"The surest test of discipline is its absence." -Clara Barton
"Discipline is about choosing between what you want now. and what you want most." -Abraham Lincoln
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Greetings!
Happy 1st of April! It's a new quarter of the year and a great time to assess how things are going, make shifts, and adjust accordingly to the status of our current situations. You know what they say about the best laid plans?
Mark this newsletter and share it with friends. It contains lots of useful information for March including menu ideas, calendar, and monthly challenges. I love writing these newsletters each month to mark the journey through the year and each new month.
We have now passed the global equinox and in the northern hemisphere there is new life sprouting all around. We are in Aries season with the initiation energy to launch new plans and projects. Aries is ruled by Mars which comes with a warrior energy and more focus than we may experience at other times of the year. Take advantage of that to map out how you will achieve your goals this season and this year.
How did you do with balance last month? Maybe you discovered something new about your self and made some adjustments in a positive direction.
The focus of April is DISCIPLINE.
So far this year we have been through Focus - Purification - Balance. Its so important to pay attention and cultivate these aspects in our lives that can so easily pass us by when we are going through the motions of life. We can't do it all at once, but we can go one by one.
As we progress through the cycles of the year, we are moving into a period of transition and growth. It's great to have ideas and visions for our lives, but they remain ideas until we take action and transform them into something happening and shifting. Everything starts with an idea. Our summer vacations are an idea until we take the action of making the plan, booking the tickets, taking the time off work, and so on.
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Taking action on an idea or goal related to our health is most likely going to require discipline because so much of our current health situation can be shifted by diet and lifestyle adjustments. This is especially challenging because now we are dealing with habits, and changing habits isn't going to happen overnight. How long did it take your kids to say "thank you" unprompted when you started teaching them around 18 months old? Or brushing teeth? Or...? You get the idea. Of course we make a choice that want to raise our children to be polite so we continue to prompt them until they do it on their own.
The same thing is true for our health. We make a choice related to our health status, an improvement of some sorts or dealing with an issue. We decide what we need to do consistently to make that happen. Then we apply the discipline and practice doing it again and again until it comes naturally.
For example, I decide that I'm going to have a 5-minute meditation every morning before I get up and into my day. That goes well for a few days, then the weekend comes and I totally forget about this new plan and move into the next week back to old routine without the meditation. Once I remember, I get back to it. This time I make a chart or a I put a reminder on my phone that I will see when my alarm goes off. I continue to use the check list or reminder until I naturally can't imagine moving into my day without a short meditation.
You may have a break this month or a long weekend. Take some time to pay attention and plan what action you want to engage or re-engage when you move back into your daily and weekly routines. For those of you who are managing your family, it may be a time to review and revise family routines to make things run smoothly for each individual and also for the family unit.
I'm back in London now after a month on the road in several states in the U.S. and a final stop in Canada. I am working on my own discipline of resetting my routines and upgrading habits after being away on the road for a while.
Wishing you all an exciting month of new endeavors!
Cheers,
Sheila
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Why do I talk about the moon cycles, mercury retrograde, equinox, solstices, and sun placements, and include them in the calendar?
For some time I have included references to the cosmos in my newsletters. I've always had a curiosity about both western and Chinese astrology. Both systems are much more familiar and more mainstream now than they have been in the recent past. From my point of view, this is simply another tool we can use to better understand ourselves and the world we live in.
When I was younger I often wondered why calendars noted the days of the full moon and new moon. Remember back when we all had paper calendars and the moon phases were printed in along with bank holidays and important dates? It turns out the moon cycles are a remnant of past calendars that included cycles and positions of all planets. As the planets represent energies and influences, this was an important source of information of these greater influences during each period.
Our seasons and many traditions that we continue to celebrate have origins based on the sun and moon placements including Easter, Passover, Chinese/Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Diwali, and of course the Celtic Pagan traditions and Sabats are based on the annual solar cycle.
These cycles give us important benchmarks throughout the year and our lives. Just as the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, we spiral through our lives from season to season and year to year. We go through periods of growth, of bearing the fruits of our labors, and of pruning back only to begin a new cycle.
As my own spirituality has deepened and expanded, so has my connection to the realm of cycles coming from the cosmos that we experience here on Earth the most basic example of that being day and night. Sunlight is essential to all life. As we orbit the sun, we experience cycles of night and day of varying lengths according to our location in the world. This cycle informs our growing season, our cultural traditions, our energy levels, and circadian rhythms down to single cells in all living organisms.
The lunar cycle influences our moods, hormones, sleep cycles as well as the tides and biological rhythms of marine animals. Ask any teacher and they most likely know that the full moon tends towards mood instability and dysregulation. This could be due to restless sleep during this period. While the moon clearly influences women's monthly cycles, there is plenty of evidence that the moon cycle infuences us all and our cells even retain more water during the full moon.
Mercury and Mercury retrograde have become mainstream in recent years. Even those who don't know exactly what that means from a cosmic and planetary perspective are likely to have some awareness that Mercury retrograde is associated with disruption to travel, communication, and technology. Mercury represents the messenger and is associated with these topics.
All of the planets carry their own unique energies and symbologies. The planets move into various positions in the cosmos, and these energies express themselves in various ways. The sun's position according to the stars and constellations informs the zodiac calendar, the horoscopes. You might say it's like the way that clouds may express themselves distinctly depending on their relationship to large bodies of water or to mountains or other landforms. We can't predict exactly what the cloud cover will do on a given day, but according the the position of the clouds we check the weather forecast and plan parts of our day accordingly. In the same way, awareness of the planetary placements provides a kind of energy forecast to inform of us of the kinds of experiences that we may encounter. We can use this to inform planning of activities and pursuits that we are engaging in throughout the weeks of the year.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
APRIL STUDENT SPECIAL
This month I'm offering free mini-sessions to students (16-25 y.o.) or 12-15 y.o. together with a parent.
This is a complementary health session designed just for students and all young people.
During this session, we'll look at personalized strategies related to a specific health challenge. Share this opportunity with a student in your life and support them getting on a path to health. This includes resolving health issues through a variety of holistic modalities.
It's in the nature of youth to experiment and explore and separate from the family norms. This is normal development. One of the current challenges for young people if that their source of information is often social media. This is great for music and movies, but may not be the most reliable source of information for health decisions. The greatest asset we have is our health which allows us to pursue our lives with the fullest vitality.
Simply email me at sheila@sheilascoaching.com with the subject line - Free Student Session - we will go from there and schedule a convenient time.
All calls are confidential. I have extensive personal experience with mental health like anxiety, depression, or mania, family wellness, inflammation, weight management and pre-diabetes, stress, and hormone balance.
New Intake Sessions ongoing through mid-May.
April is the new January! It's a new season with new energy to harness to making progress. it's also the season of new life and growth. What new life are you nurturing for yourself this year? What would you like to have achieved by summer?
This process starts with a free consultation of about 20 minutes to discover what will likely work best for you. During this chat we also look at our calendars and find a convenient time to schedule sessions. In between sessions, we communicate by email.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I help my clients find the easiest most actionable items to move forward on the journey to your optimal health. Get started with an intake and a bundle of sessions and reach significant progress on your health goals by summer!
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1:1 Health Coaching
A Health Coach is an expert at sorting through the details to identify the source of the challenges and works together with you create a plan towards an obtainable solution.
All 1:1 clients get fully customized support to find the most simple adjustments to reach their health and wellness goals through a variety of holistic modalities.
GROUP COACHING:
Want your family to be in a better mood or your team to be more productive? Or do you just want to team up with others towards better health and increased energy? Diet and lifestyle choices make a huge impact especially in terms of longterm vitality.
This can range from a one-time workshop or talk to a full extended program with weekly sessions.
All of my work is totally bespoke to you and your group. Email me at sheila@sheilascoaching.com to discuss how we can work together.
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APRIL 2024
Focus of the Month: DISCIPLINE
April - We launch into a new season and nourish the seeds that have been planted. Discipline supports the growth of strong roots.
1 April - Mercury stations retrograde - reminds us to review and revise technology and communication in our lives, can be disruptive.
8 April - New Moon - This New Moon in fiery sign of Aries encourages us to to show up in our divine authenticity.
8 March - Total Solar Eclipse - Eclipses carry the potential to accelerate change and forward motion in our lives, individually and collectively.
***This eclipse is being referred to as the Great American Eclipse as the area of totality crosses from Mexico into the United States and finally into Canada crossing the entire continent.
If you are fortunate enough to be in a location to experience it directly, be sure to use appropriate glasses for viewing.
Also, many people will be traveling to the areas of totality creating an influx of population in small local areas. Come prepared as some areas may not be well-resourced to support a great increase in population.
The whole planet experiences the energetic impact of eclipses. ***
9 April - Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy fasting month of the Islamic tradition.
19 March - Taurus Season begins - get grounded and settled in the new season - an earth sign ruled by Venus, this season invites us to celebrate the beauty of the Earth. Enjoy the blossoms and fertility of the season.
22 April - Earth Day - annual celebration to support and protect our planet.
22-30 April - Passover - In the Jewish tradition, Passover involves a thorough cleaning of the house and a feast with special seasonal dishes that carry much symbolism including rebirth and renewal as well as remembrance and mourning of that which has been lost.
23 March - Full Moon - This month's full moon in Scorpio may bring deep emotions and contemplations. The full moon illuminates the fullness in our lives and is an opportunity to practice gratitude and recognize growth.
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Challenges of the Month - DISCIPLINE
DREAM - DECIDE - DO
Take Inspired Action - you are in charge of your this one beautiful life for yourself.
It's important to remember that our body, mind, and spirit are all connected. Many things will support more than one simultaneously. Also, when we focus on one area we may find ourselves uplifted in other areas as well.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Share the monthly challenges and ask family members which one they are most interested in trying out. This is a great way to connect collectively or individually. You can get a pulse on how everyone is doing while strengthening honest and open communication which gives everyone the opportunity to support one another. That's a WIN - WIN - WIN in my books!
- SPIRIT
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DREAM - Imagine optimal health in your life in all areas - mind, body, spirit. What does that mean for you? What does that look like? What will that mean for your life? How will you feel?
- MIND:
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DECIDE - Pick one thing from your optimal life that you want to do the work to make that a reality. Only pick one! Consider the challenges you can expect to move through with on the journey. This may be related to sleep, attitude, hydration, movement, stress, relationships, meals, work/life balance, toxic load, breathwork, creativity,education, or anything really.
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DECIDE - One daily action you can take to move you towards making this shift in your life.
- BODY:
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DO - Do the action every day.
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DO - Do what you need to do to do the action every day.
- Have a plan.
- Make a chart and check it off each day.
- Set an alert or reminder.
- Set things up the day before.
- Don't worry about missing a day, just get back to it.
I love focusing on just a couple of things at a time. Remember this is about building strong foundations one brick at a time. Continue to stay well hydrated, get plenty of movement throughout the day, don't skimp on sleep, and practice gratitude.
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MENU OF THE MONTH:
Celebrate the new season. In the early spring we see the first sprouting of greens which may be a bit bitter as they haven't yet received the full warmth of the sun.
Remember that eating protein before starches and sweets reduces blood sugar fluctuations which often lead to unstable energy.
These menus, like my coaching sessions, are made for you to customize them according to your likes and preferences and what fits best into your life and your regular meals. They are a framework meant to be adjusted.
Get in touch if you would like more menu support or would like a specific recipe.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon
Bacon slices or sausage links (optional)
Lunch:
Quiche or frittata
Greek or Tabouleh salad
Chunk of brie or other cheese
Strawberries
Snack:
Cup of bone broth
Dinner:
Shrimp
Asparagus
Roasted Baby Potatoes
After dinner/bedtime beverage:
Warm milk with honey or chamomile tea
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There are dozens of routes you could take to navigate health challenges, and you need to know which one will work best for you and your situation.
In my experience, it's the simple tweaks that can really move the needle here and they might be in your blind spot.
Get in touch to discover what will work best for your unique self!
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MINI SESSIONS
Mini-sessions are available on an ongoing basis. Not ready to commit to a full program? A quick chat with a couple of specific questions can provide a lot of clarity and point you in the right direction.
There's also lots of health advice out there that isn't necessarily good for everyone. In the current environment of over-saturation of information it's super easy to go down rabbit holes and even unnecessary or potentially harmful detours.
We've experienced that first hand in our own family. What you read about in headlines or social media rarely tells the whole story and is specifically meant to benefit someone, not likely yourself or myself.
25-minute sessions for voice call or video call to ask me anything and get tips and tricks to navigate through any issues that are currently coming up.
All calls are confidential and appropriate for yourself or challenges a child or other person in the family are dealing with. I have extensive personal experience with mental health like anxiety, depression, or mania, family wellness, inflammation, weight management and pre-diabetes, stress, and hormone balance.
Cost: £20 per session
--> --> How to sign up?
Great question. Just click on the link below. Pop me an email and we'll get you scheduled in. Be sure to send a couple of preferred time windows.
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