I wanted to start this post out with a bit of a love note. I want to send love to all of you. I know that this impacts each and every one of you, in some way, and regardless of what that may be, know that I am sending you love. This time on our planet is not something I think any of us ever dreamed of experiencing. I, as someone who works in emergency management, am a huge advocate of "never say never." But even I, never believed in my wildest dreams, that response to a global pandemic would ever be something I experienced in my career. To those who feel afraid, are anxious, are angry, are frustrated, are feeling unstable - know that I hear you, and I empathize with you. I am sending you all one big, virtual hug, and send you so much healing energy. I also, however, tend to be a pretty highly optimistic person, even obnoxiously so at times. And so that is why I want to share this thought I've been having with you. Sometimes I believe, that we all, especially as humans, tend to have to take some pretty hard knocks to learn valuable lessons. I picture us as the most frustrating, mischievous, and unruly children ever, and that Mother Nature sometimes has no other option than just pure tough love. I believe we as a society are going through a lesson like this right now. We had started to ignore our Mother, focusing on things that truly do not matter. We were choosing profit over quality time. We let go of the hobbies and passions we hold dear to join the rat race. We allowed ourselves to become anxious and self-loathing with a false sense of reality. We stopped listening. So, as a result, I think time, as difficult as it is to endure, is something to also hold a space of gratitude for. We are being re-awakened. We are becoming aware of what truly matters, and letting go of what does not. As much as there is negativity and frustration, I truly believe that love is conquering. We are letting go of profit gains, and extending open, helping arms to our neighbors. We recognize that we are all in this together. If there is anything I can leave you with, in this little love letter, is to please not forget that this, like anything in life, is not permanent. We will endure, and we will get through this. In the meantime, express love where you can, follow guidance that is in place to keep you safe, and take an hour out of your day to return to what you are passionate about. All my love dear ones, Shayle With what we are currently experiencing in the world, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of you. In addition to taking care of our mental well-being, it is important, now more than ever, that we are keenly aware of the needs of our bodies. Our bodies are truly our first line of defense against illness, and the more we nourish and strengthen them, the more effective they can be in protecting us. I don't know about you all, but I don't think I've ever been more grateful for the internet than right now. Not only is it a super effective tool in allocating information, it also brings us together when we might be feeling really alone. It also has an abundance of incredible resources, that can be so useful right now. I invite you to join me in expressing gratitude for the resources of the internet, as I am sharing some of my favorite health and fitness resources for you to use during quarantine. Just because we are all at home does not mean that we cannot continue to effectively take care of our health and nourishment. This list features some of my absolute favorite free or low-cost resources for home health and fitness that you can check out during quarantine! P.S. I am promoting each of these resources because I believe they are genuine in encouraging balanced lifestyles. I am sharing this with you all because I believe that working out and eating well is important for overall life vitality, not solely for weightloss. I personally feel that anyone who is encouraging being super shredded or promoting weight loss while everyone is in quarantine is toxic energy that is not welcome right now. At Home Workouts At-home workouts are something I have always dabbled with, but largely feel foreign to me. A huge part of this is because for the majority of my adult life, I have always lived on an upper level apartment floor, and was always worried about annoying those down below me. As a result, I never really developed a robust at-home workout routine, outside of my yoga practice. However, here are some amazing home workout resources I have discovered recently: MadFit Maddie Lymburner is someone I have followed and been inspired by for a couple of years now. Her travel videos are incredible, and her ability to remain healthy and active while doing so is motivating. Maddie started the MadFit channel about a year ago and I had been doing some of her workouts at the gym. However, now that we are all under quarantine, Maddie has been providing even more amazing content on this channel. Trust me, her home workouts are no easy game! Rachel Aust I came across Rachel Aust as I was doing more research into a minimalist and zero-waste lifestyle. Rachel is not only an incredible resource for both of these things (including a book!), but also promotes a healthy, fit lifestyle. She has a great playlist on her channel specifically for at-home workouts! B_ND I am deeply inspired by Grace Beverly. I have followed her build her business from the beginning, and it's so amazing to see what she created. She takes on the fitness industry, challenging the sustainability, inclusiveness, and ethics of it all. She created a business that strives to take on these challenges and turn them around. You can find so much great workout gear for home, including guides, bands, ankle weights, sliders (which are KILLER), and more, all at a very reasonable price. I came across a very important message the other day that read, "what we support during these times will survive." Keep this in mind when we are ordering items out of convenience from Amazon. Support local, and support businesses like B_ND that are working hard to change the status quo. At Home Yoga This section is probably my favorite, mostly because it brings about such a sense of nostalgia. I remember my first introduction to yoga was a dusty at home DVD I found in our family basement. I fell in love right away. I think there is something beautiful about a home yoga practice. It is an especially important learning and growing experience for people like myself that are naturally competitive. Outside of a classroom environment, I am alone. I am forced to pay attention to myself, to listen more keenly to my internal guide. While also practicing with others is a very special thing, I think we should all make space to connect more deeply with ourselves during this time. To help get you started, here is a list of some of my favorites: Yoga with Adriene I adore Adriene. The community she has built is so beautiful, and inclusive of all yoga journeys. She reminds us of the importance of not taking things so seriously, and remembering to laugh at ourselves from time to time. A favorite thing she does during some of her practices that fills me with joy is where she makes space for gratitude, and to have awareness of the fact that while each of us are individually practicing in our homes, there are millions of others practicing at this very moment along with us. I think this fact resonates now more than ever, when some of us may be feeling particularly alone. Ali Kamenova I go so far back with Ali, probably to when my yoga journey first truly began about six years ago. I discovered Ali while looking for people to continue practices with outside of my yoga teacher training. I have an emotional connection to her classes, as during my YTT also happened to be one of the most difficult transitions of my life. I truly feel like her practices helped me find myself, and my strength again. I deeply admire Ali, and her pure athleticism in her practices. If you are looking for a challenge, Ali is your girl. She offers free classes on Youtube, or has a very reasonable membership online for exclusive classes. Banana Blondie Michelle of Banana Blondie Yoga is someone I have more recently discovered, but came to adore so quickly. I found her through YouTube, and you all, she is hilarious. I love her approach to life, and the fact she has a bit of a sailor mouth like myself. She is all around relatable, and her yoga flows are just so good. She has a few classes available on her YouTube, but also offers a very reasonable membership! Once again, sending you all so much love. I hope that some of these resources bring you some joy, and help your mental health remain balanced during quarantine. We will get through this!
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AuthorI'm Shayle. I am a freelance writer specializing in holistic health and wellness, who also happens to be slowly working toward my dream of owning my own herbal apothecary. I am slowly accepting my weirdness in my adulthood, and so far that's pretty dang freeing. I am a crazy plant mom who loves yoga, pretending it's Halloween year-round, hiking, whole vegan pizzas to myself, and binge watching Netflix with my husband and 2 fur kids. Archives
January 2020
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