Addiction is not always connected to a substance. There are many forms of addiction. It can be sex, shopping, eating, gambling,... you name it.

Any substance or behaviour that you cannot live without, that is getting in the way of your dreams, goals or well being is a sign of addiction. We ALL have some experience with this kind of behaviour.

It might even be washing your hands obsessively. We might refer to this kind of behaviour as OCD. But this attachment to extreme hygiene can be seen as an addiction to cleanliness, or an addiction to order or control.

The terms we use to describe our behaviour may vary, but I am hoping to bring to light the fact that we ALL turn to something to escape, divert or run from the uncomfortable feelings we experience.

Addiction could even be to power or money.

At the root of addictive behaviour we are trying to escape unpleasant sensations. We want to feel better. These sensations are typically happening at an unconscious level and we are reacting to...

I don’t teach drop in classes.

In order to get the benefits from a Yoga practice CONSISTENCY is key. My clients understand they need to commit. I teach in a variety of different ways, but all of them encourage committed, consistent practice.

I tell my clients that fifteen minutes of practice everyday is better than doing two hours, once every two weeks.

I often ask: “Do you brush your teeth everyday?”.

This is how I want my students to see their Yoga practice. It is something we do daily.

I say it straight. The best time to do a practice is right when you wake up. It is evident in my own life that if I don’t do my practice before the day gets started, it is difficult to make it happen.

I encourage my clients to get up a bit earlier, if necessary, in order to be able to fit the practice in before the day gets started.

Once my clients have got a mindful, movement practice well established, I also share breath awareness practices, conscious relaxation...

Our thoughts are powerful!

We are creators.

Our thoughts and words and deeds ripple out into the world and manifest into reality.

We are bombarded with all kinds of information these days. At every turn we hear doom and gloom around our planet, the climate and so many other terrible bits of news. It is easy to fall into the trap of seeing our future as hopeless. We have been spending so much time listening to the news and social media.

I want to offer a vision of LIGHT and GROWTH and EXPANSION.

Despite us living in a time of great change, I believe there is much to be hopeful for.

Old systems are falling. Old ways no longer making any sense.

We don’t need to criticize how we got here. There is no use in blame or shame. We are here. We are living in a time where the path forward seems no longer clear.

We have muddled our focus. Values have become blurred. We no longer have a clear sense of what matters or where we are headed.

Let’s create a new vision TOGETHER....

Almost everyone has a desire for better health and a greater sense of wellness in either mind or body, or both.

Almost everyone I meet has some health challenge.

I love helping people relieve pain and re-discover a sense of overall wellbeing. There are simple steps anyone can take to improve their state of being. However, it never fails to surprise me, as simple as these steps are, not everyone is ready or willing to take them.

I am not making a judgment on people who are not ready. Sometimes we get caught in destructive patterns and can’t seem to claw our way out. I understand people fall into habits or situations that make it difficult to create the change they want to see.

But I have to be honest, I can’t help these people. As much as I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and solve everyone’s problems for them, the work that I do requires each individual to take responsibility for themselves.

That is where the magic is!

If you are not at the point where...

It intrigues me how we are caught in this beauty trap. It’s mind blowing how much money women spend on beauty products. We could be spending our money, time and energy in more meaningful and uplifting ways. Plus the ideals we are chasing are utterly unattainable.

We are conditioned to believe beauty looks a certain way. Like a magazine cover. Or a runway model. These images of women have us believing we are supposed to look super skinny around the waist, curvy at the top and bottom, have long legs and flawless skin. The standard is impossible to meet.

I am not judging you if you want to pursue beauty, but rather I am asking you to reflect on the image of beauty we are being sold.

There is no one version of a woman. We are all a unique expression of divine creation.

We fall in love with people not because of their outer beauty or the size of their waist, or the shape of their nose. We fall in love with something much deeper than the surface; the physical.

We waste so much time...

It seems to be an epidemic. So many people are struggling with their health, both physically and mentally.

Perhaps because I work in the health industry I get a magnified view of what is going on, but I think everyone can see it.

Who doesn’t know someone who is facing major health challenges?
Do you ever wonder why are we so sick?
Is this our nature to always be battling disease?

I have not had to see a doctor since I birthed my daughter almost 16 years ago (well, except for a dog bite and a pap smear to keep my name on my doctor’s roster).

It may be that I have good genes and that I am ‘just lucky’. Those two factors probably have something to do with my good health.

However, I also take daily actions to keep myself well. The simple things that I do every day definitely contribute to my well-being. These daily actions are easy and anyone can do them.

I believe our natural state is health. We are designed so all the systems of our body work together and...

We are experts at making excuses.  We can find a gagillion reasons why we aren't taking better care of ourselves.

Why is it so difficult to stick to our health goals?

It's May, have you kept up with your goals for the New Year?

How many times have you made a promise to yourself you will eat better or exercise more?

We have all done it. Everyone gets off track now and again and sometimes we get so entrenched in our bad habits it feels impossible to make change.

I have the answer:  take radical responsibility. Stop making excuses and decide to take daily steps towards your goals. Start today.

In this Blog I will give you simple action steps you can take RIGHT NOW if you are serious about improving your health in mind or body or even better, BOTH.

The first step is pick one of these ideas below and do it immediately after reading this Blog. The key to making change is capitalizing on the HERE and NOW.

I love Mel Robbins 5 Second Rule. She says if you wait longer than five...

Since joining Toastmasters I have been asking myself, what is it I want to say?

Why do I feel this call to get up in front of people and speak?

What am I supposed to do with all the self doubt, second guessing and getting in my own way?

Sound familiar?
Don’t we all do this!?

We have a yearning from within, and then we find reasons why our ideas and dreams will be impossible and we give up. We try to forget it.

But then, a little time goes by, and again: this yearning.
This longing to live more fully. To live an inspired life.

There is a part of us, again and again, that speaks up and says… 'Hey, who are you? What are you doing? Are you happy?'

Not that happiness is a state you can live in all the time. There are ups and downs no matter what we are doing with our lives. But I am talking being honest with ourselves and aligning with what our heart desires.

How do we choose to spend our time? How do we make time for ourselves? How do we connect with ourselves? How do we...

This Blog Post has been adapted from an 'ice breaker' speech I made at a Toastmasters.

Why are we here? Who are we?
Big questions, right?!

Even though this is meant to be an ‘ice breaker’, a way for me to tell you a bit more about myself and why I am here, in writing this speech, I found these big questions to be relevant.

To be honest I have always found these deep questions at the forefront of my mind. From a young age I was interested in things like peace, unity and harmony.

I grew up in a white, middle class suburb just outside of Edmonton and both my parents were educators. They had pretty specific goals and expectations for me.

This wasn't a bad thing. They helped me build important skills and gave me the support I needed to ‘succeed’ at school and in many other ways our society likes to define as success.

I am grateful for all they have given me.

But underlying my obedience and my achievements was this deep desire to shake things up; to focus elsewhere.

I...

I believe we are being asked to evolve. It is time to wake up and remember we are One.

Who isn't dreaming of a world beyond the wars, the discrimination and the disparity?

If we look at other species in the animal world we see the same patterns of violence.

Killing for survival. Fighting over territory. Fear, hiding and running away.

And yet as humans we have evolved to be able to observe and witness our own reactions and behaviour. We have the capacity and the dexterity to create all kinds of new inventions in the material plane.

We have developed technology and altered our own reality at a rapid pace. We are changing our world drastically with our highly evolved creative side.

And we are still trapped in that competitive instinct for survival.

Our reptilian brains taking over almost ALL the time. This part of our brain evolved over millions of years to react to a threat.

It perceives ANYTHING new or foreign as dangerous. Whenever we don’t know what the outcome will be we...