I have spent my life keeping busy. At the height of it I was working 70-80 hours a week, volunteering over 1200 hours a year, over and above being a married mom of two. Five years ago I left this lifestyle, I even thought I had completed this part of my life. And now I can see, I have spent my life keeping busy because then I never had the time to deal with the pain, the thoughts, the emotions, the trauma. I was filling the space up to not feel.
We live in a society that is focused on productivity, high producing, and achieving behaviors. We say things like “do more with less” and “sleep when I’m dead”. We see people who are busy as productive, stressed as up to big things, and achievement as the only important measure of success.
The result is we are experiencing significant increases in chronic fatigue or its more recently introduced name, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). A 2017 survey shows some 560,000 Canadians report that they have the disease, a 36.7 percent increase over previous results from 2014. The number also suggests the disease may be more common than breast cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis combined.
Since March of 2020, we are seeing significant experiences of compassion fatigue, lockdown fatigue, and pandemic fatigue.
A story from our founder, Melanie Taylor In February of 2020, after years of struggle and misdiagnosis, I was diagnosed with PTSD. The year that followed has been filled with Continue Reading
With more yoga classes happening online, you may find yourself missing those studio props. Props are an excellent way to enhance, support, and adapt your practice. At the Life of Continue Reading
How it started I am a human being. And until recently I didn’t really know what that meant. This is my story of discovery and recovery. There is a traumatizing Continue Reading
I remember the first time I experienced a Yoga Nidra practice. My sister was sick, and I was filled with worry and stress. As I settled into the familiar home of Savasana, I allowed my awareness to settle into the voice guiding me to deepen my breath, settle, and through the systematic meditation travel through the pancha maya kosha.
The Workplace Challenge You have worked extremely hard to get where you are and to create your workplace. Invested years of study, long days, taking work home and giving up Continue Reading
Why I love Personal Development? I had heard many times that doing 30 minutes of personal development a day was good for you, and while I do consider myself a Continue Reading
Our words and our story affect us and those around us. In a previous post, “You are the writer of your own story” I shared the importance of being the Continue Reading
Sometimes I feel like life just knocks me down with a Rocky sized punch. You know those days when things go wrong in a way that reminds us of just Continue Reading
Imagine this… What if I told you that you already have everything you need to find true happiness? I bet right about now you are thinking it can’t be true. Continue Reading
Ever wondered what drives your fears and negative self-image, and how to begin healing? It’s hard work, but worth every moment, every tear. I recently heard someone say that who Continue Reading
There has been a lot of suffering in my family and community lately. So far this year we lost our nephew, and another nephew is struggling with anger. My brother Continue Reading
Burnout has been a big part of finding my self-awareness and healing Burnout for me shows up in many ways. At the beginning it starts with when I start noticing Continue Reading
If we are being honest, we already have a good life. And there is nothing wrong with being comfortable living the life we have created. And sometimes we feel called Continue Reading
Have you ever noticed that everything you suffer from all comes down to one or two limiting beliefs? That it can stop you from true happiness everywhere in life? For Continue Reading
Knowing how and when to let go is one of the hardest things to do. Our emotions act as a cloud above us. Making it harder to see clearly. This Continue Reading
If you follow me on social media you may have noticed me say “Awaken Your Inner Strength”. This is something that has great meaning for me, and today I wanted Continue Reading
These past few months have been filled with difficult situations, overwhelming emotions, and BIG decisions. The kind of situations that you can not prepare for. What I have seen in these Continue Reading
We all have dreams, wants, desires, and most of all happiness. They are simply a part of who we are as human beings. It comes from our ability to dream. Continue Reading
This past week I found myself feeling the stress of a difficult conversation I had been avoiding. Sign after sign shining as a reminder of what I needed to face. Continue Reading
When you share your story, do you think about yourself as the author and editor? When you share your story, it is important to remember that it’s up to you what you Continue Reading
On Internation Women’s Day, I attended the Ladies Talk Out Loud conference with many others from our community. The event was created by the incredible Karen and Ladies Out Loud. Continue Reading
These past weeks or so has been difficult for me. So many things have happened and it has left me in need of a change. Let’s start at the beginning… I’ve Continue Reading
It seems like everywhere we look someone is telling us how to be happier. Commercials telling us what we need to buy to be happier. Store windows showing us the Continue Reading
50 things you can do when you feel overwhelmed No matter how long I’ve been practicing meditation and yoga I still have bad days and get overwhelmed. In fact, I Continue Reading
I want to share with you a week that was incredibly eye-opening for me. It’s allowed me to see a mask I’ve always worn and the impact it has had Continue Reading
Have you ever had one of those moments where you realized that you had the answer all along? Over the past few years I’ve learned this lesson over and over. Continue Reading
How many times a day do negative thoughts seem to rain in your mind? Feelings that you aren’t good enough? Comparing yourself to someone else? For me, this happens all Continue Reading
This week has been pretty intense, five 16 hour days getting home with barely enough energy to get from my car to bed, getting up just 5 hours later to Continue Reading
I often ask my students why they love yoga and why they want to dive deeper into their yoga practice. I always love hearing each answer as it gives me Continue Reading
Have you noticed that what we planned on New Year’s Eve is already fading away? In fact, I am sure you have seen all sort of advertisements, social media trying Continue Reading
After over 20 years of being a coach and trainer, I have seen my fair share of stress in my clients and students. Even within my personal life stress has Continue Reading
I am finding more and more in my own life and in the lives of my clients a sense of deep exhaustion. I’ve been spending a lot of time on Continue Reading
As the holiday season begins it can bring with it additional stress. Our desire to make everything perfect, to do it all, to be it all. The pressures of fitting Continue Reading
In the world today we have more access to information than any other time. Day after day we are bombarded with marketing, memes, and entertainment telling us how to live Continue Reading
Have you ever heard the expression “burn the boats”? It comes from 1519 during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, when Hernán Cortés the Spanish commander, scuttled his ships so that Continue Reading
Tips to awaken, recognize, nourish, cultivate and honor Your Inner Strength that will leave you feeling grounded, supported and able to accomplish anything. Have you ever noticed that no matter Continue Reading
One of my favorite songs is by the great David Bowie, “We can be heroes just for one day”. The words just speak to me! Okay, let’s be honest this Continue Reading
I first heard these words lying in bed in a hostel in Vancouver moments ago on this quiet Monday evening. A day out of my normal routine in our home Continue Reading
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for the family we love, the friends we cherish, what we have and for the blessings that will come. As I reflected this Continue Reading
It seems like everywhere you look today someone is telling us to self-care, that self-care is the answer to our problems and if we aren’t doing it we should be. Continue Reading
I have been reflecting a lot of integrity and authenticity. It seems to be something that is all around us these days and not in a good way. More and Continue Reading
Why taking care of yourself matters A recent lesson as a mom reminded me of how important it is to hold space for yourself. As a mom there is nothing Continue Reading
Holding space when others need you most My first opportunity to learn how to hold space for someone was when my gramma got really sick. I remember it so clearly Continue Reading
Coaching is a future-focused session with the aim of helping you determine and achieve your goals. By examining what is going on in your life right now we can discover Continue Reading
Have you ever been in one of those moments where you just make a decision to do something even if you aren’t really sure how it will all work out Continue Reading
The journey to happiness It’s easy on our journey to find happiness to be inundated with messages telling us to just “be positive”? Like it’s a light switch you can Continue Reading
When I began to think about my celebration of the International Day of Yoga my first thought was to connect to what yoga means to me. If you’ve heard my Continue Reading
Have you ever wondered why some people are so good at making their dreams come true? Or even been frustrated at how easy they make it look? This used to Continue Reading
I have a question… Are you a slave to your calendar? Does it make you feel like an underperforming employee just waiting for your next bad review? Changing my perspective Continue Reading
Have you ever noticed the pattern of how easily we respond with “I’m ok” or “I’m good” without actually checking in? Maybe this is a result of our culture, how Continue Reading
I used to be the “taking a vacation from my wellness” kind of girl. I thought that vacations were about doing what I want when I want. A break from my Continue Reading
If you’ve ever worked with a mentor you’ve likely experienced one of those moments where you find clarity that changes your perspective in the blink of an eye. For me Continue Reading
Ishvarapranidhana is my homework this week Wow! what a journey this has been! Last week was an opportunity to take a new look at self-study. Can we be an observer Continue Reading
Svadhyaya is my homework this week Last week diving into Tapas invited the creation of habits that serve me while removing self-judgment. So Fun! Okay, so you’d think I was Continue Reading
For me watching a loved one face grief is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I find myself wanting to take the pain away, ultimately knowing that Continue Reading
Tapas is my homework this week Last week diving into Santosha begged me to ask one question. What do you do when you begin to believe in yourself? This week Continue Reading
Santosha is my homework this week Last week Saucha helped me learn that “living clean” is more than what I eat or drink. It is about living free of all Continue Reading
Stress is a now common part of everyday lives. According to Statistics Canada “Stress is a common aspect of life and can have negative consequences for health. These consequences include Continue Reading
Saucha is my homework this week Last week I figured out that I can apply Aparigraha to cherish what I already have and while also choosing to give of myself to others. Continue Reading
Aparigraha is my homework this week Last week I figured out that I can apply Brahmacharya can be used to understand my own energy patterns. There is so much to be Continue Reading
Brahmacharya is my homework this week Last week I figured out that I can apply Asteya to honor my time and cherish what I already have. This week allowed me to Continue Reading
Asteya is my homework this week Last week I figured out that I can apply Satya to hold my integrity with my time. This week was the perfect opportunity to Continue Reading
Satya is my homework this week Last week I figured out that I can apply Ahimsa to my calendar by choosing the language I use to describe it. This week Continue Reading
Caitlin, I’ll never forget the day I found out that I was pregnant and that soon I would be a mom. I was excited, nervous, and terrified all at the Continue Reading
Ahimsa is my homework this week The goal is to answer some questions about and identify what small actions I will take to apply this in my own life. Lately, Continue Reading
Turning self-awareness into change isn’t an easy thing to do. You can see this in so many daily life examples that turn into New Year’s Resolutions. How many of the Continue Reading
So often when planning for the holiday season we can get stressed. Whether dealing with family dynamics, planning to navigate holiday parties or fitting in family time in busy holiday Continue Reading
Our lives are so busy, and with that comes the need to “save time”. This has lead to a trend of drive throughs, fast meals and ready made packages. It Continue Reading
I’m often asked about what Wellness includes, is it just our diet, or a healthy mind? The answer… It’s so much more! You see a life of Wellness is more Continue Reading
Have you noticed a trend over the last few years in the health and wellness space? We have moved from the name of your team leader to a new definition Continue Reading
Our eating is habitual How many times have you sat down to eat and then all of a sudden realized that you are done and you can’t even remember what Continue Reading
Why I choose Craniosacral for all clients As part of my therapy sessions I almost always complete a treatment with Craniosacral Therapy. I see it as a way to give Continue Reading
Recently I’ve been spending time thinking about my ability or lack of ability to trust. It is so easy to remember the people who proved untrustworthy, or why I didn’t Continue Reading
I’m not gonna tell you that I have everything that I want or that I live a mistake free life. As always when I’ve reached a goal I tend to Continue Reading
So often I find myself saying yes and then being frustrated soon after. Why did I say yes, when I knew I didn’t want to?
For years I have used Affirmations with a varied level of success. If you haven’t tried them yet, affirmations are a positive statements that you repeat to yourself while looking Continue Reading
How often do you find yourself really stressed, exhausted, and even fighting weight gain no matter what you eat or how often you workout? Find out how to Stop Stress Continue Reading
I am often asked about what natural health products are safe during pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. So here are some options you can try. I recommend that you use only Continue Reading
Have you ever wondered why it’s recommended to put Essential Oils on your feet? Here are 4 reasons to start today! 1. Minimize sensitivity The soles of your feet have different skin Continue Reading
How you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. I used to be that person who in the morning hit the snooze button at least Continue Reading
Are you feeling… Stressed? Anxious? Unwell? Unable to slow down? Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Or just need time to enjoy deep relaxation and meet new Continue Reading
I have found that when I grew the most was when I was the most vulnerable and there was someone there who really truly took the time to get to really know me and provide authentic support.
So often we merge together our personal development and our goals, it happens so easily. It starts with saying I’ll be happy if only I got the promotion. I’d feel Continue Reading
Here is my absolute favorite. Vegan banana bread. Now before you get turned off by how healthy it sounds let me assure you. I have never had a better banana bread and I must say since I love banana bread and have eaten more than my fair share I can confidently say it is the best I’ve ever had.
I never used to use a journal at all and now I carry it everywhere I go. Over the past 2 years I have gone through significant changes in my Continue Reading
What is it about the New Year that makes us all think about change and ultimately a New Year’s resolution? Sometimes I wonder if it is just the name “New” Continue Reading
I’ll be honest, I get down sometimes and need a boost. It happens to all of us, you’re just having a bad day… or even a bad week. Sometimes you Continue Reading
It can be really hard to resist the processed chips and pop, especially when they have such highly addictive additives that makes it harder the more you eat them. Once Continue Reading
Maintaining healthy habits while traveling takes planning ahead!
There will always be people around you that act in a way that is inconsistent with your values It may be that they say something, do something around you. It Continue Reading
When I think about Remembrance day I am always amazed at the stories of unbelievable courage. I’m not sure I can even truly imagine the strength it takes. To sign Continue Reading
These 4 steps have been my guide to bringing authenticity to my life. I share them with hope that they will do the same for you. Ground yourself in your values Continue Reading
When we allow our fears to be our guides we are setting up our own limits I feel that on the day of scary and spooky costumes it is time Continue Reading
Have you ever had one of the days, or cluster of days, when your confidence is just gone? There are so many things that we face every day that can Continue Reading
I believe when we open ourselves up to change, are truthful with ourself about our values and goals you will inevitably attract the right opportunities. There is nothing more true for me right now.
We get so used to doing things a certain way, our alarm goes off and what happens after is pretty set in habit.
As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I have found myself very focused on space. How we are consistently giving and take it from ourselves and from others. When was the Continue Reading
On the pursuit of a dream there will always be twists and turns on the road, they are there to test us and challenge our determination. To stay focused you Continue Reading
I have spent a good deal of my life stuck in a rut where I was the reason I felt that “I’m not enough” feeling.
When you choose the goal to live a healthier lifestyle, you are enevitably entering a complex world to navigate.
When you begin to tell your story, does everyone wonder… how does my journey to health and wellness start? Is the meaning deeply entrenched in your childhood, or is it really Continue Reading
As I went through my own journey to wellness I had hundreds of conversations with people who like me have gotten sick or faced something traumatic that changed their lives Continue Reading
