We have a lot in common.

But sometimes it can feel like we are all alone and no one else could possibly understand or feel the same way we do.

Have you ever felt that way? I have.

I am so grateful to be connecting with you this week. As I am writing this email to you I am imagining we are sitting together and having a nice, relaxing conversation - and it fills my heart. 

This week I am wondering if you would like to join me and practice being mindful and present in the morning. It's more fun and inspiring when we know we aren't alone in this. 

What I love about practicing mindfulness is that it is a practice.

This is one of my favourite ways of describing how to practice mindfulness during the day.

Are you ready?

Anytime you become aware you aren't present– surprise! You are present.

I don't know about you - but I love spending time in nature. It soothes my soul.

I am really fortunate because I'm only a few blocks from the river. So pretty much every day I go for a beautiful walk along the pathway. It feels like my backyard!

Nature helps me to be in the moment and feel at peace. It opens up my heart to more gratitude and love.  

For those of you who know me - you know that meditation didn't always come easy to me, right?  

I openly share that when I started to meditate it was challenging and I didn't always enjoy it. In fact, I may have even told my teacher that I hated meditating. (I admit - I was rather dramatic!)
 

Welcome to week 3 of Living in Love not Fear...

This week our topic is anxiety.

Anxiety is on the rise.

I meet people young and old who are suffering from anxiety. It seems to be the norm. 

Welcome to week 2 of Living in Love Not Fear...

Are you ready to continue this journey together?

This week I want to talk about the 'f' word...FEAR.
 

Welcome to week one of Living In Love Not Fear! I am beyond excited to explore this subject with you over the next four weeks.

Creating change in the world seems like a big (even impossible!) feat. But it IS possible. How do we get there?

We need to start with ourselves.

Life is full of change, right?

Sometimes it is wonderful and sometimes it can be incredibly hard to deal with or accept.

We all know change is inevitable and yet we can still find ourselves resisting it in ways both big and small.

Are there areas of your life that you are resisting or trying to control?

How did you sleep last night? Did you get some Zzzzs?

According to this recent poll, most Canadians don't sleep well at all.

Survey says...

A lot of people want to live in the moment. But sometimes it might feel overwhelming or even impossible. 

Where do you start?

Start with 1 thing to focus on - and then build upon that. 

Don't try and change all at once.

Last week I had one of those off days. 

You know - those days when nothing seems to go your way. Usually, I can go with the flow, but not this time.

So when I got together with some friends I was rather distant. I wasn't myself.

Happy Monday!   

How was your weekend? 

Were you mindful or was your mind FULL?

Or maybe a bit of both?  Hey, it's called a mindfulness practice for a reason. :)

Let's get real.

Sometimes life is hard, right? 

Issues with our relationships, health, money or maybe we feel completely confused about what our purpose on this planet is.

Sometimes it feels like complete crap - like our life is falling apart and there is no way out. 

Question...

When you wake up in the morning is your mental checklist off and running before you even get out of bed?

Are you nodding your head?

You know what I'm talking about, don't ya?

"I will be happy when_____"
(I have more money, I am in love, lose weight, when that person changes or I have a new job....and on and on and on)

Do you ever think any of these thoughts?

I'll share a little secret with you...

Most people's minds are going non-stop and, as a result, we take life and ourselves WAY too seriously.

Would you agree...it feels really good to be able to laugh at yourself?

Some of life's best moments are when you're having fun and being goofy.  Practicing mindfulness allows us to be present in those moments and embrace lightheartedness.

There are a lot of beliefs about meditation and how we 'should' do it.  So much so that some people may feel intimidated and never even try it.

The pictures we see of people meditating are usually ones where people are sitting on the floor cross-legged.  So you might think this is the only way to meditate.  It's not the only way.  It's one way. 
 

Wanna a quick pick-me-up?

Devote your week to being kind.

Especially to someone you find annoying or you don't get along with.

It's free.  And it's a choice.

The most common comments I hear from people about meditation are....

"I can't meditate because I have way too many thoughts."
And the one I used many times when I first started...
"I can't meditate this week because I am too stressed out."

These are not true.  

If these were true - I wouldn't be meditating.