I first heard the quote, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” back when I was doing exercise DVD’s (remember those??) and was attempting to add yoga to my day. I started with a beginner yoga video produced by Jillian Michaels, a well-known personal trainer in the online exercise world. She was a tough task-master and I have her stern voice imprinted in my mind as she encouraged us not to give in to that little voice telling us “I can’t do that” or “I’m not flexible enough”.

To be very clear, I firmly believe that no one should do anything that causes pain or too much discomfort. You know your body best. But what this reminds us to do is to start reaching outside of our very small comfort zones. Often our desire to stay comfortable stops us before we even try. It’s our brain resisting anything different.

I’ve been interested in psychology and the human mind for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t pay any attention to the practice of yoga until well into my 40’s.

Feeling regret is not useful or helpful and I try very hard not to ever go into that feeling space, but I can’t help sometimes wondering how my life would be different if I had discovered the benefits of yoga when I was much younger.

I used to think that any slow movement practices (yoga, seated meditation, moving meditation, tai chi, etc.) were a waste of time…

Did you know that according a research study by the National Science Foundation around 80% of our thoughts are negative each and every day? This study further stated that it’s estimated we have around 12,000-15,000 thoughts each day. That’s a lot of negativity!

This study illustrates how important our mindset is in living our best lives and achieving our goals. Your mindset is key and starting each day with an intention to embody a positive mindset will make a huge difference in your life…

“I can’t meditate.” Sound familiar? It’s something I hear often.

Meditation often feels too hard and too intimidating, even with reassurances that there’s no right way to do it and you simply can’t do it wrong.

If you’re one of those people who think they can’t meditate, then I invite you to try a guided visualization.

Guided visualizations, like other forms of meditation, have been linked to many potential benefits (source: healthline.com) including…

Do you remember that question you were always asked as a young child: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.

Some of us know the answer to that question from the very beginning, we stick to that path, and we live out our dream. Most of us stumble around a bit trying to figure that out as we move through the years. Many of us end up in careers and lives that don’t really satisfy us and then in midlife start asking ourselves those deep questions like “How did I get here?” and “What’s my purpose in life?”.

It’s September, and traditionally a time of change - a new season with new habits and back to school.

It’s a perfect time to make positive changes in your life.

I love September and fall is my favourite season. There are several reasons why - the cool, crisp air (lovely for sleeping!), autumn hiking, pumpkin lattes (yum!), cosy sweaters, etc. - but the main reason it appeals to me so much is my deep love of learning.

It’s September, and traditionally a time of change - a new season with new habits and back to school.

It’s a perfect time to make positive changes in your life.

I love September and fall is my favourite season. There are several reasons why - the cool, crisp air (lovely for sleeping!), autumn hiking, pumpkin lattes (yum!), cosy sweaters, etc. - but the main reason it appeals to me so much is my deep love of learning.

Whenever I ask clients what they need help with the most in their daily self-care routine, the answer is usually better sleep.

Why do we have such a difficult time getting to sleep? If you’ve ruled out a physical cause, such as chronic pain or sleep apnea, then it’s likely because you haven’t adequately relaxed your mind and body to prepare yourself for sleep.

It seems like more and more I’m hearing “When I have time, I’ll” or “Someday I will….”. We keep waiting for something in our external world to change before we can make changes in our internal world.

This way of thinking increases our stress and contributes to our worry and feelings of anxiety.

The thing is, we have no control over anything outside of ourselves, we only have control over our inner world.

“Nothing is impossible, even the word says I’m possible.” - Audrey Hepburn

It’s amazing how we go through our lives day after day thinking the same thoughts and doing the same things. It’s very common for me to ask a friend how they are and hear, “oh, you know, same old, same old…”