Tooting my own horn

When you are raised to be humble AND also the youngest of 3 girls – you learn very quickly NOT to toot your own horn. Nothing deflates your 10-year-old sense of self-worth quicker than an older sibling squashing your attempt at self-confidence with a look, a not so loving “nickname” or your most embarrassing story told to the worst person possible. All that put aside AND of course being able to see it now through the eyes of humour, forgiveness and love – these experiences have made me who I am today.

Through reflection these last few weeks and finally deciding to listen to my own guides and inner guidance, it is time to “put myself out there” vulnerable and scary – yep! But here I go…tooting my own horn 🙂

I have a lot to offer. I have a lot to offer this world.

I know the body. I know the mind. I know the ego. I know the Soul. I know energy. I love learning and I learn more and more everyday. Even and especially through my own failures, falls, set-backs and obstacles I find myself in a greater space of wisdom and knowledge. I love to teach. I love to teach fitness. I love to teach yoga. I love to teach meditation and personal growth. When I facilitate retreats, I am in “the zone” and I feel like I am channeling pure love, hope and healing. I love to write! No “AI” for this girl. All my blogs and e-mails are simply and authentically me.

Do I have moments and often days of doubting myself? Of course I do. I am human and remember I was also taught to be humble and to not toot my own horn 🙂

The one thing I have come to understand is “tooting my own horn” doesn’t mean I believe I am better than or feel I am more superior than another. I also see and experience often the benefit in silently sitting in my success and accomplishments but that only holds empowerment if I don’t believe I am less than or feel inferior to others. So a balance needs to be found and the balance is in knowing my worth, appreciating my support system and the many mentors along the way and of course understanding I have many gifts to offer this world. I believe in myself. I believe my talents and gifts can help a whole lot of people. I feel neither superior or inferior to anyone else, I am simply sharing my gifts, talents, knowledge and wisdom gained (so far) mixed with what I love doing and what brings me joy.

Prioritizing my life and living it according to my core values and my joy is my goal. Do I often find myself lost in this goal or overwhelmed? Yes! And that turns my joy into doubt and flips my core values on their head.

So here goes…

I teach a lot of on-line classes. I teach fitness classes, yoga classes, healing energy classes and meditation & personal development classes all on-line. These classes I teach are not separate. They are all one. If you attend my fitness class, it incorporates mindfulness, body awareness, respect and honouring your strengths and your weakness. Every class (whichever class you are taking) is about bringing attention to your body and appreciating what it can do and what it can not do. It is about loving yourself and your body through every movement whether it is easy or challenging and it is showing affection to yourself and your body by dropping all judgements and self-critical thoughts of yourself and just simply doing what you can. Self accomplishment! You can either look at a challenging workout or yoga practice or meditation as a failure you can’t do or you can thank your body and your mind for showing up and moving, stretching, tapping or simply being still and do it to the best of your ability.

There are so many options I offer in every single class that there is nothing you can not do. Do enough of my classes and if you are willing to get beyond your own judgements & comparisons of yourself and your body in whatever shape it is in – you can do everything with total acceptance!

That is all any “body” wants and needs;

1. Total acceptance for what it can & can’t do.
2. Full appreciation for what it can & can’t do.
3. Attention and awareness to learning how to do things correctly and safely.
4. Affection in daily movement, breathing and self-care to know it is loved just as it is.

This is what I offer in every class I teach. Even those who are sick or ill can watch and listen to any class. The mind is the master, the body follows. If the mind can watch and listen to the classes, with time, patience and a willingness to get beyond the egos thoughts of “this is ridiculous – I can’t do this” attitude – healing will unfold. EVERY CLASS offers this. My love, knowledge & wisdom of healing comes through every single class.

As the “tooting” continues…

I am a Reiki practitioner and a student and teacher of “A Course in Miracles” with this comes great responsibility to be open-minded, non-defensive, patient, honest, generous and above all trust the process. Do I believe I am a vehicle in which healing flows through me? Yes, I do. I feel it, I’m beginning to see it and I now hear it too. This is a part of me, I have kept quiet because my old conditioning of “I’m going to sound crazy if I speak these things out loud” comes back to haunt me.

I am a teacher of Ayurveda fundamentals and nutrition. Ayurveda has single-handedly changed how I view health and wellness and I feel healthier now in my 50’s than I have felt my whole life.

Am I different? I don’t know? I guess I am, aren’t we all? I’m uniquely me – that I know for sure. I know there are others who see what I see, feel what I feel and hear what I hear. I am not special, nor am I not special. I am just uniquely me and I am coming to really love, respect and honour who I am becoming and most likely have always been but was too afraid to claim it.

So, this is me…coming into my own. Vulnerable, a little bit scary but claiming my talents and gifts. I love my life. I love being able to help others. I love seeing people evolve and heal physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and spiritually.

It is not up to me to judge when, how or if my gifts and talents are received or accepted. I offer them to all who listen to my weekly “simply BE” videos, read my blogs and daily e-mails. For those who want to go deeper and accept my gifts and talents on another level, every on-line membership class offers a deeper awareness of yourself.

I do in-person workshops, classes and retreats and in everything I do – I lead with my whole heart and my entire Soul. I am simply here to help and to guide.

I’ll post my mailout e-mail from this week highlighting more of what I offer.

Here it is;

Balance

We live in a society that has normalized stress, busyness & over-doing. It is time to leave that behind in 2024 and commit to a naturally calmer, healthier and more relaxed 2025

1. Balance your day with some physical activity. Whether it’s a walk in nature, a yoga or fitness class or any type of exercise that you enjoy. Physical activity has been proven to boost your mood, increase your energy level and reduce feelings of stress. Not too late to sign up for a free week of on-line classes with Wellness Defined.
2. Balance the stress in your life with a daily meditation practice. Regular meditation has been proven to calm the mind from anxiety, help deal with stressful situations and combat a stressful life. Want to learn how to mediate or get a kickstart back into a daily practice? Not to late to sign up for the “Intro to Meditation” in-person workshop on Thursday Jan 16th  Step outside of your stress & anxiety and learn how to ground yourself & center within.
3. Balance your life with Ayurveda fundamentals and nutrition for optimal health. If you are ready to take a deep dive into discovering how Ayurveda can improve your health based on your own personality/Dosha type, personal session might be just what you are needing 🙂 Contact me at leslie@wellnessdefined.ca to inquire about availability of sessions.
4. Balance your energy-body with a Reiki & Chakra balancing session. Working with the energy-body promotes balance, calm and healing on so many different levels. I am opening some extra times for Reiki sessions either in-person (at my in-house studio) or distant Reiki via zoom. Contact me at leslie@wellnessdefined.ca for availability of session times.
5. Retreat. Retreat means to withdraw from everyday life to spend time intentionally in reflection. It is a time to take a look at your life and reflect on what really matters. It is a time to journey inward. A time to listen to your inner voice. Click here for many various different Retreat options.

Have a fabulous week my friends and don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. Claim your gifts and talents and open your heart and mind to the world!

Namaste;;

Leslie