Life in Balance

With the changing seasons and a new wave of pandemic-related lockdowns, it can be hard to find the motivation to do things that we know are good for us.  Stef and Nicole share their struggles with finding motivation, how being intentional and knowing your why can help, and how to find the balance between pushing yourself to find motivation and taking time off to do nothing. Stef and Nicole also look at what yoga and meditation practices can teach us about being able to discern between energy, effort and ease.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In today's episode, Stef and Nicole talk all about how taking ownership of our thoughts, feelings, and actions can help us find empowerment. They discuss ownership through the lens of yoga, a pandemic, challenging experiences and hard conversations. Tune in to find out what yoga can teach us about taking responsibility, stepping away from victimhood, why pity parties can be helpful, compassion, and more.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In today's special episode, Stef and Nicole take you on a trip down memory lane! Normally, in the second week of November, Stef and Nicole are in the south of France hosting the Life in Balance Retreat. But the global pandemic had other plans! If you've ever been curious about what goes down on our retreats, the kinds of people who attend them, and what some of the highlights are, this episode is for you. Stef and Nicole talk about all the details that go into planning this special week together and share some of their favourite retreat memories. The next Life in Balance Retreat is scheduled for November 2021, so contact us at [email protected] if you'd like to be added to the waitlist!

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In today's special episode, Stef and Nicole take you on a trip down memory lane! Normally, in the second week of November, Stef and Nicole are in the south of France hosting the Life in Balance Retreat. But the global pandemic had other plans! If you've ever been curious about what goes down on our retreats, the kinds of people who attend them, and what some of the highlights are, this episode is for you. Stef and Nicole talk about all the details that go into planning this special week together and share some of their favourite retreat memories. The next Life in Balance Retreat is scheduled for November 2021, so contact us at [email protected] if you'd like to be added to the waitlist!

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In today's episode, Stef and Nicole take inspiration from the book called "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" by Elizabeth Gilbert to talk about what creativity means and how it can be expressed in daily life.  They explore ideas around perfectionism, the myth about what creative endeavours should look like, how creativity relates to problem-solving and ways to generate more creativity and curiosity. 

The quote mentioned at the beginning of the episode reads: “Are you considering becoming a creative person? Too late, you already are one. To even call somebody “a creative person” is almost laughably redundant; creativity is the hallmark of our species. We have the senses for it; we have the curiosity for it; we have the opposable thumbs for it; we have the rhythm for it; we have the language and the excitement and the innate connection to divinity for it.”

To purchase Big Magic, visit: https://amzn.to/3oDFXI4

The other book mentioned is the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://amzn.to/31SIkgC

Please note these are affiliate links, which means we gratefully receive a commission from any purchases made through these links.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In the Season 2 debut, Life in Balance podcast co-hosts Stef Stanfield and Nicole Catenazzi talk about what most people think when they think of yoga: asana! Yoga asana – or yoga postures – are a big part of yoga in the Western world. Oftentimes, people won't even start a yoga practice because they're worried that they're not flexible enough to take a class or don't know where to start. What are some of the barriers that come up with the physical aspect of yoga, and what lessons can we learn from our mats that we can take into the world? Stef and Nicole talk about their experiences both as yoga teachers and yoga students for how to find ways to navigate some of the common barriers and find ways to make your yoga practice work for you.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In the final episode of season 1, Stef and Nicole talk about having expectations. Specifically, the challenges or disappointments that can arise if we become too attached to an expectation of how something should turn out. Whether it's having expectations about a vacation, about work, or of other people, what opens up when we can learn to let go of expectations? What's the difference between having goals and having expectations? Stef and Nicole share their own experiences with how having expectations got in the way of the present moment, and tips they have for how to find freedom in the journey. 

Season 2 debuts in Autumn 2020! 

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

If you've ever experienced pain either through injury or ailment, you may have felt like your body is failing you, or you're failing your body. In this week's episode, Stef and Nicole share their personal experiences of navigating physical pain. They talk about how easy it is to get caught up in identifying with pain, how much we rely on the body to determine how well we are, and how versatile the body is in how we experience life. Since the physical body is just one small part of yoga both on and off the mat, what else is at play when we lose the ability to do something that we once did easily? Do we become so attached to how long the feeling will last and when it will be over that we miss the point along the way? Yes of course we all want to feel good and be well, but is there a way to meet the reality of the situation with compassion and kindness? These are questions that Stef and Nicole explore and they share their tips for how to navigate pain or discomfort.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In this episode, Stef and Nicole talk about the need we sometimes feel to break away from something we're doing to an extreme. In seeing a greater number of people needing to take breaks from social media, Stef and Nicole discuss ideas for how to balance all parts of modern life in a rather than getting so deep into or attached to something that we have to break free from it. Ideas around shame, boredom, mindfulness and staying inspired come up in the conversation and ways to switch things up in your life before you hit the point of needing to take a hard-and-fast break from something.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.

In this episode, Stef and Nicole talk about the need we sometimes feel to break away from something we're doing to an extreme. In seeing a greater number of people needing to take breaks from social media, Stef and Nicole discuss ideas for how to balance all parts of modern life in a rather than getting so deep into or attached to something that we have to break free from it. Ideas around shame, boredom, mindfulness and staying inspired come up in the conversation and ways to switch things up in your life before you hit the point of needing to take a hard-and-fast break from something.

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved recording it! Want more balance in your life? Subscribe to our podcast to automatically receive new episodes, share the love by giving us a 5-star review, and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lifeinbalance_project/.