Happy New Year!

Well last year I was not consistent at all with writing my monthly blogs. I don’t even remember when I first started writing them, it’s been over a decade for sure and looking back at what I have previously written I see that I didn’t write even one blog in 2022, but there was a lot to recover from and unfortunately not much good came out of that year. So 2023 was at least better than the year before as far as writing goes. My intention for this year is to get back to writing on a regular basis. I’ve missed it.

Speaking of writing, for those that don’t know, I am in the process of writing a book! I’ve still got a lot more writing to do but after taking a hiatus due to writer’s block, I got back into it this past weekend and I have to say, it feels great to be writing again!

I started to fall into a deep depression back in August, this time it was very strange to me as I had no idea what triggered it. I knew summer was coming to an end, the weather started to change and I had gone on my last camping trip of the year. I know that around that time, I found out that every single planet was in retrograde, the first I’ve ever heard of that happening, but I’ve only known about planets going into retrograde for the past 8 years or so and don’t really know too much other than when mercury goes retrograde it messes up technology. During that time, I felt exhausted, I would spend my days off in bed, dragging myself out of bed to teach my classes or head into the office. I dreaded absolutely everything! I kept thinking that as soon as the retrogrades were over, I would snap out of it, but that didn’t happen. Instead things just got worse. I was struggling a lot. I got out of my daily practices, I wasn’t doing much of anything. That lasted almost 3 full months, until one day I decided to really meditate on it and figure out what was up with me.

My intuition suggested that it was time for a change, I started doing some research and discovered a program that felt like it was made for me! Combining a technique that I’ve learned a little about over the years, that I actually practice on myself all the time, a modality that I am already certified in, another that I’ve been wanting to get certified in and a different one altogether that I had never heard of before but was very intrigued. As soon as I heard about this program, I knew it was for me and sent an email to gather more information. And the best part of this discovery was that it immediately snapped me out of my depression. Since then, although I am still exhausted, I am absolutely excited about what’s about to come this year!

Normally the holidays are a very difficult time of the year for me, that’s when I will disappear off of social media for several months and isolate. However, this time I didn’t. I actually became more active on social media than I have been in awhile. Instead of focusing on posting for my business, I just started posting for fun and reconnecting with friends after a long absence. I thought for sure as it got closer to Christmas, I would take another hiatus but I didn’t. I ended up having a great holiday with my family and really enjoyed myself. I haven’t celebrated New Years eve in quite a few years. Up until the morning of December 31st, I had zero plans until I was invited to a party my friend was having in the middle of the island. I decided to go and since I was so close to my favourite place on the west coast, made a trip out that way too! Only planning to head out for New Years day and head home, I lucked out weather wise it was sunny and warm. That’s the part of the island known for storm watching at this time of the year so having a day of sunshine was remarkable. Ended up staying at the most incredible place! I’ll include some pictures and videos below.

The year 2023 is known as a universal year 7 in numerology. Making it a time that can feel slow, introspective and highly spiritual. This year cycle was asking us to let go and slow down. It was a very restful energy, even though things may have seemed calm on the outside, there could have been a lot going on internally such as deep healing, working out problems, personal energy shifts, which is all very tiring work.

The universal energy of the 2023 cycle is all about self-inquiry and being introspective. No wonder I felt called to meditate on why I couldn’t get out of my depression and deciding to do some research that brought me to discovering the program I mentioned. More to come on that in the upcoming months. With all the thinking and healing going on last year, the need for space was incredibly important. Which makes sense as to why I isolated myself from people, places, my routines and social media. So if you found yourself struggling last year, this had a lot to do with it.

However, 2024 is a universal year 8, which is associated with money, power and influence. It’s a time where many things can manifest, but a lot can be lost, so balance is key. This year is about setting your intentions and going after your goals!

I ended the year by starting a new hobby that I had been wanting to try since the spring. I’ve create 4 pieces so far, one I had to keep (another story for another blog), two I’ve given as gifts & the last one I will probably end up keeping as well. I am looking forward to making plenty more this year.

What are you planning in 2024?

Long Beach

Mackenzie Beach Resort Airstreams

Modern Suite #5 @ Mackenzie Beach Resort

Petite Love Garden Market

If you are looking for something to do this Sunday, come join me at Aurora Wellness Centre in Nanoose Bay for this amazing Petite Love Garden Market from 11am-4:30pm!

I will be there demonstrating and talking about the physical & mental health benefits of Yoga, Meditation & Emotional Freedom Technique. I will also be offering free mini Reiki sessions!

There will be a singing circle for all to attend, sing-a-long and open our throat chakras from 11:30 - 12:30pm & an Aurora Rising Sound bath from 2:30 - 3:30pm! I have yet to attend a Sound Bath and this is something I have been really excited to experience!

This is a free market with vendors of local artisans, prizes to be won and demonstrations. Donations are welcome to support the Vancouver Island Compassion Dogs Charity.

I have been busy getting ready for my first Yoga Retreat there as well, which will be held on Saturday September 30th! As you may know, last year was a very difficult time in my life. Over a period of 6 months I had several very traumatic events that occurred that left me in a very dark place. I wrote a little about it back in April’s blog post.

It took me well over 6 months to finally get back into my regular routines and practices. I was so exhausted and didn’t have the strength to carry on, never mind do anything that I knew would help pull me out, until I finally decided it was time for a change. I committed to doing just one thing which was to start hiking again. Being in nature has always been very therapeutic for me. Then slowly I got back into my daily yoga practice, started to meditate again, did a lot of Reiki (energy healing) on myself, used the Emotional Freedom Technique and even learned Tai Chi!

At one point I realized that perhaps I had to go through all those traumatic events that left me in that deep dark place again, so that I could remind myself about the incredible power of all these healing modalities. It had been many years since I had been that depressed, anxious, fearful or experienced PTSD.

I’ve known for a long time now that these practices work miracles because I had used them to overcome those struggles years ago. However, it seems the universe needed me to remember just how important it is to practice these modalities, no matter if it’s just for minor issues or major life-altering events that could have ended my life.

This is why I decided I needed to push past my fear of hosting my first Yoga Retreat and to teach these practices to others in a number of different settings. They have saved my life now on more than one occasion and I am forever grateful that I listened to my intuition, made the decision to help myself once again through these practices and be able to continue to share my story and experiences. If I can help just one person who is struggling that would be amazing, but ultimately my goal is to help as many people as I am able. Thank you for being a part of my healing journey!

Exciting Announcement!

I have very exciting news to announce. In September I will be hosting my very first Yoga retreat! This is something I have always wanted to do and a couple months ago I decided this is the year I am finally going to do it. This will be a full day retreat at the gorgeous Aurora Wellness Centre in Nanoose Bay BC on Vancouver Island.

When I started to research possible locations, I remembered a friend of mine telling me she has facilitated her drumming circles here (thank you Rhonda!) and I immediately reached out and arranged a meeting so I could come take a look at the place. As soon as I drove onto the property, I knew I found the right space for the retreat that I was envisioning. In fact, I am experiencing full body chills as I am writing this just thinking about it. I met with the owner, the lovely Louise, and we had a wonderful conversation for about 45 minutes, sharing our stories as she gave me a tour of the Wellness Centre, the studio and her property.

When I started to put this idea together, I had already chosen who I wanted to co-host this retreat with and was thrilled when he immediately came on board! We had a couple walking meetings at a nearby park where we shared our ideas and discussed how we would like to proceed. We had a couple dates in mind and once I confirmed the space was available, we finally settled on the date of September 30th. Right after we chose the date, it occurred to me that is also the 15th anniversary of when I completed my Yoga Teacher Training on beautiful Gabriola Island! I can’t believe it’s taken me all this time to finally organize a retreat but I know this will be the first of many more to come!

Weather permitting, this will be an indoor/outdoor retreat, spending some time outside for a gentle yoga practice on the grass surrounded by a forest & sitting in nature for some of the activities we have planned for the day. In case of rain, we will spend the day in the studio, where we can look out at the amazing scenery that surrounds us. However, I am planning for a sunny fall day for us!

The full day event will be Saturday September 30th, 2023 from 8:30am-6pm at Aurora Wellness Centre 1989 Kaye Road, Nanoose Bay, BC. There will only be 8 spots available so book early to reserve your space and take advantage of the early bird special of $333 until August 31st or until we sell out.

I am getting ready for a camping vacation on the west coast so I will be replying to all emails and inquiries on Friday August 4th.

If you are interested, reserve your spot on the link below.




Soulscape

Well summer weather came in HOT and has now quickly gone back to “normal” cool, cloudy & rainy spring weather. We got spoiled there for a bit, but the cooler temperatures and rain is needed for the fires on the west coast, so I guess I’ll just need to take out my winter clothes that for the first time ever in my life decided to put away.

I’ve gone camping a couple times already over the last month or so, the first trip my tent got flooded after setting it up and going into town to pick up a few items, on the way back it started raining pretty hard and unfortunately a pool of water made it’s way into my tent. Thankfully, I had kept most of my blankets in a plastic bag so I was able to keep warm overnight. That was the first time I got flooded, so the next trip, I placed my tent on higher ground in case of more rain. It did rain lightly that second time but I stayed dry and warm.

I’ve been out multiple times on my hybrid paddleboard/kayak, really enjoying getting out on the water. This was the best investment I’ve ever made. Will have lots of fun over the next several months for sure! Even kayaked out to Protection Island a week ago. To my surprise, it was only 25 minutes across! Stopped at the pub for a drink and then headed back.

I’ve got some exciting things that I am planning and organizing for this year…more details to be announced!

Beyond The Blue

It’s been a long drawn out winter, with cold snaps lasting much longer than usual.  We had an unexpected week of sun last week, then back to rain this week. I went to bed the other night and as soon as I closed my eyes, my entire room lit up with a flash of lightening followed by a crack of thunder so loud I felt like it occurred right over my head. Then I heard hail hitting the windows! Thankfully despite all the noise, I promptly fell asleep hoping there would be no snow the next morning as I was leading Trailblazers, my hiking group, first thing. We lucked out to a beautiful sunny hike, then the rain came later that day. We did not get any snow, but other parts of the island did. It looks like warmer weather and more sunshine is expected next week…finally!

This was a hard winter for me, after a series of traumatic events over a period of 6 months, I was left with PTSD, high levels of anxiety, insomnia, OCD (a new one for me) and I eventually fell into a deep depression by late August. There were days where I literally could feel the cortisol (stress hormone) flowing through my body. I was on such high alert and stressed on a level I had never experienced before. I took some time off and travelled back home to be with my family in an effort to let my body rest and heal. I had to warn everyone in advance that I was not the person they once knew. I was on edge all the time, easily triggered by sounds, voices, loud noises and I couldn’t be in crowded public spaces.

This long cold winter weather made matters worse. All I wanted to do was hibernate in isolation to avoid everything and everyone. I fell out of all my daily practices, as I just didn’t have the energy or strength to do them. Worse yet, I didn’t even want to do them, even though I knew exactly what I needed, a part of me intuitively knew that I had to just sit in the misery and feel all the things.

For the first time in years, I had become suicidal. I did not want to be here anymore, I lost all hope that anything good would ever happen again. My body and my brain were not in sync, I was still struggling to think clearly, remember how to do things or learn new things. I was in therapy, given suggestions on things to do to help me get out of that dark place. I knew all the things, I knew what I needed to do, I knew the healing modalities and practices that would help but I just couldn’t bring myself to do them.

As the new year started, tired of feeling this way, I decided to pick one physical activity to get back into. For whatever reason, amidst the cold rainy weather, I chose hiking. I noticed how good I started to feel while out on the trails but as soon as I’d get back home, I’d feel exhausted and go back into hibernation mode. I desperately kept trying to meditate, however no matter what I tried either listening to guided meditations or binaural beats or repeating affirmations, I just couldn’t get out of my head. The negative thoughts spiraling out of control. I would stop trying and just stare at the TV mindlessly watching whatever could keep my attention away from the thoughts in my head. I couldn’t even watch comedy, usually my go to choice, as I just didn’t find any humour in anything. 

I kept up the hiking, more so as I had to as it is one of the things I do for a living. I am incredibly grateful for this as I needed it for my mental health and I most likely would not have been hiking as much as I have been if not for that.  It was so wonderful to see some of my regulars and a group of new people join us.

I slowly got back into my own Yoga practice, focusing more on relaxation than the quick pace style I have grown to love in recent years. My personal practice was few and far between for awhile, but I am back to almost daily HIIT Yoga. I added EFT/tapping to my routine again, practicing Reiki on myself and my newest addition is learning Tai Chi, something I have been interested in for years! When I think about where I was physically, mentally and emotionally even just 4 months ago, it’s like night and day. I am grateful to becoming myself again!

Tonight is the new moon in Taurus and also a Total Solar Eclipse. I just happened to write last months blog on the new moon and I mentioned that the new moon is a time to ask yourself important questions, like “What am I ready to invite in? What seeds or intentions do I want to plant? What do I want to bring into my life?” My goal was:

1) more self-care which I am happy to say I have accomplished

2) gain more clarity on a couple of projects that I am working on and I feel this is starting to come together

3) increase my energy and I have been way more physically active in the last month with hiking, Yoga and Tai Chi!

I also wanted to bring in more connections, sunshine, fun and adventures. I have been expanding my social circle and this past weekend I went to three shows, one to see the band Big Sugar and two comedy shows, where I spent time with new and long time friends. This weekend I am taking my first road trip of the year to the west coast of the island and yesterday my new paddleboard arrived a week early just in time for our upcoming camping adventures. Looking forward to what’s to come next! What are your intentions for the new moon? Would love to hear them!

Much love,

LL

Happy Spring Equinox! 🌼🌿

The spring equinox today is the start of the astrological year, a time to let in more light, life and energy. Think of it as a new chapter, where new chances and opportunities begin. This spring equinox also coincides with the new moon happening tomorrow. New moons are like pressing the reset button, giving us a new beginning and clearing out anything that no longer serves us.

The new moon is a time to ask yourself important questions, like “What am I ready to invite in? What seeds or intentions do I want to plant? What do I want to bring into my life?” It’s the perfect opportunity to set your intentions, visualize your dreams & desires, think about where you are now and where you want to go.

After a very long winter, I am ready to invite in more self-care, clarity and energy. My intention is to continue to work on a big project and see it finally completed this year. I want to bring in more connections, sunshine, fun and adventures. What are you ready for?

This winter I was looking for an indoor activity to start up and got back into creating jewelry, a pandemic project I began a couple years ago. This time I tried something new. It’s been fun making these and I have a couple other art projects I will be trying soon.

Who’s ready for spring!? I know I sure am.

Hello Winter Solstice, Goodbye 2021!

As we celebrate the winter solstice and as the year 2021 starts to come to a close, it is time to reflect on all that has transpired over this past year. The year began by discovering a new interest in crystals along with their healing properties, purchasing my first oracle card deck (and many more throughout the year), starting my own manifestation ritual, all of this has allowed me to develop and connect deeper with my intuition, creating a lot of changes in my life. I am grateful for all my students, the friendships, connections and collaborations I have made in 2021.

I am excited to announce I am co-hosting a New Moon & Manifestation Virtual Retreat on Sunday January 2nd 2022 at 4pm PST/7pm EST! This will be a 2 hour event held online via Zoom, so you can join us from anywhere! We will guide you through a breathwork session, two EFT-tapping sequences, a relaxation based yoga class, short meditation and we’ll learn about the new moon rituals for intention setting. You will leave feeling relax, renewed and have your dreams and goals for 2022 set! For more details or to register visit the link below.

My yoga and meditation classes will break next week and re-start at the beginning of January. These are also held online via Zoom, so you are able to attend from anywhere! All you need is a device to watch, an internet connection and space to roll out your mat in the comfort of your own home. If you are unable to make the class, the recording will be provided to you afterwards. The new schedule will be confirmed next week, so stay tuned.

Happy Solstice!

Are you still interested in learning about manifestation?

I was never someone who was into making New Years resolutions but last New Years Eve, I sat down to document all the challenges and my accomplishments of 2020. This was part of a journaling exercise that my business mentor asked us to do as a way to end the year by celebrating all our wins, no matter how small or big they were. By noting all the challenges of the year…(and being that it was 2020, there were quite a few), part of the practice was to write down all the good and the bad, then burning the entire journal entry to release it all and start the new year off right.

I've never been a fan of New Years resolutions, because any time I had made one in the past, I quickly gave up and was always left feeling disappointed in myself. At the end of last year, I decided to start focusing on my intentions...goals, resolutions, aspirations, whatever word resonates with you best, with regards to my business goals. As part of the exercise I did last year, I ended up realizing how many goals I had actually completed and even won a prize for participating! After completing that whole process, I declared that is how I'm going to spend every NYE going forward, as it felt amazing to reflect back on all the challenges of the year and all the good that came out of it. It was a hard year to see the good but there definitely was a lot to be grateful for.

The nice thing about setting intentions is that you can make them as little or big as you want. I find starting off by setting smaller intentions, they are easier to do and when you start to accomplish these, it just encourages you to set more and work towards those too. AND they are YOUR intentions, you can update them, change them or reassess them at any time you want! So if something you set for yourself you aren't doing, then simply take a moment to connect with yourself and ask WHY it is you want this. If you are not connecting with the WHY, you are bound to give up quickly. Why do you want that goal? What does having that give you?

If it's not resonating anymore then come up with a different one! Remember to connect with your WHY, embrace it and think about how you would feel once you have it. The more you can envision yourself having that, whatever it is, in your life already, the faster it will help you achieve it. This is one of the most important parts of using the law of attraction to manifest your dream life. This is how I started to manifest many different things into my life over the past year. From winning prizes (multiple times), making new connections, collaborations, relationships, cash, trips, coaching, training and even home renovations!

This past year I set a lot of intentions for both my personal life and my business. These were done in stages, I would set a few, once those started happening, I would then set more. I remember at one point early on, I noticed that I was manifesting things that were not really what I wanted, but very close. It was then that I realized that I needed to be very specific with the intentions I was putting out there. For instance, if I were to state that I wanted to manifest money, the next day I might find a dollar on the street. So I knew I would need to specify how much money I wanted exactly.

What is amazing about how manifestation works is once you start imagining your life the way you dream about living it, the universe does not know the difference between imagination and reality, it just knows the frequency you are vibrating at is different and wants to give you more of the same to keep you in that high vibe energetic state. We all deserve the life we desire, so you can either focus on what you want to happen, envisioning that life is already in it’s existence, really feel what it would be like to have that. What would you be doing? What would you be saying? Or you might spend your energy focusing on all the things you don’t want to happen. What if this doesn’t work? What if I fail? The choice is always yours. Do you want to get excited about the possibility of everything going your way or something better than you imagined? Or do you want to get stuck inside the negative self-talk loop? Our brains are actually wired to go to the negative. By making a conscious effort to focus on how you feel with regards to what you want or don’t want to happen. If it makes you feel good, then do more of that. If it makes you feel bad, why are you choosing to do something that makes you feel that way? That’s why I love using all the different healing modalities that I do because it’s much easier to feel into your body and get out of your head.

I am excited to announce I am co-hosting a New Moon & Manifestation Virtual Retreat on December 4, 2021 at 4pm PST/7pm EST This will be held online via Zoom, so you can join us from anywhere! My co-host, Tabitha Crystal will join in from Ontario and I will be here on the west coast. Together we will guide you through a breathwork session, EFT-tapping sequences, relaxation based yoga class, short meditation and we’ll learn about the new moon rituals for intention setting, all within a 2 hour period. Registration will begin later this week and a follow up email with more details will come then.

Port Renfrew Sunset

The 'Self-Care For Soulopreneurs' Series starts this week!

I cannot believe there is only 2 months left of the year! So much has happened over this past year, lots of changes, some ups and downs but overall it has been an incredible time. I am looking forward to what's to come next.

The final sessions of my online classes for 2021 start this week!

Relax & Renew Yoga Tuesdays 6pm PT/8pm CT Nov 2-Dec 21
HIIT Fit Flow Thursdays 6pm PT/8pm CT Nov 4-Dec 23
Mindfulness Meditation Sundays 9am PT/11am CT Nov 7-Dec 26

For more information or to register click the CLASS DESCRIPTION LINK below.

I am excited to host my free 3-part 'Self-Care For Soulopreneurs' series again November 2-4th @ 1pm PT/3pm CT. It will be a live virtual workshop in my Facebook group.

The path to growing your heart-centered business is not all filled with roses and butterflies.

You will face obstacles, and you will have lots to learn and change as you grow. But neither does it have to be a tumultuous whirlwind of chaos, overwhelming self-doubt, anxiety, stress-induced headaches and recurring burnouts.

Don’t let anxiety and overwhelm take you away from the joy of creating your own heart-centered business.
Don’t let stress and self-doubt bring you out of alignment as you work towards living your purpose.

Reclaim your calm so you can truly enjoy each minute of your soulopreneur journey.

Join me in a FREE 3-part Online Workshop, designed to teach you 4 quick & simple self-care techniques that you can use to re-center and ground yourself INSTANTLY.

Sign Up Now for the ‘Self Care for Soulopreneurs’ Series.
Nov 2-4th (1pm PT/3pm CT)

If you are not on FB, then you can join me live via Zoom.

There are limited spaces available, so sign up today to reserve your spot. There will be a recording of each live available for a limited time.


I have also started interviewing different guests each week in my FB group, who will share their expertise as an entrepreneur in different industries. This has been a really fun experience! I have made so many connections with other business owners around the globe. This week our guest is a copywriting expert and I have guests booked already throughout November. If you haven't already, join the group below!

Sidelining

This summer has been especially busy, as I have spent almost every week it seems, travelling and exploring different parts of the island. This is something I started manifesting into my life back in February, by May it looked like it would be happening soon. First camping trip to celebrate my favourite little one’s 4th birthday. I was camping mostly around the central area and more recently finally made it all the way to the northern tip of the island! Some place I had always wanted to explore. After a combined almost 10 years living here, I can now say I’ve explored the north, east, west and south points of this beautiful place, where I am lucky to call home.

Having a business that is completely online, gives me the opportunities to just pack up and go, teaching classes outdoors and meeting with my coaching clients from anywhere on the road via Zoom. Incredibly fun during the summer months, then back to indoor classes once the rain comes. So I will continue to enjoy this while I still can. I don’t think my equipment would like the rain!

There are so many inexpensive or completely free apps you can use to start an online business. It can be as easy as having a Facebook business page, where you can promote your product or services or starting an Instagram account. It doesn’t matter what you use, it matters what energy is behind it and that you are having fun! Just choose one and give it a go. There are lots of creative ways you can promote, you don’t have to do them all, just do what you feel comfortable with. And remember most importantly have fun!

That being said it comes with it’s own challenges as well. There is a lot of tech involved with running a business online and for those, like me, that don’t consider themselves very tech savvy, it can be extremely frustrating and overwhelming!

Luckily, I have spent almost 27 years (WTF! - just had to do the math on that one), working with various custom software/programs, teaching and coaching others for the majority of that time in various roles over the years. The great thing about teaching others, is your skills continue to grow and evolve. I’ve been able to teach myself a lot of the things I needed to learn. And if I couldn’t figure it out, YouTube was my best friend. Though I still often forget that!

During those moments where I just wanted to give up, (and trust me there were plenty), I was able to notice more quickly, the negative thoughts and feelings that were starting to come up. This is your EGO speaking, it’s job is to try and keep you safe. It tells you things to prevent you from doing them. This is just a test to see how easily and quickly you will talk yourself out of doing something. If you REALLY wanted to make your dreams come true, you would do anything in your power to make that happen and believe that it will. That’s the way the universe works with manifestation.

If you ever need to know the difference between your EGO speaking and your heart, ask yourself this: Does this thought cause me fear and self-doubt? Or even simpler, Does this make me feel bad in any way physically, mentally or emotionally? If the answer is yes, then it’s EGO.

If the thought makes you feel good, then that’s listening to your heart. Your body knows when you are in alignment with your desires, one of the ways to let you know that you are following your map, is to give you those good feelings! Only you will know what feels good or bad to you by just focusing on your breath and see what comes up for you. If you don’t know how to do that, keep reading all the way to the end.

I knew when I was overwhelmed, that I needed to do something different and step away. That’s when my own practice became so much more important. I made sure that I did ANYthing that was going to shift my mindset and move the stagnant energy within my body. As simple as breathing deeply or going for a walk or hike can do wonders for improving your thoughts and creating new energy that will start to shift how you feel physically and mentally.

If you would like to learn more about these different modalities, then I encourage you to sign up for my upcoming 3-part online workshop, which will be held August 31st, September 2nd and 7th @ 10am PDT. I’ll spend 30 minutes each day teaching you various tools and techniques that I use to bring you from a place of chaos to calm in the matter of minutes. As my coaching clients are all online business owners in the health & wellness industry, we are often referred to as Soulpreneurs.

As I am a sole-proprietor and currently run my business solo, I chose to use the name Soulopreneurs to connect with those that vibe with that name. Whether that term resonates with you or not, it also doesn’t matter whether you are self-employed or not, you might have your own side business or possibly intend to run one or maybe even dreaming about it a little, everyone is welcome! As long as you have an interest in learning simple techniques that will leave you feeling pretty amazing.

If you can’t attend live, no worries! This will be recorded and the replays will be available for a limited time. For more details or to register click the link below.

San Josef Bay, Cape Scott Provincial Park

San Josef Bay, Cape Scott Provincial Park

Holberg

Holberg

I was sitting on the stoop watching all that sun shining.
— Royal Canoe

Deep Healing & Self-Care For Soulopreneurs Workshop

Deep Healing

Two weeks ago, I went through a deep healing process with a mentor of mine to clear a traumatic experience I had when I was younger. She took me through a very powerful meditation, where I had a huge revelation of how this trauma has affected many different areas of my life. It was extremely emotional yet freeing at the same time. I had a lot of memories come up, during and after, that needed to be released.

It was a bit of a strange week as I began to fully understand how much that trauma was still affecting me, but once all those memories surfaced, then I was able to release that pain and started feeling much lighter. I've spent the last 20 years learning various holistic approaches to healing from within. So I am always open and excited when I get a chance to discover another new way to heal on a deeper level.

Self-Care For Soulopreneurs Workshop

Last year, I realized that I wanted to help entrepreneurs starting their own online businesses, learn the self-care techniques that are a must in order to let go of the fears, self-doubt and limiting beliefs. This affects all of us, whether a business owner or not, this comes up for everybody. I am excited to host my latest 3-part workshop, 'Self-Care For Soulopreneurs' June 10, 15, & 17th. It will be a live virtual workshop in my new FB group.


The path to growing your heart-centered business is not all filled with roses and butterflies.

You will face obstacles, and you will have lots to learn and change as you grow. But neither does it have to be a tumultuous whirlwind of chaos, overwhelming self-doubt, anxiety, stress-induced headaches and recurring burnouts.

Don’t let anxiety and overwhelm take you away from the joy of creating your own heart-centered business.
Don’t let stress and self-doubt bring you out of alignment as you work towards living your purpose.

Reclaim your calm so you can truly enjoy each minute of your solopreneur journey.

Join me in a FREE 3-part Online Workshop, designed to teach you 4 quick & simple self-care techniques that you can use to re-center and ground yourself INSTANTLY.

Sign Up Now for the ‘Self Care for Soulopreneurs’ Series.
June 10th, 15th & 17th (12-1230PM PDT)

PS: There are limited slots available, so sign up today to reserve your spot on the link below to join my FB group. There will be a recording of each live in the FB group.

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To The Sun

Every week the highlight of my day, is when I get on Zoom with my students. It's been amazing connecting with everyone, while sharing our stories. We always have so many great conversations. I've started to share my manifestation stories with you, as what I have been learning and experiencing has been pretty incredible so far! So many people have been asking what I have been doing. I would love to have a small beta group to guide along with me!

If you have something you are dreaming about, let's see what we can manifest together as a collective. Join the waitlist below!

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Soak It Up!

At the beginning of the year, I decided to begin a manifestation ritual along with my daily meditation practice. I found out while telling my family about this last week, not everyone knows about manifestation, so I'll start there.

Also known as the Law Of Attraction, manifestation simply put is, describing what you want, putting it out to the universe, feeling as if you already have it and visualizing yourself as if you already do, then over time watch it form into reality. It's an actual law, just like the Law of Gravity. If you were to throw something up into the air, it will fall down to the ground. If you put your desires into the universe, you will manifest them into existence.

In the almost 3 months that I have been practicing this morning ritual daily, I have manifested probably at this point over $10 000 worth of cash, prizes, coaching and gifts. I'm glad that I decided to start blogging about this experience, as I would have most likely forgotten about some of the things. I know that without a doubt, the reason this all happened so quickly is because of the ritual I put into place. My first big manifestation process started on Canada Day. I did a few more throughout the end of the year, but I took it to the next level in January, when I started doing this daily.

I mentioned in the previous blog that I won a grand prize package in a contest worth $5550! The craziest part of the whole thing is that technically I didn't even win, the winner decided to gift it to me! A complete stranger from somewhere else in the world, gifted it to me, since she is too busy in her life and business. I had been in first or second place of the contest for the first few days so she decided to give it to me, because she knew she couldn't take advantage of it.

The package included one-on-one coaching sessions with 12 amazing coaches in different industries! One of the coaches I spoke with even asked me if I had been manifesting! I didn't even know she was into manifestation until she said that. That's the other thing, I have been connecting with so many like-minded individuals from around the world since January, after putting out the intention to learn to love social media.

I'd love to hear from you! Have you ever manifested before? It doesn't matter how small or big it was, something such as a cup of coffee a friend bought you, could be considered a manifestation. I'm curious to know if you want to give it a try and what you would want to manifest. Drop a comment down below or hit reply in my email.

That time I had a lightbulb moment above the trees.

That time I had a lightbulb moment above the trees.

After feeling off for days, meditating in the sun amongst the trees was just what I needed.

After feeling off for days, meditating in the sun amongst the trees was just what I needed.

Deep In My Soul

Years ago, when I first started meditating, my practice was extremely short and infrequent. My understanding was that the whole point of meditating was to quiet your mind, so when I was unable to do so, I would get frustrated with myself and give up. I also found it to be very uncomfortable to sit in a cross-legged position on the floor, for more than 10 minutes. My legs would fall asleep and my back would hurt. I still don't know how the monks do it for hours at a time!

I have since learned over time, that you can meditate anywhere, in any position that is comfortable for you and for any length of time. I started to get into it more, when I chose to simply lay down on the couch or bed. Some times I listen to binaural beats or guided meditations on YouTube or other times I just enjoy the peace and quiet.

The other key piece is that the end result is not to quiet your mind, that's next to impossible for anyone. The goal is to start observing your thoughts. When you start this practice, you will begin to notice, what you really think about and more importantly how you speak to yourself.


We have something like 80 000 thoughts spinning around our heads in any given day. Do you know how many of those are positive? Unfortunately, very few, since our brains are wired to think negatively from a fear-based place, as a way to protect us from dangerous animals, when we all once lived on the land.

If you are new to meditation, start out with only a few minutes and then slowly build up from there. A great way to start your day is to think of at least 3 things that you are grateful for as soon as you wake up. I have turned that into my own guided meditation, simply repeating those as an affirmation. You can even keep a gratitude journal where you write them down. Today I decided to turn my gratitude list into a tapping meditation, which I have shared with you below.

What was a huge revelation for me with meditation, is noticing all those negative thoughts swirling around in my head, along with the negative sensations in my body that go along with them. Once I clued in that the reason, those thoughts leave you with negative physical sensations, I started to wonder if the reason for that was because those thoughts were not true. I then began experimenting anytime a negative thought came into my head, by switching it to the complete opposite positive thought. And noticed that created good sensations in my body. Mind blown!

Deep in our souls, we know what's true and what's not. We have to learn to pay attention to how those thoughts make us feel. If the feelings are bad...well then it's not true. If it feels good, then it has to be true!

As I was writing this blog, I found out that I am the grand prize winner of that Amazing giveaway that I mentioned last time. I’m still in shock! I'll write more about that next time.

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Written In The Stars

I mentioned earlier this week in the last blog titled "The Light", about the meditation experience I had when I was searching for clarity on how to narrow down my marketing audience. The three words that popped into my head during that meditation, just over a couple months ago, were: Purpose-Driven Souls.
I didn't know what that meant but then those words or variations of them, kept showing up in one way or another, every single day since.

Now going back to two years ago, when I was figuring out what my signature yoga program would be, I was stuck on the fact that yoga is essentially what helped me to overcome my mental health struggles. What I have finally come to realize is that yoga actually helped me discover my PURPOSE! I never knew what I wanted to be when "I grew up", as quite honestly, I didn't even think I would still be alive at this age. Although, yoga was the reason I overcame my mental health issues, yoga also gave me a purpose.

By becoming a teacher, I was able to provide my students with an hour or two a week of calm and relaxation. That made me feel good, that I was able to help them feel good! I had spent the majority of my working life prior to that, teaching and coaching in some way, shape or form.

My Dad recently shared with me that when I was little, I had wanted to be a school teacher. I had no idea, but when I look back over my life, I have been teaching for 27 years! I had brought up something new to me, back in January, called 'Human Design' . I still know very little about it, but my design is to be a teacher, guide or coach...so I was actually meant to be a teacher.

Once the yoga world opened up to me, all these other healing modalities started appearing in my life. I found Mindfulness, Reiki and Emotional Freedom Technique. All of which I continue to use through difficult situations. In fact, all of those including my yoga practice is how I was able to get through these past two crazy years, the last which was mostly spent in isolation. I could have easily fallen into a deep depression during this time, I definitely struggled with it, but I pulled through.

Ever since hearing those words Purpose-Driven Souls, I have made so many connections with others around the world. And the best part is, that I have started coaching others to pursue their passions to follow their purpose! Over these last couple months, I have felt like I am now officially on my proper path. It took me a little bit of time to get here, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and only at a time when we are ready for it. I am absolutely loving this new part of my business!

I was invited to be a guest speaker in a Facebook group, (the host is based in Hawaii), called "Energized & Empowered Entrepreneurs". This is part of a MASSIVE giveaway of over $8000 in prizes! I will be going live in the group this Friday March 5th @ 1230pm PST. If you are an entrepreneur and would like to have a chance to win one of two amazing prizes, all you need to do is join the group and invite as many other entrepreneurs that you know. The contest runs through next Wednesday March 10th. You will need an official invite into the group, so reply to this email with the name you go by on Facebook so I can invite you in.

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The Light

A couple years ago I began my journey to turn my little yoga biz into an online venture. This started at a time when I was seriously considering quitting teaching altogether, following a number of unfortunate events. I came across an ad that seemed like it was specifically made for me.

Next thing I know I had joined that program! This is where I learned how to design my own signature yoga program. We were encouraged to dig deep into our story about how and why we got into yoga, in order to create a program around that. Although I had initially found yoga for pain management, the benefits I gained for my mental health were why I continued to practice and eventually overcame them. So naturally that's what I built my program around.

Last year as I was learning more about the online biz world, I realized that I needed to narrow down my market audience. I found this rather difficult to figure out, but it started to make more and more sense since mental health is so very broad. I had been meditating a lot on this for months, hoping that eventually I would gain the clarity I needed. I kept thinking over and over about my own journey. What was going on in my life at that time. How I came to find yoga. How it helped with the chronic pain. How I not only started to feel better physically, but how amazing I felt mentally.

Just over two months ago now, as I sat down once again, to do this specific meditation, I put out the intention that this time I was going to gain that clarity! Then three words popped into my head. The guided meditation had barely begun, but I had to get up off my mat to write them down so I didn't forget. I didn't even know what I was going to do with those words or what they even really meant yet. I just knew I was onto something.

After I completed the meditation, I went to bed, still not sure what those words meant. The next day while out on a hike, I was listening to a podcast and a variation of those words were mentioned. Instantly I knew this was a sign from the universe that I was on the right track. Every single day since, those words or a variation of them have been thrown in my face via a book, article, video, podcast or bio - basically anything and everything! I would bet that 6 months ago, if this had happened, I would have taken all that to mean, this was an oversaturated market that doesn't need me in it as well. However, all these signs have only fired me up more. I'll speak more on this in the next blog post!


Registration for the new sessions is open!
Classes start this week:

Tuesdays Relax & Renew 6pm PT/8pm CT
Wednesdays Relax & Renew 9am PT/11am CT
Thursdays HIIT Fit Flow 6pm PT/8pm CT
Sundays Mindfulness Meditation 9am PT/11am CT

You can sign up for our Yoga or Meditation sessions on the link below.

Everyone is loving my new weekly Meditation class, as much as I love guiding it!

Everyone is loving my new weekly Meditation class, as much as I love guiding it!

The Journey

I mentioned last month that I decided to shake things up by setting intentions. My first major intention was to learn to love social media, to my complete surprise I accomplished that rather quickly. In the process, I have made so many amazing connections with people around the globe.

If 2020 taught me anything it was that we desperately need connection in our lives, especially now. Being in isolation, really wasn't all that different from my regular life. Except, I used to go to at least one event a week with my friends. Now I am attending virtual events with others around the world and that's pretty awesome too!

I started a weekly meditation session a couple weeks ago with my students, where I share a version of my own daily ritual and we have now gone international with students from different countries!

I only began this particular practice at the beginning of the year and so many wonderful things have been happening in the past 6 weeks! None of which would have happened if I hadn't been making these intentions. It all begins with sitting down and becoming clear on what exactly your heart and soul desires. So I have been declaring those to the universe and excited for what is coming next.

I would like to invite you to my next online 90 minute Saturday Self-Care Workshop February 27th @ 9am PST/11am CST. Register on the link below.


Much love,
Laurah-Lee


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Do Something Different

Last week I mentioned my intention of creating connections. I have always had this love/hate relationship with social media, who am I kidding, mostly hate. But I've been actually enjoying it lately. I have now been connecting with others around the world and it's been pretty amazing! 

Earlier this week, I had a 90+ minute Zoom chat with a former actor/comedian. We shared stories of our pasts and present lives.  I had no idea she used to do standup and she had no idea of my love of comedy! She told me a couple days later that she had been telling her husband all about our great conversation! We couldn't believe all the little synchronicities. I've also been chatting all week with my Yoga teacher friend in the UK and my Hydration coach in Chicago! 

Hydration Coach?! I had never heard of one either, but through my many connections I joined a Hydration challenge. I actually accidentally signed up to 4 different challenges this week. I didn't know they were all going to fall in the same week. So it's been quite the ah...challenge. 

We've all heard how we are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I primarily only drink water, I've always been a water drinker. I've never been a coffee drinker, only in recent years have I started to drink tea and rarely do I consume pop. Well I discovered some very interesting facts about our water consumption.

We are supposed to drink half of our body weight in ounces of water in a day. And coffee/tea/juice/pop, do not count as those important fluids. In fact, drinking any of those is taking away from your water consumption and dehydrating you. There's so many more tidbits of info I've been sharing with my clients this week, as I've been learning but I'll save the rest for the next newsletter.

I am planning to start a weekly breathwork/meditation session in February. I teach this in my yoga classes, but I want to have a class dedicated just to these practices, so I would like to offer a 30 minute online group Zoom session. I will guide you through the session, so for 30 minutes a week you will have a chance to just sit back, relax, breathe, feel that stress melt away and calm your mind. It's truly amazing how good you feel even just after 5 minutes of mindfulness.

If this is something that interests you, then click the link below. For now, I'm trying to figure out the best day/time that would work for most people. I have included 3 different days/times, but none are set in stone and I can be flexible with the time on those days. Please check all the options that could work for you and I'll be in touch with everyone who is interested and we can finalize the details.

My plan is to start with one class a week and add more based on interest. Once we have a day/time picked out, you will have the option of joining either by paying $8 to drop in when you can or $22 for the month.  I'd really like to start our first session next week! 


I can't stress enough how much these practices have helped me through this past year. I had a very emotional breakdown this week and I immediately had to take myself through one of these practices. After the huge emotional release, I started to feel a bit better, then after dinner I decided to put some music on and had a solo dance party, for about 2 hours, which turned into a yoga flow dance.

That's why these practices go hand in hand with yoga, we really need to move our body to help release the negative vibrations from our system. And boy did I need that after my week!

Much love, 
LL

Lantzville Foothills

Lantzville Foothills

Begin To Explore

Thanks to everyone who shared their intentions last week! I thought I would share my current intention - connection! This is something I think we are all really missing right now. I have been making more of an effort to connect with others through social media. I am really not a fan of it, as there can be a lot of negativity but I've been reaching out to others with similar interests and sharing stories. If we are not connected on social media, scroll to the bottom of this email for the links.

I write about whatever I'm inspired to. When I found yoga, so many other doors opened for me. Maybe your calling or interests have nothing to do with yoga. Maybe you practice some times. Or more regularly. I practice daily. My passion just so happened to start there and go that route. The important point is I started doing something I loved and opportunities kept presenting themselves.

For the last couple months, I've started to explore other interests. I have this rule that if I hear about something new 3 times I have to learn about it. I think it stems from my rule, if I hear 3 songs I like from a band, then I have to purchase the album. There have been a number of topics that have been coming up for me recently, so I have been reading and researching them. My newest one is called Human Design. If you have any interest in learning more about yourself or others, I'd look into this.

Much love,
Laurah-Lee

p.s. Check out our updated class schedule page. We can accept credit card payments now for our new class passes!

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Reassess Your Intentions

I've never been one to really make New Years resolutions but this past NYE, I sat down to document all the challenges and my accomplishments of 2020. This was part of a journaling exercise that my business mentor asked us to do as a way to end the year by celebrating all our wins, no matter how small or big they were. We also had the opportunity to enter to win some awesome prizes by submitting our responses. There were about 11 chances you could have your name entered in the draw, depending on how many activities you had completed in the final quarter of the year.

I waited until the last possible moment to submit my entries before the deadline at midnight, but I did it with about 20 minutes to spare! When I first sat down to do this exercise, I thought I had only completed a few of the tasks and was determined to submit my entries anyway. However, when I actually went through the process, I had discovered I had done ALL of them except one! I was really hoping to win the grand prize, the whole reason I had submitted the entries in the first place! Just finding out how much I had achieved last year, after believing I hadn't done many of them, turned out to be a prize in itself. Well, late last night I happened upon a video my mentor had made earlier in the evening, announcing the winners. To my total surprise, I came in second place! I won a Kindle including a book! I don't know which one yet, but I'm sure it's a book he recommends that is most likely currently on my wish list!

I've got three different books on the go at the moment and awaiting on another to arrive. One of my intentions for the new year is to read more. I used to read books so much as a kid and I've been wanting to get back into that for a long time.

Now getting back to this NYE resolutions thing, I've never been a fan of them, because any time I had made a big one in the past, I quickly gave up and was left feeling disappointed in myself.

I have decided though to start focusing on my intentions...goals, resolutions, aspirations, whatever word resonates with you best. I ended the year with the intention to submit my entries for the prize giveaway and the hope I would win any of the prizes. In doing that whole process, I realized that is how I'm going to spend every NYE going forward, as it felt amazing to reflect back on all the challenges of the year and all the good that came out of it. It was a hard year to see the good but there definitely was a lot to be grateful for.

The nice thing about setting intentions is that you can make them as little or big as you want. I find starting off by setting smaller intentions, they are easier to do and when you do them it just encourages you to set more and work towards those too. AND they are YOUR intentions, you can update them, edit them or reassess them at any time you want! So if something you set for yourself you aren't doing, then simply take a moment to connect with yourself and ask WHY it is you want this. If you aren't connecting with the WHY, you are bound to give up quickly. Why do you want that goal? What does that give you? If it's not resonating anymore then come up with a different one! Remember to connect with your WHY, embrace it and think about how you would feel once you have it.

Also, let me know what intentions you are setting for yourself, no matter how big or small. I'd love to hear them!

Much love,
Laurah-Lee

After journaling about all the challenges of 2020, I safely burned them! This will be my New Years eve ritual going forward. Powerful process!

After journaling about all the challenges of 2020, I safely burned them! This will be my New Years eve ritual going forward. Powerful process!