A Slogan and A Challenge

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2015 will be a fulfilling and purposeful year for you.  As I have said in the past, I think it is a good thing to reflect on New Year’s resolutions but often they are quickly forgotten as we get caught up in our day-to-day activities.  So I am proposing two different approaches to help you start 2015 in an uplifting way. 

The first approach is to come up with a slogan or motto that describes something that you are really passionate about and that you want to focus on in 2015.  My daughter came up with a great one – Make It Happen.  So for her, whether it be getting good grades, planning outings with friends or excelling at hockey her focus is going to be on doing what it takes to make it happen.  This implies that she wants to be proactive, empower herself and have more drive to really move things forward.  My slogan is Be Bold & Creative!  So this can apply to my business, my tennis game and so many other aspects of my life.

I invite you to reflect on a slogan that can guide and inspire you through 2015 and share it with me by posting a comment below or connecting on Facebook.  I also recommend that you make a sign or write it on a Post-it and hang it somewhere where you can be reminded of your intention everyday.

My second approach is to invite you to pick one challenge or struggle you are facing.  It may be something that has been bothering you for years, like a health issue, or something that is new and disrupting.  It could be a relationship issue with a family member, a boss or a frustrating colleague.  Or it could be a very personal challenge like dealing with your anger or impatience.

Over the next few weeks I will be giving you some exercises you can do to transform or overcome your challenge.  I know that it is often difficult to do these exercises on your own, especially when you aren’t accountable to anyone.  So I suggest you pick someone and invite them to be your ‘2105 Challenge’ buddy through these exercises.  I am also offering small group coaching sessions for 4 weeks starting January 20^th. These sessions will give you an opportunity to share, learn and grow as a result of the challenge you are facing.  I believe that all challenges are purposeful in some way and when we discover their purpose we can see the challenge in a new light and face with more confidence and optimism!

I am looking forward to hearing your slogans and helping you start off 2015 with a new way to look at and manoeuvre through your life challenges. 

Jackie

Gaining Clarity

Have you been telling yourself for years that you would like to make changes yet you are still faced with some of the same challenges year after year?  Often it feels like it takes too much courage or effort or discipline to make changes but what if it didn't have to be that way?  What if you could make significant progress and open yourself up to more flow and fulfillment in your life by simply changing your perspective? I believe that the answers and clarity you have been waiting for are accessible and I want to help you learn how to tap into your inner guidance and guidance from the Universe so that you can start a new chapter in your life. 

Starting in January I am going to be offering a small group coaching package where we will be exploring how a change in the way you look at events and people in your life can help open up new opportunities for growth and facilitate change and increased alignment in your life. 

The four sessions will be limited to 6 participants so that everyone will have a chance to share and ask questions and also learn from the other participants' experiences and challenges. So if making 2015 a year of transformation and growth and increased fulfillment click here for more details and to sign up now.  The first 3 participants to sign up will also get a bonus one-on-one coaching session. 

I want to wish you all a very peaceful and joyful holiday season and may 2015 be a year of continued spiritual growth for you. 

Jackie

How to become more aware

Over the past weeks I have been talking a lot about the importance of being more aware or conscious. Now I want to share an example or two of how you can do this.
 
I remember when I was taking my yoga teacher’s training with Dr. Bali, a true yogic guru, and he talked about the main purpose of yoga as being to increase your level of awareness.  This took me by surprise.  I knew that yoga had lots of benefits but I did not do yoga to increase my level of awareness.  I did it to feel calmer, more flexible and more in touch with my body and breath.  Okay so the last part is actually about awareness but I did not think of it in those terms.  It may not be your objective either but when yoga is done mindfully it is a great way to develop your mind, body, spirit awareness. 

So I invite you to take the time during your yoga practice to really feel the sensations in your muscles, feel the resistance that may arise in your mind when you do certain postures and notice the spiritual energy you may feel flowing through your body in the final relaxation.  These are all great examples of how you can heighten your levels of awareness through yoga.
 
Paying attention to your breathing is also key.  They say that the breath is the bridge between the mind and the body.  This is why your breath is such a powerful too.  Conscious breathing is one of the fastest ways to change your emotions, for example to shift from anxiety to a more relaxed state. 
 
The more you can practice activities like yoga, qigong and tai chi, in a mindful way, the better you will get at creating that gap, choosing your reactions and living more fully in present moment. 
 
Until next time, I encourage you to practice bringing more awareness or mindfulness into your yoga and all your other everyday activities.   

Jackie