Tag: Yoga

Harnessing the Power of the Elements to Rejuvenate Our Soulful Projects

Summer is a wonderful time to return to our goals with a fresh outlook and breathe a zest of inspiration into our projects. As the energetic rays of the sun stay with us longer it helps to fire up our brains and stay on track with the continued commitment to achieving our heart’s desire. We can tap into this by connecting to the core elements of Mother Earth.

sunset parkland lake

Earth

Take a moment to connect up with your goals by taking your shoes off in the backyard and reconnecting to the earth. It feels wonderful to dig your toes into the ground, close your eyes, finding space in mountain pose, and reconnecting with your needs and desires. Take a few moments just to picture the freedom of achieving your goals as your toes welcome the budding rise of fresh greenery. Awakening to the rejuvenation of fresh ideas!

Air

If you feel there is a staleness in your projects or workout routines the first step is to remove the staleness from your home. The easiest way to do this is to open your windows and let the summer air blow through cleansing your space and removing the stagnancy in the air that may be holding you back or feeling more sluggish than usual. It is when we can purge the stagnant in our homes it gives us the freedom and energy to open our spaces for more creativity.

Fire

We all have a fire that burns brightly within us that rises to the challenge of attaining our core desires.  We can tap further into our passions by taking a moment to gaze into the evening fire or candlelight regaining clarity and focus before returning back to work on our soulful projects. The long fire gaze will calm your mind and fire you up to complete that one creative project that speaks to you.

Water

Take a pause in your busy day. Reflect. Are you swimming against the current? How can you change the direction and find more fluidity throughout your day?  It must be noted all challenges and resistances are normal but how can work with those challenges to regain a momentum that brings us the space to move and breathe with ease floating with tide instead of against it.

As we begin to connect more with the four elements we begin to create the much-needed space to venture on our creative path. The freedom of summer offers a fresh start to new and old projects.  The beauty of the summer months is it renews and invigorates us to explore with all of our senses creating a wider expansion of endless possibilities.

Finding Your Flow

I have a good friend that always rolls her eyes at me when she asks me “How are you?”

I always respond, “Good. Just going with the flow.”

However, there are many times when the flow is more like swimming against a very strong current. It is in those times I attempt to recognize that I need to take a step back and evaluate what is and not working in my life.

stream

I truly believe that sometimes we need to let go of things to create space for new fresh and positive experiences. It is when we begin to make that space that more good is welcomed into our lives.

The best way to gauge  if you are beginning to swim against the current or moving forward down the stream with all of your ducks in a row.  Is by closing your eyes taking a few breaths, finding a place of neutral, in your mind, then think of one word that would best describe your situation is it love? Money? Success? Abundance?

Now from your place of neutral imagine simply floating which direction are you beginning to move do you need a flotation device to keep you a float or are you floating with ease down the lazy river.

It is a reflective way to check in with yourself to see how you can streamline your goals, desires, and dreams to move in one positive direction working together. If we can begin to recognize our alignment from that neutral position then we can act quicker in streamlining it when we begin to fight the current.

The more negativity we hold onto the harder it is to stay a float moving in one direction. If we can find a way to release that mind-set by learning to maintain a neutrality towards our goals we are more apt to achieve them with a combination of effort and joy.

 

Enjoy a Little Sweetness!

It has taken me a few years to realize that my eating habits are connected to my emotions. If things are not going well for me it is usually written all over my waistline. On those days when I need a little extra sweetness to conquer the stress I go straight for the container of Ben and Jerry’s.

Rest assured that Ben and Jerry’s is not a good companion for a lady who is already lactose intolerant!  

But over the year I have recognized that when I am beginning to crave something that disagrees with me not to ignore it but to substitute it with something better.

My better is the Sweetest Smoothie! A refreshing chocolate bar in glass that is a  nutritious beverage for post recovery after your daily yoga practice or  tough workout in the gym. It will satisfy your sweet tooth in an instant and fill you full of delightful goodness.

the-sweetest-smoothie

Give it a sip and let me know what you think! Did it hit your sweet spot?

Reflecting on Your Week

One of the greatest factors in reaching our goals is visualizing and taking the necessary steps to achieve them. It maybe getting on the road to good health, planning for your first marathon, or just learning the basics to healthy cooking.  All of these are attainable goals and with consistent effort you will be on the right track to reaching them.

Your well-being is one of the most important when it comes to your overall health, your goals, and raising the bar for what you want to do next in your life. One of the best ways to stay on track and evaluate the direction that you are heading in reaching towards your goals is checking in with yourself.

Take a few minutes every Sunday to journal about your week. It is a nice way to stay focused on all the good in your life and what you can strive to do better. Here is a list of simple questions to help you evaluate your week and write about in your own journal.

motivation

Opening a journal and writing can be one of the greatest ways to get to know yourself better, maintain focus on your goals, and help you to make the small changes necessary to improve your life. Pick up a pen, grab your notebook, and write! I look forward to hearing about your progress and how writing in a weekly journal has been working for you.

Make Your Well Being a Priority for 2017

Almost every year people sit down with their list of New Years Resolutions with high optimism for change and a brighter future. A typical list usually focuses on losing weight, making more money, fostering new relationships, and living the dream of travelling the world.

However, the problem with these lists is they are already set-up for failure because there is no list set-up to focus on how to achieve these specific goals. We creates lists that highlight our achievements but we fail to make the important lists that step us in the right direction to achieving our goals whether it be losing ten pounds or creating a higher stream of wealth.

The number one thing that should be on your list  for 2017 is making your well-being your number one priority. It is by creating a healthy routine for yourself that sets you up to achieve your goals and dreams.  Imagine a  healthier version of  yourself  when you  have more energy, more time, and unwavering tenacity to reach further for your goals. You begin to set yourself up for new possibilities and achievements.

Here are three simple ways to make your well-being the number one priority for 2017.

2017-goals

A simple and effective way to begin your New Year by giving yourself the gift of good health, energy, and rest.  Wishing you the best this holiday season!

The Importance of Continuous Learning

The past few months have been a whirlwind for me as I  took a chance and taught yoga up North this summer. As well enjoyed a fabulous yoga teaching trip in beautiful Cancun, Mexico. I can’t say enough about the wonderful experiences and people I connected with over the summer. It was inspiring!

I am now back home in Edmonton finding my grounding, reconnecting with friends, and teaching welcoming familiar faces. If there is one thing anyone knows about me is that if you have a question I will try to answer it and if I don’t know it – I will find out and get back to you.

I find with teaching yoga there is always questions after practice and sometimes those questions lead into nutrition. It is only natural as people begin to make that step to take care of themselves that they want to feel aligned with the mind, body, and spirit.

The next leap would be how the nourish themselves after practice and throughout the day. Unfortunately, I am not a dietitian and don’t have all of the answers.  In fact, food and I have a very complex relationship. After all of these years I am finally beginning to connect the dots on how to nourish myself and my family – it has been its own uphill journey.

I think it is important to consistently change your views, thoughts, and opinions. It’s about growing and making peace with your own ego (sometimes admitting your wrong.) In that shift I decided to take the next step on my learning my path and joined The Institute for Integrative Nutrition  to compliment my yoga journey as a health coach to better assist the people I meet with on a weekly basis.

I am excited about the new opportunities and knowledge that I will have to help further assist my clients.  As well I will be sharing tidbits of information, recipes, that will help to compliment your  lifestyle and daily yoga practice.

The season change is always bright and full of new opportunities – I look forward to having you join me on my journey.  If you are interested in learning more about a really great program stop by and visit The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

They have a great special on now this month for friends and family that are interested in pursuing their own career in health coaching.  Just mention this code below and tell them that Darcie told you to give them a ring and say “HI!”

friendsfamily

Managing Workplace Stress

 

In this fast-paced 24/7 technological world that more people at work are facing more responsibilities, longer hours, and are expected to be wired to their phones.  It is not uncommon for people to mention that they feel “permanently wired  to their jobs.”  This feeling  of  permanent wiring forces many people to take their work life home with them not giving them the necessary recovery from a busy work day adding more fuel to the fire

One of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself is setting aside the phone and making time for your loved ones. Work will always be there and waiting but the key is to make yourself a number one priority on setting boundaries on when you are willing to work.

If you are not on the clock then it can wait until the morning.

Make the time to breathe, smile, and laugh. 

Studies also show that for many shift workers who put in long hours are more prone to accidents and injuries.  One of the main reasons is that they are unable to catch up on their sleep. Some research has shown that night workers sleep less during the day, and less deeply when asleep. The accumulation of sleep debt can result in impaired judgment or delayed reaction time, which in turn can lead to accidents.

The fact of the matter is whether you work long shift hours or in a office you need to begin to take back the power of your own health and alleviate the daily stress of heavy workloads.  How do you make your health a number one priority when you are working long hours? It is by being proactive and taking small simple steps in changing your daily routine.

stress-reduction-1

 

 

It’s by making small changes to your daily routine that can make an impact on your daily work life. Small steps to positive change will make for a healthier you and help release some of the daily symptoms of everyday work stress. You have to make yourself a number one priority because when you take care of you it rises everything  in your life reaching you to your highest potential.