SzeWing Vetault Podcast

Recently I have been taking Yin Yoga classes and I'm surprised how much I love it. For those who are not familiar with yin yoga, it is a form of yoga that requires you to hold your posture for longer than usual and hence it gives your body a deeper stretch. It tends to run at a slower pace and it can feel like a moving meditation and highly restorative. The class may look very quiet and not much seems to be happening if you are just observing the class. But if you take part, you will realise there is a lot going on beneath the surface, both in our minds and body when we are TRYING to keep still and stay calm. This reminds me of what Marianne Williamson often said in her lectures, when we go to the gym to workout, we train our muscles to be strong and so we can move better and faster. Spiritual practices like meditation or yoga train our mind muscles to be still and present. It takes time to build up our muscles and it requires consistent practice to stay strong. And it applies for both our body and mind. How true. To be strong inside and out, both body and mind, it actually requires both kinds of muscle. Now keep still and stay calm may sound easy but it can be challenging for us, the busy minds. When we are constantly bombarded by stimulations, distractions and stress that come from all parts of life, it is not easy to stay focused and centred. We want to keep moving and stay busy as a way to feel we are progressing and achieving more. However, if we act like a scattergun and running all directions, we actually won't get far. Also, if we are too busy chasing, we may even forget what we are chasing after. What is that we really want? The treasure we seek may get lost in the pursuit, as we simply forget why we are doing it in the first place. When we become still and quiet our mind, we will experience a new sense of clarity. We remember our WHY. We know and breathe our WHY. We pull back, stay on track and focus on what truly matters and relevant. Going back to my yoga love story. 10 years ago when I first discovered yoga, I loved those highly dynamic classes that made me sweat and felt sore after. I wanted to see and feel the physically benefit right the way. The younger me wanted to control everything: career, relationships, THE FUTURE! I didn't like to feel missing out and so I paddled really hard on everything I came to. Then one day, I was watching a detective show, and one of the characters said to the sidekick that she got to chill out, there are many tools in the toolbox and stop being a hammer all the time. It just doesn't work! I know I probably have accumulated some level of self-awareness and life lessons learned at that point, but sometimes it is one of those saying that really put me straight to the point. (plus I love the visual of an animated hammer just banging and making noise all the time) Fast forward to now, I am certainly older, and hopefully wiser. I have gained a different approach to life. Sometimes we need to move fast and push, but sometimes what we need is to pause or even pull back a little. Yin and Yang. In order to have MORE, sometimes we need to do LESS. The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule or the Law of the Vital Few illustrates that 80% of effects arise from 20% of the causes or 20% of your actions will account for 80% of your results. Since not all actions are created equal, when we picked the vital few but do them very well, we may get to what we want or where we want quicker. In order to know what are the vital few, we need clarity and focus. It comes back to my point all along that when we are still, calm and centred, we become super aware and hyper intuitive. We just know what to do. And more importantly, we then go and do it well. Is there any area of your life that feels like you're speeding? Perhaps it is time to slow down? Or there is uncertainty and you need to figure things out? If so, more than ever,

Do you follow the moon cycle or chart your own menstrual cycle each month? I didn't know how powerful and effective it can be when we plan our work and personal activities in conjunction with the cycle. For example, there are days in the month that our body needs to slow down and take extra rest, which means the perfect time to reflect and recharge. Then, there are days we feel more creative or energetic and we want to get more done. It makes total sense for me to plan accordingly, but of course, we can't always dictate our business schedule but it is important to become more aware. Let me tell you why. If we know our cycle better, then we will have a more realistic expectation of our energy levels and give ourselves permission to push when we have a full tank or pull back when the best we can do is to slow down. This is about being strategic and wise. May I just say it is true feminine wisdom at play. I think this is a really good self-care practice and a smarter way to look at productivity. So this week, I have an interview with Sharon Wood to share with you. We discussed the four phases of our cycle, how our hormones change and how to better look after our body, regardless of our age and where we are with our cycles. I met Sharon through Perfect Potion, my favourite shop for aromatherapy and natural skincare products. We both sold our books through Perfect Potion and we crossed path many times as at masterclasses and festivals. Finally, I get a chance to interview her and discuss Goddess Wisdom in my podcast. Sharon Wood is the Founder and Director of Emgoddess - an entity that is created to help and educate young women to understand and manage their menstrual cycles.  Sharon holds qualifications in holistic aromatherapy from The Tisserand Institute of London, combined with multiple certifications in Herbalism, Natural Fertility Management and Specialised Aromatherapy, Sharon has also worked as an Aromatherapist, including teaching aromatherapy at the Reflexology Academy of Brisbane and the International College of Holistic Aromatherapy. Interview Highlights Women cycle of life: We hardly talk about our menstrual cycle at school and the language around it tends to be rather negative. The intention here is to create a more empowering and positive message around our cycle. By understanding our cycles, it can be very empowering for women There are four phases for each cycle and the goddesses that are chosen in Sharon's book Emgoddess represent that and reflect the energy of each phase.  First, we have the follicular phase, then ovulation, luteal and lastly the menstrual phase.  The four goddesses representing the phases are Daphne, Demeter, Persephone and Hecate in that order.  Our hormones changes as we go through each phase and it brings an impact to our energy levels and how we feel emotionally.  Daphne - our follicular phase is all about energy, and she's independent, focused, confident and with high energy. It's a great time to start a project or set a new goal. Demeter - the earth mother, represents our ovulation and it is all about love and compassion. The high amounts of estrogen in your body make you very capable, and you are able to get a lot done during this phase. Persephone - the luteal phase, which is the pre-menstrual phase. It got a bit of a bad reputation. Pre-menstrual make seems moody, feisty, cranky. And the truth is that we can be all those things, but it also is a really strong, passionate and creative phase. Hecate - the menstrual phase, it is a more inward reflective and intuitive phase. It's time to sit back and think about how the month has gone. It's important to get more rest during this time.  Even if someone doesn’t cycle e.g. pregnant, nursing, peri-menopausal, it is still highly beneficial to chart the month by using the moon phases.  For hormone balancing, clary sage and geranium essential oils are great for a bath or diffuser. 

Many of us have heard about the notion of "infinite possibilities" in the "quantum field". But What does this all mean in simple terms? How can our understanding of the quantum universe help us to create the reality we want? I was always intrigued by these questions but I want answers that are grounded in spiritual wisdom and at the same time can be explained by science. Plenty of books and teachers talk about how to manifest, attract, and get what you want by co-creating your desired reality. Some teachings tend to be more metaphysical in language, while others are more pragmatic in nature.  After years of pondering and researching on this topic, what I’ve learned in short is this: The magic of creation begins when you integrate your intention with positive emotions.  I have shared this basic principle with my coaching clients and friends. Many of them (including me) have achieved some truly astounding results, for example: A long-term single woman found the love of her life and got married in a few short yearsMiracle babies have been conceived.A client between jobs started making a six-figure income, while another broke the barrier from making 6 to 7-figures in his business. For me, here is the bottom line:  You don't need to believe NO PAIN - NO GAIN. There is another way to create new possibilities for yourself, but the 2 keywords here are "Intention" and "Emotion". Please keep an open mind and let me explain with 2 simple examples here. Say, you want a new job or a new partner in a relationship. Both of these desires are “possibilities” because you can think or imagine them.  The most important principle of the quantum field is that all things are possible and that is the key premise. When you can think of a desire of what you want to create - it is a possibility. So, by default, both "possibilities" are part of the potential possibilities that exist as electromagnetic potentials in the quantum field. Now, at this moment in time, when you haven't land that new job or met that special someone YET means that you have not experienced these possibilities with your 5 senses. This is because they do not exist in this space-time RIGHT NOW. Your new job or perfect partner exists as a frequency or energy that is carrying the information, but only a possibility at this stage. To change from a possibility to become our reality, this information needs to be tuned into and observed into this space and time. In quantum mechanics*, we know of this as the "Observer Effect”.  In other words, to bring the potentials/possibilities we desire (the new job or new partner) into our lives, we need to connect our energy (emotions) to the frequency of what we desire (that possibly).  *More on the Observer Effect can be found on the February 26 issue of Nature 1998 (Vol. 391, pp. 871-874) Here is the interesting part; our body cannot distinguish if these emotions come via our imagination or from lived experience. We are programming our body to live as if this is our reality. Intentions and thoughts are the electrical charges we carry and send out to the quantum field. When we combine elevated emotions such as joy, gratitude, excitement, awe, love or inspiration, which are the same emotions we know we will feel when we get the job or meet our partner. These feelings are the magnetic charge we each carry. The combination of our thoughts (our electrical charge) and our emotions (our magnetic charge) creates our electromagnetic signature, also known as our state of being. We then broadcast this signature out into the field. When we find a vibrational match between our energy and that of our desired potential, we can attract more of that experience by being more conscious, more aware and more observant of that energy. This is how you experience fulfilling your desires. The working of this is similar to the metaphysical concept of law of attraction where the key to attracting/allowing your desires to manifest...

In the last few weeks since I got back into exercising (postpartum), I have been totally in love with my beautiful yoga leggings and tops from Flow Yoga Wear. As I grow older, I love to express who I am, what I love and how I live my life. Perhaps I am becoming more fearless (after delivering 2 babies through intense labour, I feel I can take on just about ANYTHING!) and I want to enjoy life more moment by moment. Doing yoga and writing my books fuel my creative expressions and wearing Kylie's beautiful designs is kind of a sweet treat for my self-care practice. With that said, you can imagine how excited I was to interview Kylie Morris, the muse behind this wonderful brand of luxury yoga wear for Every Body. I love the saying of "follow the flow, don't fight the current" and Kylie's journey of creating this authentic business is all about following the flow and taking inspired actions. A little more about Kylie Morris. She is an Australian Designer and Founder/Creator of Flow Yoga Wear. Flow Yoga Wear specialises in bespoke, bohemian yoga and fashion garments that are designed, printed and made with love in sunny Queensland, Australia. The dream at Flow is to create clothing that will inspire and encourage women of all shapes and sizes to move their beautiful bodies. That's me wearing Kylie's leggings at yoga classes and I am totally in love with the T-Shirt I just bought! Interview Highlights Kylie was recovering from a back injury which made her pause, taking time out and basically laying on the living room floor for 3 days - but then the idea Flow Yoga Wear finally took shape and it was born! Yoga Flow Wear is all about making every woman feel beautiful, like a walking piece of art, no matter their size and shape. They reflect the individual personality and uniqueness of each of us.  When it comes to creating our dream business - we got to show up and start even before we feel ready. To express your creativity or find your passion, try following your curiosity and interests. Go and explore, that action alone will create momentum.  Flow Yoga Wear was just a hobby at first, there was no pressure or hustle, just doing what she loves and her new designs just kept coming. She didn’t quit her day job in the early days and it actually made things easier.  When you are relaxed, and work from a state of non-stress, you become more powerful. There was no pressure of achieving anything quickly. It was just joy.  The feminine energy is receptive and relaxed. And from that space, we really can go in and create. Because if you're stressed out, if you're up here in your head, you see the problem but you cannot see the solution. How to balance the business side of things while nurturing our creativity, e.g. give yourself permission not to do everything, prioritize tasks and be more aware that not everything is equally urgent and important. Why it is so important to treat your creative work professionally Lessons learned about connecting with people in person and online for a business. To learn more about Kylie Morris and her designs, please visit Flow Yoga Wear. Video https://youtu.be/1YKD4M25pn4 Want more inspiration? You may be interested to download my FREE eBook - 21 Days of Inspirations It is a compilation of short passages that will uplift your mood and nurture your spirit. Perfect to read when you are taking time out and try to de-stress! This ebook brings you 21 passages of daily wisdom for living an inspired life. You can read it one a day to form a daily spiritual practice, or you can read it in any order. They are what I’ve learned and practised in my life for inner peace and outer success. Living an inspired and spiritual life helps you to know who you are, why you are here and what direction you want to go in your life. Get access to this eBook here. Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not,

If you read any successful entrepreneurs' biography or listen to interviews about their success secrets, you will inevitability come across the notion of good habits or rituals that help them to gain clarity, energy or productivity.  I love the science behind good habits and I am always open to trying new tools and systems. There are a few evidence-based habits that I find particularly useful and I would like to share them with you today. I have personally used them myself and fine-tuned them over time. You can make adjustments to meet your individual needs, but the concepts are clear and simple to follow.  Morning Routine Adequate sleep Everyone knows the importance of adequate sleep.  Research states that adults need on average at least 7 hours of sleep and recommends going to bed before 11 pm.  If you are a night owl, or work better at night, do what works for you.  You need to listen to your body.  Sometimes you may need more than 7 hours!   No Snooze When you hear your alarm clock go off, you need to get up right away.  Please do not hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.  If you do, you will likely to feel the effects of sleep inertia.  Unless you have another 90 mins to complete a full sleep cycle, you are guaranteed to have a foggy start to your day.  Plan ahead, go to bed earlier you need to, but try to wake up with your alarm clock.  Don’t hit snooze and drift off.  Placing my alarm at the other end of the bedroom, forces me to get up to turn it off.  This was a great help for me in the past.  Now, since I want to avoid waking the family, I use the silent alarm on my Fitbit.  This vibrates on my wrist and works really well.   After waking up, I get out of bed immediately.  Try to stack this habit with another one such as making your favorite morning cup of tea or coffee or green shake. Have everything ready in the kitchen the night before so that you can go straight into another healthy habit. Make sure your good habits are easy and convenient so that you have a higher chance to continue to do them. Plan Your Day and Track Your Energy This is really important for me. After my morning cupper, I look at my weekly planner and plan my day. I look at my top 3 priorities and Weekly To-Do List. From there, I pick one thing I want to focus on as my top project for the day and brain dump any relevant reminders into my day planner (or any note book will do!) For me, less is more. If everything is a priority then I won’t be able to focus on the most important thing. I also like to journal how I feel about my body and mind. This is my way to track my energy level. Not everyday is the same. I pay close attention to my menstrual cycle or moon cycle as I find my creative energy and productivity respond to the cycles. Some people call this the women body wisdom, and I like to take advantage to the days I feel energized and take on less on the days that I need to rest more. This is the most essential part of a morning routine for me and it takes about 5-10 minutes. If you would like to download my personal FREE Weekly Planner, Daily Planner, Energy Tracker and more make sure you go to my website and get it there. They are in the workbook of my FREE audio program - see the details at the end of this podcast cast/blog. Put First Thing First This is a habit taken from Steven Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  I will never forget the video where the presenter asked a random stranger to place a bunch of big rocks and a bag of sand into a jar.  Those who put the big rocks in first and then the sand managed to fit everything in with ease.  Those that started to with the sand first, were never able to put all the big rocks in after. I know many prolific writers have completed their novels in numerous 25 minute blocks simply because they cannot find hour-long windows to write.  They still manage to complete novels!  Prioritizing and completing your most important tasks f...

Do you sometimes wonder why you have a repetitive pattern in your relationships or life choices? Have you ever considered what is going on in your subconscious mind? Or how does intuition work? You may be intrigued by these topics but don't want to get into a "witchy-woo" type of conversation or simply find that too confusing to follow. I always like to put both science and spirituality together when it comes to learning and exploring these topics. It gives us a more holistic perspective. That's why I am so delighted to share my interview with Tatz Holmes for this week's podcast. Tatz is a qualified counsellor, a student intern psychotherapist, mentor, triple P positive parenting practitioner, public speaker, and spiritual teacher I met Tatz at the Mind Body Spirit Festival in Brisbane earlier this year. After my speaking gig, I walked passed her stall at the exhibition hall while she was playing her steel drum. I was instantly intrigued by the instrument and how captivating the music was. I cannot help myself but ask her about it. Within minutes I was blown away by her ability to engage in a highly intellectual conversation about meditation, intuition and our subconscious mind. All with both science & psychological explanations and spiritual connections. She is clearly "fluent" in both "languages" and not only it makes the conversation so much more interesting and intriguing, I felt I've found someone who really understands the importance to integrate both backgrounds and the ability to communicate that to the world. Tatz was just about to release her book "The Inner Art of You and I" and so I jumped on the opportunity to invite her to be my guest for my podcast. Highlights Integrating spiritual principles and knowledge with counselling and psychotherapy. Working with both mind and heart to help clients to heal and dive deep into their subconscious.   Process-orientated psychology - learn how to dream again. We start listening to the universe and to the world around us from a whole different perspective. Using intuition to read Tarot cards  - we use our inner psychic ability to see and hear and feel from the deepest inner core of ourselves and connect into everything that's around us  We may be isolating or social distancing but more than ever we need to connect to one another because this is a time to make the right decisions and do the right actions to support each other during the pandemic time. Sacred Soul Journey - to discover our scared wounds ( in spiritual language)/core wound (psychology term) and the core belief that is the issue and symptoms of this singular cause.  Our problems and our lives revolve around this core issue. When we know what that is, we then know what we're working with. Our core wound is not constantly in our awareness but it operates in the background and there is a whole belief system that comes with it, or holding us back without us knowing it consciously.  When we become more aware of our core wound, we can use different tools or strategies that suit us. For example, journaling can help some. When we catch our thought, we can make a decision to try to shift that. And that's where the science and the physiology explanations come in. Her book "The Inner Art of You and I” - is an inspirational empowerment book to help people to recognise that they're not alone in their suffering and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s also written to guide people through some of the processes and to grow in their own selves If you would like to connect with Tatz, please visit her Facebook page Video https://youtu.be/Qwh6NHLoq8A Subscribe Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I love to encourage you to do that. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Also, I offer special events and early-bird offer of my programs first on my podcast! Subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. Now if you are extra nice and kind,

Artemis is the Greek goddess of moon and hunt. In archetypal psychology, she is described as the archetype of an activist and protector. Women who have this archetype are drawn to nature and many of them care deeply about issues related to the environment, animals or women’s rights, children and those who need help and fair treatment.  Artemis women also tend to become more spiritual as they mature and attracted to the moon energy. Many Artemis women I know from my business communities are those who run purpose-driven businesses or are spiritually based healing practitioners.  As I write this blog post in the midway through 2020, I see many Artemis women rising to speak up or leading campaigns for making a world a better place. This year has been a challenging year for most people around the global. For those of us who are living in Australia, we started the year with the devastating bushfire. Then, we have the COVID 19 pandemic all over the world. In the midst of all these, we also witnessed the events of #BlackLivesMatter unfold. Never a time in my life that I have seen so many women, especially Artemis and Athena, working together to raise awareness, to champion initiatives and to rally forces to make positive changes in the world. This is what I want to highlight today. Apart from being the nature-lover as we know, Artemis as an archetype is also what we called the "mother bear”. Artemis has been depicted in many mythologies themed painting as such. When things are out of control or when those they cared are threatened, Artemis will protect them fiercely. We are living in a critical time, where environmental issues, sustainability, social justice and responsibility are brought into the forefront for us to examine. That’s why we need Artemis women who care so passionately and work so tirelessly to make things right for us and future generations to come. At the same time, those who have Athena as an archetype, the strategist and wise council, are the perfect teammate or in some cases, hybrid that make things happen.  I wrote about the Athena archetype a couple of weeks back, and some women who have both Artemis and Athena archetype active in them are highly empowered women who will change the world.  If you have these archetypes active in you, you may feel the urgency and the call to rise, to pursue your passion and purpose. The world needs you, more than ever.  So often we hear people say, they hesitate if they should start an initiative or a business or follow a dream. They are perhaps unsure about their first step, if it would work out or what people may think about them if they fail. The truth is, if you don’t start, you’ll never know. And even if the dream you have in mind does not turn out the way you wanted, there are always lessons learned and opportunities that followed.  We are so stuck in the “what if” scenarios and forget we need to be the change we wish to see.  So look around you, what calls you? What is the change you wish to see? What is the matter that you care deeply about? What brings you joy or sadness? Investigate both, let the curiosity to lead you to discover what your heart is telling you.  Both Athen and Artemis archetype has a common characteristic between them. They can focus and direct their energy to pursue a cause or goal they care about. Cherish this gift and figure out what is that you long to achieve.  Let your gift, talent and personal experience to guide you. Everyone has something unique to contribute to this world and make a difference. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, or worse, allow yourself to talk you out of it. Given we are living in such an uncertain time, it provides us with many new opportunities to right the wrong, or start something new that is positive and constructive. It is a great time to let love to trump fear, and to shine your light!  So think about 1 thing you care deeply about and consider what are the top 3 feasible act...

If you are a busy mum or career women, you can certainly relate to this scenario. It is almost 3 pm, your stomach is making noise, your back is sore and your mind is super tired. You just realised you haven't had lunch because you have been sitting in front of your computer for hours stressing about one thing or another. Your mind goes: "Oh dear, I really need to take better care of myself" Then, you got a phone call or SMS or email or someone knocks on the door. Once again, the idea of self-care went out of the window. We forget about it almost as soon as we remember it. When we don't have a good work-life balance or we let a project or person take over our lives for a time, our body will start to "talk to us" or "warn" us. We get headaches, backache, mood swing, insomnia just to name a few of the common symptoms. As our body and mind are connected, there is a lot we can learn from our body wisdom. In my interview with Camila Sunshine, we talked about her journey from working as an IT professional in Brazil to becoming a diverse bodywork therapist and mentor for women. We explored what it means to have freedom in life, and feminine body wisdom. I love the part we talked about our hips, how it holds so much information and emotion for us. You can listen to our podcast, or watch our video interview. You can find the highlights of our interview and transcripts below. Camila Sunshine is s fully accredited Remedial Massage Therapist and Holistic Kinesiologist. Her extensive skills also include NLP, Reiki, Coaching, Chinese acupuncture system, acupressure and Access Bars. Camila helps introverted conscious women in business to become unconventional leaders and create the impact they envisioned. You can connect with Camila by visiting her website or her FB page. Interview Highlights: Camila's journey of leaving her corporate job in IT in Brazil to discovering body wisdom in Australia. Now she works with conscious women with their business to become more integrated and conventional leaders. What does freedom mean to you? Freedom to choose what you want to doo. What is stopping you to pursue your heart desire?  How do we discern impulses vs. true heart calling or our life purpose? We cannot figure out certain things with only our mind, we need to actually explore it and have personal experience in order to know. How do we know if our desire comes from our ego or from our soul? Is the idea come from the mind or from our intuition?  Our body holds a lot of wisdom for us. Many pains or aches or diseases come from imbalances in our life. Our physical body informs our metaphysical well-being. It is important to connect our mind to our body. On a physical level, our hips are connected to our digestion and part of our support system. If the hips are weak, the muscles of our core aren’t working or our glute is not turned on, then our spine won’t be as supported and we may experience back pain. Also, when we are stressed, we tighten our butt cheeks!  On an emotional level, our hips hold our creativity. They hold our old stories, stress and stagnation. It is like a bowl, holding all things at the bottom. In a way, they also represent our flexibility. Feminine wisdom: You have to know your needs, wants and desires. You need to be able to ask yourself these hard questions!  Movement is highly important for our body, it reconnects us and they are expressions of our mind. Video https://youtu.be/MrvsfXn5GiQ Transcript Sze Wing:Hi, everyone. Today I have my guest Camila Sunshine with me. So I'm really happy to talk to Camila. We met years ago and then we bumped into each other again on the internet if that's the place to bump into, right? So I was intrigued because she offers a lot of different modalities, and as we caught up, obviously, she's also on a different journey. So a little introduction, so Camila, in terms of, I guess now, we call it embodiment mentor,

If you have Athena as your most active goddess archetype, you are likely to be someone who is highly productive, organized and strategic. Women who have this archetype tend to value highly on their intellect, strong mind and rationality. They see the bigger picture and hence they have the patience for goals or projects to come into fruition. You can see why Athena women often achieve a great deal of success, both in career and their personal life.  However, all these advantages also bring in certain aspects or tendencies that may be challenging for Athena women. One of which is about letting go of control and allow things to happen on its own or take its course. If you don’t know me, let me be very honest here, Athena is one of the most active archetypes in me since I was a little girl. My parents were happy for me to have an independent mind. I had my nose in my books most of the time and I caused no trouble growing up. But I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to "How to Do Things My Way". When I was little, the occasional healthy arguments at home or my “know-it-all” attitude was actually rather amusing for my parents. When I become an adult, the Athena archetype also serves me well because I can focus on my goals and strategic about my efforts. But now, as a mother with a newborn baby and a 3-year old daughter, the table has turned. I can exert very little control over my newborn baby. He decides when he would like to sleep, when and how much he would like to nurse and everything else that can throw my schedule or years of morning routine out of the window.  A few weeks ago we also had a false alarm of hyperglycemia with our newborn baby and we spent a couple of days at the hospital running tests and observations. That again taught me about keeping my head above water, stay positive and most importantly, stop fixating on the outcomes and how to assert control on the situation. There was nothing more I could do except allowing the doctors and nurses to do their jobs You may or may not relate to my motherhood scenario, but if you look at what has happened in Australia or around the world this year, there have been a lot of unpredictable events and disruption of life as we know it. Think about the bush fire in Australia, then COVID 19 and #BlackLivesMatter movement. There is a part we can do or can help, but there is a lot we cannot control. For instance, how others respond or react, or when the bushfire or pandemic will end or social issues be resolved. We just don’t have all the answers. Athena women in particular like a clear picture and know where things are going, but with these situations, we must become more flexible, and perhaps more importantly, change our expectations. Certainly, we want to maintain our integrity and do our best. Athena women can hardly be passive participants in life. However, if we adopt a more fluid approach, follow the flow instead of fight the current, we may find more ease and peace, even at a time of uncertainty. We may need to adjust to the new normal and make the best of what we can. If you would like to learn more about Goddess Archetypes or want to find out which archetype is most active in you, you may like to check out my earlier podcast & blog post about Goddess Archetypes and how they may affect our career decisions. Do you have Athena as an archetype active in you? If so, how are you managing the disruptions this year? Do you find letting go of control or changing expectation difficult? Share with me in the comments below or social media. I’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions or comments, you can post it here or  PM me on my FB page @SzeWingVetault or Instagram or email me at [email protected] More blogs & podcasts can be found on https://szewingvetault.com/blogs Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I love to encourage you to do that.

This is our follow up interview after our first podcast on Yogic Lifestyle and Living in Alignment episode. I wanted to talk to Belinda more about Goddess Circle, Women Rite of Passage, and building a community of women supporting other women. We also touched on the beauty and joy of women retreats she leads in North India, South India and Japan that include travel, yoga and wellness.  Belinda O'Dea is a heart-based certified Yoga & Meditation Teacher in Hatha, Mantra, Tantra, Vinyasa and Yin yoga. She is also an accomplished fashion designer and she is passionate about yoga, travel and wellness and that's why she now takes women on beautiful retreats several times a year to North India, South India and Japan. She is originally from Australia and currently a citizen of the world. Belinda is an experienced Women's Circle Leader where she creates a safe, welcoming and inspiring space for all women to participate, to feel the connection and the importance of the sisterhood. She also offers personal or business 1-1 mentoring for women as well.  Interview Summary & Highlight What is a Women Circle or Goddess Circle?  Magic happens in a women circle when we form a community of support with transformation, opening, speaking from our hearts and listening. It creates a very safe space for women without judgment. Whatever happens in the circle stays in the circle, there is a lot of opening and sharing  There is a set of agreements to keep the circle to feel safe and scared. It sets the tone of non-judgement and it is not a public speaking platform. It is about speaking from your own feeling inner experience but there is no obligation to speak either.  Some of the agreements include: we all take a turn to speak, but only one person speaking at a time. There is no jumping in, no fixing or “helping”, just listen deeply and wholeheartedly.   As a result, we allow ourselves to free our emotions and express them instead of stopping them from surfacin Women's circle is like "the other sister of yoga" because it's another way of discovering things about ourselves that don't necessarily arise normally. Two type of circles: Open Circle (no fix or set number of members and come with broader questions, e.g. What are you focusing or struggling or grateful for right now?) and Close Circle (it has a fixed number of member each time and come more intimate or deeper questions as you get to know one another  e.g. Spiritual Practice of Women's Cycle, Rite of Passage experience, initiation, etc.) Rite of Passage: Birth, Menstruation, First Sexual Experience, Pregnancy (which can also be about giving birth to an important project), Menopause. There is a lot of healing work that we can do retrospectively and there are layers of information and insights at each rite of passage as we explore and dive deeper each time when we reflect on that we’ve experienced.  Get to know ourselves in this feminine body, in this female existence, learning how to try and rest into being and accepting who we are through the practice of yoga. 10 Days Women Travel, Yoga and Wellness Retreat: North India - it’s like a spiritual pilgrimage, the retreat is called "Divine Mother India”. South India retreat is called “Living in Alignment”, it’s held at an Ayuverdic retreat centre and it’s about living in a yogic way and Ayuverdic lifestyle with workshops and daily massages and treatments. The retreat in Japan is called "The Art of Femininity", it is a cultural yoga tour where we take on different activities like flower arranging, calligraphy and also doing mindfulness meditation and yoga while staying at a Zen Buddhist temple. If you would like to connect with Belinda, please visit: https://belindaodea.com/ or Facebook via her yoga, travel & wellness page Video https://youtu.be/_Gm9oQy5ySw If you have any questions or comments, you can post it here or PM me on my FB page @SzeWingVetault or Instagram or email me at ...