You'll work at your own pace.   Most students invest 3 - 6 months to work through the lessons.  With this timeline, it will take 1 - 2 hours per week to watch videos.  Video lessons are under 20 minutes so they can easily be squeezed into your busy day.  You'll need additional time to go over worksheets and employ the tools we teach... perhaps another 2 hours per week maximum.  These are just guidelines.  The course is self paced.  Take breaks if needed.  Go faster through material that feels easier.  You're in control.  You'll have access to the course as long as you need it. The whole process is designed to be relaxed, fun and educational.  

Module One: Charting your Course Learn to dream again! If you’re like me, it’s been a lot of goal setting for business or work, but I was afraid to dream in my personal life. So many disappointments over the years made it almost painful to dream. To create sustainable change and live the life we were meant to live, we need to set goals. This module will help you discover your deeper motivations, your “why”. Psychologists call this intrinsic motivation. Through some key exercises, you will deepen your connection to your own soul longings. This is important to move forward consciously and mindfully, rather than just putting out the next fire. If you find yourself saying things like, “when I retire, I’ll do ________” or “after the holidays, I’ll lose the weight” or “it’s just too busy right now for me to focus on meditation” …. then you truly need to take charge! The reason we did so much goal setting in our careers is because bosses know that’s what gets things done. Now it’s time to utilize those skills for your personal benefit. This course will help you cut out the mental clutter and get laser focused on your best life. Module Two: Mindful Rest We will dive into the latest research on stress response and why therapeutic rest is so essential. But honestly, you know this. We know a good night’s sleep is best. We know we feel chronic tightness and congestion in our bodies. The massages and stretches help temporarily but those neck muscles or tight calves are our cross to bear. What I’ve found revolutionary in this program is uncovering the hidden ways in which chronic stress affects my day to day decisions and choices. So many of the “habits” that I know aren’t healthy for me persist, despite knowing better. Now I’m learning the exact mechanism by which I can push pause on those habitual behaviours and compassionately serve my true needs. This can only happen when I’m in a balanced frame of mind, which for most of us modern humans, means better rested. How to get more rest? Hormones, painful joints, responsibilities may keep us from solid sleep at night so we need to plan to insert micro-practices throughout the day.  Practices like alternate nostril breathing, loving kindness meditation, restorative yoga poses and even naps.  This module will support you step by step to read your body’s signals more accurately and consistently and then have a do-able plan to nurture yourself in the moment. Module Three: Mindful Eating We don’t eat just for fuel, otherwise we’d just have a “Nutri-cube” on our plate and be good to go. Food means so much more. Maybe it’s about connecting with family, good times with friends, expressing our creativity or being part of a special group or culture. Deprivation diets or moral judgements around eating create stress. Ultimately, we’ll rebel against anything restrictive or that holds us back from experiencing the pleasant situations described above. Mindful eating offers a chance to honour your unique constitution by being very present with the act of dining. It involves asking why you want to eat something and then recognizing that food is important to you. As you are eating, you stay tuned in to your gorgeous body, listening to the subtle cues about fullness or how you feel after eating that food. Over time, as you build a data bank of knowledge around what works for you, your nervous system breathes a big sigh of relief. She cares! She’s listening! Let’s drop those cortisol levels and  those unneeded pounds along with it. Mindful Eating reduces emotional or stress snacking.  That's the unconscious habit that packs on the menopausal pounds. Module Four: Mindful Self Care Think about your partner/husband/best friend. Imagine you are fighting. They’re not talking. You can’t even be in the same room. You’re so angry and disappointed in them. How does that feel? HORRIBLE! Not much good is coming out of that conflict and it’s draining to hold that anger. That’s how our bodies feels when we are angry with them for having pain, illness or extra weight. It feels awful. Mindful Self Care is talking nicely to ourselves. It’s prioritizing our needs. It’s self compassion when mistakes are made. A lot of people have strong beliefs that this is selfish or will take away care for others. I’ve recognized in myself that I was raised with the idea that I shouldn’t be happy or resting until everyone else was happy or all the chores were done. When does that ever happen??? I felt it was a reflection of my worth and value if I was sacrificing my own needs for others. Proof they needed me. But my body was listening and my body felt my neglect. Bodies have one language. That is the language of sensation. And if I don’t listen to the quiet whispers, it can only ramp up the sensation. So how do I, or you, make peace? A great first step is just trying to understand this relationship. Then let’s practice together how to take action. It can be very simple, like the 3 minute breathing space or getting to bed a little earlier. Small changes build on each other until one day it just feels a little lighter.  Mindful Self Care creates a peacefulness that is very balancing for hormones.  Medical experts confirm that a stressed out woman is ripe to suffer from things like hot flashes.  Cooling the system (getting mindful rest, setting boundaries, feeling positive about your choices, etc.) reduces inflammatory chemicals in the body. Module Five: Mindful Movement Think of older women you know. Joint replacements, chronic diseases, scared to fall, even what doctors call “human frailty syndrome”. This is when an older adult becomes so nervous of exercise that they lose ability to navigate simple tasks confidently. That’s not where I want to go. I don’t think you do either. This fear of aging, along with those extra menopausal pounds, can lead us to jump into punishing exercise routines. Or go the opposite way of avoiding exercise which would be leading us down the path to frailty. Isn’t there a middle ground here? In this module, we’ll learn why exercise is not a good stand alone solution for fitness or weight loss. Let’s bust those exercise myths together. As we mindfully unwind some of those limiting beliefs that have plagued our fitness journey, we’ll discover the joy of movement just to feel into our bodies without judgement or competition. We can find activities that promote wellbeing and keep us strong.