Grateful Yogi: November Yogi Surprise Jewelry Box

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I've been remiss in posting my Yogi Surprise jewelry boxes the past few months. Last month's box was missing the bracelet, and it took about a month of back and forth emails before it was resolved. Turns out there was not an extra bracelet to send me, so they sent October's lifestyle box instead, so I'm happy :-)  I'm also happy with November's jewelry box, so let's take a look!

If you are not familiar with this subscription box, for $24.99 per month you will receive two pieces of jewelry and some type of organic treat.  The minimum guaranteed value of each box is $64.99, and the jewelry is handcrafted in Bali and is fair trade. November's jewelry are a matching Yew Wood and Fire Agate "Gratitude" bracelet and necklace.

The bracelet has a lovely tree of life charm, which is a symbol acknowledging the unification of humanity with the universe as a whole and is recognized in many faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hindu, and Baha'i.

The Yew tree is known as the tree of resurrection and eternity or the goddess tree, as it embodies the crone aspect of the triple Goddess.  It symbolizes perseverance in the face of adversity and is associated with the winter solstice. Yew wood is thought to protect against evil and heighten psychic abilities. All parts of the tree except for the fleshy berry are poisonous, and the leaves and bark contain small amounts of the cancer inhibiting Taxol. The trees can live to be 2000 years old, which is amazing!

I love the design of the necklace, which features a single string of alternating yew wood and fire agate beads hanging from an antiqued metal chain.  Fire agate is highly regarded as a strengthening and stabilizing influence, and has a lower vibrational frequency than other stones. Fire agate increases emotions and helps to reconnect you to your deepest desires and can help with breaking out of humdrum routines.  Hmmm, I need this, as I've been feeling rather stuck and in a rut lately. It has protective properties that build a shield around the body and return intended harm back to its source. Dang.

The chocolate bar is from Raaka and features apples, cinnamon and graham crackers.  Mine was melted as it sat in my mailbox all day when the temps were still hitting the mid-80's. I love the wrapper and general artisinal vibe of this brand, although paying $10 for a chocolate bar is outside the norm for me.

If you want to experience monthly seasonal micro-batch chocolate bars, Raaka is offering a subscription service called First Nibs, and info is in the card below.

I'm loving November's box! I wear bracelets from my Yogi Surprise boxes every day, usually two or three stacked together with my watch. The sneak peek of December's necklace has got me excited with it's clean lines and quartz crystal - very striking.

If you are interested in this subscription box, I've got a Referral Code I would appreciate you using, or you can go straight to Yogi Surprise to sign up. I've been happy with this subscription service and now that I've seen how their Customer Service resolves problems, feel like I can wholeheartedly recommend.

June Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription Box: Solstice Celebration

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

This year June 20th marks the summer solstice for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, which means the sun is at it's highest point in the sky, it's the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer.  The Yogi Surprise Jewelry subscription box ($24.99) is celebrating the event with a summer hued necklace and bracelet, plus a mint chocolate chip (kinda) cookie.

I've been quite happy with most of the jewelry from Yogi Surprise, but these two items have a few kinks (literally) that keep me from loving them. The Chakra Love Crystal Healing Talisman necklace ($22) features a vegan leather cord that wants to wrap around itself no matter how much I tried to straighten it out.

The stones could vary and I received a pink quartz crystal, which while pretty, does not look quite as striking as the stone featured in the sneak peek feature from last month's card. I decided to swap out the pink quartz crystal to another Yogi Surprise necklace, and I'm liking how this looks much more.

The bracelet ($28) features yellow jade with a silver metal "om" symbol, and I love the graduated warm colors. The round shape of the stones on the stretchy cord are not a good mix, however, as they do not lay flat on the wrist.

I've got small wrists and this fit snug, which coupled with the standing stones is a no go. Not wanting to waste the pretty, I decided to play jewelry doctor again, and came up with this necklace option using the vegan cord instead.

The chocolate snack for June is a Rawxies Chocolate Mint Heart Bar ($3). The texture was somewhat gummy, which kept me from fully appreciating the good for you ingredients.

Overall, not my favorite Yogi Surprise Jewelry box, although my makeshift jewelry tinkering kept it from being a wash out. July's sneak peek is a Sun Salutation cork bottle necklace featuring Pink Aventurine.  I'm going to reserve judgement until I see it in person, but I'm hoping the second item wins me over :-) Happy summer solstice!

Nourish & Regenerate: Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription for May

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

May's Yogi Surprise jewelry subscription box is focused on how we renew, nourish and regenerate ourselves:

The sandalwood, pearl, and amazonite mala necklace is gorgeous!  I love how the wood looks with the soft white and green beads and it definitely evokes spring for me. 

Sandalwood is a traditionally used wood for mala necklaces and is supposed to attract positive subtle vibrations, clear perceptions, promote tranquility and a positive frame of mind.  Sandalwood is also purported to be an antidepressant, antiseptic, insecticidal, and sedative wood and is therefore used to assist the immune system in the healing process and prevention of illness (source).  It also smells good :-) 

Pearls symbolize purity and stimulate the mind in clarity and wisdom.  Amazonite is thought to dispel worries, fears, anger, and irritation and also helps to balance mood swings. 

This month's bracelet features 6 labradorite beads paired with white jade.  Labradorite is known as a protector stone and is thought to bring natural intuitive abilities to light.  I'm a believer in intuition and have had occasional premonitory dreams since I was a child.  They are not usually anything of great significance, but I'm no longer surprised when I dream of someone I haven't seen or talked to in years and then run into them the next day or they shoot me an email.  White jade is supposed to block distractions and aid in decision making and protect you from negative energies.

I've been enjoying stacking my Yogi Surprise bracelets and love how this new addition looks in the mix. 

May's chocolate offering is from Lovely Candy Co. and is reminiscent of Tootsie Rolls but with more natural ingredients.  They taste great and do not stick to your teeth, so count me a fan.

Great month!  So now I should have plenty of protection, peace and tranquility all while making good decisions fueled by my sharpened intuition and laser-like perceptions.  Bring it on.

Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription Box: Connecting with Nature

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

April's Yogi Surprise jewelry subscription box celebrates the transitional season of rebirth and renewal, or what we typically call spring. I'm on the second week of my spring staycation, where I try to get my yard under control while also relaxing and enjoying that brief period of warm days, cool nights, and low humidity before Mobile's hot and humid summer commences.

The Brown Jasper and African turquoise meditation bracelet ($35) is gorgeous with it's mixture of earth tones. I'm not sure about that tassel, but I'll give it a go. Brown Jasper is known as a quintessential Earth stone and is deeply connected to the planet as "home", engendering security, protection, nurturing, and healing (source). It also cleanses the physical and emotional body of toxins and negative thought forms, which seems appropriate for the season of rebirth.  

African Turquoise is actually another form of jasper from Africa that is often dyed to resemble turquoise. It can help open you to new ideas and possibilities and make it easier to incorporate positive changes into your life.  I keep intending to create more calming and stress relieving practices into my life, but I can't say I've done it successfully or consistently yet. I'm going to keep trying, however.

April also saw the first earrings ($18) from Yogi Surprise, and these are some I can definitely see myself wearing. The metal is brass and the stones are red onyx and yellow jade. Together these are supposed to promote stability, strength, and growth towards positive change.

The chocolate offering this month is from Raaka and is a Pink Sea Salt dark chocolate bar ($8) sourced from the Dominican Republic and Bolivia. Chocolate is now being described much like wine, and this one has "sparkling citrus notes with warm hints of berry".

I'm not sure my palette is sophisticated enough to pick up these flavor nuances, but it is a good dark chocolate. I love salt combined with chocolate, so it's a winner for me.

Spiderwort: pretty until it gets out of control

I'll leave you with a few recent pics of nature from my jungle yard. There were a times this week when I was cursing the overgrowth and thorny vines that multiply faster than I can cut them, but I love having a large yard.

Not too happy about the snakes (I see a few each year, usually from a distance), but as long as they leave the dogs and me alone, I'm live and let live. I guess this is a time of rebirth for them as well.

Maggie enjoying the spring weather

March Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription Box: Creating Space

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

The theme of the March Yogi Jewelry Subscription Box ($24.99) was "creating space".  Let's ponder for a moment:

Yoga is all about space.  And according to Einstein, space is relative.  Our task then is to discover how we can create and control space instead of being controlled by space.  It’s a virtuous cycle, to let go of what’s unhealthy and to fill that space with what we most need.  Let these unique jewelry pieces serve as a reminder to cultivate our abundance space that exists within the mind, body and soul.

Letting go of what's unhealthy and filling that space with what I most need....hmmm....this may be my mantra for the next few months.  But for now, let's look at the box items, starting with the Pearl & Amazonite Buddha bracelet. I really like this, and fortunately I have small wrists so this actually fits nicely without feeling too tight.  Amazonite is associated with communication, and in particular speaking the truth while remaining calm and unemotional.  Kind of like the Buddha.

The Feather Rose Quartz Point Pendant necklace is a double-strand antique bronzed with the feather on the shorter strand and the rose quartz on the longer. My rose quartz is very light in tone, almost white, with striations that give it some texture. Quite a striking necklace. Rose quartz is associated with universal, unconditional love, while pearls are associated with purity and spiritual transformation.  Yogi Surprise suggests letting the piece "be a reminder to continuously create the space necessary for evolution to a higher plane".

This month's treat was the Buddha Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bar.  Think a much healthier Nestle's Crunch Bar made out of dark chocolate and crunchy quinoa. It was very, very good and I love the added protein factor from the quinoa.

I'm really enjoying my Yogi Surprise Jewelry subscription box thus far, and think this month's theme and items were spot on!

Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription for January: Intention Inspired

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

January marks my third month of receiving the jewelry subscription box from Yogi Surprise, and I'm really enjoying the pieces they have sent thus far. Each month with this subscription you will receive 2 handmade pieces of jewelry and 1 organic treat.  The jewelry is made in Bali from fair trade materials and the treat is usually some type of organic chocolate, which you'll never hear me complaining about.

In the short time I've subscribed I've received 3 necklaces and 3 bracelets, although I believe an anklet has been sent before.  January's offering are a silver-toned and amethyst necklace and a gold-toned and turquoise bracelet, each with a lotus flower dangling charm.

I mainly wear silver these days, so this delicate beaded amethyst and lotus flower necklace is a welcome addition to my collection.  It's a longer necklace and hits about where my bra ends. The necklace actually goes nicely with last month's bracelet, as it also had amethyst beads in it's woven design.  I didn't do a post on that box for some reason, but a picture of the bracelet is below the necklace.

This month's bracelet is a lovely turquoise with gold squares.  I love turquoise and wear it often, and while silver is my metal of choice, I'll just stack this one with my silver and turquoise bracelets for a nice mixed metal look.

The treat this month was a dark chocolate and peppermint/nutmeg bar ($5.99). The makers of this chocolate were volunteers in the Peace Corp in Madagascar and fell in love with the country/people, leading to the development of their brand Madécasse. You can read more about their history here. As for the chocolate bar? It was very good :-)

Yogi Surprise has two monthly subscription boxes, with the jewelry one priced at $24.99/month with free shipping.  So far, so good!