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What I wish I’d known about these 3 types of personalities.

Image from Unsplash

Image from Unsplash

Life is a journey and we are dealt with cards that we can either use to advantage us or work against us. You might have heard this analogy often. But what does this mean? To me, it means that I will make the best of life no matter what is thrown at me. I will work hard, think smart and do what I can to be my best, regardless of where I have come from, the colour of my skin or being born a woman because my power is in my hands. 

Having this mindset has gotten me into a lot of hot water. I admit to not always being sensitive and compassionate in some areas- which I am working on. However, I have learnt that there are personality types that would rather whine than work, complain rather than correct and, defy true freedom rather than define it for themselves. 

I am learning more and more as I go and mostly, that you can’t help those who do not want to be helped. 

Here is more of what I wish I had known about these 3 types of personalities: 

1. Those who refuse to grow

Growth is optional and the older that I get, the more that I can clearly differentiate the difference between people who make an effort to evolve vs. those who stay stagnant. I was one of those people who felt like I could stay the same and that nothing would change me or my view on life. But, I quickly learnt that I would only hurt myself  if I was not open to seeing life from a different perspective. 

Refusing to grow works against the cycle of our lives. Just like trees shed leaves, we are meant to shed a part of our personality and acquire another. That is evolving. Understanding what works and what doesn’t. If we don’t evolve and figure out what isn’t working for us, we only hurt ourselves because we are recreating the same life, over and over and expecting different results. Which is a form of insanity. 

2. Those who blame what has happened to them on other people. 

A friend shared a quote on Instagram that said, ‘The World might be responsible for your pain but, you are responsible for your own healing.’ And, it resonated with me deeply. I recounted the amount of times that I had blamed things on being a woman, a person of colour or being raised in a developing country. Then, I remembered how good it felt to be empowered anyway.

Despite what my ancestors (regardless of heritage) had experienced, I am here today. That is proof that more is going right than not. The power is in using what I thought were my disadvantages as my advantages. I connect with people who feel isolated because I once did and I understand fully that isolation is sometimes external but is usually self-imposed. 

We can spend our time blaming or work to being whole and full of love. It might be unfair, yes! But, who loses if we don’t? Definitely not the person we blame, we do. 

3. People who will never be happy with me. 

I used to suffer deeply from the need to make people around me happy. When I became self-aware of this, I thought that it was to save the person that I wanted to make happy. However, I came to realize that it was to serve me and my Ego. 

You see, if I had to be around someone who wasn’t pleased with me, I felt badly because I wanted to appear like a good person. Over the past decade, I have been healing this part of myself. The side that wants to appear ‘good’ because I have learnt that if I am living truthfully, not everyone will be happy with me. 

I have had to learn that some people won’t like me, especially when I am not following the crowds and stand up for what is moral and in alignment with God’s word. It is not my job to be liked and releasing myself of the need to be held hostage by other people’s opinions is liberating. I might go through life never being understood by others but as long as I live a life that praises God, is ethically sound and health-orientated, I don’t have to look to others for acceptance. I can look within for all the embrace that I will ever need. 


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3 Reasons why practicing Satya is so important as a yoga teacher and practitioner.

Image by Unsplash

Image by Unsplash

I love teaching yoga. It is my passion and has given me a foundation for growth, elevation and the ability to expand my beliefs beyond what I thought I knew. I used to have limited thoughts, sometimes still do; however, yoga has helped me believe there is more than I might think. It has opened my mind to the unknown, instead of fearing it. 

I have been teaching yoga for seven years now and there is a reason why many of the people that I went to training with are not teaching or don’t even practice anymore. It is not for the faint-hearted and it is not everyone’s destiny. Which is okay. 

As a yoga teacher, I believe that it is important for me to stay true to the integrity of the practice and devote my time and energy to the authenticity of this mind, body and spirit connection. 

Here are 3 reasons why practicing Satya (non-falsehood) are so important: 

1. Without truth, we have nothing. 

How I made it to yoga was just like most of our stories, I had a previous belief system that I needed to be at war in order to live life to my full potential. I had to face that truth to change it. I remember lying down on my mat during a hot yoga class and crying my eyes out as I wept about a romantic situation that I had been forcing myself into. My truth at that time is that, he and I were more in battle than in union and I felt it in my body every time that I practiced. 

Even though I practiced yoga 5 times a week, I had been running away from this truth- which I needed to face because until I came to terms with what I had to, I wasn’t truly living. Sometimes we think that running away from honesty means that we are strong but the truth always catches up to us and we understand that it is brave to face it and stop running away. 

2. Wellness is based on reality

Honestly, I haven’t always been well as a yoga teacher and I have had times where I have been a hypocrite because I have spoken from a place of asking others to be at peace and face their truth when I have done the opposite. I have had moments when I have taught tired, annoyed and while going through some serious emotional pain. 

One day, I was in class and felt so depleted that I could hardly speak. This was a sign that I needed to be honest with myself and let go of the need to be right and above others when I am human. Especially because I teach, I need to be truthful with myself and face if I am unwell so that I can become well. 

3. Being authentic helps us align with our purpose. 

I have been traveling and along my travels, I take class at different studios. I recently practiced at a boutique studio outside of The U.S. and heard conversations in the changing room after a magnificent class. Another teacher had mentioned how her mentor was missing and my instinct was to ask if he was okay. Which I did. My question was followed by an answer that he was okay, then the teacher said that her mentor had told her all of his teachings and now she was able to teach and take his place. 

I was in shock because instead of showing compassion, she used this as a platform to promote her class. Which seemed very inappropriate. It was a learning lesson for me that, there is a time and a place. Being a teacher can be competitive because we are not always sure if we can get numbers up and develop a steady following which can sustain a class that we have been given. In these past seven years, I have learnt that if I am truthful and teach from a place of integrity and devotion, students will show up. I can encourage people to take my class; however, there is no need to force anyone to take my class because forcing only repels people from my intention. 

Not everyone will take my class and that is okay. I would rather have students who are genuinely interested in yoga and what I have to offer than those who don’t want to be there anyways. I will not force, lie and compete to have anything and anyone in my life- and that carries into my yoga practice and teachings.

12 Things that I know for sure.

Image from Unsplash

Image from Unsplash

Although I haven’t met Oprah, I have been inspired by a lot of her work. I don’t believe in being a fan of someone that I don’t know; however, I am grateful for what she has done for the world and how she made spirituality more accessible and understandable to the mainstream across all borders. 

Oprah has a segment in her show, What I know for sure. Which has often inspired me to think about what I have learnt in my life. As a form of gratitude towards her and a celebration of what I have learnt, here are 12 things that I know for sure:

1. Each moment is too precious to be spend on negativity. 

2. Sometimes it takes mistakes to learn exactly where to go. 

3. Growth requires work and persistence. 

4. I can spend my life competing with others and be miserable or I can compete with my former self and thrive. 

5. Sometimes spiritual teachers and leaders show us how to not behave. 

6. Intuition is one of the most valuable assets that I will ever have in this lifetime. 

7. Some people will try to steal your light but it is up to you if you will let them or not. 

8. Listen to someone’s words about themselves and you’re listening to a story; look at someone’s actions and you are understanding their truth. 

9. There is enough for all of us. The idea that there can only be one (at the top) is a construct that was created to keep people divided.

10. I will only be at my full potential by accepting myself, loving myself and standing in my truth. 

11. Happiness is a moment; however, peace is a constant that you can always acquire within. 

12. Abundance is about forgiveness, acceptance, unconditional love, peace, manifesting and being in alignment with The Divine. 

Skin tips from a professional

Image by Getty Images

Image by Getty Images

 I am so passionate about skincare. There is so much misinformation out there. Because of all the misinformation that I have seen out there, I would like to let you in on some skincare tips from a skincare professional. 

 

Here they are:

1. Don't always trust labels. 

I had a client tell me that they use Johnson's and Johnson's because their parents did and, therefore they should. I highly disagree with this for many reasons but the main reason is that skincare is a science and research evolves so that we can understand skincare better. Another reason is that as years progress, big companies often change recipes of their products; however, they don't have to report the changes in their products- only in The US. Use products that suit your skin, not because you were grandfathered into them. 

 

2. If your make-up is giving you a rash, discontinue using it

I have overheard a lot of women say that they are so used to having rashes from their skincare. With the development of make-up, there is no need to use foundation that is not suited for your skin. Rashes are a sign that your skin is irritated, listen to it. Speak to a make-up professional to find the right foundation for you. 

 

3. Ease up on the exfoliation. 

Some of you may have heard me say this but I am adamant about it. Our skin has a natural rejuvenation process that occurs over 28 days, so there is no need to exfoliate more than once every two weeks. When you do exfoliate more than this, you are irritating the second layer of skin that is revealed during the exfoliation process. As a result, breakouts and rashes can occur because the second layer of skin has not had time to be ready for exposure. Give your second layer of skin time to adapt to its surroundings. 

4 Dos and DONTs about skincare

 

I get asked so many questions about skincare and skin. To be honest, I entered into the skincare industry, as the owner and CEO of KindGirlco., because of my love of the human body. 

A lot of feedback that I have gotten is that there is little-to-no information on the skin, which is why I went back to school to study skincare. I wanted to find out more about the skincare industry and what these products are doing to our skin. 

These are just a few things that I would like to share with you:

 

1. DO wash your face in the morning and at night.

Regardless of recent evidence that has shown that it is better to keep your makeup or grime on at the end of the night, to avoid drying out your skin, I highly recommend washing any unwanted toxins off your face when you wake up and before you go to sleep. You don't want any bacteria or germs to interfere with your skin cellular reformation. 

 

2. DON'T use products that have many ingredients in them. 

Just like with anything else, you want to simplify what you put on your skin. I see what I put on my as skin food and, just like food that we eat, the simpler food we eat, the better. That's why in our product line, we don't more than 5 ingredients in our products. This also reduces your chances of having an allergy breakout and, if you do, you are more likely to figure out what caused it. Scientific evidence has also shown that simpler product lines promote skin cellular growth because the nutrients are absorbed better into the skin.

 

3. DO use oil based products. 

One of the reasons why I got involved in skincare is because I had developed eczema and rosacea. I am also a hot yoga teacher and needed to wash twice a day- this, I thought was drying out my skin. However, after my studies, I found out that it was the products I was using that were drying out my skin. I had been using products that were water-based- which is not hydrating on the skin. Water, H2O, is great for internal moisture but not for external moisture.

 

4. DON'T confuse natural for organic. 

I am a firm-believer in organics, particularly with skincare, as what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream. Unfortunately in the US, there is no regulation on natural so it can mean anything. However, once a product is labelled organic, it must be organic. Meaning that it has seen only 2% chemical processing, if any at all. Even if it doesn't have certified organic; if it is labeled as such, it must be organic. Simplify what you put on your skin by choosing organic.

See www.kindgirlco.com for more information on their organic skincare line.

3 reasons why you need to choose organic.

As most of you may know, I am a certified health coach. The health-coach training that I went through was very informative and rigorous. 

However, a lot of what we learnt was depressing. What we learnt about what the commercial agriculture industry is doing was so upsetting that I would prefer not to share it with you.

What I would like to share with you, however, are reasons why you should eat organic. Organic means that the product has come into contact with little-to-no hazardous chemicals interaction. I highly recommend eating organic fruits and vegetables. And, this is why: 

 

1. Pesticides have been linked to diseases like cancer. 

 

In 2015, CNN reported that there were links between pesticides and cancer, particularly in children. Over the past thirty years, several studies have shown that there could be a link between the two. Pesticides contaminate soil and therefore, it is necessary to eat all organic fruits and vegetables. Although the FDA released a list in 2012 of a few foods to eat that are organic, I am here to tell you otherwise. Pesticide contamination affects the soil and therefore can contaminate all fruits and vegetables grown in the same soil. 

 

2. Pesticides can cause allergies.

 

Pesticides are a chemical and some chemicals can have negative health affects. In the early 1990s, there were a few studies that revealed some food allergies- particularly to berries. Healthy Homes Collaborative found that there was a link between children with asthma and the use of pesticides in fruit. Other sources say that pesticides found in fruit can lower the immune system and  make people susceptible to diseases that they wouldn't normally have- particularly respiratory diseases. 

 

3. Pesticides ruin the environment. 

 

The effects of pesticides on soil are very damaging as these chemicals can strip the soil of its nutrients. Soil takes approximately 7 years to replenish its nutrient value. That's why farmers who have decided to move towards organic from farms that previously were not end up having to wait a few years to start to farm again. The Sustainable table reported almost 80% of farms use pesticides. Imagine the damage on the environment? We can change this by putting our money where our conscious is and buying organic.

Courtesy of The Fashion Spot

Courtesy of The Fashion Spot