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. 

Back in November we took some time to check in with that gratitude mindset towards others and of course for yourself! We see a lot of posts on social media about gratitude during the holidays, but what about  connecting with that feeling when it's no longer being published in every social media post/etc. to remind us to do it?

1. Journal it out.
Always my first suggestion. Taking the time to write something out helps us to organize our thoughts and give us time to really feel it. Also, if you write it down you can go back to it later and remember that feeling of gratitude or joy. ​

What stories would your body share if it could speak for you?

Would it tell of the gall bladder surgery when you were thirteen or of the beautiful dance performance with that gorgeous group in Las Vegas on a legendary stage?​ Perhaps that tooth you lost when you got hit by a snowball? Or maybe how your fingernails feel fancy when they're freshly painted?

What stories do you tell your body? 
Do you stare in the mirror with love or ..... ? 

Truth be told, I'm not a big Valentine's day fan.
However, I'm not one to miss a chance to talk about self-love and self-care! In the last few years I've started to shift the idea of Valentine's day to be a day to check in with myself, making sure I am getting what I need to care for myself so that I can present my best self to those I love. 

Let's jump right into some simple self-love ideas for your Valentine's Day/week or every day life!
(Because you shouldn't need a specific day to love yourself; it should be constant!)

I'm really loving that this year the moon cycle seems to have synced up so perfectly with the holidays! We had the Full Moon sync up with the Winter Solstice last week. This week we've got a waning moon before we release the 2018 year and welcome in 2019. Not to mention the New Moon on January 5th, 2019!

For today, let's just focus on the waning moon.
​
​When I say waning, I mean the moon is diminishing in size. This is a great time to let go of things that do not serve you. Right now it is especially powerful as we let go of 2018. 

Gift yourself some quiet time before midnight December 31st for some yearly contemplation.

With the moon in the waning phase releasing this year's difficult situations may feel a bit easier. I'm not saying it still won't be emotional, but letting go during a waning phase is allowing you to work with the natural cycles rather than against. It is also important to let go of the comforts that no longer serve you. This one might be a bit more difficult, but if we want to grow this is necessary!

Grab your journals! Let's do this together. ​

Today, December 21st 2018, has a LOT of magical power.

First up it's the winter solstice (Happy Yule!) and the longest night of the year. This year we're also lucky enough to enjoy a full moon on the longest night of the year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere)! It's also the last full moon of 2018. 

Let's grab all that magic and gift ourselves a self-love ritual!

Traditionally Yule is celebrated as the returning of the sun! Back when we couldn't turn lights on with a flick of a switch, THIS was a big deal. While it may take some time to actually see the "days getting longer", so to speak, we can celebrate this light and the light within.

During the holidays it gets a little hectic and naturally we start to put people and tasks before our own sanity. If you follow me on instagram, you've probably seen a few of my recent posts reminding us to take a moment to check-in, connect with your breathing and gifting yourself some self-care time. It's SUPER important right now, especially if you feel like you don't have time for it.

So here's the thing... The full moon on Yule is a reminder to check in with that internal light. ​