The Refresh - 2024 Sadhana

The process of healing, growing, learning, and unlearning the conditions that separate us from our truest expression, is a bit like witnessing my pupper Lola during tubby time. She loathes the water but loves being clean. Her sad, wet eyes and heavy demeanor requires all the slow, tender touches, soothing energies, songs, and support to hold her through the process. After a few seconds of being out of the water and receiving her favourite “rub dubs” (massaging her with the towel to dry off while singing to her), she’s ecstatic and wild with joy! Her smile expands from ear to ear, her eyes light up, and she becomes super charged with joy, playfulness, and the zoomies!

As I witness her process, the reflection reminds me of my own healing process and the process I’ve witnessed in others. Making the conscious decision to commit to the actions of healing, whether physically, energetically, emotionally, mentally, or Spiritually, is the most challenging and nuanced experience of the human condition. Many Elders, Philosophers, Yogi’s, Wisdom Traditions, etc. can attest to this. It’s easier to stay attached to what we know, even if it doesn’t serve us, than to heal the wounds, expand perspectives, and alchemize the challenges into love.

What I’ve learned, and continue to learn in different layers, from PLY teachers, mentors, deep diving into brain and nervous system stuff (neural biology), and acoustic sciences (frequency/sound), is the vast majority of the reasons why we unconsciously choose to stay in the mud, is because our brain is patterned to do so and doesn’t want to change. It takes up a lot of Qi to heal, adapt, and integrate new patterns (think of rehabbing from surgery or a major injury). So if you’ve found yourself in the New Year’s resolution cycle (check out our other blog here that talks about the Resolution Falloff Schedule), here’s your permission slip to ditch the shame, fill up your cup with grace, and start fresh with the rising of each sun.

As we explored the approach to our inaugural Sadhana, what settled the deepest was the desire for a refresh. A new perspective to balance, so we may feel more ease, play, spaciousness, connectedness, joy, and radiance in creating habits that support our humanness. Even though the brain benefits tremendously from an all in, immersive approach to new habit forming actions (like immersing ourselves to learn a new language), we also have our nervous system to consider. Most, if not all, humans have experienced some very large nervous system reflections over the past few years and it’s exposed where we have adequate coping tools or holes in our life raft.

So, how do we deal with our immersion loving brain and sensitive nervous systems? Here are some suggestions to support you in creating new patterns in a sustainable way.

Step 1: Let’s get the dopamine flowin’

Dopamine is the hormone responsible for the feelings of motivation, drive, play, pleasure, satisfaction, excitement, etc. High levels of dopamine in the brain are also responsible for solidifying new patterns with more ease.

How do we do this? Set an intention/goal that is achievable and CELEBRATE yourself as you pass GO. Then stack your next achievable intention/goal and celebrate again. Celebrating yourself is key. This sparks the secretion of dopamine.

Step 2: Prioritize your resting state

Set intentions/goals that align with how you want to feel in your heart and energetic field. This typically translates into starting slow, choosing experiences that spark your curiosity and help you feel grounded and present, while being surrounded with a community of humans we feel connected to, accountable to, and supported by. This creates patterns of trust with our nervous system. Coming hOMe to ourselves, and feeling a sense of belonging with others, is key to leaning into our bravery when committing to something new.

Step 3: Be flexible and kind – it’s a mindset

Life happens. Balls will drop. Mistakes will be made. Try again. This is part of growing, healing, and experiencing joy and peace. When the sun sets, we are offered a chance to release, relax, and let go. When the sun rises each day, we are offered a new opportunity to start again.

Step 4: Hard things are made easier when shared with family/soul family

Whether you have a readily available accountability buddy, or are in a space where you’re refreshing your circle of hOMies, feeling connected to a community is a vitamin in and of itself. It’s often easier to celebrate and show compassion and grace to others over ourselves. If you find yourself in need of a friend, we can help you meet some pretty rad humans to support your journey.

This year we are aligning between the calendar New Year and Lunar New Year to settle into our personal Sadhana on February 1st. If your intentions and goals align with the practice of yoga, mindful movement, and connecting in friendship, we look forward to meeting you on the mat in the coming days. Let’s rise and thrive soul fam! 

With so much love, see you on the mat!

Xoxo - Bren

Intention Candle Practice

Hi friends!

Let’s begin with a question. How did you end up here reading this post? I want you to really think on this question for a moment and see what comes to mind. Perhaps your answer is that you got a link in an email or that you found this on social media. Now those answer are well and true, but I hazard a guess there is a deeper layer to the story.

What was it exactly that led you here in the first place? Did you have a goal to strengthen or open your body? Did you desire tools to support your mental health and wellbeing? Were you craving deeper connection to yourself and your life? What little things deep deep down led you to this experience? Why are you actually here?

Regardless of your answer, that fact is that you had a goal or desire, whether you consciously knew it or not, that led you take action and in the grand scheme of things you ended up here reading this blog post. Simply put, your thoughts created your reality.

Now let’s get real for a moment… my thoughts sure as heck aren’t always creating a reality I enjoy. I have spent my fair share of time in anxiety, depression, inaction, and autopilot because I was allowing my thoughts to control me. It is an ongoing struggle. But the good news is I have equipped myself with a variety of tools and amazing people to support me and my mental health. And that is ultimately what brought me to write this.

The practice below is from The Moon Deck Oracle Cards. I have been loving it and thought you might too. It has been a fun and new way for me to clarify my desires and intentions. It has helped me become and stay aware of my emotions and thoughts, set conscious intentions, create consistency in my practices, and ultimately has given me some motivation to take action in a way that empowers me. So here it is!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Intention Candle Practice

Mediate on your core desires. Give yourself time to slow down and listen to your inner voice. Once your intentions are clear, continue with this ritual:

⭐️ Set up your space with a candle, something to carve with such as a thin wooden stick or needle, and essential oils that reflect your intention.

⭐️ Slowly carve words or symbols into your candle, focusing on your core desire and intention. These can be specific words like health, prosperity, inspiration, etc. or a specific goal or project. Be creative, concise, and follow your intuition.

⭐️ Anoint your candle with your oil using your fingertips to draw lines or patterns.

⭐️ Light your candle and envision your intention clearly as you bask in its glow.

⭐️ Seal your ritual with gratitude and blow out your candle.

⭐️ Revisit this ritual daily until your candle runs out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I hope you enjoy this practice. I would absolutely love to hear from you so PLEASE let me know how below how it goes. I also want to remind you that no matter what you are going through, you are loved and so incredibly important. Life isn’t always easy and sometimes lighting and candle isn’t enough (trust me, i get it). But I also know that it’s okay not to be okay, to ask for help, and to simply do what you can even if it’s not much.

Keep practicing my love,
Brit Kish

We've Got a Breathing Technique for That!

At risk of sounding repetitive… these are truly times unlike any other. Each day there is something new to know, we have to constantly pivot our actions, and we haven't really had a break. Simply, it’s been a lot and we wanted to remind you that it’s okay not to be okay.

People often come to yoga seeking tools to improve their quality of life. This may include back pain relief, a consistent exercise routine, help with insomnia, mental health support, and everything in between. As humans we are all working through something and we all need support sometimes, but recently we have noticed a few themes within our community.

Raise your hand if your:

• anxiety has increased

• sleep has decreased

• motivation is lacking

If this is you in some form, we hear you. The good news is, we’ve got a breathing technique for it. Breath is one of the simplest, yet most profound tools in yoga that can be a great addition to your day no matter how you’re feeling. Keep these exercises in your back pocket to use whenever you need.

FEELING ANXIOUS?

Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Shodhana)

• Take a comfortable seat, close your eyes and take a few natural deep breaths.

• Bring your right hand to your face. Place your thumb on your right nostril, your four finger on your left nostril, your pointer and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows.

• Plug your right nostril and inhale through your left. Pause and plug your left nostril, release your right nostril and exhale.

• Plug your left nostril and inhale through your right. Pause and plug your right nostril, release and exhale through your left.

• Repeat the above two steps five to ten times.

CAN’T SLEEP?

4, 6, 8 Breath

• Take any comfortable position seated or lying down. Close your eyes, and take a few natural deep breaths.

• Empty your lungs by breathing out through your mouth.

• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.

• Hold your breath for 6 seconds.

• Exhale through your nose for 8 seconds

• Stay relaxed, it may feel slightly unnatural at first. Keep trying.

• If you find it uncomfortable try inhaling for 4 seconds, exhaling for 8, and skipping the hold until you get comfortable.

• Repeat for 5 - 10 rounds or until you fall asleep.

NEED AN ENERGY BOOST?

Breath of Fire (Kapalabhati)

• Take a comfortable cross legged or kneeling seat. Close your eyes and take a few natural deep breaths.

• Start with a deep inhale and then exhale halfway.

• Begin to find short, quick, and explosive exhales through the nose (or mouth if you are congested) by contracting the lower abdomen in towards the spine and up towards the navel. This will create a quick ‘puff’ noise almost like a sneeze.

• Focus on the exhale, the drawing in of the navel, and the drawing up of the pelvic floor each breath. The inhale will naturally take place in between out breaths to inflate the lungs and release the abdomen.

• You can place a hand or fist on the low belly to feel and assist the core engagement on each exhale.

• Start slow and steady. As you get comfortable you can start pick up the pace.

• Repeat 30-100 times for 3 -5 rounds.

Enjoy and let us know which technique is your favourite. And Click here to enjoy a guided breath meditation video. Happy breathing!

Pure Living Yoga Ahimsa (COVID) Policies and Protocols

Hi friends!

Let’s get philosophical. Here a PLY yoga philosophy is our foundation. There is one philosophy in particular that we have been paying extra close attention to in these unpredictable times, and that is Ahimsa. Ahimsa is part of the 8 limbs of yoga and refers to the act of non-violence in all aspects of life.

We are doing all that we can to keep our environment safe, sacred, and deeply connected. As the current pandemic continues to shift, we promise to shift our standards along with it. Here is what you need to know to keep yourself and the community happy and healthy:

• Masks are required in the studio at all times, this includes during all classes.

• If you’re feeling unwell or have recently travelled, stay home and self monitor (enjoy an online class instead).

• Store all personal belongings in the hallway cubbies (YQR) / in the change rooms (YXE).

• Showers are open & cleaned after every use! Please BYOToiletries & Towels. (YXE)

• Pre-registration is required for all classes.

• Join the waitlist, they usually move pretty quickly! Don’t lose faith

• Cancelation policies will be enforced (late cancel = less than 6 hours). Late cancellations and no shows result in a charge of $10 for those with memberships and the loss of a class for those using class passes.

• Please remove yourself from waitlists whenever you know you can’t make it to class. You can be added from the waitlist into class up until 1 hour prior to the class start time.

• Sanitize your hands upon arrival and throughout your visit at one of our sanitizing stations.

• Please remove all footwear at the door (we are a naked foot zone).

• Practice physical distancing in the space at all times.

• BYOMat.

• BYOProps (highly recommended, but not required).

• BYOWater (we have some for sale).

• Set your mat up for class at one of the designated spots (find a sticker). Place your mat behind and centre with the sticker.

• All classes are low heat.

• Our teachers will be ready to receive students 15 minutes before class times. Be mindful not to arrive too early or stay too long, but if you need the extra love and space in the studio, we are happy to support you as long as needed.

Thanks for helping us get open and stay open! We are doing everything in our power to make sure that Pure Living Yoga remains a safe and stress free environment. Class and workshop sizes have been reduced, props are thoroughly sanitized after every use, and increased cleaning protocols have been implemented throughout the facilities. As always, reach out with your questions and comments and let’s continue to get through this together.

See you on the mat,
The Pure Living Yoga Team

Ps. due to the way we are required to space mat spots, the door to the studio will be locked during all classes. If you are late you will not be permitted to enter the studio unless it has been previously arranged.

Breathing Meditation for Stress & Anxiety

Need some help slowing down? Join Brittany Kish for a short and sweet breath meditation that will leave you feeling relaxed. This breath technique is great for falling asleep, days of high stress or anxiety, or simply a midday reset. Get comfy and enjoy, you deserve it.

Style: Meditation/Pranayama
Level: All Levels
Duration: 7 Minutes
Focus: Breath, Mindfulness, Meditation, Stress, Anxiety, Relaxation, Rest, Sleep
Teacher: Brittany Kish
Recommended Props: Pillow

Connect with us on Instagram:
@britkish
@purelivingyogayqr
@sweatchillbe

Creative Yoga Props for at Home

These quick tips are for those of you who are taking your yoga practice into the comfort of your own home. One of the best parts about a yoga practice is that it follows you everywhere you go and really don’t need anything at all to practice. On the flip side, there is no doubt that some extra support and equiptment is always a bonus in making this practice accessible and extra comfy. To help make this process easier (and cheaper) we have created a list with some creative ways to use items that you already have as yoga props. It is time to take our yoga home!

Bolsters Alternatives

• Comforter rolled up and tied

• Beach towels/regular towels rolled up and tied

• Mexican blankets rolled up

• Throw pillows

• Funky round coach pillows

• Rolled up patio chair cushions

• Couch cushion

Block Alternatives 

• Shoe boxes

• Cooking pots

• Books

• Decorative wooden boxes

Strap Alternatives

• Scarves 

• Belt from bath robe

• Belts

Eye Cover/Pillow Alternatives 

• Face cloth

• Sleeping eye mask

• Clean sock filled with rice, lentils or another grain  

Sand Bags 

• Meditation Cushion

• Bag of rice / oats

• A few heavy blankets

• Hand held weights tied up in a blanket (make sure they are secure)

We hope this list has helped in taking your at home practice to a new level. Give these creative prop ideas and try and let us know how it goes. And let us know what other creative ideas you have or come up with and we will add them to the list!

Happy practicing #yoganinjas,

- Lindsay Warne & Brittany Kish

How to Use a Mala

If you are a part of a yoga community (and even if you’re not), chances are you've seen a mala. These beautiful beaded necklaces or wrapped bracelets have a deep history and meaning, one that unfortunately isn’t always shared and taught. Although stunning, these pieces of jewelry are more than a fashion trend and we wanted to share this history and practice with you.

A Brief History

Traditionally a mala is used for devotional meditation practices, mantra, and prayer. Malas are believed to have originated in India in the 8th century B.C.E.. They are also known as Buddhist beads or Buddhist prayer beads. As time went on this devotional practice extended into many other religions and belief systems. In the west they came in the form of Catholic rosaries. Malas have become a symbol of spiritual connection around the globe. The word bead even comes from the Anglo-Saxon words ‘bede’ and ‘bidden’ which mean 'prayer' and 'to pray'.

The Practice

A mala traditionally contains a string of 108 beads and a distinguishable guru bead. Between each bead a knot is tied. You begin your practice by holding the mala in your right hand, draped between your middle and index finger. Starting at the guru bead you will use your thumb to track along each bead pulling it towards you. Each bead represents the repetition of a mantra, chant, or prayer. You will travel along each bead repeating your mantra, chant, or prayer 108 times until you once again reach the guru bead.

A Mantra Shared with me from a Zen Buddhist Priest

Great love
Great Compassion
Only helping

Enjoy this practice yogis!
Brit Kish

Raise Your Hand If You Have Ever Fallen Victim to a New Years Resolution...

Raise your hand if you have ever fallen victim to a New Years resolution. Yup… us too! In our experience, the resolution cycle looks something like this: 

• PHASE 1: Motivated AF. We are excited, feeling positive, and ready to crush our goals. We spring into action and life is good! 

• PHASE 2: We have been crushing it, and because of that we might use it as an excuse to ease off. We are still going, but maybe we lost some consistency.

• PHASE 3: Motivation is fading and fast. We want to see results and probably haven’t (yet). We feel guilty and shameful for our ‘mishaps’. Things are starting to feel harder mentally, physically, and emotionally than it’s worth. We want to give up… or we literally just forget what we were doing in the first place.

• PHASE 4: Bye resolution and goals. Our motivation is non-existent. Our plans didn’t go as planned and we didn’t get what we wanted. We fell back into our old habits and routine. We convince ourselves we failed and so we stop. And repeat.

This year, we decided enough is enough. We think it’s time to say goodbye to the pressure, guilt, shame, and whatever other useless byproducts come from resolutions and focus on the good stuff instead. Here is the plan:

• PHASE 1: Take advantage of the motivation. Use it to practice consistency, not perfection. Just get going and start to create the habits while you’re feeling excited about them. And most importantly enjoy yourself! Do it because you love yourself, not because you want to change yourself. You’re already amazing!

• PHASE 2: Don’t guilt yourself if you fall off track a little bit. Your body and your mind might need some space to make sense of a new habit. Keep going and don’t pressure yourself. Practice, practice, practice.

• PHASE 3: This phase is the hardest. Pushing when you don’t want to can feel impossible. We are programmed to want results immediately, but that isn’t how it works. Either way, shame and guilt creep in and our resolutions make us feel even worse than we did before. This is phase is truly mind over matter, you can do it.

• PHASE 4: Well, we aren’t going to get to this phase this time! Plain and simple, it comes down to consistency if you really want something. To avoid this phase of perceived failure, make sure you’re goals are coming from a place of contentment, love, and patience. Your resolutions should feel exciting and freeing and if they don’t, then we hazard a guess they aren’t the goals true to your values. If you choose goals out of guilt, pressure, discontentment, and fear then they won’t stick. Check yourself, and love yourself to help you keep moving forward. Love over fear will always leave you feeling like you’ve won!

Here is what we propose to help with breaking this cycle. We have scheduled our annual class challenge to start a bit later this year. Instead of starting on January 1st we are starting on the 20th. This will be right around the time phase 3 and 4 start to happen. Right when we all want to quit we are going to buckle down and take on this challenge together! We want you to use phase 1 and 2 to prepare for the challenge since you are already self motivated. This will keep your mind focused and your body safe to take on another 40 days of practice. Before you know it, it will be the end of February and you will have been going strong for two months!

Our goal is to use the challenge to keep each other motivated far past January. You are not alone in this cycle and together we have a chance to break it. We are in this together and we cannot wait to take on this new and exciting adventure with you! And remember, even if your goals look different, you can still join us. You don’t need to complete 40 classes, you need to do what makes sense for you. If you do complete the challenge, there will be some sweet prizes. Sound like something you feel like trying? Click here for more info!

See you on the mat January 20th! 
Namaste!

Why I Started a Yoga Practice and Why You Should Too!

I was 20 years old and about half way through my kinesiology degree when I quit cheerleading. I spent the next 6 months of my life doing no type of physical activity, except maybe sporadically going to the university gym. For someone who has moved their entire life, this was huge change for me! I could literally feel my muscle mass drop, feel the fat start to build on my body, I was tired all the time, and I just felt not awesome. All of a sudden it was summer; I was bored, and tired of not moving my body. About a year earlier, a fantastic person, whom I greatly admire and look up to, had opened her very own yoga studio. Now her and I share a very similar movement history so when I saw that she was teaching a class this one Monday morning in July, I thought to myself you know what, why not try it out. If this person you admire so much has found a love and passion for this, then who knows, you might too. So without another thought I signed up for class and went to the studio. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, I low key thought it would be like sitting on the floor with your eyes closed for an hour, in reality, I walked into a vinyasa class, my now favourite style of practice, and I got my butt handed to me! I was so sweaty and just remember thinking what in the actual F?!* was that?! And then I remember thinking I needed more. So that is the story of how I found yoga, or maybe it found me. . . regardless, since then I’ve discovered a whole host of benefits to having a physical movement practice.

So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about jumping into a yoga class, let me tell you why you should! First and foremost, the community of humans in a space like Pure Living Yoga is second to none. The social connections you have the opportunity to make are incredible (also check out this TedTalk on why social connection is so important!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI

Now the class I experienced as my first yoga class was a vinyasa style practice. Vinyasa practices are a strong heat building, sweat inducing practice that falls under the umbrella of asana. Asana in Sanskrit (the universal language of yoga) means pose, which really just means movement. Asana practice introduced me to yoga, and I’m still figuring out what yoga means to me, but I do know that asana is an essential component of yoga.

As I shared earlier, I studied kinesiology in school. So I have a strong love of science and understanding of how the human body is designed to work and particularly how movement impacts health and wellness. Naturally, I wanted to figure out, how activity improves health. Through my own experience, I knew that this thing called yoga was working for me. I felt better, I was sleeping better and was less tired, I felt my muscles actually starting to work again and felt so much better about the person I was becoming. But sometimes, another persons experience isn’t quite enough to convince you to get started. So I compiled some research on the benefits of physical activity to share with you. (Side bar, check out this video for another explanation as to why activity is so important)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo

Physical Activity Increases

• Physical and mental health

• Quality of life and well-being

• Aerobic and musculoskeletal fitness

• Body composition

• Sleep

• Mood

• Self-confidence

• Neuromuscular awareness

• Opportunities for social interaction

• Improves academic performance

• Immune system

• Muscle and bone strength

•  Insulin sensitivity

• Chronic disease management

• Life expectancy

• Balance

• And mobility

Physical Activity Decreases

•   Chronic disease risk (heart disease and diabetes for example)

•   Hypertension (high blood pressure)

•   Blood glucose and cholesterol

•   Overweight and obesity

•   Stress

•   Need for medications

•   Risk of falls and fractures

•   Health care costs

Hopefully with all the benefits of a movement practice, you are a less hesitant to jump into classes, are excited to share your journey with your loved ones, and have an overall healthier and happier life!

Ps. I’d love to chat with you about your experience with your first class or answer any questions you may have! Find me on Instagram @shay_marie22 or send me an emailshayla.syrota@gmail.com.

Shayla Syrota

References:
http://csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_0-65plus_en.pdf https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/being-active/physical-activity-your-health.html#a1
Table was adapted from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology- Physical Activity Training for Health (CSEP-PATH) 2013 edition.

Becoming an 'Early Bird'

You could say that I am not exactly a morning person… ask anyone who has had to wake me up. It’s like my being has been taken over by an angsty teenager… and she’s quite rude. For as long as I can remember I have been the night owl type. It was how I grew up and how my previous activities and jobs conditioned me to be. It was a learned behaviour and there wasn’t anything wrong with it. It was just how my life was, but as my life shifted, so did my needs. My life started to demand that I become a ‘morning person’ if I wanted to make my outlandish dreams come true. I decided that my crazy aspirations were more important than sleeping in (most days anyway, we all deserve a break). If you are looking to start implementing a morning routine, this is my quick list on how I am practicing unlearning the night owl life and learning that early bird thing.

1. Start small: My most productive days start at least two hours before I need to leave my house. If I need to leave at 8:00am that means I aim to get up at 6:00am. This is my personal preference and it may not work for everyone (especially those who work odd hours). Regardless this isn’t where we need to start nor is it necessary. Start small. Try giving yourself an extra 15 minutes every morning for one week. If that feels okay, add another 15 minutes the next week. Keep building up like this until you find your happy spot. You’ll be surprised how much extra time you feel like you have. It’s a small win and you’ll want to keep going once you get a taste.

2. Breath: The first thing I do most mornings is breath. If you’re like me and tend to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, this is huge. I definitely need some time to govern myself before I do anything else (especially dealing with other humans… seriously watch out people). I am a yogi so I have a few different breathing practices and techniques I use to start my day, but something as simple as even paced inhales and exhales is perfect. Taking a few moments to breath, wake up, move slow, and understand how I am feeling is really importatant. I am much more prepared to take on the day when I know what flavour of crazy I am dealing with (because let’s be honest, the crazy doesn’t go away). Not only that, it keeps me off of my phone and away from the external influences that can affect my mood.

3. Hydrate: After I breath I chug the heck out of some life juice… aka. coffee! Just kidding (kind of), water first, coffee second. We can all afford to drink more water, even if we already drink quite a bit. Get as much water in as soon as you can in case you forget later. Your body, brain, and literally everything will thank you. As a general rule, aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces every day (thank Rachel Hollis for this tip). For example, if you weigh 140lbs, drink 70oz of water. That’s easy math even for me. To make this goal easy try and drink a third of that (or more) first thing! Then go ahead and drink as much coffee as you want my friend.

4. Choose joy: Start your day with something you enjoy. When the first thing we do is wake up and rush to work (sometimes to a job we hate), or rush to take care of our family (who we love, but still need space from) we are setting ourselves up for that type of energy all day long. Instead, start with yourself and start with joy. Pick one thing or a few things that you know make you feel good, anything at all. In the morning I like to journal, read, listen to music, and/or move my body. These things help me move into my day with ease. I feel productive, clear, and free in my body. This doesn’t have to be a huge commitment either, 10 minutes is more than enough to get yourself started on the right note.

Now if only things were as easy to implement as they are to consider. Easier said than done right? The only way to really make a change is to just flipping do it and that is up to no one but us. That is truly the hard part. I would love to end everything I write with something inspirational, but I think the truth is better. If change and taking control of our lives was easy, no one would have any struggles. But as we know, that’s not real and life can be a big ol’ b****. Motivation doesn’t just show up especially when starting something new, it takes practice. If you want to change you are going to have to put in some work now that is different from what you’ve been doing. It’s that simple and complicated at the same time. Just remember us dreamers are by your side.

Oh and here is something inspirational: Crush your morning, crush your day, crush your week, crush your life!

- Brit Kish

Ps. If you have questions or comments please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to chat, hear what works for you, or share more about my routine. Find me on Instagram @britkish or @pure_living_yoga or send an email to brittany@purelivingyoga.com.

Phase of the Moon: The Basics

The universe is constantly moving through cycles. From the workings of our cells to the workings of the solar systems, cycles are everywhere. The beautiful thing about cycles is that they can help us create routine and mindfulness in our bodies, minds, world, and life. Cycles are a great tool to use to stay present, track growth, and even behaviour. We can use the magic of cycles in meditation, in our diet, in our year, etc. like little reminders for ourselves. In the video below, Andrea Kehler shares how she uses moon magic in her life. 

Creating a Meditation Space

When it comes to meditation, there really isn't anything that you need. You have your body, you have your mind...that is enough.

BUT.... it is extremely beneficial to create a sacred space in your home that you can dedicate to your meditation practice. This doesn't have to be an elaborate set-up or a large room, it can be any small space within your home that you can make your own (mine is a corner that is crammed in between a closet and the bathroom door).

There are several reasons why you should set aside a place for your meditation practice:

1. It’s a constant reminder: If you’re anything like me and you don't have a list created, an alarm set, or some sort of reminder... it’s not happening. Especially when you are at the beginning your meditation journey (or any journey for that matter). This is when we need CONSTANT reminders and what is a better reminder than seeing a space you have created and dedicated solely to the purpose of meditation.

2. The 80% rule: Studies have shown that your best chance of completing a goal or task, is to accomplish 80% of it before you actually have to do it. So, do 80% of the work ahead of time! Set up a yoga mat, cushion, or any other props that are going to allow you to sit or lay comfortably for an extending period of time. That way it is already waiting for you to start!
Just think, you get up in the morning and you want to meditate, but you have to get all of your props set up, a timer, etc. do you think you'll be likely to meditate? Probably not likely. OR imagine if you woke up in the morning & everything was just waiting there for you. Would you be more likely to sit and meditate? Much more likely!
Once we have invested some of our time into creating a meditation space, our brain will begin to think it was a waste of our time if we don’t use it. And thus, because we've done the majority of the work it makes more sense to complete the other 20% and just flipping meditate already!

3. Positive reinforcement: Typically when we adorn our sacred space, we choose things that ignite positive emotions within us. Motivational quotes, inspirational images, or portraits of admired people. My meditation area seems to have a certain aura about it. In all honesty, some days I post up on my cushion with a coffee and just sit; no formal meditation, just looking at the memories, momentous, inspirational message, and cultivating gratitude. Anything that creates a positive mindset is a form of meditation and a win in my books!

4. Others will respect your space: Distractions! Whether it be your kids, significant other, or roommates, once you have a designated area that you use for your practice the other people in your household will catch on! In my household my meditation area is open to the rest of the house. If my partner comes home and notices me in my spot he stays quiet (to the best of his ability). He'll take the dogs outside or do whatever he can to give me those few precious moments with myself. And if you do have kids, this is a great way to demonstrate the power of slowing down, and being with your thoughts.

TIPS for creating a Space

A great tip I was given when I began to create my meditation space was to incorporate the 5 senses: touch, sound, smell, sight and taste.

Touch – to ground you to the space
This one is fairly easy. Think props: a yoga mat, a meditation cushion, yoga blocks, bolsters/pillows, or blanket. Use anything that will bring you physical comfort and the ability to sit comfortably. Mala beads are great tools in mantra meditations. Rubbing each bead can be extremely soothing and grounding especially for those who tend to fidget. 

Sound – for signaling
No meditation space would be complete without a singing bowl or bell (both of these can be used to clear the space, and set the tone for your meditation). Similarly, a timer can also be used to signal the beginning, middle or end of your meditation practice. You may wish to listen to guided meditations or relaxing music while you meditate so having a speaker/headphones near by is a great option.

Smell – trigger emotions, memories or to set the tone of your practice
Any or a combination of candles, incense or essential oils will work and can be tailored to your meditation.
Examples:
1. If you are working on the root chakra, or completing a grounding meditation you can use patchouli, frankincense or sandalwood.
2. If you are practicing an affirmation meditation on the solar plexus chakra (self-confidence) you can use cedar wood, clove or cinnamon.

Sight – to inspire
This can literally be anything that creates a positive feeling or mindset. Statues, paintings, pictures, inspirational quotes, mantras, etc. As you can see from my picture below, I have a little of everything; Buddha statues, pictures to spark my happiest memories, sayings, and a mantra I created during a 6 week soul strategy course which is a great reminder to stay connected to myself and others (encourages me to continue my meditation practice).

The Possibilities are ENDLESS folks but the most important thing is to create a sacred space that you are going to want to come back to, day after day. Happy meditating!

Christina Laurier

The (Not so Perfect) Art of Allowing

Teaching meditation is like trying to teach someone to sleep, it’s impossible. It’s impossible because both of these states are so natural. We cycle through sleep daily and meditation throughout each day wether we are consciously aware of it or not. These things are already inside of us and they are personal, they vary from individual to individual. Although there are tools out there to assist with both of these states, at the end of the day it is about us and works for us as an awesome and unique individual bundle of conscious matter.

When it comes to sleep, we don’t put all that much thought into it. It just happens, it is part of our daily rhythm and not something we tend to think about all that much. We ALLOW for it to happen and it usually does. Of course we all have those days when sleep is sparse, sporadic, short, etc., but even when that happens, we trust that tomorrow will be better and we move into the next cycle paying no mind. We just do. It’s a natural state that we regulated when we were babies and now as adults it is there for us each night.

Meditation is becoming more and more popular and because of that two things have happened. First, the awareness of this amazing practice has exploded. Meditation truly heals us and in turn our world and the fact it is becoming such a buzz is literally THE BEST!! Meditation needs more awareness (like most things). But with this reward of expansion comes misconceptions. We seems to have lost the ease of meditation and the idea of allowing it to happen. We have idealized this state with an image of perfectionism and force rather than it's natural ease and flow.

When we can’t sleep, and we start trying to sleep, we all know it just gets harder. The same thing happens with meditation. With the practice of meditation growing in society, we seem to have idealized this natural state and put it into a box. We see meditation as this version of sitting cross legged in lotus entering into this metaphysical state of ascension. And don’t get me wrong this version of meditation is legitimate, but it doesn’t work for everyone the same way at least right off the bat. We can't force what our minds and bodies aren't ready for, it takes personalize practice just like going to the gym. Meditation is not cookie cutter.

Just as we had to learn to regulate our sleep, we need to learn to regulate our mediation. We have always been able to sleep, but our parents got us into the routine of sleep. We have always been able to meditation we just have to find a routine which will help us soak up the most benefits.

Keep it simple. Meditation is ANYTHING (key word: anything) that brings us presence in our lives. Anything that takes us away from thinking of the past and future or living in our depression or anxiety respectively is meditation. So for some, this may be the version of closing your eyes, sitting cross legged, breathing, and focusing the mind through mantra and intention. But for most of us, we aren’t able to start here, we can get there in time but we have to figure out what helps get us there first.

So maybe your meditation practice starts as walking your dog. Walking your dog is what brings you peace in the present moment. Your version of meditation may be listening to your favorite song and dancing because you forget your worries for just that moment. Maybe your access to bliss comes in the form of movement of any kind. It can truly be anything. Everyday things that we love that snap us into contentment is mediation and this is happening all day long, we just don’t notice because it’s so natural.

Literally… stop trying so hard. And stop trying to be perfect. Just allow it to happen for you and stop forcing this image you’ve created of what meditation ‘should be’ to happen for you. BECAUSE IT ALREADY IS!!! Your only job is start noticing. Notice what is already bringing you peace, notice what brings you santosha (contentment with who you are, where you are with no need to change), notice the little moments of pure bliss you already have. This is the practice. And the more you begin to notice the more it will happen, and the more it happens the more you can start to guide it and regulate it. We can’t control our thoughts or states of being, we can notice our thoughts and states of being, and as we learn to notice we can decide to bring ourselves out of the thoughts and states that don’t serve our better good.

Today, don’t try and meditate. Just try and notice all the moments, no matter how small they are, when you are already in the state of meditation. And just like sleep, persist. Trust enough that even when it's hard, to move into the next cycle with faith. Trust that it will come because it always does, never in the way we expect and always in the ways we are aware enough to see.

Namaste,
- Brit Kish

"It is better to follow your own essential responsibility, though imperfectly, than another's even if done well."
- The Bhagavad Gita

How to Soak Up Every Morsel of Your Yoga Teacher Training

1. Make the decision!

This is the hardest part, which is why it takes up the majority of the “to do” list. Just decide to be present at your training! What you will realize, is the world will not completely collapse without you. Show up for you and your opportunity to learn. **PS. it’s a privilege to learn, not a right in certain parts of the world…**

The most difficult part of any decision, in my experience, is ACTUALLY deciding. The back and forth in our minds, taking time to consult with our trusted life advisors on their opinions, and the inevitable game of talking ourselves “into” and “out of” virtually every decision we’ve ever made. Extreme? Maybe! But this was my experience when I was considering yoga teacher training and making a massive lifestyle transition from banker to yogi! I know I’m not the only owner of this story, as pretty much every human that has expanded out of their comfort zone has felt this, but I think it’s worth highlighting. It seems to be a common precursor for epic life changing events. So the real question is, are we going to resist or surrender to the change?

2. Read daily

I recommend starting off with:
- The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying – Sogyal Rinpoche
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjoli – Edwin Bryant
- The Power of Breath – Swami Saradananda
- The Hatha Yoga Pradipika – BKS Iyengar
- Bhagavad Gita – Winthrop Sargeant

**If you don’t get through all of them prior to training don’t panic. The beauty of diving into these prior to your training, is you’ll be able to connect to the content shared in a deeper way.**

3. Figure out how to feed your body to optimize performance.

Essentially, clean up your diet. The more balanced you are in your fueling process, the more you will be able to discern what is happening emotionally throughout your training.

4. Practice asana daily!

It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be complicated, but at the very least, practice Sun Salutation A and/or Sun Salutation B. Self practice will quite literally change your entire day! 

5. Practice asking questions (ps: this is a form of self discovery)!

That way you can enter your training with a grounded and healthy level of skepticism. Ultimately, if something isn’t making sense, or doesn’t feel right, GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED! Don’t be an “askhole” ((n) someone who asks pointless or obnoxious questions), but get clarification on everything! That is what teacher training is for. Also, if you are curious about something, it is likely that someone else is too. 

6. Wake up early just for you!

Developing a self love practice starts with putting yourself first before everyone and everything else. This will help develop a deeply trusting, vibrant, and passionate relationship with ones’ self. By doing so, you’ll be able to identify with the reassuring voice that will carry you through the challenges of training. This will also help to cultivate a fundamental understanding of your own energy, and in turn, a sensitivity to other people’s boundaries and their energy.

7. Practice letting things go and going with the flow (“A” types, this is for you!).

There’s really no point in taking yourself too seriously or feeling like you need to be perfect. What is perfect anyways? Who decided on what “perfect” is? You’ll only steal the joy from the moment and the experience. 

8. Step into your training with the assumption that you are going to take many and multiple.

We can only absorb at a certain pace/rate, depending on how much we are cleansing out at the same time. Your first 200 hours of training is meant to open up Pandora’s box of possibilities, not to provide you with every answer to every question you’ve ever had from the beginning of time. 

- Brenna Bote

How to HAVE a Nervous Breakdown During Your Teacher Training

Who doesn’t love a good nervous breakdown… Want to experience one for yourself during your teacher training? Well it’s actually pretty simple, so without making it too complicated, I’ve made you a list based purely on what actually happened to me! 

1. Don’t clean up your food consumption. Once you are in teacher training it’ll be so much easier to eat consciously because you won’t have as many distractions.

2. Don’t read any of the recommended book list ahead of time. Again, you’ll have WAY more time when you are in your teacher training.

3. Practice 1 - 3 times a week leading up to training, that way your body isn’t sore leading into your training.  

4. Start all of the self care practices, at the same time, as your teacher training starts. It’ll just optimize the experience so much more! You’ve wanted to start them for years, so now’s the time!

If this speaks to you, here is a sneak peek of what to look forward to!!

The Week Before: I’ve been practicing yoga for a while now and have had the opportunity to reap its long list of benefits. Now is the time to take the next steps and dive deeper into this whole yoga thing! TEACHER TRAINING (Insert blissed out sigh). It’s going to be freaking incredible!  I get to focus solely on myself for one whole month, no distractions! Just me and my body, some badass teachers (it shouldn’t take more than a month to learn to handstand right?), and hopefully some cool hippies! I swear, I’m gonna come outta this thing totally transformed! I’m gonna be ripped (cuz obvi I’m starting my healthy eating cleanse as soon as this training starts) and I’m gonna be zen AF (I wonder if I’ll still want to murder my colleagues anymore?). I know I’m just going to FEEL so much more grounded when I get home!

First 3 Days of Training: Wow I hurt in ALL THE RIGHT PLACES! This process is going to be absolutely INCREDIBLE! I DEFINITELY have work to do in my practice, but I’m not going to be hard on myself (like I usually am). Practice and all will come! Everything in its due time! I don’t really know why the teachers invited us to just “feel whatever we need to feel” and that if we need to cry to just let it happen. Why would I need to cry? Weird… I thought I had some pent up $h*t but I actually feel fine! Maybe this training is going to be a breeze! Also, all the humans in this training are INCREDIBLE (there’s people who are actually handstanding already!). It’s so inspiring! And all of my teachers just seem to “know” things….like things that they couldn’t possibly know about me. It’s a bit invasive, but I’m totally into the process! Show me your ways OB1! Also, I wasn’t planning on quitting my job, but now it really just doesn’t make sense to go back to it when I’m finished. It isn’t what I WANT to be doing and it certainly doesn’t encourage me to live in my light. So, I’ve made the conscious decision to quit! I need to just trust myself and go with the flow. After this month is up, I will be totally prepared to take the necessary steps towards my dream. I WILL TRANSFORM IN THIS MONTH! BRING IT ON! #magicalwand

The Halfway Point (Roughly): “Um….WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F&$#! Is this even safe for my body to be moving this much? It can’t be! Why is my heart beating in my shoulders…isn’t it supposed to be beating in my chest? WHY CAN I SEE MY HEART BEATING IN MY SHOULDERS?! If I have to eat another salad I’m going to light this effing salad bar on fire. I need a burger! With extra bacon….wait…can my bacon have extra bacon? I need fries and a milkshake too please…no wait…make that 2 milk shakes! I want to experience the bliss of a food coma again. Oh and a shot of tequila…wait…make that the whole bottle please so I can ACTUALLY sleep tonight (because really, how is a person supposed to make sense of their dreams? As of right now they are getting in the way of my SLEEP!). Also, I hate everyone…including my psychopathic teachers and their stupid positive attitudes and stupid faces and stupid sequencing. Thanx for making me HATE downward dog! PS – if you make me do wheel pose and make me hold it again, I’m going to dick punch you (yes you read that correctly – DICK PUNCH). Who in their right mind chooses to go through this…

3rd Week-ish: So there are lights at the end of some tunnels…kind of…I think? I’ve graduated from anger to sadness now. I don’t think I’ve cried this much in my entire life (for no actual reason other than I couldn’t hold it back). I don’t even know what set me off in the first place. Maybe it was everyone else crying that stimulated my tears. My teacher keeps saying I’m shedding samaskaras (the memories popping up would suggest she’s right). I’ve come to the conclusion that my entire being is a samaskara…this lifting and sifting process is going to take a while. I had all these plans to start ALL THE THINGS when I finish this training, and now, all I feel is this flip flop of anxiety and depression at how daunting the tasks are. It’s like all the fear and second guessing that I thought I’ve pushed through (I’ve clearly just pushed it down instead) is now charging right back up, full steam ahead. So now I’m playing with the idea of going back to work until I’ve figured myself out (but then my soul dies inside at the thought of it). At what point does the Zen come in? I could really use some Zen at the moment. It’s like my world is just crashing down around me, but everything in actuality is totally fine. At least I’m not the only one struggling emotionally. People seem to be experiencing their own forms of nervous breakdowns too. People are melting down about their assignments, upcoming final tests, practice teaching, ex’s, etc. There are ALL THE FLAVOURS OF CRAZY happening. So naturally, my mind is a judgmental playground right now. I want to say “grow a real problem, you’ve taken a million tests in your lifetime this far! You’ve got this!” and “aren’t you here to learn how to teach? Why are you freaking out about practicing teaching?” and “you haven’t been through a divorce? Cool for you, forget about your ex”. I’m not sure why I feel like my painful experiences have more merit than anyone else’s right now, so I’m keeping my mouth shut before it gets me into trouble. That said, the whole concept of “misery likes company” has never given me comfort up until now.
Apart from being a glass house of emotions, my body seems to be in some form of fugue state. It doesn’t seem to know how to be a body anymore. I can’t feel my hip flexors anymore (I think they’ve just given up on being a part of my body) and my shoulder stabilizers no longer stabilize anything (I’m pretty much a walking zombie). I can see the physical changes in my body but I’m too tired to really care. I’m not sure why I even cared about the cosmetic physicality of my body in the first place. If a person looks good but is in pain, then who the eff cares! I’d rather be roly poly oly. More chocolate and more ice cream is what the doctor is ordering.

Last few days: IT CAN’T BE OVER YET! I DON’T KNOW ALL THE THINGS! I’M NOT READY TO ACCEPT THAT I MAY NEVER SEE THESE HUMANS AGAIN! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO HAVE A SELF PRACTICE AND I DON’T KNOW IF I’M MOTIVATED ENOUGH! THIS EXPERIENCE WAS LITERALLY EARTH SHATTERING AND I’M NOT READY FOR IT TO BE OVER! I WAS JUST GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH THE DISCOMFORT! I’M NOT EVEN CLOSE TO FINDING FLOAT IN MY HANDSTAND! I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF I FOUND MYSELF YET! I NEED MORE TIME! I NEED TO LEARN MORE! I’M NOT READY TO BE A TEACHER! I NEED TO BE A BETTER STUDENT FIRST! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE A TEACHER AND A STUDENT AT THE SAME TIME! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK TO WORK! I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK TO CANADA! EVERYONE IS GOING TO EXPECT THIS EPIC, FLOATING, ZENNED OUT HUMAN! I AM NONE OF THE THINGS!
So I stayed in Thailand and did an additional 300 hours of training…

This is my story yogis. I was extremely underprepared for my first teacher training, but looking back on it, the first 200 hours needed to be exactly as it was. I had to hit physical and emotional walls to slow me down and pull me back to presence. There is nothing glorious about lifting and sifting, but the journey is essential for our liberation. The juice is DEFINITLY worth the squeeze yogis and I wouldn’t be the teacher, student, or person I am today without this experience.

Stay tuned for the “How to NOT HAVE a nervous breakdown during your teacher training”!

- Brenna Bote

“To work in a field as intimate as the human body, and to be trusted enough to be called teacher, is one of the greatest honours this world has to offer. It demands the highest level of respect and responsibility from a human being.” – Brenna Bote

The Practice of Ritual

I haven’t always understood the concept of ritual. I was and always will be a skeptic and when I thought about the word ritual, I immediately associated it with belief systems to which I didn’t adhere. I didn’t think ritual was relevant to my life. Then one day it clicked. I took a step back and realized ritual wasn’t at all what I thought it was and that many of the things I had participated in throughout my entire life were indeed that of practicing ritual. We all have rituals, mundane or obscure, they exists in everyone’s life. Brushing our teeth, showering, or celebrating a holiday are all ritualistic and are practices that have been around for a long time. We all do things whether it’s daily, weekly or yearly that we continue to do because they ignite something in us. Something as simple as cleaning our bodies for the day ahead, being regularly physically active, journaling or practicing meditation are all things we do because it makes us better in some sense, even if it’s just for ourselves.

Our subtle energetic being has a lot more in common with our physical being than we think. Just like our physical being benefits from ritual, so does our energetic being, but for some reason we struggle to look at them the same way. Our bodies are tangible, we eat certain ways to fuel our bodies and we do certain activities to make our bodies more able. We participate in rituals regularly to knowingly make our bodies healthier. These types of rituals are widely accepted in society and participating is encouraged by society because we know the benefits as proven by science. Ritual becomes harder to understand when we start to look past what is physical and tangible to what is energetic and unknown. The unknown is a fun place to play and incredibly scary simply because the things that happen in this place cannot always be perceived by our limited five senses. As intellectual beings, we don’t like things we cannot know for sure or things we don’t understand because we have to start trusting in ourselves and in our ideas which is usually the scariest part.

We are starting to see more and more scientific evidence for the benefits of meditation and this is exciting. We are starting to see that by working with our energetic, internal, intangible being that our physical being also benefits. What was once unknown in our perception is starting to become known and that is conscious evolution. As a lover of science and spirit, a teacher of the physical body and the subtle mind, this place of bringing the intangible into our tangible world is my happy place. This is why I celebrate the full moon.

The full moon is just another ritual. It is just another practice. It is another opportunity to strengthen our minds and subconscious in conjunction with our bodies. It is an opportunity to work past our desire for immediate results and realize what can be achieved in the long run. We don’t stop working out and eating well just because we don’t see physical changes right away, we know that over time we will change and become better so we keep going and we keep practicing. We must strengthen and develop our minds the same as we do our bodies. Motivation can difficult to sustain as results come slowly and will often never be visible to the outside world, but the changes can be more significant and longer lasting than physical changes. We start to change who we are at our core and as our subconscious mind adapts to the changes, eventually the body and conscious mind feel them. The mind-body connection works both ways and ritual for the mind and body help us bridge and connect that gap between the two. We start to feel the state of disconnect to ourselves and each other fade as we become self aware in both body and mind.

You don’t have to be a “moon child” or even believe in the energetic effects of the cosmos to love and practice ritual and ceremony with the full moon. Very similar to the concept of celebrating a new year, I look at this ritual like a reset button. I look at it as a space to focus on and celebrate growth. Once a month we get to take the opportunity to connect with ourselves, body and mind, to look back and to look forward at our lives. We get to the chance to review our lives in the moment and to review the things that benefit us and things that do not. We get to take the benefits with us and leave the things holding us back behind. Celebrating and connecting each month with ourselves just creates frequency in practicing self improvement and the full moon is simply a day we can ritualistically do this. We don’t go to the gym once a year and get in shape, we don’t make resolutions once a year and change our lives. We must do these things over and over and over again with discipline, dedication and consistency and trust in the bigger picture. We must love ourselves enough to want to be the best version of who we are no matter what and like anything, this takes practice. Practicing ritual that is true to you and to what you want in your life is a great habit to get into. Ritual can be, but doesn’t have to be traditional, it can be completely unique to you and that is beautiful. Bettering your life in any form is literally all any of us can do to improve the world we live in together.

The future is unknown so why not practice getting comfortable with that? Why not find unique ways to consistently better ourselves and to find new ways for others to benefit and grow? Why not try something different, something we don’t believe in, or something that has never been done before? As someone who absolutely loves science and tangible evidence, I’m not afraid to say that I think the future of evolution for us is going to be something we have never seen before. I believe the future of evolution for us is conscious evolution and that there are many avenues to explore. We need to disturb what has become normal and change our perceptions. We cannot limit ourselves with what we already have or progress will be impossible. We must look past what we know and into the unknown and that is liberating as fuck! Happy full moon and stay skeptical!

- Brittany Kish

The Worm Moon

The full moon in March, also known as the Worm Moon, is a time of rebirth. As the warm spring air begins to thaw the Earth, let's also start to reawaken our own feminine (yin) energies from within. The feminine energy that lives within all of us, manages our relationship with the self and all those we come in contact with. By becoming more connected to ones self, we inadvertently deepen the connection with our internal wisdom (or intuition); thus creating more meaningful relationships with the people and the world around us.

In this month's Full Moon Workshop, we will be focussing on cleansing the second and third chakras to aid in the manifestation of our feminine energies. The second chakra, also known as the sacral chakra or Svadhisthana, is located deep within the pelvic regions of the body. It is the centre of our emotions, creativity, pleasure, sensuality, intimacy and connection. When balanced, the energy within this chakra allows us to experience life in the present moment, as well as aids us in letting go of the past. The third chakra, also known as the solar plexus chakra or Manipura, is located between the naval and the solar plexus. It is the centre of our self-esteem, willpower, personality and ego. When balanced, the energy within this chakra allows us to transform inertia into action, thus allowing us to move forward in our lives with confidence and power.

Also in this month's workshop, we will be meditating with the Snow Quartz Crystal to even further our connection to our inner wisdom. This practice is designed to aid in the process of letting go of our limitations, thus allowing our second and third chakras to ignite. 

"Your life is a sacred journey. It's about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul."                                  - Caroline Adams

Peace, Love & Light,

Jodi

The Journey to Awareness and Unconditional Love

 “When you remove the dysfunction out of your life, growth is inevitable.” – Tim Goad

I heard those very words spoken at a leadership conference 7 years ago and felt immediately how they had impacted me. What I didn’t realize, is that they would become the foundation for some difficult decisions that were to come in my life.

I was well on my way to leading the life I had dreamt for myself. I was mentored by significant leaders, growing and developing on the daily, and all the while being irrevocably in love with my soon to be husband. As every fairy tale unfolds, we got married on a beautiful day, surrounded by our loved ones, and started our journey in the world together. It would be naïve to say that I was 100% prepared for the turbulent times to come, but one thing I did know, was that I was absolutely sure on the person I was to marry. Unfortunately, that certainty was not enough to carry us through the ups and downs of life.

A series of seemly small hiccups occurred along the way, as every normal relationship experiences. What I hadn’t realized at the time was that by not working through the small hiccups, since we’d convinced ourselves that our future was larger and brighter than our current situation, we wouldn’t last through the tests of time to experience the beauty life has to offer. It was the inability to confront conflicts, and communicate through them with honesty and vulnerability, which started the construction of unhealthy walls and boundaries.  This should have been the first warning sign that we needed to slow down our fast paced life and get some counseling. Call it fear, ignorance, or just plain old immaturity, I pressed on hoping and praying that things would get better. Most can agree that by simply hoping, without putting real work boots on to make necessary changes, only results in empty good intentions.

As the years went by, I would look at the person in the mirror and recognized myself less and less. Where had the ambitious, independent, bubbly and compassionate person gone? The person who had constantly thrown herself into moments of impact so she could transform into the powerful being she was created to be. The person that looked like me and sounded like me had turned into an insecure and judgmental perfectionist. How did this happen? When a person sacrifices too much of them self, to appease another’s needs and desires, they become completely ungrounded and imbalanced. Taking on the unhealthy challenge to please a person who is unhappy with his or her own sense of self, will only result in exhaustion.

Then a miracle happened. My husband, the impenetrable onion, had finally opened up. In tears, he admitted to his shortcomings and failings as my partner. He had finally admitted to constructing the fears and insecurities that I had taken on as my own. A normal reaction to this extreme vulnerability (which was both new and very difficult for him) should have been immense relief followed by love and support. I, unfortunately, experienced the opposite. I felt betrayed, lied to, lead astray, and broken hearted. I had allowed myself to emotionally get to the point of no return. Given, I had some help getting there, but that does not excuse the fact that we all have 100% control over our emotional well being at all times. This difficult task must be practiced intentionally. To not allow the emotional burdens and insecurities of others affect us, especially those we love, can feel like an impossible task on a good day.

So here I was, at a cross road in my life. Shall I stay and rebuild or move on?

Coming to terms with the decision to remove the dysfunction, which was my relationship, out of my life, was the most excruciatingly painful situation I ever wish to endure. It was by no means the easier of my two choices, but the only one I felt I was left with. I had nothing left to contribute to the rebuilding process of our relationship. So what was the result of that difficult decision? Something I never could have hoped or prayed for. Every relationship in my life grew exponentially.  The Universe conspired to show me that the world was still an oyster, ripe for the taking, and I still had that ambitious, independent, bubbly and compassionate person within me. I was surprised by how quickly I had morphed back into my true self. And with that, the days to come provided more love than any one person could experience. Even though I still had to cope with the loss of my marriage, I was left at the end of each day feeling more blessed and alive than I had in years. I was reintroduced to what true joy and peace could feel like and it transpired into all the projects I put my hands to.

The lesson in identifying warning signs in relationships has taught me to become proactive and intentional with the people I come in contact with. Leading first with love and acceptance of all circumstances has eliminated judgment from my life. I believe that to unconditionally love others takes unwavering confidence ones self. It takes acceptance and forgiveness of others, and more importantly forgiveness of ourselves to move forward from traumatic situations. To have the ability to separate ones self from a difficult situation to find clarity and reasoning, has the potential to save relationships from unnecessary fallouts.

Knowing now, what I wish I had known back then would have resulted in a very different fairy tale ending. I have grown to accept that my divorce was not necessary. Had appropriate action been taken early on, we would have withstood the tests of time. I would not, however, trade in the lessons learned through those difficult times for anything. They have provided a platform to help others through trying times in their relationships, foundations for building cultures in businesses, and more importantly, created a more whole hearted contributing person in the world (me!). I am ever so grateful for the obstacles I have been faced with, for they have provided a gateway to greater opportunities.

3 Life Lessons from 8 Days of Yoga

The search for a new niche all started when my professional dancing career ended.  I was eager to find a replacement that worked multiple muscle groups simultaneously. I wanted to attain optimal results in the shortest amount of time, while completely avoiding the gym. My relationship with gym memberships has been a love/hate one at best, but at the core of my struggle, was a strong disbelief that I’d find something as fulfilling (and quite frankly would kick my ass) as dancing had. My experience in witnessing expired dancers revealed that I would end up relearning everything about my body through a lack luster gym routine. Then I stumbled upon Bikram Yoga. I was extremely excited to start since I had heard that the room was heated (great for injuries!) and that flexibility was an asset.

Now let’s fast forward to the first class.

Life Lesson #1 – Trying something new while entertaining a large ego results in a healthy dose of humility.

“Heated” was an understatement. Between the tickling sweat in every square inch of my comparatively “not so in shape anymore” body, the smell (almost like something or someone was rotting…it may have been me), and trying to follow the poses (since everyone got the yoga poses memo prior to class except me), yoga and I were not off to a great start. I was accustomed to annihilating first attempts at flexibility and strength routines, and now I was contemplating whether or not I’d even finish the 90 minutes.  I had heard yoga was a spiritual experience and that part I agreed with. I was in “full on prayer mode” that I wouldn’t suffocate before I removed myself, vowing never to return again. Then, as fate would have it, something extraordinary happened during my escape. A rush of fresh air saturated my lungs and my entire body felt more cleansed and rejuvenated than ever before.

Life Lesson #2 – “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” should be practiced regularly.

Since I’d already paid for the unlimited first week, I figured I should give yoga a few more attempts before I completely threw in the towel. I decided to give it the old college try and attend a class daily for my eight day trial period. What was the result? I was confounded by how my injuries had improved in only one week. It was like opening Pandora’s Box of positive changes. My flexibility, lung capacity and strength had all noticeably increased. Not to mention the changes to my metabolism, hormones (or “horrormones” as I like to refer to them), and sleep patterns.

Life Lesson #3 – Acclimating to change takes approximately a week of consistency.

It’s hard to imagine that in one short week there was unequivocal proof that the lifestyle I was previously leading needed to change. I was thrilled by how quickly my overall wellness changed and was determined to continue on this new found path. It was herein that the challenge to have the best class started. I cleaned up my diet, adjusted my vitamin plan, and tried to drink my weight in water a day. I could dictate how balanced my day was based on the strength of my yoga classes.

Every aspect of how I lead my life has changed due to the integration of different yoga philosophies. In class, we are taught to draw awareness to the body, our thoughts, and our breath. This practice has served me in many areas, but specifically with regards to stress management (but that’s another story!).  The culture of yoga has empowered me to practice vulnerability as I enter each class. Regardless of how my day unfolded, I have the power to set the intention as to how I want to feel after the class is completed. So if you are on the fence as to whether or not yoga is for you, let me assure you that you are not alone. My recommendation would be to lean on a friend who has a regular yoga practice. Have them assist you in doing a few poses at home so you may grow accustomed to the movement. Or you can do as I did and dive in head first! Either way, I am 100% convicted that yoga is for everyone. Who knew that by enduring a wretched primary yoga class that the studio would once again become my place of total peace and harmony.