Why do wellness practitioners emphasize the importance of the breath for both mental and physical health? Aside from the many benefits to both mind and body, when we attune to our breathe we become present in the moment. We aren’t thinking about our to do lists, in our fears of the future or ruminating on the choices of the past - we are here in the now. For most of us, being in the present moment will help us return to feelings of safety, restoring calm to our nervous systems. Just like building up our muscles in the gym, consistent practice and focus on the breathe can be the anchor that we need to quiet mind and body. That’s all friends, reach out if I can help you along your health and fitness journey. Wishing you all a beautiful day! Inhale. Exhale. #breath #breathwork #anxietysupport #mentalhealth #presence #mindbodysoul #health #mindbodycoach #beherenow #ayurveda #wellbeing #anxiety #depression #support #wellness #mindbodyhealth #vancouver
Why do wellness practitioners emphasize the importance of the breath for both mental and physical health?
Aside from the many benefits to both mind and body, when we attune to our breathe we become present in the moment.
We aren’t thinking about our to do lists, in our fears of the future or ruminating on the choices of the past - we are here in the now. For most of us, being in the present moment will help us return to feelings of safety, restoring calm to our nervous systems.
Just like building up our muscles in the gym, consistent practice and focus on the breathe can be the anchor that we need to quiet mind and body.
That’s all friends, reach out if I can help you along your health and fitness journey. Wishing you all a beautiful day! Inhale. Exhale.
#breath #breathwork #anxietysupport #mentalhealth #presence #mindbodysoul #health #mindbodycoach #beherenow #ayurveda #wellbeing #anxiety #depression #support #wellness #mindbodyhealth #vancouver
How are you managing the summer heat?
As we move through these dog days of summer, it is easy to move out of balance within our bodies and minds. The fire element that signifies the season (and the pitta dosha) can easily burn out of control leading to us to experience things like inflammation in our physical bodies and intolerances and anger in our mental and emotional bodies.
If this sounds like you, Ayurveda offers us some simple tools to help us balance the heat within and without. (Slides for reference at end of reel and in my story) please reach out if I can help support you in any way!
Today’s gentle reminder is to stay cool and stay kind,
wishing you all a beautiful day friends!
#beattheheat #staycool #pittaseason #health #ayurveda #ayurvedalifestyle #mindbodysoul #mindbodycoach #coach #summer #mindbodyhealth #alopecia #morningflow #lifestyle #vancouver
Happy new moon friends! Offering gentle reminders to set your intentions under the energies of the moon, wishing you all a beautiful day! #newmoon #flow #morning #sunset #yoga #beautifulbc #intentions #sunday #mindbodysoul #mindbodycoach #coach #vancouver
I love watching the Olympics and am always inspired by the athletes and the dedication required to become the best in the world, however, life is not a spectator sport. Taking care of your health and fitness is up to you.
Today’s reminder is to train mindfully and consistently and stay in it for the long game! Thats all friends, wishing you all a beautiful day! Reach out with questions, comments or if i can help you along your journey!
#healthiswealth #inspiration #getinthegame #olympics #movement #fitness #strengthtraining #agility #boxing #exercise #mindbodycoach #coach #personaltrainer #fitover50 #healthylifestyle #fitlife #alopecia #vancouver
Mind-Body Olympics!
In honour of the Summer Olympics, I thought we could have some fun AND work on our mindbody health at the same time.
The challenge, should you choose to accept, is to do 30 minutes of movement or a 30 minute meditation on as many of the days of the Olympic Games as you can. At the end of the games, those with the most days will win GOLD as well as another prize.
The rules are few, just message me and let me know you’d like to participate and I will send you the rest of the details.
If this sounds like fun or you’re looking for a little challenge to bring out your inner athlete message me - let’s go for the gold!
#health #innerathlete #challenge #mindbodycoach #olympics #movement #meditation #goforthegold #motivation #inspiration #mindbodyhealth #coach
Happy Friday friends!! Today’s reminder is that workouts can be done anywhere anytime. Stay playful and consistent. Wishing you all a beautiful day!
#fridayvibes #friday #playgroundworkout #play #exercise #workouts #movement #mindbodycoach #mindbodysoul #fitness #fitover50 #consistency #inspiration #alopecia #baldie #coach #personaltrainer
Friday health check! Checking in with a gentle reminder to do something good for you today…movement, mindfulness, time with friends, wherever your heart may lead you! Wishing you all a beautiful day!
#health #wellness #fridayvibes #selfcare #selflove #movement #mindfulness #connection #support #mentalhealt #mindbodysoul #mindbodycoach #coach #alopecia #baldie #nohairdontcare
What if Food is Mood?
I share a lot about the importance of movement and mindfulness practises in staying balanced in mind and body, but the truth is proper nutrition plays a vital role in how we look and feel in our day to day lives.
I believe in a balanced approach to nutrition, and love to indulge once in a while, but the truth is I am mindful of what I eat and have been for years. In the early days, it was about performance and sports, (and looking good) this changed after being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in my early thirties and it became all about my long time health. I have sensitivities, and being conscious about the foods I eat - most of the time - helps me to look and feel my best. When I do stray for more than a few days, I sure notice how crappy I feel, tuning into these messages of the body - or digestion- help me to return to the simple foods that my mind and body thrive on.
As a coach I love it when clients come to this same realization, with the multitude of information out there we can know these things in our minds but until we experience them for ourselves change can be hard and often doesn’t last.
Proper nutrition can help with things like:
- performance and recovery
- stress
- disease management and prevention
- sleep quality
- ADHD, anxiety, depression,
- how we look
- and so much more!
If you have ticked all of the boxes of movement and mindfulness practices, but are still not feeling how you would like to, I invite you to explore the foods you’re eating, when you’re eating them as well as other aspects of your digestive health and see how things change for you.
Food is mood (and medicine)
That’s all friends wishing you all a beautiful day, as always reach out if I can help you along your journey or if you have any questions and comments!
#Nutrition #health #FoodIsMood #FoodIsMedicine #mindbodycoach #ayurveda #ayurvedalifestyle #Digestion #coach #Healing #HolisticHealth #prana #autoimmunedisease #ment
Are leading with your heart or your head?
I often share with you that the cycles of the moon are beautiful opportunities for release or setting intentions of what we’d like to bring into our lives (depending on whether it’s a full moon or new moon)
As this Gemini new Moon approached, I’ve been reflecting and inviting in clarity of what mine may be. I had some ideas, yet as I moved through my morning flow it became very clear that the only intention that resonated deeply within was the intention to lead with love.
Towards myself, others, and the world that surrounds us. Not that far off from how I aim to live but the messaging clear as the blue sky above and far simpler than what I’d been previously reflecting upon.
If you are aligning with the new moon energies to set intentions, I invite you to sink into your heart to feel what you know is true. Our heads will often lead us astray, yet our hearts speak the truth should we choose ro listen.
These are a few of the practices that can help us soften into our hearts and can be done in 5-15 minutes . More is ok as well as are any variations or ‘stacks’ but not required.
1. meditation - self led, guided, body scan or simply laying down and placing hands upon your heart.
2. Yoga - simple asanas or mindful movement. slow and low is the pace of presence.
3. Journaling or other form of creative play, doodling, painting - even LEGO!
4. Time in nature or listening to nature sounds especially birdsong
5. Breathwork - a simple practice of settling into a belly breath and noticing the inhale and exhale will do.
That’s all friends, feel free to share your intentions if you feel called or keep them to yourself. As always reach out with questions, comments or if I can help you along the journey. Wishing you a beautiful day!
#newmoon #intentions #love #gemininewmoon #leadwithlove #mindbodycoach #Consciousness #ayurveda #heartcentred #souljourney #Healing #health #wellbeing #coach #mooncycles #energy
What if we focused on the quality of our years instead of the quantity of years?
I’ve been reflecting a lot lately about this process that we all go through of birth, life, death and the inevitability of the end of our physical bodies.
Perhaps it is due to the time of life I am in, perhaps it relates to those in my circles experiencing health crisis, the many that are leaving this plain or the state of the world that continues to be at war.
Either way it feels like a beautiful opportunity to remind myself, and all of you to focus on the quality of the life that we want to live and the practices that allows us to experience all we possibly can in our time here. No one knows when our number will be called, focus on the things that matter like taking care of our minds and bodies and quality connections with others. It’s the simple things that bring us the most joy.
That’s all friends, wishing you all a beautiful day!
#reflection #cyclesoflife #souljourney #liveyourlife #qualityoverquantity #aging #soulgrowth #mindbodysoul #ayurveda #ayurvedalifestyle #spirituality #consciousness #mindbodycoach #health #wellbeing #healingjourney #coach #vancouver
What if today was the perfect day you’ve been waiting for?
Those of us that live in Vancouver understand that if we wait for the weather to be perfect to get outdoors, we will never leave our houses. It can be unpredictable and you never know when it may change. Life can be like that too.
We often wait for the perfect moment, to go for our workout, try something new, to have the hard conversation that it’s been weighing on her heart or to take action on where the soul calls us..
It’s True…
Sometimes we get wet,
sometimes the sun shines upon us.
Sometime we are left heartbroken,
sometimes our heart busts wide open.
Sometimes we stumble and fall,
sometimes we soar to places we never imagined we could go.
Today’s Reminder is that life is short, if you keep waiting for that perfect moment, you may just miss out on something special. Maybe now is that perfect moment you’ve been waiting for. You got this.
Namaste friends, wishing you all a beautiful day!
#growth #inspiration #Action #souljourney #healthjourney #YouGotThis #Perfection #lettinggo #courage #mindbodycoach #SoulGrowth #ayurveda #coach #vancouver #mindbodysoul
We all understand the importance of exercise and moving our bodies for both physical and mental health. Well what happens if you can’t move the way you’d like to at the moment? Perhaps you’ve been sidelined with an injury or experiencing a health crisis?
I have good news for you today, breath work practises are assessable to all, and can offer us a way to work on our mind and body health when traditional movements are not available to us.
Simple breath techniques, can help us to stimulate the body and mind, calm the body and mind, or balance the body and mind.
These exercises also stimulate something called the vagal nerve, which is our main lifeline. Through the stimulation of this nerve, we can invite health and healing to body and mind.
Proven benefits include helping to manage things like headaches, blood pressure, inflammation, stress -and more - in the body as well as depression and anxiety in our mental health.
If this sounds like you and you are in a place that you can’t move the way you would like to, I invite you to explore how breath practices, done consistently, and in just minutes a day can impact your health and well-being, in body and mind.
As always, please reach out with questions or comments or if I can help you along your journey. Inhale. Exhale. Wishing you all a beautiful day, friends.
#Breathwork #pranayama #Healing #HealthCrisis #HealingJourney #mentalhealth #health #wellness #mindbodycoach #coach #ayurveda #PowerOfBreath #Tips #Injury #Illness #PainManagement #vagalnerve #mindbodysoul #healthjourney #ayurvedalifestyle #HeartDisease #vancouver
Are you building your body up it breaking it down?
I was chatting with a woman at the gym the other day - as a longtime coach I tend to offer up free advice if anyone is interested, especially with the masses of mis-information out there it’s nice to be able to give some quality tips to those in need, but i digress.
After a bit of back and forth around what she was doing in her workouts, I quickly identified a few key points: not only was she doing too much cardio for her goals but she was also spending on average two hours in the gym for her workouts.
Unless you are a professional athlete or a bodybuilder, if this sounds like you I’m here to tell you it’s time to cut that workout session in half.
For most people - even if you are wanting to transform your body - an hour is plenty of time to fit in mobility/warm up, strength work and some cardio if thats your thing. Those longer sessions could very well be sabotaging your results. Get in, get er done, get out and go enjoy the extra hour you’ve created in your day.
If you’re dedicated to using that time for your health, try using it for meditation, breathwork, journaling, time in nature or connecting with others. A healthy lifestyle is about balance in body and mind and these practices can be more transformative than the extra time sweating it out.
Not sure how to trim it down? Hire a coach to set you up on a personalized program and see how it changes your results.
As always reach out with questions, comments or if i can help in any way. Wishing you a beautiful day!
#fitness #fitnessjourney #exercise #mindbodycoach #wellness #health #workout #fitnesstips #coach #healthjourney #strengthandconditioning #strengthandconditioning #womenshealth #workouttips #transformation #healthylifestyle #vancouver
Happy Sunday friends! Just finished up my Sunday lift at my local community centre and wanted to offer up a shout out to all of you taking action on your health and fitness today! Especially the over 40 crew - or over 50 like me - getting it done! Good for the body, good for the mind 💪
If you haven’t gotten anything in yet, don’t worry lots of time to prioritize you. Wishing you all a beautiful day!
#health #fitness #sundayvibes #menopause #midlife #community #alopecia #healthyaging #fitover40 #fitover50 #womenwholift #mindbodycoach #coach #vancouver
What can you offer up for release under the light and energies of this full moon?
Health and well-being is equally about what we bring in and what we let go of that is no longer serving us. Today is a beautiful day to set intentions for release, surrender to the flow and let it go!
Wishing you a beautiful day friends! #fullmoon #lettinggo #surrender #release #health #wellness #mindbodysoul #mooncycles #ayurveda #mindbodycoach #souljourney #healing #flow #yoga #ritual #morningroutine #coach #intentions #vancouver
World meditation day - how meditation changed my life.
How meditation changed my life
In honour of world meditation day I thought I would share a bit of how meditation changed my life and health.
When my hair loss began many, many years ago, I also had a number of other things going on within my physical body. As I moved through this health crisis, I made changes to reduce stress and explored a number of treatments for healing and my physical body slowly came back on board.
The deeper struggles that I faced over the years were in my mental health as I tried to find love and acceptance of myself without hair as a woman in the world. The journey hasn’t been easy and I’d experienced rejection and ridicule from others deepening my feelings of low self worth.
I’d dabbled with meditation practises over those years, mostly guided, and honestly, never seemed to have much success. Upon reflection, I recognize my level of commitment may have played a part, although I tried to do it regularly, it never seemed to stick.
Flash forward to about 5 years ago when I signed up with the Chopra Foundation to study Ayurveda. A prerequisite to our coursework, and becoming a teacher, was adopting a consistent meditation practice. It was a different style than I’d ever tried before, something called a primordial sound meditation, which utilizes a personal mantra to drop in and help still the mind. Well, through the tutelage of the amazing instructors that I had during my Chopra journey as well as a personal commitment to doing the work, meditation began to slowly change my life.
In ways that movement and nutrition of offered me a strong and limber physique, meditation has allowed me to meet myself without judgment, with curiosity, with acceptance, not only of the lighter sides of myself, but also the deep shadows and the wounds that I’ve worked through from my childhood years . This process has gently allowed these traumas to come forward like unravelling the layers of an onion, one at a time, rarely asking me to go deeper than I have the capacity for, ye
A little sampling of nature’s beings that visited during my morning walk and flow…in case you needed the reminder - get out and explore all that it can offer to body and mind! Wishing you all a beautiful day friends! #naturebreak #nature #morning #morningritual #walking #mindfulness #getoutside #beautifulbc #seals #loon #ducks #yoga #mindbodycoach #natureheals #vancouver
I find we tend to overcomplicate things in today’s society. Yet I notice the things that bring me the most peace and joy are the simplest of practices.
My yoga practice is not complicated, in fact the foundations are in the simpleness of Sun salutations, allowing repetition and time to work their magic on body and mind.
Its simlar in strength training, focus on the foundations of movement and let consistency do the work. These are the principles I use in my own practices as well as those I coach. They help me stay strong, flexible and balanced within and without, no matter our age.
Today’s reminder is to keep it simple, keep showing up for you and let time take care of the rest. Wishing you a beautiful day friends, as akways reach out with questions and comments or if i can help you along the way!
#yoga #asana #movement #movementthatinspires #ayurveda #mindbodysoul #keepitsimple #fitover50 #aginggracefully #mindbodycoach #coach #inspiration #souljourney #baldie #alopecia #health #healing #soulgrowth #vancouver
