Hello Women, 

It’s Sunday, October 10th today and World Mental Health Day. I hope this day finds you feeling well, mentally strong and balanced. As I sit at my desk, I am watching the very first snow of the season fall upon the golden leaves which cover the earth. It feels cozy in my office: I have a candle flickering beside me and a cup of hot pumpkin latte, steaming beside my computer. I am surrounded by all things Fall! 

I would love for you to join me in a few minutes of quiet time, here at A Sacred Pause. Get cozy, pull up a chair, plant your feet to the earth and take a long deep inhalation. Pause at the top of the breath for just a moment, then let the breath go, slow and steady on the exhalation. Repeat, if this feel good to you. Now let’s talk about mental health. 

How are you feeling? Just four words. A short sentence of a question, but in the times we are living through, it sometimes seems difficult to articulate an answer to this. There is just SO MUCH GOING ON! I feel the answer for me personally could (and does) change hourly some days. 

Mental health has always been extremely important, but in the past year and half, it has become an absolutely priority. So, how are you prioritizing  your mental health? 

Here’s a short list of the things I am doing to promote my mental well being in these challenging times:

• Yoga - I practice yoga everyday. As an Iyengar yoga teacher I am both a student and a teacher of the system of yoga created by B.K.S. Iyengar. Practicing yoga keeps my body strong and healthy, and my mind still and calm. Also, teaching yoga brings me joy and connection with my students. It’s a win, win for my mental health!

• Nature - I connect with nature every day. I live in a place where access to the natural world is on my doorstep. I feel very blessed to be able to walk in acres and acres of untouched natural beauty in a provisional park, minutes from my house. I am also close to the Rocky Mountains; hiking and skiing there resets my mind and body and allows me to feel calm and truly connected to Mother Earth.

• Wild Swimming - As you might expect in a country where temperatures of -15 and below are part of our winter experience, wild swimming is a late Spring to early Fall mental well-being boost! But during that time, I swim almost every day in a lake close to my home. It’s magical. Cold dips and kilometres of sparkling water to glide through. I love it! It is a meditative experience.

• Creativity - On busy work days or times when parenting is all consuming, creativity can seem like a distant hope. However, when too many days or weeks go by without a creative project on my radar, I certainly feel less motivated and mentally balanced. So, taking time to ensure that my watercolours see the light of day, or just bringing more creativity into my teaching or photography definitely boosts my mood.

The past year and half has created chaos for everyone, in varying degrees. Work lives have changed, parenting challenges have elevated, social lives have been almost non existent and finding time for ourselves, amid children and sometimes partners being home all the time, has definitely been filled with obstacles and difficulties. I remember last winter, taking my dog and a hot chai and sitting in my car with a book for 15 minutes, just to take a breath and find the ability to carry on with the day of online school and work. So on this World Mental Health Day, can you support yourself by finding a few small ways to connect with yourself, bring calm and maybe energize your mind and body? If you need a starting point, you can go to the home page on this website, or Sacred North Yoga on YouTube and try my Mini Midday Energizer and Stress Away practices of Iyengar Yoga and acupressure. It would be my pleasure to support you. 

Mental health is so important on this day and every day. Thank you so much for taking this Sacred Pause with me. My hope is that you are feeling balanced in mind and body. If I can support you in any way, please reach out on my Connect with Me page or comment below. I would love to hear from you. 

Until next time....