I rolled over in bed and looked at the clock.

3:28 am

About 45minutes since I last looked at the clock and … was this the second or third time I’ve woken up I wondered.

I lay in the dark, frustrated about repeatedly waking up.  Of course, my mind then started to go into its usual lament about how tired I was going to feel in the morning and I wouldn’t be able to get much done because I would probably have to have a nap to get through the day, blah, blah, blah….

I don’t know about you but once my mind gets going in the night it can be challenging to go back to sleep.  I must have gone back to sleep though, because suddenly I was fumbling around to shut off my alarm. 

I lay in bed feeling a bit stunned when it dawned on me that there might be a good explanation for my interrupted sleep.  I got out of bed and checked my calendar.  Ha! I found the culprit.  It was a full moon!

While there are many things that can interrupt your sleep – noise, too much sugar, snoring, pain, health issues, hormone imbalances, worries, etc. – we don’t often think of the moon impacting our sleep.  Yet the moon can disrupt ours leep along with our daily rhythms.  The moon can also help us to get the sleep and rest we need when we stop resisting this natural cycle. 

I’ll be teaching about how the moon plays a role in your health and wellness and the ways that you can tune into the moon cycles to improve your sleep and overall well being at my women’s retreat on October 13^th.  You might be surprised to learn that you can easily manage a few nights of interrupted sleep without feeling exhausted the next day!

Do you notice the moon?  Have you ever thought of aligning yourself with the cycles that have been in existence since the beginning of the earth? Maybe it’s time for you to tap into this under used resource!

Love,

The end of summer is always difficult for me.

I love the freedom of summer – slip on sandals, lighter clothes, raw foods (less cooking), long hours of daylight and warm late nights spent outside with friends and family. It’s, hands down, my favorite season.

So much so that I go through a mourning period when the leaves begin to fall and the days get darker and cooler. I find myself trying to hold onto summer as if wearing my sandals on cool, frosty mornings can somehow stop the earth from turning and the seasons from changing!

Eventually my frozen toes will force me into the present moment and I start to remember that there are wonderful things about autumn too. Nature’s one last explosion of brilliant colors, delicious vegetables from the garden, soft, comforting sweaters and the time to start slowing down. The falling leaves are nature’s transition into the next season. The leaves are also nature’s way of reminding us that it’s time to let go, not just of the summer but the habits, people, beliefs, situations and stuff that no longer supports our happiness. When we let go, we can move forward with lightness, clarity and the vibrancy that we cultivated during the summer season.

Do you find it challenging to transition from summer to autumn? Maybe you prefer the cooler temperatures and the harvesting of the bounty from the garden. Each one of us has our own preferences and while it’s important to honor your rhythms, it’s equally important to honor the larger rhythms like the changing of the seasons. Resisting these changes will only wear you out and deplete your energy (and freeze your toes)!

This fact holds true for any transition – to a new job, a different relationship, a declining health situation, a new home in a new city….

When we resist change we can miss out on the support and the joy that also comes with the new. I’ll be teaching more about how women can navigate change and transition with more ease in my retreat next month.

Be gentle with yourself no matter what transition you are moving through right now. I know that there is no point in resisting change – life moves forward regardless of what I want or what I wear but to make the transition easier for me I’ll just put on my fuzzy fleece sweater and slip into my sandals too!

Happy Autumn!

Love,

I glanced at the bottom corner of my work email box.

517 emails

208 unread

Sigh.

Then I flipped over to my personal email box.

4907 emails

3850 unread

Bigger sigh.

“I need to clear these out, once and for all,” I thought as I started the familiar action of scrolling through the list, looking for the emails I could quickly and easily discard. 

How do I let these pile up like this?  I would really love to get these cleared out, but I just don’t have time to read them all.  And why do I say these same words to myself everyday??

I continued to scroll, deleting the ads and the spam and skipping over the ones I was saving to read later (more likely never but that’s a different newsletter) all the while heaving bigger and bigger sighs.

Then I noticed something. 

The tightness in my jaw, the tension in my body and the sighs that didn’t seem to be relieving the tension what so ever. 

“What am I doing??  Is this really the way I want to spend my precious energy?  What is really going on here?”   

I had often thought that my mindless scrolling and deleting was some ploy on my part to look like I was working, to look like I was being productive.  After all, when you see someone bent over their computer at the office don’t you assume that they are busy?  And it can be quite satisfying to watch the number of emails go down – you have something you can point to that proves that you have been doing something! 

Except no one is watching me. 

I work by myself…from my home.

No one cares if I am busy or not.  No one cares if I am producing or not.  There is no one judging my performance but me or more accurately, my inner critic. 

I decided to ask myself a better question.

“How is this mindless dive into email purgatory several times a day serving me?  And what is it that I truly desire here?”

The answers came quite quickly (as they often do when you ask a better question)!

It’s serving me by helping me create space. 

What I truly desire is to create something beautiful.

Huh!  All this deleting and skipping and hoping to read later was actually a desire for creative expression gone askew.  I was putting my energy into creating something beautiful but the medium was all wrong.  While having an empty email box would be a thing of beauty, it was an impossible task.  Instead of nurturing my creative spirit, it only drained it day after day. 

In my experience of coaching and mentoring women I see this behavior all the time – the desire for creative expression gets channeled into actions and activities that will only drain them of their vibrancy and joy.  Once they realize what they are doing however, they become a creative force that is life giving and deeply satisfying. 

What are you doing that seems like a good and productive activity but actually is keeping you from the true expression of your joy?  Is it time to look more closely and ask yourself ‘what is the true desire in these actions?”  Are you ready to step into a more delightful and satisfying expression of your creative spirit?

I’d love to hear about what you create!

Love,

 “There is a lot that needs to be done in society –  work against war, social injustice, and so on.  But first we have to come back to our own territory and make sure that peace and harmony are reigning there.  Until we do that, we cannot do anything for society.” – thich nhat hanh

There is definitely an over abundance of upheaval, injustice and wrong doing happening in the world right now just as I suspect there are challenging events happening in your own life as well. As caring and compassionate human beings we want to and are capable of, taking meaningful action to address these personal and global challenges but not when we are depleted.   Our actions have less power and our under resourced condition deprives us of the creativity that leads to sustainable solutions. 

What is a kind and concerned person to do?

As the quote suggests, you need to start with yourself.  I, for one, know that I need a tune up in the joy department and since summer has just officially arrived, there’s no better time to give some attention to lightening up. 

I’m not suggesting that we ignore what’s going on and force ourselves into a falsely positive attitude. I am saying that along side our actions for personal, political and spiritual change we can also choose more often in favor of joy, fun and pleasure.  We need to actively choose joy everyday so that we don’t fall into the belief that life is always a slog and nothing good ever happens. 

Summer is the season for playfulness, light heartedness, creativity and general juiciness!  Taking advantage of this energy is the best way to arrive at the end of your summer feeling like you have had a summer.  You have to be intentional and make daily choices that will feed your “joy bank” helping you to build a storehouse of energy for anything on which you need to take action. 

My suggestion (take it or leave it, it’s always your choice) is to pick a theme for your summer.  Call it ‘The Summer of Splash Pads’, ‘Adventures in Parking Lot Midways’, The Epic Food Truck Tasting Tour of 2018’, ‘#Festival Fever’ …. do you get the idea?  Decide what you want more of this summer whether it’s hammocks and comic books, perfecting your gourmet popsicle recipe, learning to skim board or becoming the neighborhood champion bean bag tosser – make the decision and then go for it!  Every morning when you wake up, ask yourself “what is one thing I can do today to make my theme come alive?”  Then Do IT!

What I know for sure is that whatever we focus our attention on, it will grow.  I also know that when we intentionally build fun, joy and pleasure into our days we are amassing the fuel and resources to meet the challenges in life with more ease.  If you want to make a change in your life, family, community, country or world, start with yourself and start with joy!

Wishing you a juicy summer season….

Love,

Joyous Reader:

Life Can Be Hard

I can’t write this.

This is too hard.

Why can’t this idea just magically flow onto the page and all I have to do is edit a few spelling mistakes and grammar?

What was I thinking?  Signing up for a writer’s retreat when I don’t know how to write anything!  I should go pack my bags and catch the first plane out of here….

I looked up from my writing exercise and glanced toward the gate as if trying to conjure up a taxi to whisk me away from the retreat center.  Instead I only saw the red, earthen wall that separated the cobblestoned courtyard from the outside world.  I felt like the wall was saying to me,

“I have you surrounded, you are not leaving!”

“You’re right,” I said in my imagined conversation with an inanimate wall, “I might as well keep trying.”

I have been back from my retreat for a few weeks now (mentioned here) and it was a beautiful and transformative time. 

And it was hard.

The daily writing pushed me to focus on specific topics, the exercises forced me to look at my writing project from different perspectives, much of what I had written needed a major overhaul or to be tossed out entirely, I had to keep my butt in the chair and keep writing until it was time for lunch or yoga or sleep.

I know I sound whiny and I also know that most of you know what I am talking about.  When a relationship or a job or an experience or a project is important to you and it’s not working out the way you want it to work it can be really hard.  Staying with it through the hard times is even harder.

But as I stayed with the “hardness” of what I was trying to write, something interesting happened.  I had been trying to write a story that was important to me to share but no matter how I approached it, the story just didn’t work.  Instead of giving up, I stayed with it (it wasn’t time for lunch yet anyway) and something interesting happened. 

I wrote a poem instead of a story. 

I don’t write poems – I don’t know how to write poems, but I watched as my story began to take shape in the form of short stanzas and 3 pages later there it was – the story I wanted to tell in a form I’d never expected. 

Staying is hard.  It’s hard to stay still in meditation.  It’s hard to breathe when you are uncomfortable.  It’s hard to sit with your pain and your grief.  It’s hard to admit you’re wrong and it’s hard to take responsibility for your mistakes.  It’s hard to let in joy and receive love.  Life can be hard. 

Yet, if you push against what’s hard, something begins to soften (if you let it) and that softness can create something unexpected and beautiful.  Maybe life is hard because we all need a little softening.

What do you think?

Love,

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Hello Brilliant Reader:

“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.”  – Susan David

In January I did something that I don’t normally do.  Something that made me uncomfortable.

I applied to attend a writing retreat in New Mexico. 

I’ve gone away on retreats before but always with a teacher that I know well and have worked with for years.  However, I don’t really know this teacher and when I applied, I wasn’t working on any type of writing project but something drew me to the website.  The more I read about the retreat, the more I felt a deep pull to attend.  I decided to trust my intuition and the next thing I knew, I had sent off my application. 

I was accepted.

I leave in two weeks…

…and I had my first ‘whatwasIthinkingpanicattackmeltdown’ a couple of weeks ago.

Have you ever had what you thought was a great idea but then… later… after you bought the item, sent the letter, said the words, etc.  you had the terrible, sinking feeling that you had made a massive mistake? 

This reaction is par for the course and I know I’m not the only one who goes through this when they decide to step out of their comfort zone.  I also know that I will have another meltdown once I arrive at the retreat center and will probably be crying into the phone to my sweetie – afraid that I’m going to look stupid or that nobody will like me or that there won’t be any food that I can eat and I’ll starve all week….

(My inner drama queen lovvvves to come out in full force in these situations!) 

Then the retreat will start, I will show up for the opening circle and I’ll start to breathe deeply into my belly, the place where my Divine wise self lives.  She’ll whisper to me “It’s okay….I know you’re scared….and we’ve got this.”  I will let go then and immerse myself in the teachings, the stillness, the creativity and the beauty of the participants and surroundings.  Hopefully I will return feeling refreshed, expanded and more confident than before. 

So as women are now making preparations to attend my Way of the Happy Woman Retreat this Sunday, I know some of them are having reservations, feeling nervous, wondering if they will fit in, not sure if they made the right decision.  I am also sure that there are some of you who want to sign up but the whole idea makes you feel too uncomfortable and I feel you.  It takes courage to say yes to yourself and when you are ready, we’ll be here to welcome you into the circle.  Just don’t let discomfort be the only reason that stops you from stepping into your meaningful life!

Love,

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I am taking a short break right now for a last bit of winter rest.  I’m getting ready to welcome the energy of spring and I need to shore up my energy reserves for what is coming!

Spring holds the energy of renewal, planting seeds and coming alive.  To me, this time of year is more of a New Year than January 1^st.  We are finally ready to come out of hibernation and do something with all the energy we have accrued (if you have been resting this winter, that is!). 

We will be exploring this concept more in depth in the spring retreat coming up on April 22^nd (register by March 31 for a reduced fee) but for now, take these last few days of winter for some rest time.  Let yourself dream about all the adventures you will create as you come out of the dark and step into the light of spring!

Love,

Wonderful Wise Reader:

I closed out 2017 nursing a very bruised and tender heart. 

A relationship with a colleague and mentor shifted unexpectedly and left me feeling confused, hurt and humiliated.

In the past, my first reaction would be to try to find the positive in the situation and then put the whole thing behind me.  Not the worst strategy but I noticed that I was never able to completely move forward when challenges and conflicts happened.  Even though I was trying to look on the positive side, I would catch myself stewing over what happened and thinking of all the things I should have done differently, getting defensive in my imaginary conversations with the imaginary judgers that I was sure were still thinking about the situation too. 

Clearly something wasn’t working!

This time, instead of trying to numb or avoid the pain by looking “on the bright side” I let myself fully feel the hurt, the confusion, the humiliation. 

It was hard.  It sucked actually.  But I stayed with the feelings – no judging, no defending, no wishing it could be different.

After several days, something changed.  I began to see another possibility.  I began to see myself as wise, experienced and capable.  I could see my role in the relationship and where I had not been taking responsibility for my experience and where I had not been standing in my full 50% of the relationship. 

As I stayed with the uncomfortable feelings and realizations I felt myself opening to a bigger picture of where I needed to be.  And then some interesting opportunities literally arrived in my email box! 

One opportunity was an Intuitive Storytelling Course.  It was an 8-week course facilitated by a very gifted storyteller and teacher who lives in the UK. After the first 10 minutes of the first class I could feel my heart beginning to mend.  Every week we practice telling stories that come completely from our intuition.  With every story I share, I feel more and more nourished.  My heart has been deeply healed by the simple joy of learning to tell stories in this way and I am reminded again how letting myself truly feel the truth of my feelings can lead me to places that I would never have imagined. 

Does your heart need healing?  Do you know what nourishes your heart?  Are you able to listen to your heart and be with the deep feelings that it keeps stuffed away?  What do you need to start caring for your heart in a more loving and honest way?

Instead of closing off my heart because of the pain I let the pain open my heart wider and, in the expansion, I found healing.

Love,

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Spring is just around the corner and so is the Way of the Happy Woman Spring Retreat!  Join us for a day of self-care, meditation, moving your body, journaling practices and connecting with like minded women all supported by yummy food and a magical retreat center. 

It’s a time to get in touch with what wants to fully come alive in you and to plant the seeds for more peace, harmony and happiness in your life. I can’t wait to show you the path to becoming a Happy Woman!

Spring Retreat
Sunday April 22, 2018
9:30 am – 5:15 pm
Light of the Prairies Retreat Center

Dear Perfect Reader:

“I was reminded of the powerful connection that resulted from taking the time to get grounded.  It was a powerful experience taking the day to retreat from the business of life. I left feeling relaxed from the yoga, rejuvenated from the meditation and really connected to my inner voice.”  – Bev

“Thanks so much for the wonderful retreat on Saturday. It was a most-needed pause for me to recharge my batteries mid-winter. I’m definitely feeling lighter ever since.

It was a positive experience that made me slow down, look within myself and embrace my personal time. It reminded me to take a few moments to look within and reconnect with my breath when life gets hectic. I would recommend it to my friends, especially those who are interested in a path of personal discovery.” – Andrea

 Just a couple of comments from past retreat participants.  The winter Way of the Happy Woman retreat is coming up at the end of January and there are still spaces left for you!  Scroll down for dates and times or click here for more information and to register.  Remember, the early deadline is just a few days away on Friday January 5th!  I would be delighted to have you join me.

Visioning Instead of Resolving

Please stop.

Please stop right now….

Stop thinking of everything you didn’t do in 2017, of all the ways you didn’t measure up, of all the ways life will be different in 2018.

Please, please don’t start this year by beating yourself up with New Years resolutions.  I believe New Years resolutions are just subtle ways to put yourself down.  And when you can’t keep those resolutions (which most of us can’t) you will feel even worse. Most resolutions imply that you weren’t enough last year and so this year you need to move heaven and earth to be enough.

You are enough.

You worked enough, you learned enough, you loved enough, you moved your body enough, you watched your diet enough….

You. Are. Enough.

Besides, January in the northern hemisphere is not the time for making big plans, taking bold actions and forcing yourself to the gym at 6:00 am every morning.  January is the time for resting, recovery and reflection.  It’s also a time for visioning.  Your body, heart and spirit need time to rest and to digest the year that has passed – all the actions and experiences, the loves and the losses.

Consider another way this year.  Give yourself a break.  Reflect on the year and make a note of all the times when you were amazing.  Then get your blanket and favorite beverage and (after your nap ??) let yourself dream and vision for your new year.  Give yourself the month to allow for inspiration and guidance from your inner wise self – let your true desires and longings make themselves known to you.  Then follow those desires.  Chances are, you’ll still be doing that by this time next year!

I feel like this is the way for all of us to have a Happy New Year but feel free to hit reply and let me know what you think!  Do you make resolutions?  Do you keep them?  Do they motivate you or would you like to try another way?

Love,

The Way of the Happy Woman Winter Self-Care Retreat!

When we women slow down and attune to our bodies (and the cycles of nature), we become more vital, creative, and powerful. If you’re longing to learn how to hear your inner wisdom and desires, please join me for a very special one day self-care retreat for women! Together, we’ll create a sacred container for quiet contemplation and creative group practices. Nourish yourself with women’s yoga, insight meditation, seasonal self-care secrets, intuitive journaling, and more. It’s all based on The Way of the Happy Woman: Sara Avant Stover’s acclaimed book, practice collection, and global community.

It’s happening in Lorette, Manitoba at Light of the Prairies Retreat Centre on January 27, 2018. And when you register by January 5, 2018 there’s a sweet discount.

Click here for details & registration. I hope to see you there!

Winter One Day Retreat

Saturday January 27, 2018
9:30 am – 5:15 pm
Light of the Prairies Retreat Center

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Sparkling Reader:

“Put myself on the list??”

She halted abruptly, her yoga block hovering in midair over the stack, her face incredulous as the meaning of the statement sank into her mind.

“You mean actually put myself on my to do list?”  she questioned.

We had just finished our meditation class.  I had been encouraging the class members to find some time each day to practice meditation.  One of the participants commented that if she didn’t write it down on her daily list of tasks, she never seemed to get around to practicing.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, setting her yoga block on the stack.   “I can’t believe I have never thought of writing myself on the list!”

What about you?  Have you thought of putting yourself on your to do list?  I know you have probably heard this advice before and I am going to say it again because the more it gets repeated, the more likely it is that you will finally hear it and act on it!

PUT YOURSELF ON THE LIST!

One of my other meditators commented on how much the meditation classes had been helping her.  She said that she got more things done when she meditated first and that she was more focused on what she was doing.

You don’t have to meditate (although I would love it if you did!!), just find something that nourishes you and gives you a break from the constant stream of stress that I know is flowing through your body at this time of year.

Since you have already taken a few moments to read this newsletter (thank you!), let’s take a few more moments to reduce some stress.   Here’s a short meditation practice that you can insert into your day anytime you have a chance.

Close your eyes (it’s okay, no one is watching)

Let your shoulders drop down and get heavy.

Take five slow, deep breaths into your belly.

When you are ready, open your eyes.

There.  That is the simplest way that you can put yourself on the list.  Make your list and check it twice!  What are some ways you can make sure that you are on the list?

Love,

Want another way to put yourself on the list?  Or perhaps a gift idea for yourself and a friend?  Registration is now open for…

The Way of the Happy Woman Winter Self-Care Retreat!

When we women slow down and attune to our bodies (and the cycles of nature), we become more vital, creative, and powerful. If you’re longing to learn how to put yourself on the list, please join me for a very special one day self-care retreat for women! Together, we’ll create a sacred container for quiet contemplation and creative group practices. Nourish yourself with women’s yoga, insight meditation, seasonal self-care secrets, intuitive journaling, and more. It’s all based on The Way of the Happy Woman: Sara Avant Stover’s acclaimed book, practice collection, and global community.

It’s happening in Lorette, Manitoba at Light of the Prairies Retreat Centre on January 27, 2018. And when you register by January 5, 2018 there’s a sweet discount.

Click here for details & registration. I hope to see you there!

Winter One Day Retreat

Saturday January 27, 2018
9:30 am – 5:15 pm
Light of the Prairies Retreat Center