Grenada Soul Adventurer Favourites, Social Media Milestones and Giveaway

I recently hit the 1,500 followers mark on Instagram and wanted to pause and thank everyone who has been with me on this journey. Throughout the years my readership and engagement has grown. I have learned a whole lot on this Soul Adventure and I look forward to the future and sharing it with all of you.

Youtube creators and bloggers often  do monthly or current favorites and I have gained a lot of inspiration from them. Therefore in celebration of this milestone  I am doing my part and putting my 2 cents into the inter webs about things I have thoroughly enjoyed and continue to enjoy and would recommend without a second thought. I am also announcing two giveaways in this post- one international (which includes Grenada) and one exclusively for my Grenadian audience. Without further ado my favorites...

1. Book
    The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Ugh! If you follow me on instagram you know the love affair I have with books. Just check out my daily stories, chances are I have posted an excerpt that spoke to me that day. I am a lover of the kind of books that make your realize things about your existence here on earth that will forever change your perspective on life...I crave that wisdom and insight.

The first book that truly did this for me was "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. A lot of people credit this book as being life changing. It inspires bravery and self awareness like no other book I had read before it. It is the magical tale of a shepherd called Santiago who sells his sheep and travels in the pursuit of what Paulo Coelho called his "personal legend" after having repeated dreams of finding a treasure.

He travels from Adulecia, Spain through Morocco to Egypt in search of the pyramids learning how to read what Coehlo calls the "language of things" along the way.

"I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things."

Each experience Santiago has is the currency that helps him to advance each step of the way. I love this book so much that I have bought quite a few copies as gifts for close friends and family over the years, and, it was the first book I did an instagram giveaway for. Congrats Cemal from @cacstagram on winning the first ever Grenada Soul Adventurer giveaway.

2. Art
    Art by Asher Mains

If you have been reading this blog for a while you would I have noticed that I have dabbled in art writing. Like books art can function like a springboard into new ideas and ultimately into a new way of being. Great art has a way of awakening its audience by shining a light onto something overlooked, even when its existence is glaring.

I was first attracted to Asher's work because he painted portraits of Bob Marley. It is no secret (incase you have not noticed my blog's name is an homage to his song Soul Rebel) that I am a fan of the late Robert Nesta Marley. In fact, Asher graciously allowed me to interview him back in 2013 when GSA was just a newly hatched blogling on tumblr.

Since then he has made huge strides in his career as an artist including exhibiting in Grenada's official pavilion at La Biennale de Venezia (which is pretty big deal in the art world). His latest collection is an installation called Sea Lungs (read more about it here)- it addresses the issue of the region's dyeing reefs and how intimately our lives, as people living on islands, is connected to the health of the ocean.

You can find Asher's work at the Susan Mains Gallery in the Spiceland Mall.

Stay tuned to the end for a cheeky giveaway of one of his pieces.

3. Yoga Teachers
  Dawnelle Clyne and Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe

Yes I have favourite yoga teachers! Don't you? Yoga has been a part of my life since I was in my late teens. Back then I did not know it was yoga, I just knew that intentional stretching and breathing calmed me and helped me to deal with stressful situations. In fact my conscious yoga journey began in reaction to a quite stressful and intense period of my life: law school final year exams.

It was my friend Dawnelle (check out her NZ Adventures on IG) who was that first person I could vibe with about the practice. A lot of our bonding was over yoga, nature adventures, tea and hanging out at the beach. She was the person who spotted my first ever headstand and convinced me that I would not break my neck! Ahhh I miss you girl.

Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe has one of the most gentle and compassionate approached to teaching the practice. I always feel supported in honoring where I am at that day, and,  empowered to embrace my more energetic days. She has been my yoga guide throughout my pregnancy with N (we went to her MaterniTea Yoga series) and after when I was just getting back into the practice. Pregnancy changes a lot in your body, not just its appearance but also being able to access and communicate with your core muscles...but that is a whole other blog post.

4. My Tribe
    #SpiceBloggers

When I was told to find my tribe of support I had no idea it was already in the making! Being a blogger on a small island can feel lonely. We watch on our screens as the world of blogging evolves from a hobby into a sustainable business that actually employs people other than the blogger. That is AMAZING!  Once we formed our community, the Spice Bloggers, and started exchanging ideas, encouraging each other, inspiring each other and just being there for one another the magic began to brew. Being part of a community with similar interests reignited my burning passion for content creation. If you want to check out some other Grenadian bloggers check out my girl Istra's blog- Islepreneur.

5. Beach
    La Saggesse Bay in St. David

One of my favourite things to do on the weekend with Toddler N is go to the beach. When it comes to the ocean ( and most things really) this toddler has no fear! She runs towards the crashing waves as if they were a long lost friend. Glee filled eyes, a huge silly grin, squealing and making a host of other exciting noises accompany our time at the beach. She takes after her mom and grandmother in that regard. Beach equals Happy Place.

We have been loving La Saggesse Bay, a grey sand beach in St. David, with its wide and flat shore and shallow water. You can literally walk about 15 feet away from the shore line and still stand up. That means that even when the waves lick down (the term for throw down in the Caribbean) my overly zealous miniature beach bum I am not completely dyeing of fear on the inside (just partially).

I love that for the most part there are not that many people at this beach. A few groups, usually families with young children, are spread along the beach in small clusters. Although there is quite a lot of  beach it feels intimate. Does that make sense? I hope it does.

6. Hike
   Mt. Qua Qua, St. Andrew

In my post on Grenada for the Highly Sensitive Person I spoke about my rediscovery of the ever popular Mt. Qua Qua Hike. Paulo Coelho's The Valkeries explains the feeling I have when looking out at the vast lush verdant expanse best when his character Chris says:

"It seems as if...I don't know...I can't explain it....as if my soul has grown..my soul seems to have eyes that it uses to touch things [ the mountains, clouds, the sky]."

7. Creating and Entrepreneurship
    Whipped Cocoa Butter

I have already shared my whipped cocoa butter demonstration shenanigans for the Healthy Benefits of Chocolate Beauty Workshop during the Grenada Chocolate Fest. Since then I have made several batches to perfect my formula. Working with things that can melt is quite tricky when you are so close to the equator.  So much of my work is mental that it is truly grounding to work with my hands, my sense of smell and touch.

Entrepreneurship is not something that is second nature to me although I love the idea of it. I have to work on being a business woman. That being said, I get a high from selling second hand things online. Therefore as my first project of venturing into the world of business I have decided to sell my Whipped Cocoa Butter. Feel free to slide in my IG DMs or send me an e-mail gndadventurer@gmail.com to cop yourself the latest freshly whipped all natural, all Grenadian goodness.

!!GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

You know those Oprah shows when she gives away her favorites at Christmas. Big fan! Well, this is the second best thing to being on the receiving end of "You get one, you get one...everybody gets on!". I recently hit 1, 500 followers on IG and I want to celebrate by giving something special away.

I don't have that Oprah mulah *yet* so only one person can win. Well,  there are two separate giveaways...so really...two people can win.

One Original Cocoa Ink Bob Marley Portrait by Asher Mains 

The rules are simply as follows:

1. Comment on this blog post sharing one of your favorite things- it can be anything.
2. Follow @grenadasouladventurer on Intagram, like the giveaway image, comment "done" and tag two friends (on said image).

This giveaway closes on Thursday August 31st at midnight and the winner will be announced on Sunday September 3rd.

Even more exciting is that this giveaway in international

Also check out my instagram for the second cheeky local (Grenada) giveaway of one of the favourites mentioned here.

I hope you have enjoyed this type of blog post. Let me know if you enjoy this type of content and what you would love to hear about next.

Peace and Bliss,
Grenada Soul Adventurer