• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Secondary Navigation Social Media Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Vimeo
YOGUE

YOGUE

Yoga Inspired Life Style

  • About
    • About Insiya
    • Published Writing
    • Yogue in the Press
    • Contact
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Get on my Mailing List
  • Recipes
  • Ayurveda
  • Yoga
  • Wellness
    • Life
    • Parenting
    • People
    • Explore
  • Home

7 Steps to Living your Best Year Ever

Jan. 08, 2017

I awoke January 1, 2017 still tired, feeling the lingering effects of a nasty cold and flu that I got hit with exactly 3 days earlier, in the white cold of snowy Whistler, Canada; where we were hunkered down in a cabin with dear friends and our children.  The highlight of the last night for me had been sending the kids off to bed at 9 p.m. with sparkling apple juice amidst the sparkling ice.  No champagne, no dessert, I didn’t make it past 10 p.m.  and didn’t have a choice.  I was in the thick of an icky feeling winter flu.  A part of me rallied against it. I wanted to be more festive, I wanted to talk, to enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner, but the inner quieter part of myself was more real.

That voice said, “You’ve been pushing too hard, you just need to slow down.”

It also helped that I literally could not talk except in a raspy whisper.  🙂 I made myself tea with ginger and turmeric.  Multiple cups of it.  I also pushed ginger and turmeric on everyone in the house, just in case I was still harbouring any bugs, plus it also alleviated my desire to care for others, vs. being the “sick one.”

But for much of the 1st, I relented into self-care mode.  After watching my son ski his first little bunny hills (so fun, but so cold); I went to the Scandinave, a magical, thermal hot springs spa in Whistler where I alternated between sweating out the cold in a eucalpytus steam room, plunging into a cold pool, practicing some yoga in a heated solarium and watching the burnished gold sun set over the west coast mountains while in an outdoor heated pool.  I was stuffy and congested, but unlike most of the other patrons, I was not hungover. It was a positive. My girlfriend joined me and after we had pickled ourselves in the warm water, we made our way back to the ski cabin where our partners and a friend had cooked up a delicious, nourishing meal.  And despite still feeling crummy, it was a treat to have a day where I could focus on healing and resting and slowing down – and made me appreciate the deep desire of my body to completely shut down so I could rebuild and heal.

Which made me think about the ridiculous pace of life we currently live at.  I know we all fall sick, I know in the Northern Hemisphere we are in the throes of flu season, but I also know that the reason we fall sick is because we don’t pay attention to our body’s cries for help.  They begin gently, perhaps you feel an achy joint, or a sore throat, or feel tired.  This is when most of us tend to push past the initial discomfort.  We drink another cup of tea, or coffee, or take an advil.  The next time, our body cries out a little louder, the time after that, it cries even louder – and this continues –  unless we shift our lifestyle habits, don’t drink that extra cup of tea or coffee to get us through the day when we are tired and learn how to rest; or we finally succumb to the illness, whatever it is. Most illness builds up like this, whether its a seasonal flu, or something more chronic.

I don’t have a solution to never getting sick, but I’ve had some time this past week to think about strategies that draw from the wisdom traditions of Yoga and Ayurveda that have helped me to allay getting sick in the past – and they’re exactly what I turn toward to heal.

Read on to gain these powerful insights.  My hope is that they help you to step gently forward into the new year, more in harmony with yourself vs. pushing yourself so you can create sustainable change in your life, that will support you as you embrace this new year full of possibility, optimism and goals.

As my father always said when I was growing up.  “The only things in life no one can take away from you are your education and your health.”

So, here’s a toast to your health in 2017.  May you have an incredible, bright, blissed and healthy new year.

7 Steps to Living Your Best Ever 2017

  1. Write out your intentions or goals for the year.
    Tape them up on your bathroom mirror, or in the doorway of your home, or write them out on a chalkboard.  Keep them visible, do not hide them and share them with your loved ones and your community so you can stay accountable to them.
  2. Eat seasonally.
    Why? Because our food impacts our wellbeing like nothing else – it literally becomes us.  And when we eat seasonally, we harmonize our internal environment with our external environment, which creates more equilibrium, and fortifies our bodies as we eat foods that have immune boosting properties appropriate to that particular season.  E.g. eating squashes in the late fall/ winter provides us with lots of beta carotene, which we need right now, and mushrooms offer us a dose of Vitamin D, which we require as the sun dims in deep winter.  Eat whole, organic foods that are in season.  Use warming spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, cloves, black pepper, rosemary, thyme and sage.  Think squashes, dark lacinato kale, whole grains such as wheat berries, quinoa and brown rice; pasture fed meats and eggs if you eat them; wild mushrooms and lentils and beans.  This is a time of the year when not much grows and your body will have to rely on good fats such as cold pressed oils and butter and ghee to gain sustenance.  One of my favorite meals right now is simple steamed root veggies over whole grains topped with ghee, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper and turmeric.
  3. Limit sweets slowly and keep upgrading to healthier options:
    We allow ourselves indulgence on so many levels over the holiday season and then we try to go cold turkey in the New Year.  This is not sustainable.  However, know this, too much sweet dampens our digestion and when our digestive fire does not work efficiently, we feel sluggish and tired (which makes us want to reach for yet another cup of coffee).  So now that you understand the “why” stop yourself before you head down that road that does not serve you!
  4. Get outside and move for the joy of it:
    Especially when the weather is not delightful.  Bundle up, rain or snow or shine and breathe some fresh, cool air. Walk, run, hike, bicycle, climb a mountain, walk by the ocean.  Don’t do it to burn calories. Do it because movement is inherent in our DNA. It makes us happy. Take your kids, your partner, a friend. Do something that makes you smile – it does not have to be strenuous – but it should get your energy moving.
  5. Meditate even for 5 minutes every day.
    Your meditation does not have to be on a cushion by your altar though that is nice. My meditation yesterday was watching the pacific ocean crash on a rocky beach. My yoga practice is sometimes my only meditation, sometimes I meditate when I put my son to sleep.  Focus on your breath and repeat this simple mantra.  I breathe in light, I breathe out dark.  The dark is the part of you that is a part of you, but is not serving you in your life right now. It could be stale emotions, state thoughts, negative chatter that brings you down, stuff like, I wish those pants looked better on my bum etc. etc.  Whatever it is breathe it out.  Trust me this stuff works.
  6. Get off the adrenaline treadmill.
    Even if you’re one of those folks who gets a burst of energy at 10 p.m., know that this is when you actually want to calm down, not hype up, so that you keep your hormones more in balance and pre-empt adrenal burnout.  Your body has enough stress to deal with in our busy modern lives during the day, so really do allow it to replenish and restore itself every night.  This is your most important ticket to health. Wind down every night and ideally get to bed by 10 p.m..  Light a candle, have a bath with lavender, cedar wood and rose essential oils.  Listen to some soothing music and get off your screens.  Let your brain cells bathe in new blood and new oxygen.
  7. Express gratitude for being here, wherever you are right now, because that is exactly where you are meant to be.
    Analysis is always helpful but at some point, we have to accept that we’ve made choices based on the wisdom of where we were at a particular point in our life, to lead us here.  You can bemoan your choices constantly – I know, I’ve been there, we all have – but it helps so much to accept that we are not infallible and yet we are so capable of learning from our past. Where you choose to go, is now up to you and know that this pathway is as wide open as your thought field. You have the paintbrush to paint your canvas and you can even choose your colors!

That’s it for now.  HAPPY 2017.  May you continue to spread your inner light!!! And please do leave your comments.

Namaste + xo

Insiya

Tweet
PinIt

Category: Life, Blog Tags: ayurveda, blissology, california, canada, flu, goals, healing, health, holistic life, inspo, intention setting, life coaching, meditation, wellness, whistler, yoga, yoga life, yoga mama

← Previous Post
Gluten Free Goodness: Amaranth Granola
Next Post →
Make Change Within: A Free Guided Meditation + Challenge

You may also like

A Yoga Routine for when you feel crummy.
Daily Habits for Happiness
Bali Blessing Ceremony: Why Rituals Matter.

About Insiya Rasiwala-Finn

Yogini + Ayurvedic Coach, Writer and Conscious Mama. Believes in regenerative, slow living, holistic design and living mindfully every day.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marli says

    January 8, 2017 at 11:07 am

    Thank you, thank you, thank you Insiya! This is exactly what I needed to read right now. So much gratitude, happy 2017 to you!

    Reply
    • yogue says

      January 8, 2017 at 5:01 pm

      Happy 2017 to you to marli!!! So happy my words resonated. xo

      Reply
  2. Kate says

    January 8, 2017 at 12:23 pm

    Thank you Insiya for all the great and lovely ways to make 2017 a brilliant one. Will certainly give them a go. Glad you’re feeling better ~ we all expect too much of ourselves and don’t listen to our bodies. I have some Doreen Virtue angel cards and I choose one to read each day. The one which keeps coming up relentlessly is ”Listen”!! Wishing you and your family a peaceful and happy new year!! Kate. UK. ☯️

    Reply
    • yogue says

      January 8, 2017 at 5:02 pm

      Listen 🙂 lovely, thank you kate!!! Be well and many blessings for the new year!!!

      Reply
  3. Sara says

    January 8, 2017 at 2:48 pm

    Happy calm and healthy new year . Enjoyed reading your valuable tips to stay calm and happy.

    Reply
    • yogue says

      January 8, 2017 at 5:03 pm

      thanks Mama xoxox

      Reply
  4. Victoria says

    January 8, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    I love the “adrenaline treadmill” phrase. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and happy new year! xoxo

    Reply
  5. Sandra Broughton says

    January 8, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Thank you for the inspiring post.

    Reply
  6. Nadine says

    January 8, 2017 at 8:41 pm

    Beautifully written. Thank you!

    Reply
    • yogue says

      January 9, 2017 at 11:14 pm

      so welcome nadine xo

      Reply
  7. Sharona. Eaupre says

    January 8, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    Awesome reminders that I certainly need, thank you Insiya!

    Reply
  8. Jolie says

    January 8, 2017 at 10:43 pm

    Im printing this off and following – had a fun holiday season – now time to bring back balance- thanks !! Hope you guys are great and you enjoyed being back in BC . Love that your son had lots of snow ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

    Reply
  9. Karen says

    January 8, 2017 at 11:15 pm

    Lovely read. Thank you, Insiya, for sharing your wisdom. I hope you live your best life ever in 2017 as well ❤

    Reply
    • yogue says

      January 9, 2017 at 11:14 pm

      thanks beauty!!! xo

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT YOGUE  Hi, I'm Insiya. Journey with me as we live slow, scatter beauty and tread lightly on the planet.

Find me online

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo

Recipes

Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

Once there was a busy mama and yoga teacher who … [Read More...] about Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

Summer has been rushing by...   until we arrived … [Read More...] about Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

Contrary to popular belief, an oh-too-sweet chai … [Read More...] about Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

Summer Popsicles: with an Ayurvedic Twist

We love popsicles around here in the … [Read More...] about Summer Popsicles: with an Ayurvedic Twist

Menu

  • About
    • About Insiya
    • Published Writing
    • Yogue in the Press
    • Contact
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Get on my Mailing List
  • Recipes
  • Ayurveda
  • Yoga
  • Wellness
    • Life
    • Parenting
    • People
    • Explore
  • Home

insiyafinn

Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling! Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling!!! 

We got out on a hike in sooke and I’m so proud of my mama for traversing some steep climbs and even more steep and rocky downhill paths. I felt energized and so happy to be outside in a forest that smelled cool and fresh and pine-resin-y… @theblissologist and lion even got into the icy cold glacial streams and then we picked up grandma @carolefinnartist and enjoyed some delicious pizza on the deck @stokedpizzeria near sombrio…

My family kept cautioning me to not push myself - but honestly and truly I think I was just high on feeling alive and being amidst the waterfalls and green of what has turned into a very hot spring (climate change is real friends…)…

Yesterday was such an affirmation of how much we all need to be outside to reconnect within to what really matters…

Thanks ananda lion for making me a mama 12 years ago and thanks to my mom @sararasiwala for your love always… also it made me so happy that eoin got to see his mama too! Life is short. Keep those you love close and fill it with beauty and kindness.

Ps. I did wear a dress hiking (just because) and I am very tired today but was it worth it? YES ❤️

#yogue #mothersday #family #familymatters #healing #healinsiya #healcancer #cancerthriver
Photo sprinkles… Stepping out into spring. L- Photo sprinkles… 

Stepping out into spring.

L-R: A Saturday picnic w @yogalink + Carole + dingo the bali dog and my mom. Thanks for the chai @sararasiwala 😁 and the pic @theblissologist ✨
Blossoms on the hill.
Blossoms inside :)
Homemade spinach and mushroom quiche.. so good 💫
Pakoras by mom… aka delish chickpea fritters 
Daisies :)
And
Apricot nectar and strawberries yesterday… 
/ shadows and sunshine :) 
Heart shaped flowers…

Feeling all this golden light and springtime goodness. :) 

🌺💕☀️

#healingjourney #wholefoods #growth #changes #shift #insiyafinn #healinsiya #healcancer
So I decided to share this picture here because fi So I decided to share this picture here because firstly today was so special. I got to see a dear dear friend who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic and we got to finally connect a few steps away from home. Yes this is currently Victoria (or it was this morning when the sun was bright and warm)…

And yet this morning was hard won. Yesterday after weeks of things going relatively well I had what is called a partical blockage with my ileostomy. I think it was caused by my not chewing my lunch as slowly as I normally do…(I will blame this on both being v hungry and that my dear mom’s cooking is dangerously delicious) 😁 when my girlfriend came to see me yesterday, I had low energy and a strange cramping sensation in the stomach and lower rib area. This progressively got worse and worse until my body with all its wisdom tried to push my lunch out of me. In other words I threw up. Consistently and continuously.

Meanwhile life at home continued on. My son arrived home after a canoeing weekend. I needed back rubs w tiger balm or whatever would help in the moment; and tried to help organize dinner. And my friend later that evening shared how she felt the privilege of being here to help and to witness the rough stuff. Which just felt so dear and real and loving.

And this is why I want to share this story today. It feels scary to put all of this out into the world but I have been thinking that when we hide the hard things behind walls of fear or worry about what others will think, I think we curtail our capacity to be loving, compassionate humans. After all at our core we want the same things. To live and love well. I feel like I share a lot here but I have found it hard to write about the really gnarly moments. There have been so many. What I will say I am so thankful for however is that because I have experienced so much with the ileostomy, I knew I had to ride the waves of pain out until they stopped. And they did and I finally slept last night and stayed out of emerg at the hospital.

And awoke to a new day. And a new opportunity to make the most of this precious moment.

Thanks for being here!

#healcancer #healinsiya #viclife #oakbay #friendship
It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last f It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last fortnight has been a wave of highs and lows. It felt like every time I felt a little better something new would happen again that I needed to understand and navigate. 

Meanwhile my inner mind has been a whirling w so so much. I have so many thoughts and so many ideas every day. And having to still be quite still has forced me to pay attention to them. 

The word that keeps coming up is reclamation - reclaiming who I am and how I want to live my life moving forward… life seems a little less like I’m on the edge of a precipice - except in the middle of the night - but things still feel urgent - like I will run out of time before I get to do all the things I would like to. And I have been trying to stay true and listen to the emotions that come up as I continue to navigate the journey beyond - which as yet is a big unknown! 

Today was an easy day to reclaim how much living in harmony with our seasons means to me. How much I love being outside. This afternoon mom and I went for a glorious walk in the sunshine and then lion, our pup and I had some weeding fun in the garden. 

A friend asked me how I am feeling earlier today. I guess the answer today is so happy and grateful to be here and to live in such a beautiful place to call home close to the ocean and sea lions and the meadows and flowers and forests. I am cherishing these little moments. They feel big these days.

Thanks for being here. Xo 

#healing #gratitude #gardening #healinsiya #healcancer #coloncancercanada

📷 @sararasiwala 💖
Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as well to not get discouraged… 

Recovery takes time.

there are moments of feeling on top of the world and there are others where I feel flat and tired. 

There is my mind trying to propel me forward beyond the constraints of my body; and my body then signaling with a sharp outcry - you cannot do X, please rest. 

There is life with all its chaos and wants and needs coming at you, because you don’t live in a bubble, the ones you are in relationship with also have needs… 

And so you remind yourself that all you can do is keep showing up now, in this moment, in the best way possible… don’t do more, it’s not necessary- especially right now…

Be gentle today. Happy Sunday.

🙏🏼❤️✨

#journal #healing #recovery #cancer #healcancer #healinsiya #slowlife #yogalife #mentalhealth
Home again. Short - very short and slow - walks do Home again.
Short - very short and slow - walks down our street.
Strawberries at breakfast.
So many Hugs from my son.
Back rubs from my husband
My mom’s continuous kindnesses that keep the day humming.
Friends saying hello and bringing food and tinctures.
And flowers that I cut from our wild garden tonight which is coming alive with all sorts of surprises.

I had tulips in my hospital room the entire 11 days and I can tell you how much they inspired me. As their petals opened up slowly I grew stronger and more able every day after surgery. I saw the colors shining against the dull hues of the room when I awoke each morning and in the sunshine they glistened.

Flowers have healing powers say researchers, apparently patients who can see trees and flowers from their hospital windows vs those who cannot, take less pain medication and have shorter hospital stays… and yes they both relax and uplift us. 

I’ve always loved flowers. Only now I understand why.

Happy weekend!
#grateful #flowers #healingpowerofflowers #healcancer #healinsiya #natureheals #holisticwellness
Load More Follow on Instagram

Footer

Live slow, tread lightly, scatter beauty.

More

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Lexi Theme by Code + Coconut

 

Loading Comments...