Advertise on podcast: Strength & Grace: Off The Mat

Can anyone else relate to feeling as though 2021 was the slowest but fastest year yet? Meg and Sarah sit down to review the year as they discuss the challenges and the necessary shifts to ensure that Navina Yoga continued to grow through the company had to go through. One of the most important lessons we can all take from this year is to acknowledge when fear is driving our decisions and emotions. This heightened self awareness will be the key to recognizing the opportunity to shift our thinking away from being scared of getting sick to making it a daily practice to nourish our ability to be well. The ladies have some great plans to support your  journey on the mat as they discuss what comes next for 2022 and how they plan to face the inevitable challenges that are already presenting itself for next year. Although they will be taking a break from the podcast to recharge they have some incredible plans to continue to support your journey off the mat through this podcast so be sure you subscribe so you don't miss the next episode! In the meantime visit https://www.online.navinayoga.ca to keep moving with them on the mat and stay connected with Navina Yoga on Instagram! 

Meg and Sarah welcomed Melissa Stevenson, the owner of Desire Fitness for a conversation about her approach to a healthy balanced lifestyle. The name of the company should be familiar to you if you follow us on social media as she is our talented photographer. Melissa graduated from Nait with a diploma in business administration and photographic technology, which she attended on a hockey scholarship and that is where her she fell in love with fitness and nutrition. In 2015 she entered her first bikini competition and her last year of competition was in 2018 where she placed 2nd in Canada! From there she continued to focus on building her business by focusing on women's health, and designing custom programming for overall health and wellness.   The ladies discuss the mental toll it takes to compete on that level, the importance of nourishing your body with healthy food, how you can achieve your diet goals despite busy schedules and of course some tips for the holiday's too. Movement is truly medicine but it's incredible how great you will feel if you combine it with foods that fuel your ability to be well which is why we are so excited for our collaboration coming this January!  We challenge you to complete 20 classes in the month of January and we wanted to take it one step deeper and invited Desire Fitness to challenge you to four weekly nutrition goals! We will be celebrating as a group on January 31st as we give away some amazing prizes to go with it! Member's can join the challenge for free and non-member's can join for only $135 which includes unlimited access to both online and in studio classes. In the meantime we highly recommend you check out Melissa and all of the great things she is offering through Desire Fitness and her blog which has some amazing recipes that are both gluten and dairy free! Follow her on instagram at desire_fitness_ and on Facebook at Desire Fitness. 

Through the journey of becoming a mom and navigating through the challenges of running a business Meg has a new appreciation for all parents and can appreciate that it truly does take a village! She has a pretty incredible one but many new parents don’t which is why the amazing community of Mommy Connections has such an incredible impact! Navina Yoga has had the pleasure of hosting some of their classes and it is abundantly clear that they are executing their mission of creating meaningful and lasting connections!  Meg and Sarah had the pleasure of welcoming Chelsey Borys, the program director for Mommy Connections onto the show and they discussed the challenges that new parents faced during the pandemic, how to deal with the self imposed pressure we place on ourselves to ‘get it right’, ways you can keep both yourself and your family nourished and more. We hope you find this conversation helpful in understanding that you are never alone and no matter how much you are trying to juggle, you are doing a great job!  Mommy Connections offers a variety of programs and events for new moms and families. Their focus is on facilitating genuine connections between families, while trying fun activities and learning from local experts. Their main programs include Mom & Baby (0-9 months), Mini Movers (8-16 months), and Travelling Tots (1.5 -4 years). They also offer Just for Mom events, Outdoor Adventure Camps, and seasonal events like Baby's First Christmas. Find your local chapter and join in on the fun!   North Edmonton & St. Albert   Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/north-edmonton-st-albert/our-classes-events/   Facebook: @MommyConnections.EdmontonNorth   Instagram: @mommyconnectnorth   South Edmonton   Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/edmonton-south/our-classes-events/   Facebook: @mommyconnectionsedmontonsouth   Instagram: @mommyconnectionsedmontonsouth   Leduc & Beaumont   Website: https://mommyconnections.ca/leduc/our-classes-events/   Facebook: @MommyConnectionsLeducBeaumont   Instagram: @mommyconnectleducbeaumont

Naturally the holidays will pull us out of our regular routine as we try to soak up  cherished time with friends and family but often we let go of our self care habits completely and then we tend to justify it by saying we will make up for it in January. At some point in our lives we can all relate to this so this year we hope this conversation will lead you to feeling inspired to continue your self care routine while still enjoying the holidays.  Life is about balance after all but do not underestimate the value of small steps when taken consistently! 

The ladies dive into one of the most avoided conversations as they welcome Chad MacKenzie who has a certified financial planning designation and Shaun Maslyk, a financial wellness advocate. Throughout their discussion they unpack why money is one of the top stressors in our world, why we are so afraid to talk about this openly and most importantly,  how you can create a healthy relationship with money.  Interestingly enough, many of the answers kept circling back to creating a sense of curiosity around the subject so that you can build a heightened sense of awareness as to understand your beliefs and what drives your behaviours around the subject. Sounds a lot like yoga don't you think?  We hope you enjoy this conversation and find value in it so you can get curious and start developing healthy habits to build a strong financial plan that supports your goals and aspirations because money may not buy happiness, but a healthy relationship with it sure will!  The Most Hated F-Word Podcast: CLICK HERE Dr. Brad Klontz Money Script Assessment (free) CLICK HERE Chad MacKenzie on LinkedIn CLICK HEREShaun Maslyk on LinkedIn CLICK HEREThe Most Hated F-Word Instagram CLICK HERE

Meg and Sarah sit down to discuss why it is so important to stop the glorification of being busy. This constant strive for more has created a status symbol out of being busy and often our self worth becomes reliant on how busy we are. The ladies discuss the signs to recognize if you are addicted to being busy and offered some ways that you can pull yourself out of these patterns that will only drive you towards burnout and ultimately pull you away from a healthy relationship with yourself, your work, and others.  Articles cited: https://www.verywellmind.com/how-the-glorification-of-busyness-impacts-our-well-being-4175360 https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wellbeing/news/a3526/signs-addicted-being-busy/

Meg and Sarah sit down to discuss the current situation the studio is facing as the community of Navina Yoga has once again been incredibly supportive as we navigate through these challenges times. What a wild world we are living in when you are grateful for not receiving hate mail.....and with that, they discuss the importance of kindness and the ripple effects this can have on our wellbeing. 

There is no question that we are living through some wild times which is why there has never been a better time to dive into the topic of meditation! Meg and Sarah debunk the myths of meditation, discuss what becomes possible through this transformative practice and hope to equip you with the ability to consciously create a healthy and sustainable approach to whatever you are facing. Want to know more? We highly recommend you read Sarah's recent blog post! 

Navina Yoga has officially turned five so Meg and Sarah dive into a conversation about milestones and obstacles and why both should be celebrated and appreciated. Learn more about why Navina Yoga was created with a little advice as to how best to face hard things.  At 30 minutes we faced an obstacle with the audio and our mixer but we felt this conversation was too valuable to let go off. As promised in the episode here is the link to our first blog post: Why we like it not hot. 

Meg and Sarah have pleasure of welcoming back Marnie Ashcroft, the founder of Glow Juicery. The ladies dive into a conversation about how nourishment is so much more than just the food we put in our bodies but how it can optimize our wellbeing both physically and mentally. They discuss what it is like to run a business that honours what this should feel like versus what we want to look like and what becomes possible when we can operate from that space. We hope you can find value in this discussion and feel inspired to take better care of yourself, because you deserve to feel great! 

Sarah and Meg sit down with one of Navina's own instructors, Blazenka who is a full time Registered Nurse for the Stollery Children's hospital and the University Of Alberta Emergency Room.  In this conversation Blaze shares her journey about becoming a pediatric nurse, how she found yoga, and how she manages to stay committed to her self care while juggling multiple roles through an incredibly demanding time.  Follow Blazenka's journey on instagram @blazingheartyoga

Have you ever been late to a meeting or event after hitting every red light or even a train? If so this episode is a MUST LISTEN as the ladies dive into an important conversation about starting to consciously drive in the right lane. We often chase success ripping through the passing lane but you would be surprised what happens when you start to slow down, do less and create space to feel more. The are so many benefits both physically and mentally, you will also start to appreciate life more and you will be shocked when you start attracting success on a whole new level!  Please note this is episode 8......one day we will get that together!