Category Archives: yoga

Fitness Over Forty – get balanced

Hormones got you down?

Feeling like you are on a constant roller coaster?

PMS a thing for you?

Time to try a few things to get you balanced and in a good place, physically and emotionally.

I suffer terribly from PMS – or whatever they call it now. I know my body so well I can predict almost every symptom I am going to feel and when.

It all starts about 10 days before my period is due (although its always late, which I am now able to predict). My symptoms starts with agitation, then some anger, a whole lot of anxiety and then I finish it off with some weeping and sobbing 🙂 Sadly this is not something I can control, the emotions seem to just take over. However, the good news is that I recognize the onset and am able to work through most of these feelings and keep them at bay with the following:

  1. Yoga, Pilates and Barre – mat exercises are literally a cure for PMS bloat and emotional rollercoaster rides. The floor exercises help to bring down inflammation. Belly breathing helps with the anxiety and getting the heart rate pumping with some low impact pilates and barre moves help to get the endorphins kicking. A good session over 20 minutes will bring immediate relief.
  2. Change your diet – cutting back on alcohol, sugar and salt and adding more protein, fruits, and raw veggies can help prevent inflammation and of course…a morning smoothie is a fantastic way to start your day. Adding supplements such as a B Complex, Magnesium and EPO (evening primrose oil) can also reduce PMS symptoms.
  3. Cardio – however you can – do it! Take a walk, bike ride, hike, jog or swim. Cardio gets the heart rate up and kick starts your metabolism as well as your endorphins which help combat the emotional rollercoaster feeling as well as the bloating and fatigue.
  4. Get more sleep – as you start to hit peri-menopause your sleep cycle will starts to change and can even become erratic. It is important that our bodies get a restful nights sleep. Try meditation before bed. Implement a no screentime before bed rule (to avoid mental stimulation) and do not eat or drink anything after 7 pm to avoid your body having to metabolize. In addition, there are many good yoga sequences that help put your body in relaxed state which will prepare you for sleepy time.
  5. Have sex – yep, its true, sex can help with bloating and cramping…look it up!
  6. Reduce your stress – however you can, you must get a handle on your stress level. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Set realistic expectations of yourself and others and take time out of your schedule for YOU and only YOU every day!
  7. Keep a journal which tracks your cycle – this will help you know what to expect and when. This is how you stay sane 🙂

I hope these tips are helpful to you as you navigate your journey to a more balanced life.

Contact me at aveshaempower@gmail.com if you would like to set up a coaching session.

Have some of your own tips on how to balance your life a bit? I would love to hear from you below 🙂

Think this info would be helpful to someone else, please share on your social media pages. Spread the word and maybe we will help someone else.

Fitness over Forty – fitness the right way

This fitness over forty blog is for anyone at any fitness level. The focus is not solely on physical fitness, but emotional fitness as well. Fitness or a healthy lifestyle is all inclusive…body, mind and spirit and soul. You can have a perfectly fit body but your mind could be a mess. The goal is to help people to obtain a balanced lifestyle.

Fitness starts with your mind!

Lets first start with a head to toe self evaluation of where you are today!

  1. How do you feel, physically? are you tired, not at your desired weight, craving sweets or salty foods, don’t feel your best, clothes don’t fit?
  2. Whats going on mentally? do you struggle with anxiety, lack of motivation or even depression?
  3. How do you feel emotionally? are you balanced, do you feel like you have no control over your emotions, are you on an emotional roller coaster?
  4. How are your hormones? up and down?
  5. How balanced are you evaluate yourself – from 1-10 (1 being the lowest and 10 the highest)?

Once you have your answers send them to me ! I can get you started with a free consultation and start you on your journey to a healthy and more importantly a balanced lifestyle.

If you want to get started today contact me here.

PS: I have been working out to a new video “bikini booty workout” and its to die for. Visit it here on Do You Yoga: https://www.doyouyoga.com/sessions/kick-some-butt-workout/

Steps to Clearing Emotional Pain

When you are in a place of healing and know that you have hit a wall, you have worked with a therapist and / or life coach to identify the causes of the issues you are experiencing, you have journaled, meditated and created a self care routine but you still feel like you are stuck … it is time for some emotional clearing.

Emotional Clearing is the practice of bringing awareness to our mental and emotional compulsions and reactions in order to “heal” them or integrate them. The end state of doing this work is Wholeness which is actually a step beyond enlightenment.

For these unresolved emotions to clear, they needs to pass through you. When these past emotions and feelings reemerge, they may lead to sadness, anger, fear, anxiety or depression. If you are feeling these emotions after or while going through an emotional clearing treatment, please rest assured that these feelings are completely normal. Do not try to avoid these feelings or shame yourself for feeling them. The most important thing to do during a healing process is to just let the emotions be. Just sit with the feelings and let them exist.

Please be thoughtful and patient with yourself, these emotions have been trapped and repressed in your subconscious for a long time. They most like stem from your childhood or early adolescence. We know that most people do not leave childhood unscathed. Even if you tell yourself you had a great childhood. There may have been something that affected you in a way where you repressed those emotions so you would not feel them. By pushing away feelings this could lead to emotions and negative feelings being trapped for many years. In extreme cases, these emotions developed into chronic physical symptoms without the bearer knowing it such as anxiety, depression, addiction, compulsion, chronic illness, etc.

It is important to remember we only have this one life and it is a gift. Even if things are hard and you feel you are in a constant emotional struggle, life is a precious gift and we only get one shot at it. We all have the opportunity to live a happy life with purpose. There is so much help and knowledge out there. Things are so different now then in the past. We have so many healing modalities right at our fingertips. Therefore I encourage you to start your healing today.

Emotional clearing is usually successful after a number of “sessions” or “treatments”. Most of these can be done in the privacy of your own home and others should be done by a certified “healing specialist”.

  • Start a yoga practice – yoga can be done at home or at a studio. it is a very versatile practice with so many benefits for our mind body and our spirit (there are specific emotional clearing poses that you should adopt into your yoga practice such as Goddess Pose, Pigeon Pose,Child’s Pose, Downward Dog, Malasana Squat, Legs up a wall or Waterfall Pose, etc.). If you would like to create your own yoga emotional clearing practice from home I encourage you to go to google and search articles about yoga for emotional clearing.
  • Meditation – clearing the mind is just as important as clearing the body. Its important to let go of old data that has lived inside your mind and has misguided you in the wrong direction. Its time to let go of any old thoughts and feelings, especially negative ones and replace them with good and positive thoughts. This can be done in any quiet space in your home. Designate a sacred space where you spend time with yourself.
  • Energy healing massage and / IET or Reiki – it works. This is where you need a licenses healer. I encourage you to research healers in your area.
  • Change your self talk and perspective immediately – this takes a good amount of time because you are basically reprogramming how you think act and speak about yourself. You have spent a lifetime thinking and acting a specific way and now I am asking you to completely change that. This can be done, but it takes time, commitment and dedication to the outcome.

The outcome once you put this practice into place is overwhelming in a good way. The results can be mind blowing. I can say this with pure confidence because I speak from experience. I put this practice into place and it virtually changed every aspect of my life. I once used to walk around with a pit in my stomach (total anxiety), a sleeping disorder, a basic negative outlook on life in general, with shallow friendships, bad/toxic/dangerous relationships with men and a very low sense of self worth.

Today, I am thrilled to say with a mixture of therapy, life coaching, spiritual coaching, yoga, meditation, a HUGE dose of self love and self care and true emotional clearing – I am the best person I can possibly be and each drive I thrive to be that much better. I am happy, calm, I no longer have that pit in my stomach. My friendships are deeper, my love relationship is amazing, my general outlook on life is extremely positive and I LOVE MYSELF!!

I continue to do a self care routine every single day and I treat myself the way I expect others to treat me. I do not allow negativity or drama in my sacred space and I have high expectations of those in my life. Yes, the occasional trigger happens, but I have the tools to work through the feelings and move forward.

There is hope, I promise and I am here to help you if you decide you are ready to take the next step.

Emotional Clearing is a necessary and critical last step to complete healing.

I hope this is helpful to you!

-A

How to get a handle on your hormone imbalance

No two hormonal imbalances are the same.

However, a lot of the symptoms and timing of our reactions to our fluctuating hormones are similar so this is one of those situations that although our imbalances may not be exact, our bodies reactions to them are.

Symptoms can include (but are not limited to):

  • Anxiety
  • Sadness (simple or deep)
  • Starvation
  • Anger/Rage
  • Insomnia
  • Night sweats
  • Insecurity
  • Acne
  • Weight gain
  • Tummy and bowel issues
  • And of course irregular and/or painful periods
  • Some if not most of these symptoms can interfere with your every day life.  In most cases, you may only experience these symptoms a few days to a week before your period.  However some women experience them for longer and these symptoms are literally wreaking havoc on their lives.

There is no way, despite what you read on the internet, to get rid of a hormone imbalance completely.  However, you can manage the symptoms by discovering what the imbalance is (hormone test with your OB or Naturopath) and implementing some really strict changes to your every day life.

  1. Diet – you will need to limit your processed foods, cut down on your bad fats and add more “good” fats to your diet. fresh fruits and veggies, leafy greens, organic and grass fed meats and dairy without antibiotics and hormones.
  2. Supplements – Evening Primrose Oil is a God send.  Magnesium.  A good complex B vitamin.  Ginseng.
  3. Change your beauty products – check out Dermastore for some good high quality products.
  4. Collagen smoothie – coconut milk or water, green leafy vegetables, coconut yogurt, banana some peanut butter and you have yourself a very healthy morning snack.
  5. Intermittent fasting – eat for 8 fast for 16 (example:  no food consumption until 9am and no food after 5pm) find a fasting schedule that works for you.
  6. Meditation – this helps with anxiety and monkey mind thinking,
  7. Yoga – helps the body mind and spirit especially during this time.
  8. Cardio – truly any cardio you do will make you feel better whether it is a walk, a run, dancing, power yoga, a cycle class.  Cardio always makes a person feel their best.
  9. Spending time in nature – go for a walk/hike, garden, drive through a forest, snow shoe, cross country ski, get out there.  Nature is Gods medicine.
  10. Take a hot bath with some essential oils and Epsom Salt – this will help ease any cramping you might be having and soothe your mind.
  11. Talk to a doctor about medicine if you are not able to get a handle on things.
  12. Journal  – keep track of your feelings each month and you will start to see a pattern.  So if you feel like you are going crazy, look back at your journal and remind yourself, this is your pattern.

It is important to understand you are not crazy nor are you alone.  Women all around the world are experiencing some form of hormonal issues and it is important to understand why.  Make an appointment with your doctor to rule out anything abnormal and discuss putting together a monthly care plan for you to manage your hormones and start feeling better.

If you would like to discuss this privately please Contact Us

Love light and happy hormones!

Avesha

 

How to make home your “sacred place”

I write a lot of self love and self care articles and I am grateful that a lot of them have been published with some really cool sites.  Most of my articles are focused on how to live your best life as your best self, how to practice self love daily, and how to be what you wish to attract, etc.  I write completely from experience and sweat labor.  I have done the work, and it really is work.  In doing the work I have come across many different levels of healing and best ways to implement a self care, self love routine and I love sharing my ideas and what has worked for me.

In these articles I always mention having a sacred space in your home which is something you definitely want to have and this space critical to you being able to completely immerse yourself in your spiritual practice.  Now I want to take this concept one step or even multiple steps further and encourage you to create an entire home that is your sacred space.

Whether you live alone or have multiple family members living with you, you can still deem your home as your very own sacred space.

Our home is where we spend most of our life.  It is where we raise our children, build our marriages, lay our heads to rest, enjoy sexual experiences, etc.

Some people have houses that they don’t connect with therefore their house is not their “home“.  If this is you, you first need to make your house your “home“.  A place you enjoy being, a place that is safe and comforting to you even if you are not a home body and enjoy going out and traveling and going away on weekends, you still want a wonderful place to come home to.

Home is where you soul should reside and be free.  Home is where you should seek solace after a tough day (i.e. I can’t wait to go home).

Once you feel your house is your home, a place you love and feel comforted….then you can move on to making it sacred.

  1.  Fill your home with things that make you happy (examples:  wall hangings, books, nic nacks, candles, pottery, photos, rocks, statutes)
  2. Create a technology free zone – implement time and space where no technology is used (dinner time/table, meditation/yoga space)
  3. Focus on each room and what feelings you desire to feel in each room (examples:  the bedroom should be focused around love so include lots of pinks and reds; the kitchen should be happy and bright; a living room is about family so put up lots of family photos and mirrors to reflect the love in the room; a master bath (if you have one) should represent relaxation and cleansing so maybe design it in a spa theme with soft colors, thick towels, lots of rocks, candles, and soaps / bath salts).  The options are endless.
  4. Fill each room with plants and/or fresh flowers from your garden or a local garden store
  5. Infuse scents into the air that help to create a calming atmosphere – you can buy an infuser and essential oils or burn soy candles in soothing scents
  6. Make sure lighting throughout your home is soothing and not offensive
  7. Remove all clutter (you can have a clutter removal ceremony, yes this exists)
  8. Make sure each room flows freely so that kinetic energy can move through each room effortlessly.  Move furniture around so that the energy is your home is not blocked

This is a good start for creating your sacred home space.  If you desire more information or advice on where to begin, please contact us anytime and we can help.

It is so critical to love where you live, creating a sacred home space will make your house a true home.

Light, love, peace and happiness!

-Avesha

 

Becoming the best You!

I empower you to ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Are you living as the best version of yourself?
  2. Are you living your life in a way that brings you peace and contentment?
  3. Am I honoring myself and truly living my best life?

The following will help you as you do the work to become your best self!

Practice Balance

We must balance our life in order to be our best and most healthy self.  When we are trying to “manage” life without balance we tend to burn out quickly.

Creating a balanced lifestyle will help you avoid the crash & burn which leads to anxiety, depression and stress.  Commit to a self care routine – even 15 minutes a day doing something for yourself (i.e. yoga, meditating, taking a walk or a soak in an Epsom salt and lavender bath) will re-charge and refresh your soul.

Shift your self perception

During the process of learning who you are, you will experience painful moments.

Rather than resisting or struggling against these times, breathe into them. Shift your perspective so that you appreciate these moments knowing they are helping you grow.

I read this sentence in an article recently and it resonated with me “Feel it, its going to hurt. But every moment you are sobbing, you are doing the work.  Every moment you are hurting, you are healing.  The only way out, is through.”

Thank the Universe for this learning opportunity, forgive yourself and those who have hurt you and focus on all the wonderful things that make you who you are.

Have and live your values

What is your Mantra?

If you haven’t defined the best version of yourself, begin with your values.

What are the most important values in your personal life and work?

What values do you use to define the person you are now and who do you want to be in the future.

Get very clear on those and write your values in your journal and add to them over time as you start to shift perspective.

Vision

Spend some time with yourself and create a vision for your future life.  Look at every aspect of your life and envision how you want it to look 1 year from now, 5 years from now, etc.

You can do this through journaling, drawing, vision boards etc.

This is a fun  and creative way to manifest a vision.

Create a Put into Action Plan

Once you have brought your vision to life it is time to execute an action plan on how to receive all you desire.  Setting goals is important and a huge part of creating the vision.  Use stepping stones to get there….one step at a time.

Create rituals

I love rituals as I speak of them in almost every blog.  Rituals create a pattern or a habit and create consistency which is critical with self-love and self-care.  It is easy to start something and eventually fizzle out.  I personally have learned from experience that rituals keep us on task and motivated to keep going.

Let go

We all have those people in our life that have been in our life a while, however we aren’t sure why we still engage with them.  They are a negative time-suck and are actually toxic to our existence.  We dodge their phone calls, don’t return their texts but still we keep them around.

Let them go!

If they no longer serve you in a positive way, if you feel drained from being in their presence, let them go.

By letting them go you will open the door for something better.

Simplify

Determine what you really need in life to be happy. Usually its the simplicity of life that brings us the happiest moments.

Exercise:  host a de-clutter ritual in your home.  It can be very healing.

Create a life you don’t need a vacation from

How many times do you hear people say, “uh, I need a vacation”.  Guess what, you can go away but you must return.  Since a vacation isn’t forever why don’t you create a life that you don’t need to run away from.  Make your home your sanctuary.  Create rituals in your life that give you a break from reality without having to spend thousands to do so.

Trust your intuition

Listen to your gut….always.  Intuition will never steer you the wrong way.

Focus on exercise/nutrition

Start an exercise routine today if you haven’t already.  There are so many wonderful and free resources out there to help you design your own wellness routine.  If you need help creating this routine, please contact me at aveshaempower@gmail.com and we will get you started.  This also includes nutrition.  Start a Keystone Habit involving exercise and eating healthy and watch everything else fall into place.

Work on forgiveness and healing

Where you are wounded, where you are hurt, where you are frightened — seek healing. Restore yourself. Get well again. Do what must be done to heal. You can’t be the best version of yourself when you are emotionally, mentally, or physically unwell.

Express gratitude

Spend a few minutes in gratitude every day through mindful meditation. Focus on all the blessings in your life and thank the Universe for them. Being grateful for what you do have and acknowledging that gratitude will change your mindset over time.

Give back

There are many ways to give back, either through community work or spending time with your friends and sharing this new mindset with your them.  Everyone can benefit from being their happiest and healthiest self.

What is your best version of yourself, and how are you working to become that person?

Namaste’

How to practice self love daily

How do you start your day?

~Life is an endless process of self discovery~

Self-love is not a trend, it is not something you do when you feel like it.  You don’t just “do self-love” after a break up or after you experience trauma.  Self-love is a life long practice that needs to be added to your every day life. With self-love comes the releasing of negative thoughts and self-criticism by embracing more of a loving and positive acceptance of yourself through forgiveness of yourself and others.

The Universal concept is that our thoughts create our actions and therefore those thoughts dictate the outcome in our lives.  Self-love is a very powerful and necessary practice and critical if you want to have healthy relationships with others.

Self-love is not selfish!

Taking care of and loving ourselves and being a whole, sound and emotionally healthy person allows us to take care of others without it feeling like a burden. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, if you don’t rest and relax your soul, then you will be of no help to others— especially yourself.  You will eventually feel drained and eventually there will be nothing left to give.  You must give to yourself as well as give to others.

Below is a a simple self-love checklist that may seem overwhelming to you at first, however, I promise that if you commit to adding a majority of them into your daily routine or practice as I like to call it, every single day, you’ll see the benefits immediately.

45 Ways to Practice Self-Love

  1. Create a quiet and safe zone in your home (may it be a corner, a closet, or a spare rom and deem it your “space”)
  2. Buy yourself fresh flowers (or cut them from your garden and display them)
  3. Grow a garden of fresh vegetables
  4. Start an exercise routine (yoga, pilates, the gym, take a walk) – increase those endorphins (see Creating a workout routine you can and will stick to)
  5. Read, take a nap, listen to music, sit quietly – please just rest your soul
  6. Buy yourself some new makeup and play with it
  7. Create a daily bucket list and post it
  8. Repeat the following mantra “I love and accept myself”
  9. Make a list of all the things you like about yourself
  10. Create a gratitude journal (see How to start Journaling – Keystone Habit)
  11. Start your day with meditation and yoga
  12. Implement a “treat yourself day” (mine is Friday)
  13. Dress nice, even if you don’t have to, put on those earrings, scarf and lipstick and show the world how beautiful you are
  14. Take a breath between your bites of food and savor the taste
  15. Make yourself a hot cup of coffee or tea and savor each sip
  16. Have a protein or collagen smoothie every morning
  17. Sleep at least 7 hours a day
  18. Say no and be ok with it
  19. Pay it forward, always
  20. Make someone feel good whenever you can
  21. Smile often, even if no one is smiling at you (they may think you are weird but that is ok)
  22. Eat food that is nourishing (put down the boxed food – unless its treat day)
  23. Get a massage and have them use essential oils
  24. Go for a hike or long walk in nature
  25. Be confident (walk and talk with confidence)
  26. Learn something new – dance classes, yoga, tennis lessons, start or join a MeetUp group
  27. Host a ladies night
  28. Call a friend and laugh for hours about nothing (no complaining)
  29. Spend time with your kids before they grow up and move away 😦
  30. Get a new haircut and/or buy some new makeup
  31. Eat chocolate guilt free (maybe on treat day)
  32. When someone offers your a compliment, simply say, “Thank you”
  33. Travel solo
  34. Set a no screen time in your house (dinner, after 9, etc)
  35. Set goals (see Improve your life with these simple Keystone Habits)
  36. Take a day off and do something nice for yourself (go to the gym, coffee shop, shop, meet a friend for lunch, take a walk, sleep)
  37. Self-love mantra: “I am enough. I have enough. I do enough”
  38. Let go of what no longer serves you
  39. Buy a diffuser and infuse essential oils like lavender
  40. Write a letter to yourself and put it away for a year
  41. Host a dinner party
  42. Hire a coach or a counselor (see The real benefits of working with a Life Coach)
  43. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and lavender (or whatever your favorite oil is)
  44. Make new friends (and remove those toxic ones)
  45. Clean out your closet and donate clothes you no longer wear

The biggest message I have is, be gentle with yourself and always honor where you are at every stage of your Journey.

The best advice I have been given – ever is to ~feel your feelings~

Namaste’

Contact Us if you would like to work with a coach to help you kick start your self-love and self care routine!