Viktorija Karakulko

Just me and my bun

Last year December I was stunned when I found out we'd be going through another lockdown in the Netherlands.

It wasn't the strict measures that left me remorseful. It was the fact that dance schools had to close down. 🩰

One activity that gave me so much joy and fulfilment. Through dance I felt connected to the teachers, dancers, and myself. I was left in despair when I knew I won't be able to relieve stress, connect to people, and myself through movement and music anymore...

I was heartbroken. 💔

While I knew there was no going back, I decided to find another activity to replace dancing. So I've started running. 💨

Now that I'm on vacation, I try to run in nature as much as possible. While it's not the same as dancing, running still gets me high!

Never give up when the world seems gloomy and be open to trying new things ❤️

I must confess, I love nature! I love how it looks, how chaotic yet organized it is, and most importantly, how it makes me feel! Since I've declared myself YOUR internet advocate for a healthy lifestyle, I've decided to go on a little research to discover if there are any health benefits at all for YOU to be in nature. Is nature good for you? Are there any health benefits being in nature, and does it have an impact on your mental health? Watch the video if you'd like to find out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkN_wUtspJY

Does nature impact your mental health and well being? Does nature impact your health and well being? I always feel less stressed and less anxious whenever I escape the city. After my last trip in nature, I kept ...

There's always something about Sundays that I find myself pondering - life and my place in it. Maybe it's the fact that Sundays emphasize the end of the week. Then I feel the pressure to perform next week. It's very strange how we structure our lives because nobody else on this planet cares whether it's Tuesday or Friday. Life goes on. Yet I always find myself in the same spot as another Sunday rolls in. And something tells me it's a perfect time for self-reflection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAC1mYpV4hM

Enhance self-awareness and change your life If you are wondering how to enhance your self-awareness and eventually change your life, this video is for you! Here I elaborate on how I managed to increase...

Everybody knows that reading books is good for you. Yet very few people make it into a habit. And that was me too. I used to read 1 or 2 books a year... So back in December I've decided to start a new habit and made a 2021 resolution 'Read 1 book a month'.

Did you know that reading can improve your sleep, reduce stress, reduce the chances of Alzheimer's disease, and even help manage depression symptoms?

Moreover the experience of reading a book can help you see the world through the eyes of someone else and help you understand that you are not alone... I think it's one of the reasons why this new habit helped me stay sane up till today.

In this video I'm sharing my experience and a 5 step plan that helped me read more books in 2021! Are you up for this challenge too? Let me know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssEtgfqyKkM

How to read a book and finish it in 1 month I am sharing a 5 step plan on how to read a book and finish it in 1 month. I started this habit back in October 2020 and managed to stick to it up till today...

When it comes to health, mindset is a big one! Especially in the western society in the last decades it felt as if body and mind were separate entities. During my time in the university, the emphasis was always drawn to the bones, muscles, and joints... After having gained experience by working with people at the clinic, I've noticed that the most challenging part of being a physical therapist was the ability to change people's minds. We all sometimes get wrapped up in our vicious circles and negative thinking patterns but you have to understand that life doesn't have to be like that! I've read You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero back in January and it acted as a confidence boost, motivation kick, and overall it bended my reality! Even though life didn't get much easier but it sure changed the way I think about life and, most importantly, myself. In this video I'm sharing 3 lessons learned from You Are a Badass. Watch it with me tonight at 6pm Amsterdam time ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byf0W1xZsd4

3 life-changing lessons from You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero (review) In this video I share 3 life-changing lessons from You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I've finished the book back in January and ever since then I find myself ...

As a sequence to the last video, here's a 15 minute yoga flow to relieve stress and anxiety. Get into something comfy and give your body well-deserved exercise after a long day at work.

Have a beautiful evening (or day)!

15 minute yoga flow to relieve stress and anxiety This is a 15 minute yoga flow to relieve stress and anxiety. Carefully selected poses will help you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system - your natu...

Finally new video is out! And let me tell you, it wasn't sexy... I had to learn video editing (just me, myself, and YouTube) and, ironically, I got stressed and anxious because I didn't meet my unrelenting standards. My goal was (and still is) to post one video a week but I didn't know it was going to be so hard! I've never edited videos and I've never felt comfortable in front of a camera. On top of that, creating, scripting, filming, and editing must have taken me around 30 hours to produce one video... But I'm really proud of myself not giving up, pushing through the discomfort, and being okay with the final product (even though it's far from perfect).

I hope to get better as I create more content and I really hope you find value in it too!

P.S. Every time I got stressed with filming and editing, I took my own advice and applied tip number 8... Can you already guess what it is?

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS AND ANXIETY: 8 tips that improved my mental health in 2021 (Backed by Science) Wanting to know how to manage stress and anxiety? Today I am going to share with you 8 tips that will help you improve your mental health. I've included some...

New Video is out!
A 10 minute guided breath meditation that I love starting my mornings with. A mindfulness practice helps me calm my mind and increase my focus. Mindfulness - a state of awareness which can be achieved through meditation. It's one of the topics that I am very passionate about because research has shown many positive benefits:
1. Reduced rumination;
2. Stress reduction;
3. Improved working memory;
4. Increases focus through suppressed distracting information;
5. Decreased emotional reactivity;
6. Increased cognitive flexibility (becoming more adaptive to stressful responses and negative situations);
7. Improved relationship satisfaction;
8. Improved immune functioning (American Psychological Association, 2012).

As John Heywood said 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. As you build up a new habit, new connections in your brain will be formed and step by step you will see your life change for the better.

So what are you waiting for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_SG-1tfD7w

10 MINUTE GUIDED BREATH MEDITATION: calm your mind and increase your focus Follow this 10 minute breath meditation to calm your mind and increase your focus. I love starting my mornings with a short meditation because it reduces str...

7 January, 2021

Funky Yogi Chronicles

Today I gave an impromptu yoga class to my sister, Rita. In fact I have been secretly hoping to give somebody a yoga class (especially now that we’re under the 2nd lockdown), but thinking of exposing myself like that brought up old insecurities and gave me a nagging sense of dread. When my sister asked me if I wanted to give her a yoga session, I didn't want to push against her. I’ve decided to let the Cosmic Energy take me to the unknown (evil laugh).

I must confess, I haven’t given a proper yoga class for 2 years! In 2020 I’ve only participated in yoga classes a few times... Even though I did prescribe basic yoga poses to my patients at the clinic, I was totally out of the sacred yoga groove and had no idea where this experiment was taking me.

As we start in a crossed-leg position, my thoughts start racing: ‘Okay, Viktorija, you’ve got this, suppress your whiny ego and stay grounded. Grounded? How do I do that?’ My heart is beating faster and I am freaking out. What do I do? ‘Alright, relax your heart rate. Bring the breath to where it’s needed’. That’s a marvellous idea! 'Okay, we will start with a breath meditation. Let’s breath in through our nose and breath out through our nose'. What a silly thing to say! This should be common sense, yet, it is a crucial cue. I think of all those busy moments in the last week: moments when I wasn’t aware of my breath, my chest moving, my ribs expanding, my belly lifting, and the simple act of presence. ‘Oh Mighty Universe, I’m so grateful for my breath!’.

This was the moment when I’ve started saying out loud what I was feeling in my body during this little breathing trip.

Even though the trip did not end up being a mind-bending psychedelic type, bringing awareness to my breath gave me power: confidence. From that moment on when a little voice in my head went ‘Bring the breath to where it’s needed’, the breath directly inflated my self-esteem.

All in all, we devoted the practice to one personal thing that we were grateful for. We went through an entire plethora of warming up poses, sun salutation, inversions, and twists.

Regardless of what poses we did and how we did them, I was utterly grateful for this unexpected yoga class which reminded me of something vital: never underestimate the power of breath.

Currently I am working on a new video that will guide You through a short breath meditation to increase your productivity and confidence. So stay tuned!

Hello You! How did you like my 8 minute morning stretching routine? Did you feel energized? Motivated to start your day? More flexible? Or maybe you couldn't bear listening to my voice and left the video within 5 seconds... No hard feelings! It was my first video and let's be honest, it was quite unsatisfactory... But it's a start! And I feel inspired to make more content to help you lead your most fulfilling and healthy life.

In case you haven't noticed, I am a hardcore introverted perfectionist that takes criticism way too seriously. And you know what hardcore introverted perfectionists do NOT do? Start a YouTube channel. And that's exactly why I've decided to start a YouTube channel. Hence, exposure therapy: get myself out of my comfort zone and tackle my perfectionism issues. It's uncomfortable to put yourself out there, it's uncomfortable to talk to a camera, and it's uncomfortable knowing that people will be watching you. With that being said, I'd like you to help me get better at this so I can make more inspiring content that will inspire YOU. Please let me know in the comments what should be the next video: guided meditation, runner's cooldown, running for beginners, or more mobility exercises? Your feedback is very much appreciated. Please SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel: Viktorija Karakulko, if you don't want to miss updates on the video's.

Love,

Viktorija

P.S. You may have heard the saying 'Sitting is the new smoking'. So why are you still sitting? Get into something comfy and let's get moving!

This is my 8 minute morning stretching routine that gets me out of the bed! The yoga poses and mobility exercises in the routine help lubricate your joints and increase your flexibility. Get into something comfortable and let's get moving!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaDnMsMCvpM

8 Minute Morning Stretching Routine This is my 8 minute morning stretching routine that gets me out of the bed! The yoga poses and mobility exercises in the routine help lubricate your joints a...