Your healthy, fragrant home and office - naturally!

Your home and office spaces should be your sanctuaries - a feast for the eyes, ears, and even nose; however, more and more people are turning to commercial plug-in gels, candles, or deodorizing aerosol sprays in a plethora of artificial scents to perfume these spaces. Though they may have a pleasing aroma, these products often contain high levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds  that make them more polluting to your home than cleansing. According to the National Resources Defence Council, they may even contain phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors. 

As usual, everything you're looking for to fragrant your home or office already exists naturally and you can find pure, plant-derived essential oils at your nearby health food store and even in some major chain retailers like Shopper's Drug Mart. Essential oils are natural compounds found everywhere nature is (in bark, roots, flowers, etc.). If you have ever stopped to smell the roses or enjoyed the aroma of freshly picked mint, then you have benefitted from the qualities of these oils. Holistic practitioners have been using the value of essential oils in a therapeutic practice for 100s of years and have been used in many cultures since the beginning of time. It is not difficult to introduce natural aromas into your home or replace potentially hazardous, chemically-based scented products with healthy, pure essential oils. 

For a healthy, naturally scented bedroom that relaxes and soothes you, blend 30 drops of the essential oil lavender (shown to decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol), 15 drops of roman chamomile, and 5 drops of ylang-ylang. Add 10 drops of the blend to a one-ounce bottle, fill the rest with water, and shake well for a DIY fabric spray that can replace commercially created ones. Avoid spraying over wood furniture, but spritz liberally on bedding, draperies, and other fabrics.

Oils of bergamot, atlas cedarwood, and germanium can open the channels of communication and lighten any mood, so they work well in your kitchen or living room. Bergamot's spicy citrus scent enlivens; atlas cedar has a grounding, earthy vibe; and soothing germanium rounds out the mix. You can even mix these three essentil oils (I suggest 50 drops bergamot, 30 drops atlas cedarwood, and 20 drops germanium), then soak small twigs or sturdy dried grasses in a shallow dish of your blend until saturated. Pour the rest of your blend into a small glass vessel and stand the sticks inside. As the oil evaporates into the air, more will wick up from the bottom.

At your desk or in your office, of course, you want to boost creativity and motivation. A lively mixture of grapefruit, rosemary, and peppermint will jump-start enthusiasm and drive. In Japan, citrus oils used in office ventilation systems have been shown to boost productivity; rosemary is a centuries-old brain stimulator (as Shakespeare wrote, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance"); and peppermint adds the enlivening effects of menthol. Mix 30 drops of grapefruit, 15 drops of rosemary, and 5 drops of peppermint, then cut a couple of rectangular pieces of felt a few inches larger than the size of your laptop, layer them, and place the stack underneath your computer. Put a few drops of the oil blend along the outside border of the top piece and the heat from the computer will release a subtle, gradual scent.

Give it a try and, as always, let me know how it goes. 

Thanks for reading,

Carly.

The A-to-Z Steps to a Richer Life

From“Creating Affluence” by Deepak Chopra

A

Stands for all possibilities, absolute, authority, affluence, and, abundance. The true nature of our ground state and that of the universe is that it is a field of all possibilities. In our most primordial form, we are a field of all possibilities. From this level it is possible to create anything. This filed is our own essential nature. It is our inner self. It is also called the absolute, and it is the ultimate authority. It is intrinsically affluent because it gives rise to the infinite diversity and abundance of the universe.

B

Stands for better and best. Evolution implies getting better and better in every way with time, ultimately getting for ourselves the best of everything. People with wealth consciousness settle only for the best. This is also called the principle of highest first. Go first class all the way and the universe will respond by giving you the best.

C

Stands for carefreeness and charity. A billion dollars in the bank, without the experience of carefreeness and charity, is a state of poverty. Wealth consciousness, by definition, is a state of mind. If you are constantly concerned about how much money you need, then irrespective of the actual dollar amount you have in your account, you are really poor. Carefreeness automatically leads to charity and sharing because the source from which it all comes is infinite, unbounded, and inexhaustible.

D

Stands for the law of demand and supply. Whatever service we are here to give, there is a demand for it. Ask yourself “How may I serve?” and “How can I help?” The answers are within you. When you find those answers, you will also see and know that there is a demand for your service.

D also stands for dharma. Each of us has a dharma, a purpose in life. When we are in dharma, we enjoy and love our work.

 E

Stand for exulting in the success of others, especially your competitors and those who consider themselves your enemies. Your competitors and enemies will become your helpers when you exult in their success.

E also stands for the principle that expectancy determines outcome. So always expect the best and you’ll see that the outcome is spontaneously contained in the expectation.

F

Stands for the fact that in every failure is the seed of success. In the manifestation of the material from the non-material, of the visible from the invisible, a fundamental mechanics is involved. This is the principle of feedback.

Our failures are stepping-stones in the mechanics of creation, bringing us ever closer to our goals. In reality, there is no such thing as failure. What we call failure is just a mechanism through which we can learn to do things right.

G

Stands for gratitude, generosity, God, gap, and goal. Gratitude and generosity are natural attributes of an affluent consciousness. Since the only thing to go after is the best, the principle of the highest first, why not adopt God as the role model? After all, no one is more affluent than God, for God is the field of all possibilities. There is a precise mechanism through which all desires can be manifested.

These four steps are as follows:

1. You slip into the gap between thoughts. The gap is the window, the corridor, the transformational vortex through which the personal psyche communicates with the cosmic psyche.
2. You have a clear intention of a clear goal in the gap.
3. You relinquish you attachment to the outcome, because chasing the outcome or getting attached to it entails coming out of the gap.
4. You let the universe handle the details. It is important to have a clear goal in you awareness, but it is also important to relinquish your attachment to the goal. And the goal is in the gap, and the gap is the potentiality to organize and orchestrate the details required to affect any outcome.

One of the easiest and most effortless ways of slipping into the gap is through the process of meditation. And there are many forms of meditation and prayer that can help us to manifest desires from the level of the gap.

H

Stands for happiness and humanity and the fact that we are here to make all humans we come into contact with happy. Life naturally evolves in the direction of happiness. We must constantly ask ourselves if what we are doing is going to make us, and those around us, happy. Because happiness is the ultimate goal. It is the goal of all other goals. When we seek money, or a good relationship, or a great job, what we are really seeking is happiness. The mistake we make is not going for happiness first. If we did, everything else would follow.

I

Stand for the power of unbending intent or intention. It is to make an unchangeable decision from which it is impossible to go back. It is singlemindedness of purpose. It is a well-defined purpose not countermanded by any other conflicting desires or interests. In order to acquire wealth—or for that matter, anything in the physical universe—you must intend it, make a decision to go for it. The decision is unchangeable with fixity of purpose, not countermanded by anything,. The universe handles the details, organizes and orchestrates opportunities. You have simply to be alert to these opportunities.

J

Stands for the fact that it is not necessary to judge. When we relinquish our need to constantly classify things as good or bad, right or wrong, then we experience more silence in our consciousness. Our internal dialogue begins to quieten when we shed the burden of judgment, and it is then easier to access the gap.

It is important, therefore, to get away from DEFINTIONS, LABELS, DESCRIPTIONS, INTERPRETATIONS, EVALUATIONS, ANALYSES, and JUDGEMENT, for all of these create the turbulence of our internal dialogue. 

K

Stands for the fact that organizing power is inherent in knowledge. Knowledge of any kind gets metabolized spontaneously and brings about a change in awareness from where it is possible to create new realities. For example, becoming familiar with the knowledge in this book will spontaneously create the conditions for wealth and affluence.

L

Stands for love and luxury. Love yourself. Love your customers. Love your family. Love everybody. Love the world. There is no power stronger than love.

Also adopt luxury as a lifestyle. Luxury is our natural state. Adopting luxury as a lifestyle sets the preamble, the preconditions for the flow of wealth.

M

Stand for making money for others and helping others make money. Helping others make money and helping other people to fulfill their desires is a sure way to ensure you’ll make money for yourself as well as more easily fulfill your own dreams.

M also stands for motivate. The best way to motivate other people to help you fulfill your goals is to help them fulfill their goals.

N

Stands for saying no to negativity. Whenever you have a negative thought silently say to yourself  “Next” and move on. Saying now to negativity also means not being around negative people. Negative people deplete your energy. Surround yourself with love and nourishment and do not allow the creation of negativity in your environment.

O

Stands for the fact that life is the coexistence of all opposite values. Joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, up and down, hot and cold, here and there, light and darkness, birth and death. All experience is by contrast, and one would be meaningless without the other.

A wise seer once said. “A man born blind from birth will never know the meaning of darkness because he has never experienced light.” When there is a quiet reconciliation, an acceptance in our awareness of this lively coexistence of all opposite values, then automatically we become more and more non-judgmental. The victor and the vanquished are seen at two poles of the same being. Non-judgment leads to quietening of the internal dialogue, and this opens once again the door way to creativity.

O also stand for opportunity and open and honest communication. Every contact with every human being is an opportunity for growth and the fulfillment of desire—one has only to be alert to the opportunities through increased awareness. Open and honest communication opens the channels to realize those opportunities.

P

Stands for purpose in life and for pure potentiality. We are here to fulfill a purpose. It is up to us to find out what that purpose is. Once we know our purpose then the knowledge of one’s purpose leads to the insight that we are true potentiality. We must be able to state our purpose in very simple terms. For an example, my purpose in life is to heal, to make everyone I come into contact with happy, and to create peace. Knowing our purpose opens up the doorway to the field of pure potentiality because inherent in our desire are the seeds and mechanics for its fulfillment.

The Vedic seer states, “I am the immeasurable potential of all that was, is, and will be, and my desires are like seeds left in the ground: they wait for the right season and then spontaneously manifest into beautiful flowers and mighty trees, into enchanted gardens and majestic forests.”

Q

Is to question; to question dogma, question ideology, question outside authority. It is only by questioning what people take for granted, what people hold to be true, that we can break through the hypnosis of social conditioning.

R

Stand for the fact that receiving is a necessary as giving. To graciously receive is an expression of the dignity of giving. Those who are unable to receive are actually incapable of giving. Giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe.

Giving and receiving do not have to be in the form of material things. To graciously receive a compliment or admiration or respect also implies the ability to be able to give these to others. And absence of respect, courtesy, manners, or admiration creates a state of poverty irrespective of the amount of money you have in the bank.

S

Stands for spending and service. Money is like blood; it must flow. Hoarding and holding on to it causes sludging. In order to grow, it must flow. Otherwise it gets blocked and, like clotted blood, it can only cause damage. Money is life energy that we exchange and use as a result of the service we provide to the universe. And in order to keep it coming to us, we must keep it circulating.

T

Stands for transcendence, timeless awareness, talent bank, and tithing. My personal experience is that without transcendence, life has no beauty. In order to live a full life it is necessary to go beyond all boundaries. As the Sufi poet Rumi has said, “Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. “I feel that my experience of transcendence through the practice of meditation gives me an inner stability and silence that is not overshadowed by any activity. That silence stay with me so that no outer experience can overshadow the awareness and experience of the self.

T also stands for timeless awareness, as opposed to time-bound awareness. Time-bound awareness occurs when we relinquish the self for the self-image. The self-image is the social mask, the protective veneer behind which we hide. In time-bound awareness our behavior is always influenced by the past and by anticipation and fear of the future. Time-bound awareness is burdened by guilt and sorrow. It is rooted in fear. It causes entropy, aging, and death. Timeless awareness is the awareness of the self. The Vedic seer says, “I do not worry about the past and I am not fearful of the future because my life is supremely concentrated in the present, and the right response comes to me, to every situation as it occurs.” This is also the STATE OF BLISS. The self is not in the realm of thought. It’s in the gap between our thoughts. The cosmic psyche whispers to SOFTly in the gap between our thoughts. This is also what we call intuition. Time-bound awareness is in the intellect; it calculates. Timeless awareness is in the heart; it feels.

T also stands for talent bank. In order to maximize creativity and offer the best service, it is good to develop a talent bank or a coterie of individuals with unique and diverse talents and abilities and whose individual talents, when added together, are more than the sum of the parts.

T also stands for tithing. Tithing means giving away a certain portion of your income without conditions or strings attached. When you give, a vacuum is created that attracts even more of what you have given away. As Emerson said, “Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.”

U

Stands for understanding the unity behind all diversity. Unity consciousness is a state of enlightenment where we pierce the mask of illusion which creates separation and fragmentation. Behind the appearance of separation is one unified field of wholeness. Here the seer and the scenery are one. We experience unity consciousness when we are in love, when we are with nature gazing at the stars or walking on the beach, listening to music, dancing , reading poetry, praying, and in the silence of meditation. In unity consciousness, we slip through the barrier of time into the playground of eternity, as when we say, "The beauty of the mountain was breathtaking time stood still.” Then you and the mountain become one. At a very deep level of awareness, we know you and I and the mountain and everything else is the same Being in different disguises. This is the state of love—not as a sentiment, but as the ultimate truth, at the heart of all creation.

V

Stands for values: truth, integrity, honesty, love, faith, devotion, and beauty. The great Indian pet Rabindranath Tagore says, “When we feel beauty, we know it as truth.” Without values, there is confusion and chaos. When values disintegrate everything disintegrates. Health disintegrates, poverty attains dominance over affluence, societies and civilizations crumble. When we pay attention to these values that society has always held sacred, then order emerges out of chaos, and the field of pure potentiality inside us becomes all-powerful, creating anything it desires.

W

Stands for wealth consciousness without worries. Wealth consciousness implies absence of money worries. Truly wealthy people never worry about losing their money because they know that wherever money comes from there is an inexhaustible supply of it.

Once, when we were discussing a world peace project with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, somebody asked him, “Where is all the money going to come from?” And he replied without hesitation, “From wherever it is at the moment.”

X

Stands for expressing honest appreciation and thanks to all who help us. We must never pretend appreciation, but if we feel it, then we must express it. The expression of gratitude is a powerful force that generates even more of what we have already received.

Y

Stands for youthful vigor. We experience health when our identity of who we are comes from reference to the self. When we identify with objects, whether they are situations, circumstances, people, or things, then we relinquish our energy to the object of reference. As a result. We feel lack of energy and vitality. When our identity comes from the self, then we keep our energy to ourselves. We fee energetic, we feel powerful, and we experience youthful vigor.

Z

Stands for zest for life. It is to appreciate life in all its vitality and exuberance. It is to know that there is only one life that expresses itself in myriad forms. To see that life is to know that power is in the present moment. It is to know that I am that, that you are that, that all this is that, and that’s all there is. Tagore once said, “The same stream of life that runs through the world runs through my veins night and day and dances in rhythmic measure. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth into numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of flowers.” He calls this "the life throb of ages, dancing in my blood this moment.” To be in touch with this life throb of ages dancing in our blood this moment, is to have zest for life. It is to face the unknown with carefreeness and freedom. The unknown is the field of all possibilities in every moment of the present. And this is freedom, beyond the known of past conditioning, beyond the prison of space, time, and causation. As Don Juan once said to Carlos Castaneda, “It does not matter what our specific fate is, as long as we face it with ultimate abandon.” This is carefreeness. This is joy. This is freedom. This is zest for life.

Good morning, morning!

I was not a morning person for a very long time. In fact, up until the last few months, I considered anything before 9am 'early'; however, now, waking up early is one of my favourite things in the world. The mornings are so quiet and clear. There is so much less buzz and activity, which makes it the perfect time for some writing, meditation, reading, or just taking in a silent rising ritual. Best of all, waking up early has given me so much extra time in my day that I was wasting away sleeping! That means more time to so the things I love and want to do, not just what I have to do with my limited time. I have written about waking up early before, but I have really found it to be such a great change in my routine, that I am going to write about it again!

Some people will tell you to gradually shift your wake time by 10-15 minutes every 4-5 days, but that wasn't for me. I'm a go big or go home kind of girl! That being said, I didn't just change my alarm clock time and leap up when the music sounded. My best tools for rising early is getting a good night's sleep and rising with my natural rhythm.

Let's start with that good night's sleep. You can't get up earlier while feeling healthy and vital without going to sleep a little earlier the night before as well. So, get yourself in bed 7-9 hours before you want to wake up. Then, create a little bedtime ritual. I like to set the coffeemaker, do all the dishes, take off my makeup and brush my teeth, fill the humidifier, and read a bit before bed. It's also really bad for your brain to use your screens just before bed, so I try to avoid the TV, my iPhone, my Kobo, or any other electronics because the light from these screens tells your brain that it's time to get up and I do not need that as I am trying to go to sleep. 

Also, during the day, I always get on my yoga mat and move. My body rests so much better after it's been well used during the day. That being said, I made the mistake of getting into a great Vinyasa Flow practice just before bed one night and I had a terrible time getting to sleep! So, exercise is great, but not within a few hours of bed. 

Once I settle enough to drift to sleep, I often do a little Reiki session on myself and, if that doesn't knock me out, I'll do a progressive meditation until I fall asleep - I've never made it higher than my legs. 

To help make getting up easier, I downloaded the Sleep Cycle alarm clock, which monitors your natural sleep phases as you sleep in order to gently wake you when you are in your lightest phase of sleep. You see, during the night, you naturally waver between a light sleep and a deep sleep - usually entering a dream state, or REM-sleep. These are things your normal alarm clock has no way of knowing, so they're set to go off every morning at the same time regardless of which phase of sleep you're in. That's one of the reasons why, some mornings, you could leap out of bed full of energy and others you feel like you're still sleeping all day long. Some mornings you happened to be in a lighter phase of sleep when your alarm clock goes off and some mornings you are in a deep REM-sleep. The Sleep Cycle alarm clock uses the accelerometer in your iPhone to monitor your movements while you sleep and determine which phase of sleep you are in because you move differently in bed during the different phases. You set a 30-minute window before your alarm time and the Sleep Cycle alarm clock wakes you gently in your lightest sleep phase in that time. This sleep app has really changed the way I wake up. It's must-have for everybody, but especially those who are working to rise earlier. 

Other things that have helped me rise brighter, happier, and earlier have been planning what I'll do with my extra morning time the night before. Sometimes it's yoga, sometimes it's meditation, sometimes I just like to eat a leisurely breakfast and a coffee and work lazily on a crossword - whatever it is, get geared up for it! Then, maybe if you hesitate when you hear the early bird calling, you might be motivated enough by your plan from the night before to get up and get to it. Finally, when the alarm clock goes off, literally, roll over and get up. I have said it before, but unless you jump yourself out of that bed right away, odds are you will just go back to sleep. 

Sometimes I found that I was really tired in the morning, but after drinking some water and moving around a little bit, that goes away. Occasionally, I'll have a coffee or take a shower (I usually shower at night) and that gives me an extra boost when I'm feeling groggy. I will sometimes take a nap on the weekends if I'm feeling like my eyelids are heavier than usual, but that's pretty rare.

Another problem I found was that going to bed earlier meant cutting short the time I usually spent with my boyfriend. To solve this problem, he started getting up early too! Now that we both rise early, the mornings are like private times together while the rest of the world is sleeping.

So, give it a try! And, as always, let me know how it goes!

Thanks for reading,

Carly.

As always, please forward your comments, questions, and blog ideas to blog@lifeyogakingston.com.

Feel the fear and do it anyways

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. In my late teens, I knew I wanted to teach yoga. By the time I was 20 years old, I wanted to be a yoga studio owner.

When I finally graduated University, I found myself working in coffee shops or at office jobs by day and teaching yoga once or twice per week in the evenings. I had nothing to complain about. I was making good money, but my eyes were always looking elsewhere - thinking ahead to when I would own a yoga studio.

I knew that I had what it takes to be a great yoga studio owner, but I was not sure exactly how to get there and I certainly did not have the finances to support my dream. For a moment or two, I even thought that I would never be able to deal with the instability and risk of owning a business.

Before I could blink, Life Yoga was placed at my feet and, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was finally on my path and doing what I was always meant to do. There were times when I made mistakes or when I had to make difficult decisions. I've shed many tears and there were a million times when I doubted that I could succeed, but I kept pushing forward, reminding myself of how much I love the studio and the people who come in the door - my heart breaking at the thought of doing anything else.

It sound cliche, but there is never a time that you should give up on your dreams. Even if you kicked them out of the way because someone told you they were impossible, they’re still your dreams and you deserve to have your dreams come true as much as anyone else. 

Think back and remember the dreams you once had, whether it was to go to college or to become an animal rescuer or even to travel the globe. Your dreams have never truly gone away, they've just been set aside. Why can't you achieve them? If other people have what you seek, what is stopping you from having it too? 

When I first took over the studio, I had enough “what ifs” to fill 30 Life Yogas! What if I’m too green? What if I can’t handle being an entrepreneur? What if it will be too much of a financial burden? What if, what if, what if? Ironically, the biggest and scariest "what if" of all for me is 'What if I can't do this for the rest of my life?'. NOT doing this is now the scariest thing to me because losing Life Yoga would be like losing a loved one - it would break my heart. 

You can conjure up all of the “what ifs” that your mind will allow, but don't you think that energy is better spent working toward your goals? The truth is that, if any of the "what ifs" panned out, I'd be okay. Maybe I'd have some debt to work off for a few years, so what? I'd still be healthy and I'd have plenty of time to work and pay off that debt. The truth of it all is that, if Life Yoga ever did fail, I'd have been so happy for the time that I spent here - doing what I am truly passionate about.

I am going to assume that, if you put your life’s dreams on the back burner, it's because they seemed insurmountable. I am not telling you that it will be a walk in the park, because that has not been my experience, but I will say that taking each piece bit-by-bit makes it a lot easier to chew. Don’t dwell on the past and try not to worry too much about the future - just love the now!

It is never too late to fulfill your dreams and become the person you have always longed to be. Take it from me, the secret is to feel the fear and do it anyways.

Maybe the best resolution is no resolution at all

"A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."(Lao Tzu)

The rush of the holiday season is over and we're just over two weeks into 2013. With a new year, a lot of us feel we have an opportunity for a new beginning and resolve to change our unhealthy or unwanted habits. Inevitably, this leads to SMART goal-setting (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-sensitive), investments in software or other supports to stay on track, planning and coordinating, and endless Google searches to find the perfect formula for success. 

I first became aware of my aversion to traditional goal setting was when I worked at lululemon athletica Kingston in 2009. Goal setting is a big part of the company's culture. Each employee is given goal setting training and support and is encouraged to create a vision for their ideal life. lululemon athletica provides very specific goal-setting formulas to support their employees and community to set goals around the company's six core concepts. I appreciated the goal coaching and other encouragement from my coworkers; however, I was dissatisfied with the rigidness of this whole process. I had concrete ambitions with regards to my future - mental and emotional wellness, physical health, a loving family, independence, etc. - but, I recognized the lack of control I had on that future. My issue with goal-setting is just that: it leaves no room to have your eyes open for unexpected opportunities and signs that the Universe provides for you. 

Here's a great example, one of my co-workers had created the perfectly SMART goal, "I will be married by August, 2015". Let me point out to you that this was my single co-worker. She hadn't even met a man she was in love with, yet she wanted to me married by August, 2015. I thought of the implications of this goal: Would she settle for any Joe if she hadn't met her soulmate by this date? What if she had met him? Would the relationship be strained as the deadline loomed and there was still no ring? It seemed absurd to me that she would put such strict limitations on her life and future, especially as there was a second, freethinking individual that played a key role in the accomplishment of this goal.


As a compromise, I represented my goals as a collage with photos that inspired me to remember what my visions for the future included. Understandably, this was met with resistance when I insisted that this was as specific as my goal-setting would get. What the lululemon athletica mentality, and SMART goal-setting, missed was that, by not setting goals, I didn't stop achieving goals - I simply didn't let myself to be limited by goals.

Consider this common belief: “You’ll never get anywhere unless you know where you’re going.” This seems like common sense, but it's not really true if you stop to think about it. Go outside and walk in a random direction and feel free to change directions randomly. After 20 minutes, you’ll be somewhere! It’s just that you didn’t know you were going to end up there.

Let's take my life as an example: I went to Queen's for Health Studies and Teaching. While in school, I developed a passion for yoga. Soon, I combined my love for health, teaching, and yoga, into a fulfilling career as a yoga teacher. Unable to make enough of an income solely as a yoga teacher, I worked at lululemon athletica Kingston to pay the bills. It was there that I met Jen, who, at the time, owned Life Yoga. Soon after, she needed a new instructor and I began teaching at Life Yoga. It didn't take long to become friends with Jen and her partner Mike. When Jen died, I was happy to volunteer to help Mike however he needed - keeping Life Yoga running or closing it down. Through that relationship, I eventually took over ownership of the business and am now living my dream as a yoga studio owner and teacher. It wasn't SMART goals that got me where I am today, it was the ability to open my mind, trust my intuition, and say, "Yes" when my heart felt it was right. There are countless experiences I could count from my past that have prepared me for this role and it is only now, at this temporary or permanent destination, that I can look back and see all of the winding roads that got me here.

“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Thanks for reading,

Carly.

As always, please forward your comments, questions, or blog suggestions to blog@lifeyogakingston.com

The holidays are one of the most important times of year for your yoga practice

The holidays are one of the busiest times for most people - travelling, shopping, cooking, and parties can mean hectic schedules (along with the season's cooler temperatures and fewer daylight hours). For most of us, this means that yoga and other wellness rituals are put on the back burner or eliminated altogether because there are only so many hours in a day; however, this is the most important time of year to make time for your wellness. The season can be full of cheer, but it can also be full of stress. Yoga is one thing you can do to take care of yourself during the holiday season (as well as all year round) because, not only does yoga help reduce stress and anxiety, it can boost your energy levels too.

Here are some great tips to help you fit in your mat-time during these busy weeks. 

• Working all day, then have a holiday party at night? Plan to take your lunch break at the 12-1pm class, then snack at your desk in the afternoon. 
• Travelling this season? Check out the yoga studios in the area where you visit - most have new student trial classes or discounted rates for your first couple of weeks.
• The holidays aren't the best time to set weighty goals for your practice, try for maybe two or three classes in a week - that way, you won't be setting yourself up for failure.
• Plan ahead. Schedule your classes on your calendar like you would a business meeting or a party. 
• Create new traditions: your favourite holiday memories may include baking cooking with your parents, but now is your chance to make new traditions, like taking yoga classes with your family or friends.

Finally, be realistic. Many people are busiest during the holiday season than during any other time of the year. If you miss a class or two — don't stress about it. Cherish the time you're spending with the people you care about and enjoy the celebration.  When things calm down again, your yoga mat will be waiting for you.

Thanks for reading,

Carly.

As always, please forward your comments, questions, and blog ideas to blog@lifeyogakingston.com.

Buy Less: Take the Fear and Compulsion Out of Shopping

“Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains.” ~Democritus

Around the holidays we tend to talk more about consumerism. Especially knowing that Black Friday started even earlier than usual this year (on Thursday night), a lot of us feel that our consumption has gotten out of hand.

Many people I know have suggested we should curb our impulse to buy and only purchase necessities, but I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the solution is less about extremism and more about moderation.

Making a drastic change can seem appealing when we’re frustrated or overwhelmed with the way things are, but going from one extreme to another rarely provides a viable long-term solution.

The problem isn’t that we buy things we don’t need; it’s that we buy lots of things we don’t need to fill our assorted emotional voids.

Does anyone need a piece of jewelry? Or a painting? Or an app?

No—but good, talented people create these things. So long as we don’t mistakenly attach our happiness to them, we can both support those people and enjoy the fruits of their labor by purchasing their creations, when we’re financially able.

No one goes into debt for occasionally treating themselves to something they would appreciate wearing, displaying, or using. We only run into issues when we spend compulsively and beyond our means.

And buying gifts for other people—this can provide a lot of joy for the buyer and the giver, if we don’t pressure ourselves to spend extravagantly.

Every year, each of my family members spend five dollars on stocking stuffers for the other four, so that we each end up with twenty dollars of stuff. None of us need the gum, combs, and magazines we get, but it’s fun and easily doable.

The problem isn’t that we live in a consumer culture. It’s that we’re not always mindful of how and why we each consume.

In much the same way, advertising itself isn’t fundamentally bad; everyone who supports themselves sells something, whether it’s a product, a course, or a service; that requires them to promote it.

What’s dangerous is psychologically manipulative advertising that plays off our fears and creates new ones.

I remember when I lived in New York and earned $350 weekly as a part-time telemarketer.

I didn’t own a TV then, so I rarely saw a commercial, but I spent a lot of time in the Internet Café, where pop-up ads reminded me daily that happiness was a shoe, face cream, or gadget away.

Piled on top of my loneliness, professional dissatisfaction, and overall sense of despondency, that influence made it awfully compelling to pull out my credit card—which only created more problems and more reasons to feel overwhelmed by life.

I’ve since learned that I have a say in what I internalize. As frustrating as it may be that advertising often targets our fears, we each need to be responsible for what we think, believe, and do.

For the most part I now take the middle path with spending, allowing myself occasional splurges without falling into compulsive behavior—or draining my bank account.

If you’re also trying to buy less, you may find it helpful to ask yourself these questions when considering a purchase:

• Am I trying to fill some type of emotional void?
• Is there something I can do to proactively address whatever it is I’m feeling?
• Is this an impulse purchase that I’ll later regret?
• Am I buying this because of psychologically manipulative advertising that makes me feel that I somehow need this to be happy?
• Which action or choice would actually increase my happiness?
• Could using this item help me increase my happiness in a meaningful way?
• Is there something else I could do with this money that I would enjoy more?
• Will the value I receive (in enjoyment, in number of uses) justify the cost?
• Will buying this impact my ability to meet my financial responsibilities?
• Will I need to use credit to buy this? If so, do I feel confident I can pay it off before the bill comes to avoid accruing interest?
• Will I support someone I appreciate in making this purchase, and benefit from his/her creation?
• Does the process used to create and distribute this product align with my personal values?

And now, some questions, holiday-style:

• Am I pressuring myself to spend more than I can on a gift because I don’t want to receiver to think I don’t care?
• Could I show them I care through a thoughtful gesture instead of spending more than I reasonably should?
• Do I feel like I have to spend as much as the other person does?
• Can I drop that pressure and focus instead on giving them something meaningful that they’ll enjoy?
• Is my ego getting in the way, making it seem like spending more makes me look better?
• Can I focus on doing something good with my intentions, instead of trying to look good through my financial generosity?
• How can I provide value to a person, regardless of the financial value of my gift?
• If money is an issue, is there something I can create that they would appreciate?
• Can I get more value for my dollar by financing a shared experience (creating more joy and connection) instead of a physical product?
• Do I really think the people who love me will change their opinion of me based on how much I spend on a gift?

These are just a handful of questions that can help us develop awareness of how and when we buy so that we can find the path of moderation—in everyday life and during the holiday season.

It may be hard at times to answer some of these, particularly because certain advertisers will continue to employ fear tactics in their pursuit of ever-increasing profits.

But knowledge is power—and if we question what’s going on internally, we can learn to change our external choices. We can learn to spend responsibly and mindfully, supporting each other as we’re financially able, and enjoying each other’s creations.

by Lori Deschene