Honouring Cycles of Rest

Winding down with the upcoming winter solstice.

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Meditation taught me that rest is productive too.

Louder for the people in the back!

As the darker days wind us down to the upcoming solstice, it’s an important lesson to keep in mind. Rest isn’t just productive, it’s necessary. Mother Nature has wrapped herself up for a season of deep rest, and that recharge is required for us too!

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Meditation is a form of rest, of recharge. It’s the going within and just witnessing that can bring about a sense of calm. The rest factor, in my opinion, is in the pause. The mini-rest. They count too!

I saw a simplified definition of meditation over on Instagram the other day I want to share (a snippet from Little Buddha).

“what’s meditating?”

“it is being totally quiet and relaxed. Seperating yourself from everything around you. Setting your mind free like a bird. And you can then see your thoughts as if they were passing clouds.”

Little Buddha (1993)
Thanks for posting, @vedicmastery !

This little clip struck a chord with me because I hear a lot that people want to try meditating, or couldn’t try meditating because they can’t stop thinking.

But what if it’s an even simpler practice than we think?

Meditation practice can begin with a simple moment of admiration for the afternoon sun on your desk. A pause to smell the fresh air. It’s not necessary to empty the mind. Try simply watching the thoughts. Becoming aware of the internal dialogue. Tuning in to the push and pull of hunger, soreness, and other demands on your attention from the body for a moment. Letting yourself absorb the sounds around you for a minute or two. Being deeply present takes practice.

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If this watching of the internal weather system doesn’t work for you, another simple exercise is to count blessings. A gratitude practice if you will. Count small things. Count big things.

  • You had a nice breakfast.
  • Your child had something exciting to tell you today.
  • A friend thought of you and sent you something they knew you’d find funny.
  • The temperature in the room feels just right today.

Let the gratitude list build itself as you reflect – it may surprise you how many make the list!

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Finally, if pausing isn’t really your style – try The Multitasking Meditation to reap the benefits of a meditation practice … without having to slow down your bad self. 💅

Thank you for joining me for another blog post. Let me know in the comments below, whether you’re adding meditation in via multitasking, gratitude listing or pausing to check your own weather here and there. Whatever you choose, I hope the practice is bringing you much peace.

Wishing you an incredibly cozy weekend.

With Love,

Esta

The Multitasking Meditation

Inspired by last week’s blog post, this meditation is designed to be listened to while completing a brief task.

It only takes 3 minutes!

See you next week for another meditation.

With Love, Esta

Remember & You Win

Did Anyone Else Play “The Game” Growing Up?

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Did you ever play “The Game” as a kid? The one where if you remember that you’re playing it… you lose! You announce that you lose and everyone around you remembers that they’re playing and they lose too. (Maybe it was just a Canadian kid thing?!)


Anyway the REAL game is remembering that you’re playing… and you WIN. 🏆


Remembering that you’re the Witness. Not the thoughts.


Remembering that you’re in the driver seat. Life isn’t “happening to you”.

My friend said something that stood out to me, this week over dinner. She was talking about how she was trying to practice meditating (specifically being aware of her breathing) while she was doing a task more. (like listening to music, cooking, cleaning, etc.) This way she was practicing meditating even when she wasn’t “meditating” (as in – sitting motionless and then trying to focus on the breath).

In order to build my meditation practice over the years, I would have moments of “meditation” throughout the day. Meditation evolved past a cross legged seat for me, and I began my lifelong practice of returning to the “seat of awareness“. It’s the practice of coming back to this present moment, that is profound.

There’s no such thing as being “bad at meditating”. Meditation is a practice for the sake of it. It’s not a race to the end of something.

Alan Watts said something I love deeply:

In music, though, one doesn’t make the end of the composition the point of the composition.

If that were so, the best conductors would be those who played fastest; and there would be composers who only wrote finales. People [would] go to concerts only to hear one crashing chord—because that’s the end.

Same way in dancing—you don’t aim at a particular spot in the room; that’s where you should arrive. The whole point of the dancing is the dance…

We thought [that] life by analogy was a journey, was a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end. And the thing was to get to that end. Success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you’re dead.

But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing, and you were supposed to sing, or to dance, while the music was being played.

Thank you for capturing this Alec Nevala-Lee
Photo by Jackson David on Pexels.com

It’s the same for meditation, where the point of it is to keep coming back:

  • Coming back to building a mental friendship with yourself.
  • Coming back to tune in to the body and take an honest assessment of your emotional and physical being.
  • Coming back to give yourself time & space to process thoughts, emotions, complications.
  • Coming back to a “witness” mindset, so you can step back to see the big picture.

Thank you for joining me for another blog post and Happy December to you.

With Love,

Esta

Before Bed Guided Relaxation

Settle in and make yourself comfortable. This week’s meditation guides us into a deep relaxation before bed.

We trace the body, mentally shutting down each limb, before allowing the breath to deepen and slow.

Imagine closing down the open applications in the mind, coming to a blank screen.

Thanking the body for it’s time today, and resting easy for the night. 🌙

Wishing you the sweetest of dreams.

💞 With Love, Esta

The Elephant in the Room

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

There’s a great story I heard the other day about an elephant (turns out it’s The Parable of Blind Men and an Elephant described on Libretexts) and I’d love to share it with you.

The story goes that there are six blind men, all standing around an elephant. Each one is describing the part of the elephant that is before him. They begin to argue with one another about what an elephant is – as one experiences a flexible trunk, one felt a column of a leg, and one held a slender tail. Finally a man with sight comes along and explains they are all correct, just experiencing the same thing differently.

Photo by Kenaz Nepomuceno on Pexels.com

It was a neat little reminder that we are all perceiving the same world, but from different vantage points and through our own biased lenses.

So while we all may have been present for one shared event, we each had our own unique experience of it – coloured by our perspective, upbringing, beliefs, past events etc.

But at the end of the day I think it’s helpful to remember that it’s all the same elephant.

It had me thinking, as I took out my yoga mat, that yoga & meditation can be approached from so many different angles too.

Yoga and meditation can be done with the lens of Christian faith or with a building of faith within oneself.

We could call meditation by the name of prayer.

We could call our yoga practise a meditation.

We can view meditation from a lens of gratitude for the present, or from a lens of God or gods providing, or from the lens of energy or vibration.

So whatever lens you have, I hope you were similarly delighted to remember that we all have different shades on – and we can take them off too. Or at least, remember that the same elephant is before us, so our neighbour’s point of view can be true too.

Wishing you an incredible weekend, and a happy long weekend to my American friends.

With Love,

Esta

Meditation Monday

A Brief Reset Meditation

Let’s meditate.

Grab a pillow, or a meditation cushion. and just have a seat.

Sit however is comfortable for you. Whatever that looks like.

Once you’re comfy – we’ll find the breath.

this brings us into the body, helps us become aware of ourselves, and regulates the nervous system.

breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth.

Letting the shoulders drop down while the spine lengthens upwards.

a simple exercise to do – is the 5 senses. just spend 5 seconds observing each one.

and move on with the rest of your day whenever you’re ready – calmer and more grounded.

We meditate every Monday here on @withloveesta 🧘‍♂️ – it’s a gem of a tool to have in your toolbox for life. 🧰

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

With Love,

Esta

The Yogi Christmas Wishlist

Here’s some ideas for the yoga newbie, lover & pro in your life! (Or… some ideas for your own wishlist!)

Rumour has it the Black Friday deals are kicking off early this year. 🤫 So I’ve compiled a little yogi’s wishlist in case you want to snag a deal before the holiday madness! 🎁

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Yoga is fast becoming the chosen at home workout plan & can you blame it? No need to leave the living room for a bodyweight workout, no equipment required and the strength and flexibility gained is priceless. ✨

But just because no equipment is required… doesn’t mean you can’t fluff up the experience a little bit! From cushion-y mats, yoga straps & blocks and meditation cushions – the at home yoga studio can be as extra as one’s heart desires.

Here’s a few ideas gift ideas for the yoga newbie, yoga lover & yoga pro in your life!

(Please note the links below are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission from purchases made via these links.)

For The Yoga Newbie

The Gaiam Premium Print Yoga Mat

The Gaiam printed mat is an affordable way to kickstart your yoga journey. Start from the ground up – literally, and snag a yoga mat from a trusted brand. Over 12,000 people grabbed one for themselves, and it boasts a 4.5 star rating on Amazon. A mat increases grip and cushion, making holding yoga poses more about the pose than about slipping around.

The Everlast FIT Yoga Essential Kit

Have all the essentials on hand – all at once! This kit exists in my studio at this very moment. The purple mat is a nice thickness for both home use and for travelling with, and it’s printed with the sun salutation flow. 🌞 The yoga blocks and yoga straps that come with the mat make for the perfect beginner yoga accessories.

The Merka Yoga Flashcards

What a dream this deck is, with 45 different poses in their English & Sanskrit names, a visual of each and 5 yoga flow cards included! This little deck of cards is perfect for the brand new yoga student. Each card is filled with cues and notes on the pose. This gift would go along perfectly to follow along with the #YPB Yoga Pose Breakdown library! 😉

For The Yoga Lover

The Zabuton Meditation Cushion

This cushion is the closest I could find to my favourite cushion. A meditation cushion brings the meditator’s hips above the knees, allow the yogi to sit more comfortably for longer periods. With a removable cover for easy washing, a handle for easy transport and a buckwheat stuffing – this Canadian owned small business checked all the boxes.

The Halfmoon Deluxe Studio Mat

This yoga mat is my all time favourite, and I still use it to this day. The high quality shines through, and the cushion is extra luxurious. Coming in at 6mm thick – this waffle textured mat won’t let the yogi down. I love the b, halfmoon story. The brand b and the brand halfmoon – two Canadian owned small business – converged and became bigger. A reminder how bright we could be collectively – should we choose to collaborate and not complete.

The Eonshine Canvas Bolster

Upgrade the Yin Yoga experience with a bolster. WLE doesn’t explore a lot of yin yoga at the moment, but the slower pace of this style of yoga calls for props. The yogi rests in each pose for longer periods in yin style, and having pillows and bolsters to rest upon can help the yoga student remain in the pose longer.

For The Yoga Pro

The Leewadee Meditation Cushion Set

Perhaps your favourite yogi is spending longer and longer spells on the meditation cushion these days. Treat them to an extra comfy experience with this meditation cushion set. The ankles have somewhere soft to rest, and the taller cushion keeps the hips above the knees for clocking in longer meditation moments.

The URBANFit Yoga Wheel

For the yogi practicing deeper bends and stretches, and perhaps exploring inversions. The Yoga Wheel purchase comes with a bonus yoga strap and digital guide for ideas on how to use your new wheel. Rated 4.5 out of five, over 900 users liked the experience. Eco-friendly and coming to you from California, this piece will last in the yoga studio for years to come.

The Bare Home Weight Blanket

Trust me on this one. As one dives deeper into yoga and meditation, the magic of yoga nidra (think of it as guided relaxations) is bound to be stumbled upon. Here’s the secret sauce recipe: lying down under a weighted blanket, with an eye covering, a pillow under the head and one under the knees. You hit play on the WLE Guided Relaxation meditation and find the deepest relaxation you’ve ever felt. No gatekeeping here, the relaxation is real.

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And there we have it, a nice collection of ideas for the yogi in your life – no matter their experience level! Add them to your own wishlist, or find some inspiration for the yoga lover in your life. Whatever brought you here – thank you for joining me!

With Love,

Esta

The Long Day Meditation


So you’ve had a long day – let’s meditate it out together. Connect to the breath, reflect on & release the day and then melt into the present moment. Enjoying the here and now you find yourself in.


Thank you so much for practicing with me.


I make new meditations every Monday.


You can request a guided meditation one on one or for groups – here.


See you next week for another one!


With Love,
Esta