, adding reclining, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing poses. 

- Pranayama. Meditation, or the practice of breath regulation. 

- Chakra. Derives from the Sanskrit word cakra, which refers to the areas of energetic clusters or an accumulation point of those energies in the subtle body. Chakras live within the theory or belief that there is a more subtle plane of the body where energy lies and within that, exists the chakras. 

- Mantra. A mantra is any word, phrase, or sound that helps to keep your mind focused. 

- Om. It represents the union of mind, body, and spirit that is at the heart of yoga. 

- Namaste. Is used as a greeting in India and South-East Asia and means “greetings to you” in its simplest interpretation. 

- Drishti. The yogic practice of focussed gaze, used as a means of developing concentration. It can help to enhance focus during asana, pranayama or meditation, and aids in the withdrawal of the senses for a heightened sense of self-awareness. 

- Bandha. A lock or bind in yoga, which is performed in order to direct and regulate the flow of prana (life force energy) to certain parts of the body. Practicing bandha involves concentrated muscular contractions. Performing these locks can aid the practitioner in improving their focus and supporting physical health.

- Mudra. Hand gestures. The term mudra is used to denote a “gesture” , “mark” or “seal.” When we practice these symbolic gestures with our hands and fingers, it is known as yoga mudra. 

- Savasana. A practice of gradually relaxing one body part at a time, one muscle at a time, and one thought at a time.

Sources: yogajournal.com, mindbodygreen.com

How to Style Your Home Like A Hotel

A step by step guide into how to style your home like a hotel. In just five easy steps you can have a home that has that 5-star luxury hotel feel. Read more to find out the steps. 

Declutter First 

Start by decluttering all the unnecessary items in your home. This so that the next step will be easier. Think whether you really need and use the items that you have around you, and decide whether they should go to a new home or be recycled. You can use the konmari method or other decluttering tips as your guidance. Hotel rooms never have any unnecessary clutter lying around, so this is very important. 

Clean everything

Yes, everything! In order for your home to have that luxurious, 5-star hotel feel, everything should be spotless and fresh. First dust off all the surfaces. Then vacuum and wash the floors. Clean your furniture and wash all textiles, including curtains. Then clean all the mirrors, windows and corners with the appropriate tools and cleansers. This will take some time, but it is worth it, and you don’t have to do this kind of big cleaning routine for a while. Lastly, open the windows and let the breeze freshen your space. And take a hard earned break before the next step. 

Add Matching Textiles

Now it is time to look at textiles. It is not very ecological to replace all your textiles at once and on a whim, but if possible, find some white linen sheets and matching towels as textiles. Be mindful when you get these items, as you want them to stand the test of time. Light and soft colors are generally the best idea if you are going for a classy look, but if you really love bright colours and are not into light coloured decor, that’s fine. The important thing is that all your textiles should match with each other, and that there are no busy patterns in them. So replace those unmatching towels with ones that are the same size and colour with each other, and you’re good to go. Be sure to recycle or give away your old ones to those in need. Animals shelters, for example, are a good place to give away used towels and sheets 

Decorate Your Home Like A Hotel 

Add small ornamental pieces here and there, such as flower pots, fresh flowers, vases and paintings. Not too many, though, because the secret to hotel decor is that less is always more. Another tip is to add a subtle room fragrance in your space. You can use diffusers, candles, fresh cut plants and flowers, or incense, which can change the overall feeling of the room. You can also replace your soap and shampoo bottles with matching dispensers that can be refilled. 

Enjoy Your New Home Like A Hotel 

After all that hard work you can take a bath, pamper yourself with a cup tea, your favourite book or magazine, and enjoy your clean luxurious surroundings!

The Konmari Method in a Nutshell – Rules and Categories

The Konmari Method is an organization method developed by Japanese author Marie Kondo, where you declutter items that do not spark joy in you, and finally start leading the lifestyle that you truly want to lead. Here is a short Konmari checklist for you. 

The 6 Rules of Tidying by Marie Kondo

- Commit Yourself to Tidying Up 

- Imagine Your Ideal Lifestyle 

- Finish Discarding First 

- Tidy by Category, not by Location 

- Follow the Right Order 

- Ask Yourself if it Sparks Joy 

The Konmari Categories for Items

- Clothes

- Books 

- Papers 

- Komono (mischellanious items) 

- Sentimental items 

More Detailed Guidance 

Go through items in this exact order, and go through them by category, not by room or area. This makes it easier to see how many items you have in each category, which helps decision-making. The next step is to ask yourself on each item whether it sparks joy or not. If yes, keep it! If not, give the item away, and be thankful in your mind for having owned the item regardless. 

With items such as papers and books Marie Kondo is actually quite strict. She recommends that you throw away most of your old papers as they would be useless by now. This is most likely true, as you probably won’t need those old school papers years after graduation, but whatever you decide to keep, organize them in a folder so that it will be easy to find what you need. 

Komono refers to all other mischellaneous items that do not belong to any other category, such as electronics and appliances. Sentimental items refers to items that have special emotional value to you. Marie Kondo encourages you to think whether you need the actual item in order to cherish a lovely memory. 

How to Store Items 

A special feature of Konmari is how to store the items you have decided to keep. Items are to be stored in a way that you can easily see everything that you own, and every item has its own place. For this she recommends using boxes and baskets where you can store everything. She also recommends that you fold your clothes upwards in a drawer, and not in a pile, as it will be easier to pick them up and to see every piece clothing you own. 

The process takes some time, and can be hard emotionally as it makes you actually think closely about what items to keep and what kind of lifestyle to lead, but is worth it. The key to the Konmari Method is to remember that you only keep items that bring you joy. So give away those old clothes that do not fit you anymore, or items that always bring your mood down. Read more about how to decorate your home.

Sources: konmari.com 

Why Exercise is Good for You – Top 10 Benefits

Exercise is said to be good for both your mind and body. But why exactly? Read more to find out the top 10 benefits of physical activity and why exercise can have a life-changing effect on your mental and physical health. 

The Top 10 Benefits of Physical Activity 

- Improved memory and brain function 

- Lowers blood pressure and improves your heart health 

- Helps manage your blood sugar and insulin levels 

- Aids in weight management 

- Improves quality of sleep

- Reduces feelings of anxiety and depression 

- Combats cancer-related fatigues

- Strengthens your bones and muscles 

- Improves your sexual health

- Increases your chances of living longer 

It is medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have improved memory and brain function. Exercise is also a good protection against many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and some cancers. It lowers your blood pressure and improves your heart health, it betters your quality of sleep, and it helps reduce joint pain and stiffness. 

Exercise is also a good medicine against anxiety and depression, which is why it said to be good for both your body and mind. The reason why exercise does all these things is that exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body, which lowers your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack.

Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Exercise also helps your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels, which can cut down your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. During exercise, your body also releases chemicals that can improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. This can help you deal with stress and reduce your risk of depression. 

Exercise also stimulates your body to release proteins and other chemicals that improve the structure and function of your brain. All these things combines increase your chances of living a longer, happier life.

How to Make Exercise a Regular Routine? 

Now this is the hard part. As modern people we can lead quite a sedentary lifestyle, which is understandable since we do not often get enough exercise naturally during our daily lives. However, even 20 minutes of exercise a day can have you achieve the benefits of physical activity. That is 150 minutes of exercise during a week. This can be achieved by even the busiest of people if you make these adjustments to your life: 

Tips for Staying Motivated 

- Add activities to your everyday life 

- Take the stairs and walk or cycle whenever you can. 

- Park your car further away from your destination, or get out of the bus at an earlier bus stop. This gives you more steps in your day. 

- Keep track of your progress 

Keeping a log of your activity or using a fitness tracker may help you set goals and stay motivated. Fitness trackers track your steps and tell you how much you have exercised during the day. A good amount of steps during a day is 7500 – 10 000 steps a day. That is around 5 km / 3.1miles – 7 km / 4.3 miles of walking per day. 

- Be social while working out

Join a gym or a yoga class, online or near you, or work out with someone you know. The social aspect can make exercising more enjoyable to you, and you will also be more committed to your exercise time. 

- Make exercise more fun 

Other way to make exercise more fun is to listen to your favourite music or watch TV while you exercise. Switch exercise activities if you start to get bored. Do yoga for one day, go to the gym the next day, and so on. Find activities for when the weather is bad This is important, since running and walking is a lot easier and more motivating on a sunny day than on a rainy day, but when it’s raining you can do something else!

Sources: nhs.uk, medlineplus.gov

The Sacred Lotus Flower – Facts and Symbolic Meaning

Find out the facts and symbolic meanings behind the sacred lotus flower. The colours of this beautiful flower have different symbolic meanings in different cultures. What type of Plant is the Sacred Lotus Flower? 

The lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera), also known as the Indian lotus or the sacred lotus flower, is an aquatic plant in the lotus-lily family. The lotus is often called a water lily, even though there are some differences. Water lily flowers and leaves are actually thicker and waxier, while the leaves of the lotus are thin and papery. However, these terms are often used interchangeably. 

Where Does it Grow? 

This beautiful flower is adapted to grow in the flood plains of slow-moving rivers and delta areas, and is found in tropical and subtropical Asia. The lotus flower can be observed to retract into the water at night, and to emerge from a pond over a three day period and then blooms in the morning until mid-afternoon. This has inspired Buddhism and Hinduism to attach the symbolic meaning of rebirth to the lotus flower.

The seeds of the lotus flower are able to remain viable even for thousands of years, which is why it is also often a symbol of longevity in many cultures. The lotus flower can be found natively all the way in central and northern India through northern Indochina and East Asia. 

Today the species also occurs in southern India, Sri Lanka, virtually all of Southeast Asia, New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia. It has a very long history of being cultivated for its edible seeds, and is commonly cultivated in water gardens. 

The Different Types of Lotus Flower 

In addition to the sacred lotus, there is also the yellow lotus (Nelumbo lutea), which is found in North America, the white Egyptian lotus (Nymphaea lotus), the star lotus (Nymphaea stellate), and the blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea). 

There are actually three main plant species that are referred to as the blue lotus: Nymphaea caerulea, Nymphaea nouchali, and Nelumbo nucifera, of which the first one is actually a water lily, but it is symbolically thought to be a lotus. The blue lotus has hallucinogenic and psychedelic qualities, and is used as a sleep aid and anxiety reliever. However, currently the blue lotus flower is not approved for human consumption in most Western countries. 

The Lotus Flower The Symbolic Meaning of the Lotus Flower 

Different types of lotus flower are believed in many religions to have specific symbolic meanings. The Chinese, for example, regard the plant as a symbol of longevity. It is also the national flower of India and Vietnam. Nelumbo nucifera is the species of lotus sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. The blue lotus Flower was sacred in ancient Egyptian culture, and historians believe it was used as a traditional medicine to treat disorders like anxiety and insomnia. 

In Buddhism the different colors of the lotus are associated with different stages of the spiritual journey. For example, the Blue Lotus symbolizes someone who has started their spiritual journey by leaving the concept of ‘self’ behind. The Pink Lotus is reserved for enlightenment is associated with the highest deity, the Buddha. 

The Lotus flower is also mentioned in the Greek Myth of Odyssey, and Herodotus, the Greek historian from Ionia, claimed that there existed a tribe of lotus eaters. Eating lotus flowers was believed to slow down the aging process. 

In Yoga, the Sacred Lotus Flower represents the expansion of the soul and spiritual awakening. Colour Meanings of the Sacred Lotus Flower Pink Lotus. Buddhism associates it with purity, spiritual awakening and faithfulness. Hinduism associates it with rebirth. 

The Chinese associate the lotus with love and beauty. White Lotus. In Buddhism the white lotus is associated with the state of becoming awakened. In Hinduism it is associated with beauty and the state of non-attachment. Blue Lotus. The Buddhists associate it with spiritual freedom. 

The ancient Egyptians associated the blue lotus flower with rebirth and the Sun. Red Lotus. Symbolizes love and compassion in Buddhism. Yellow Lotus. This flower carries no spiritual meaning, though it was used as a food source by Native Americans. 

Sources: wikipedia.org, lotusflowermeaning.net