Paracosm Studio of Movement

Happiness over busy-ness.
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Friends, I would apologize for the radio silence this past week+, but I'm not even a little bit sorry. I went on an adventure with my mom out to Nova Scotia and it was the most amazing escape and reset. My focus this summer, since closing the studio, has been to simply "be" and let the Universe guide me where it wants. Rather than constantly trying to plan future steps, I'm allowing myself to relax into my own being. This has involved a lot of emotions, but the main one for sure has been joy. Finding and following things, paths, and people who bring happiness into my life, rather than trying to check the boxes of expectation. I'm finding more and more happiness in the slowdown, which unfortunately is not what takes priority in so much of this world. The culture and environment of the east coast is so different! The slowdown is the norm. Everyone seems to be much more at ease with their own pace, not always racing to keep up or stay ahead. Such an important lesson in my own integration of happiness.
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Recognize that the highs and lows of emotion are there to highlight and balance one another. Neither lasts forever, so if you can learn to ride the waves, acknowledge the feelings as they come, allow space for them to run their course, then release them when it's time, you'll be able to live much more easily in a flow state. On the flip side of this, it's important to remember that often when life feels "boring", it is simply neutral, neither high nor low, and there's a special kind of magic to those moments in life as well. ↗️↘️🧘‍♀️🙏💚

Who here believes in magic? 🙋‍♀️✨🧚‍♀️

In my post yesterday, I asked about what makes you feel free. Something that came up in the comments was the idea of being present in the moment, not getting stuck in the past or caught up in the future. This is such an amazing point when it comes to developing your sense of freedom. Allowing yourself to be present right now, experiencing your life as it exists today, rather than focusing on the regrets or mistakes of the past and the what ifs and to dos of the future. Allow yourself to be present with this moment and see what freedom and magic that presence can provide.

Where do you feel the strongest sense of freedom? Is it a place? Is it a state of being? Is it in certain company (yourself, a loved one, a community)? What makes you feel truly free?

It is part of the human experience that we all want to feel seen and heard. Depending on your personality, you might want to feel seen by everyone, or you might want to stay out of the spotlight but still feel acknowledged by those closest to you. Either way, this feeling is normal. We should feel this. It's how we build a sense of connection. There are also certain parts of growth and personal development that happen so internally that they are rarely recognized by external eyes.

If you are setting goals for your inner work and starting to feel the results of doing that work, if you're starting to notice the changes and growth in yourself, please acknowledge and applaud yourself for that progress! It is no small thing to make those changes, even if it might feel invisible because you can't show off your progress on social media. The things happening under the surface are no less valuable than the visible progress. You are the one who lives in your own mind, body, and soul. If you can feel the changes, they are there, and you should celebrate them. 💚

Can you keep a secret? It's not really a secret. I'd say it's pretty obvious by now. I love nature. I love being outdoors. I love exploring. I love being near (and in) water. I love soaking in all the forest has to offer and allowing it to refresh my soul. I also love sharing these magical experiences with the people I care about. Do you love exploring? If I were to announce ahead of time when and where I'm hitting the trails (or streams), would you want to meet up to join me? Let me know! Outdoor adventures abound this summer! 😁🏞✨💚

I've said it before and I'll say it many more times to come: growth, change, transformation, whatever you want to call it, is hard. It's scary. It's uncomfortable. It's so much easier to NOT change, even if your life and behaviour patterns aren't serving you or are even causing you distress. Staying the same feels safe and familiar. Change means opening yourself up to a whole world of new possibilities, both good and bad, and you can't be sure which way things will go until you commit to taking the chance. I have to say though, I've taken a lot of chances in my life that were scary and full of uncertainty, and there's not a single one of them that I regret. I love the woman I am and I'm excited for the woman I'm becoming, and all of it has grown out of the experiences where I embraced the possibilities for change that came into my life.

If you're waiting for time to heal you, keep in mind that time alone isn't enough. It helps, yes, but you can't wait out your pain, especially if it's a big hurt. It'll still be there, waiting for your attention. Take time to feel your emotions. Make time to sit with the discomfort or anger or sadness. Give them acknowledgement. Doing this will make it much easier to move through the healing process with intention and self-compassion.

It's been a slice, Kerr Street, but we're on to the next adventure! This past month of closing this studio down has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but now that all of the stress has blown over, I'm left with only excitement for the wide open possibilities of the future. I promise we will have a physical space to fill with new memories, but for just a little while, I'll be focusing on less "doing" and more "being". I have a feeling the Universe will show me what's next. 🧘‍♀️🙏🌌✨

Feel free to share your favourite PoleFit Nation and Paracosm memories in the comments! 💜💚

Sunday self care on a Monday. (Where are the days even going?)
I don't know about you, but I am pretty prone to overwhelm. If I have a lot of s**t to do, I tend to freeze up and procrastinate, resulting in significantly lower productivity (which is not the end of the world, but can be difficult when you legitimately need to get things done). What I've started doing instead is breaking up my overall to-do list so that each day's list only includes 1-3 things. If I get those things done and feel on a roll, then I can look at my overall list and keep going, but if just doing those few things feels like a struggle, then it's easy to stop and still feel like I was able to check something off my list, even if it's only one thing. I find this approach much less overwhelming, and at the end of the day, I'm left feeling more accomplished because I did the tasks that I set out to do.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I take a lot of nature pics. I especially love taking close ups of whatever critters I can find (as close as they'll let me get). Whenever I do, I very specifically take the time to greet my nature friend subject, ask if I can take their picture, then graciously thank them (extra graciously if they're especially cooperative) and wish them a lovely day. I do all of this out loud, which would probably seem strange to anyone who happens to witness the process. The reason I do this is to actively practice my gratitude skills. The way we interact with the world not only impacts those we interact with, but also has an effect on our own wellbeing. If you actively interact with an attitude of gratitude, your entire experience will be more positive, both in giving and receiving.
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