Manifestation and meditation practices seem to have taken to the web in mass volumes over the course of the pandemic. Or perhaps you've seen the affirmation chants flowing all over Tik Tok? It's no wonder these practices seem to be taking a lead during this crazy year. People are looking for new ways to practice self-care and affirmation practices are important for us to really dive into what the power we have in our words, friends! ​

We are certainly living in interesting times, friends and while I'm not going to talking about the virus I do want to talk about maintaining your balance, checking in with your center and gifting yourself the time you need for self-care! Right now, more than ever we need to focus on keeping ourselves healthy and happy as much as possible, whether you're currently working from home for the first time or on the front lines. Keeping a routine self-care check in will help now and in the future once we've put all this behind us. 

When the going gets tough and I forget who I am, one of my go-to's is always meditation. While I believe there is a meditation style for everyone, you may just have to try a few to find what resonates with it. I find it's similar to the different styles of yoga; not everyone is into a Hot Power Flow style class and maybe a Yin yoga class is more your jam. I'm here to say to each their own style of yoga and meditation. 

One of my favorite styles of meditation is often called "mindfulness". This concept is growing more and more since it allows you to connect to something you see, hear, feel and use your senses to meditate. Depending on your definition of mediation this may or may not be your personal preference, but I believe that meditation is a concentrated focus either on a visualization, something physical or on a concept. With that in mind if running works that for you, then it's also a form of meditation. 

Sometimes I think there's a reason we tend to get sick during the wintery months; other than the bitter cold air. It's a time that we are forced inside and for good reason! It's time to look inward and reconnect to your intuition. Gift yourself time to rest so you can reflect, refine and redefine your life. 

As we draw close to the end of another year I'm excited for all the things that 2020 will bring; the new adventures, inspirations and growth. Looking back at these photo blogs each year stir up thoughts on why I chose each image and TBH I'm really enjoying it.

Would love to know if you make one of these too or if you have other end of year rituals.
So without further ado, my Gala Darling inspired photo reflection of 2019...

​2019  SUMMARIZED IN ONE PICTURE…

Those of us who keep track of Mercury's crazy cycle know how much we dread hearing those words, "Mercury's in Retrograde." Mercury is said to rule over communication, travel and technology and in our fast paced world those things going haywire can cause quite a few issues. Have you ever experienced flight cancellations and tech failures during a mercury retrograde? Those things alone can cause some communication issues...

But what if we took Mercury's patterns as a sign for us to look backwards and slow down?

When Mercury goes "retrograde" it appears that Mercury is moving backwards in the sky and lucky for us we just started another round on Sunday, July 7th. 

There are times our confidence gets a bit of a shake up and who can blame you in this fast paced world where information, opinions and facts are all flying at us at once from all sides! While I believe it takes time to build up your self confidence and a healthy dose of putting yourself out there, there are a few little tricks you can employ to feel confident at any moment. ​

When I think of this first one, I'm always reminded of that episode of Grey's Anatomy when the neurosurgeon strikes a pose before a super intense surgery. I'm not saying you have to be brain surgeon for this one to work, but perhaps this idea could gift you some of that confidence in the face of your challenge. ​