LYT

Category: Monthly Motivation

  • 179 | Cultivating Kinship

    179 | Cultivating Kinship

    Today is usually a Wednesday Q&A. But instead I’m using this holiday as an opportunity to ask the question, how can we cultivate more kinship with one another? Kinship is the way we connect to each other as human beings. How can we be more aware of everyone around us and our different cultures, religions, faiths and backgrounds?

    The world is a divisive place right now so this holiday season, especially with this new decade coming in, presents a wonderful chance for us to really operate at a higher frequency. One of the ways we can cultivate a greater sense of kinship is recognizing that we consistently impact others with our choices. 

    So goodwill to all. As much as I want for myself, I want for others as well. So I’m here for you and sending you all kinds of hugs. If you celebrate Christmas, Merry, Merry Christmas. If you celebrate Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah. If you celebrate Kwanzaa, Happy Kwanzaa. Whatever you’re celebrating today, let’s celebrate kinship, that we all are interconnected. And let’s show up big today and into this new decade so we can help our world and all beings in it. 


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  • 178 | Monday Motivation: IMPROVE Yourself

    178 | Monday Motivation: IMPROVE Yourself

    There’s always room for improvement on how we behave, move, respond and live our lives. And that’s a good thing. Because it means that we can be better than we were in the recent or distant past. In yoga in particular we’re always pursuing a higher consciousness and a higher state of being.


    As much as we’re aware of this, it’s also easy to get our head in a space where we’re not thinking about how to improve. So I created an acronym to make it easy to remember that our mission is always to evolve.

    Listen to the episode to find out how to support your own evolution even when you’re weighed down by self-criticism, trauma or judgement of others. 

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  • 177 | Friday Fun: Functional Movement

    177 | Friday Fun: Functional Movement

    We need to add more fun and functional movements into our exercise programs because things like crawling and jumping can help us so much physically and emotionally. 

    For example, crawling makes us stronger, more mobile, more coordinated and more integrated with our core. If you haven’t done it in a long time, it doesn’t feel as easy as you think. And it’s also incredibly playful. There’s so many different ways of crawling, including like a baby, bear, crab or commando style. 

    So go out there and have fun with movement, even in yoga! Life is too serious. Let’s be lighter and let’s help each other out by giving ourselves permission to be centered in joy and spirit. 


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  • 175 | Monday Motivation

    This past weekend I saw Madonna perform for the first time. This has been on my bucket list forever. I was a huge Madonna fan growing up. I love her work ethic, her discipline, her drive, her charisma, her courage and that she’s completely independent of anyone’s criticism.

    I saw her in a small Broadway theater as part of her Madame X tour, and going into the theater we all had to turn off our phones and put them into these bags, which were then locked. So we could hold on to our phones, but we couldn’t access them. 

    This meant that nobody could record her on stage, but also that everyone was much more present. Sadly, I don’t even remember the last time I was around 3,000 people and no-one had their phone out. 

    Can you bring this rule into your life and have some technology-free time? Let’s put our phones out of sight and spend time truly engaged in what we’re doing.

     

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  • 174 | Friday Friendships

    174 | Friday Friendships

    There’s so many wonderful ways to connect with people that we didn’t have before because of technology. However, the connection can be somewhat superficial. I’m not saying it doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t go to the depths that face-to-face friendships can go into. 


    Research shows that Americans are becoming more and more socially isolated. The impact on health and longevity is huge because people who are isolated are more likely to die prematurely than people who have strong social relationships. The effects of social links on life span are actually 2X the effects of exercising and equivalent to quitting smoking!


    In this episode I use the acronym FRIEND to talk about all the ways we can nourish and cultivate friendships in this modern life. 


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  • 169 | Monday Motivation: Get Over the Overachiever Syndrome

    169 | Monday Motivation: Get Over the Overachiever Syndrome

    We’re not on the planet for very long. We want to make an impact. But our impact is not necessarily a long list of achievements or rising up the ranks. Maybe it’s more about pausing and reflecting on what we’re doing. Does it truly matter to us? Are we really connecting with people? Are we being driven by hope and lighting a fire that makes us feel good, satisfied and fulfilled?

    If you secretly think you’re not good enough despite all your accomplishments, you might be an overachiever. Overachievers struggle to feel satisfied because their drive to achieve is often based on fear. There’s probably a little overachiever in all of this but in this episode I break down how to know when you’ve crossed the line.

    I also cover four things you can do to show yourself some grace. This episode is a must-listen for high-achievers who want to be more tender and thoughtful about their self-care. If you know anybody that is suffering from overachievement, please share the podcast with them but also always reach out for professional help if needed.


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  • 166 | Monday’s Motivational Words Of The Week

    166 | Monday’s Motivational Words Of The Week

    Plank pose is amazing! It’s actually a developmental stage like crawling. A lot of babies will pop their knees up and they’re in a plank, and you’re like, holy moly, look at that strong, little baby!  It’s a great workout for your core and also strengthens your wrist and hands, triceps and spinal muscles. Not to mention lengthening the neck and toning the buttocks. So we should be doing plank all the time. 

    I get asked a lot of questions about plank, so in this episode I talk you through how to optimize the pose so you get the most out of it. I address when to lower to your knees, what you should focus on with your shoulder blades and what to do if you are sagging or overly rounding in your upper back.

    Also I invite you to send me a picture of your plank!

     

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  • 162 | Starting the weekend off with good vibes

    162 | Starting the weekend off with good vibes

    Did you know there are scientifically proven benefits to being kind? Kindness lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases our energy, level of happiness and even our lifespan. People who are perpetually kind also age more slowly than others!

     

    Today I’m sharing some great ideas for acts of kindness from The Great Kindness Challenge. The ideas include: go a full day without complaining, donate something to your local animal shelter and smile at 25 people.

     

    But most of all, get out there and be fearless and kind! I hope this episode brightens your day. 

     

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