Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hosting my women’s wellness workshop series with Sacha Palmer, founder of Core + Co and Shirley Patiroff, counsellor at Renew Your Mind.

These workshops (and Balancing Act’s concept) are all about connection, learning and most importantly growth as an individual and as a community.

The first part of this workshop started off with an energetic and uplifting Garuda class lead by Sacha followed by a nourishing afternoon tea with delicious Bowl & Arrow and Rawlicious treats.

Then finally a reflective session with Shirley discussing mindfulness and intimacy in our relationships.

It was so uplifting to see all the women glowing from the event, so I thought it would be insightful to share some of the top take-aways from the workshop.

1 – The power of movement

There is something very special about participating in an uplifting exercise class with a group of people, a community. The Garuda session wasn’t just about strength, movement, getting warmed up (although it sure did those things) but it made us more aware of our breath, the breath of people around us and connection with self and others through breath.

2. Guilt-free eating is more fun and delicious

I love sharing food with people especially wholesome and nourishing food! This time around I thought a sweet yummy afternoon tea with raw treats would do the job! It was also probably my pregnancy cravings kicking in 🙂 Bowl and Arrow and Rawlicious’ treats perfectly demonstrated how clean eating can be (and should be) fun and amazingly delicious.

3. Mindfulness and consciously creating a life we love

Shirley gave many handy tips and tricks to help us live our best life. She reminded us that each and every one of us have the ability to live life to the fullest, provided we consciously decide to do so. But it’s easier said than done, most of us, including myself (guilty as charged), are too “busy” rushing through our full lives, we’re not consciously creating it to look the way we want it to look.

A few takeaways from Shirley:

  • The importance of listening, (REALLY listening!) you will be surprised to see how much you can learn from and about your partner! And when it is your turn to speak, learn how to speak without an “agenda”.
  • The importance of mindfulness: Shirley is a big fan of mindfulness. It always seems like when we are mindful, we are happy and content and enjoying life. One of my goals is to be more mindful especially as we are expecting baby number 3!!

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose! A lot of us go through life mindlessly- a bit on autopilot.

To get in touch with mindfulness in your life, shirley recommends getting in touch with our five senses again! We seem to forget about them when we become adults. For more on Shirley’s mindfulness course, check out renewyourmind.co.nz

    • Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and see how you and your partner can learn from each other rather than keeping track of what the other did wrong.
    • “Mystery is not about traveling to new places, it is about looking with new eyes” – Esther Perel. Think outside the box – date nights don’t always have to literally mean a date night. If you can, go for walks, spend time together without being rigid, some of the greatest date nights can be on the sofa with a drink! And speaking of Esther Perel – this Ted Talk is a must!
    • And finally, to be more intimate and mindful with your partner, know yourself first and take care of you!! Implement self-care into your lifestyle. Health and wellness are not just things we should think about only once a month for a few hours, but rather, to reap the true benefits of it, we need to implement it into our lifestyle. It is a way of living.

I was so excited to be able to offer everyone wellness goodie bags with reminders to take moments out of our full lives for self-care and just simply enjoy what we have.

Thank you to all my brand sponsors, the goodie bags featured Next Magazine, Good Health Choices NZ, Ooh La La Candles (Natural Aromatic Car Diffuser), The Collective (super kefir mango turmeric and a pro-yo high protein yoghurt pouch), Velvet Skin and Body (Dermaplaning Special Offer), No Ugly (ginger & cucumber wellness tonics), Mamas Retreat (special offer), Antipodes Scientific Beauty (Divine Face Oil avocado oil & rosehip), Linden Leaves (Natural Skincare Sampler set), Harker Herbals (stree relief formulation), Urban Herbalist (20% off your next purchase voucher), Triquetra Candles (mini pure soy Reiki infused candle).

4. Connection with community

Through Balancing Act, my goal is to inspire people to live their best life and to make health and wellness fun and exciting. But my absolute favourite thing about the workshops is always the connections and relationships I’ve fostered, most of which started through the beauty of social media. But it is amazing when those relationships allow you to connect with such inspiring people in person – I am so grateful for these opportunities and hope you enjoyed them just as much I do!