Wild and Grounded

Are you coming to yoga this week!?
Don't forget to register at https://app.ubindi.com/Kristin.Reid

See you Wednesday!

I've had a few people reach out lately about custom work so I thought I'd make a post about it.

To be very honest, I struggle with custom work when it's required of me on a regular basis. Because I don't have a lot of time to paint, when I have a lot of custom work, I begin to feel restricted by it.

My favourite way to paint is to just sit down and create. To come up with new ideas and try them out. To play and just be curious!

That's why when I come up with a new idea for custom pieces I open it up for a short window (while I'm still inspired by it). I do lots at once and then move on.

This is the way I work best without getting burnt out and still loving what I do.

That being said, if you see a custom piece I've offered in the past and you'd like one, I'm usually open to creating it for you! For now, this works for me in this phase of my business journey.

I have a highlight that shows the custom pieces I create. As I come up with new things, they will be added!

Hope that makes sense!

So if you see something you like or would like as a gift for someone special in your life, please reach out!

If you've ever taken a class with me before, you know that I'm super laid back. Whether I'm teaching painting or yoga, my main intention is to help you feel supported and seen.

And that's exactly what I'll do in this class too.
Watercolour can seem intimidating. I know! But it doesn't have to be.

And I am going to show you how to paint flowers in a way that is so simple and fun, you'll come out with a piece you can frame and display with pride :)

There's nothing better than being able to say "yes, I made that!"

Monday, April 8th
6:30 - 8:30
Jess Jones Recreation Therapy Inc.
$55 (includes all materials and light refreshments)

https://jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/events/exclusive-watercolour-workshop-with-kristin-reid

When I was younger I wanted to embody what it meant to be masculine. I didn't realize it, or use those words, but my actions, and my desires said it all.

The world valued what it meant to be a man, and as a girl who grew up in the 80s/90s, we were told that to be valued as a woman, you needed to embody the masculine.

We weren't told to step into out feminine.
We weren't told that what we bring to the world is just as valuable.
We weren't told that embodying both the masculine and the feminine was important.

We were told to show up as men do so that the world could see how bad ass we were too.

All of that cracked open in me when I became a mother. I began to understand what it truly meant to embrace my feminine. To lean into it. To see it's enormous power.

Today, I get to go teach yoga to a group of women at a local business. I get to share this energy with them through movement and breath and I am so honoured. I get to offer an opportunity to celebrate women to a group of successful, driven women.

And most importantly, I get to offer an opportunity to think big. To offer our practice not just as something for ourselves, but as an offering to all women. As a reminder that women supporting women is a powerful act.

Happy International Women's Day everyone ✨

Hey nature lover, want to take your hikes to the next level!?

I am so excited to announce these monthly meetups.

Each month we will be exploring a new area of the city (and surrounding area). We will go on a hike and then choose a spot to sit and create our nature journals.

New to nature journaling?

That's ok! I am going to gently guide you into this mindful activity that is oh so rewarding :)

I will teach you the questions to ask, how to record visually, and journal prompts to add to your pages.

I love combining everything my senses are taking in with my inner thoughts and feelings. It feels so grounding and uplifting all at the same time.

The first meetup will be:
March 24th
9:30 - 11 (ish)
$25
Medway Forest (entrance behind the Museum of Archaeology)

Questions? Send me a DM
Or head to the link to sign up!

https://app.ubindi.com/Kristin.Reid

Do you ever feel like you're not quite sure what your purpose is?
Or maybe you just feel disconnected from life.
A little alone in this world with all of your uniqueness.

Me too.

That's why I use yoga and art to support my wellbeing.

Meditation allows you to truly feel what's going on inside of you. Not only that, it also allows you to feel so connected to LIFE. This solitary practice magically allows you to feel completely connected to the world around you - people, environments, energy. It's crazy!

When I feel more connected to things outside of myself, I feel less alone. I feel like I have more purpose. Like everything I do isn't unseen. It's so easy to feel unseen in this world, but meditation helps me feel seen, helps me feel connected to everything around me. And that is powerful.

Combine this with art and it's like a wellbeing powerhouse! It has been scientifically proven that art can CHANGE YOUR BRAIN! When you engage in an artistic activity, your body releases hormones like serotonin and dopamine, which help to relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. These changes, over a short amount of time can rewire your brain!

When we combine meditation, movement, and art, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to feel more calm, less reactive, more purposeful, and overall increase our mental and physical health.

That's why I am so excited to offer my next workshop this Thursday.

We will be doing some gentle movement, a short but powerful meditation, and create some abstract art using watercolours. We will be taking what we feel and sense in our yoga practice and expressing it through paint. You will go home with a piece of art that is truly inspired by your inner self.

So come join me! It's going to be so great!

https://app.arketa.co/alignmvmntstudio/checkout/Tr93oTiSdqsEDikoP4o3

1 Week until this amazing event!

I am so excited to be offering this experience. It combines so many of my favourite elements of wellbeing!

If you aren't sure what it's all about, head to this link or DM me with any questions!

Have a friend you think might be interest? Pass it along! It's always appreciated 🥰

https://app.arketa.co/alignmvmntstudio/checkout/Tr93oTiSdqsEDikoP4o3

New piece in the Etsy shop!
There may not be any wildflowers right now, but they will be here again before you know it :)

https://wildandgroundedart.etsy.com/listing/1659177725

NEW WORKSHOP!!

I am so excited to collaborate with Kass for Align MVMNT studio for this fun and inspiring event.

I will be guiding you through some gentle movement and meditation to prepare you to create an inspiration board that reflects and connects to yourself deeply.

Even though I'm not a goals person this time of year, I can't help but feel the energy of a new year. Whether you make big goals or just want to reflect what you're feeling, this is a great opportunity to tune into all of it with attention and intention. You never know what might come out of it!

Want to join us!?

https://app.arketa.co/alignmvmntstudio/checkout/Tr93oTiSdqsEDikoP4o3

REMINDER!

If you are interested in ordering some 8x10s or blank greeting cards, let me know!

I will be putting in the order to my printer on August 9th.

Check out the highlight titled "available" on IG to see what pieces you can choose from.

On FB, refer to previous post with all of the options!

Have you ever practiced yoga outside?

It's a totally different experience than practicing indoors.

Feeling the breeze, hearing the wind in the trees, the birds, feeling the grass beneath your mat. It all brings you into a different state of mind.

Tomorrow we will be practicing together, right here in Hyde Park.

This will be a gentle, slow flow class.

Monday, July 24th
7pm
Hyde Park Village Green
$20

Want to join? Send me a DM!

https://kristinreid.ca/2023/06/27/do-we-need-to-set-goals/

I haven't written anything in a while... This is what has been on my mind lately :)

Do we need to set goals? Photo by Ena Marinkovic on Pexels.com I’m sure you’ve heard of the slow living, anti-hustle movement that’s been around for the past few years. It’s an easy concept to latch onto. I mean, who doesn…

Are you feeling the Spring energy!? Want to capture it with a flower!?

Come join us this Thursday to paint a birth flower!

Need a gift for a friend's birthday or maybe a new baby?
Birth flowers are a beautiful personal gift that never gets old.

Or maybe you want your own birth flower to display or your children's birth flowers!

I will teach you how to paint the flower(s) you choose and send you home with a frame so it's all ready to go!

Send me a DM to register!

I am so excited to announce the Calm + Creativity Workshop I'll be hosting with !

We will be spending an afternoon in the beautiful Coldstream Conservation Area, where we will ground ourselves with a short meditation, explore the woods, and come back together to create a piece of art inspired by our explorations.

This workshop was inspired by my love of creating art from nature. I truly love the sense of presence and mindfulness it brings me, and I wanted to share that!

June 11th
1-3pm
Coldstream Conservation Area
$45
(rain date June 25th)

DM myself or Krista for more information or head to the link in my bio to register!

First of all, I'd like to say that I don't think being "consistent" is a necessary life skill....

However, it does help my brain when I can connect the dots and not feel quite as scattered all of the time!

As I was chatting with a friend the other day, I realized that underneath the outer layer of what I do, the things I'm putting out into the world, there is a very consistent thread as to why.

My "core values" so to speak run deeply through both my yoga classes and my watercolour workshops.

The reason I'm sharing this is not to say "hey look at me!"
It's to say, if you feel like you are all over the place and scattered (like I do), perhaps there is a line of consistency holding it all together there somewhere.

I love how a simple shift in perspective can change how we show up for ourselves. This realization absolutely helps me.

So if you feel like me sometimes, maybe look a little deeper and ask yourself what IS consistent throughout what you do, and see how it feels to make that connection ♥

Hey daughters out there!
Are you thinking of getting your mom an experience gift this Mother's Day!?

If you are, Jessie and I have a fun evening of painting for you to share with your mom.

In this workshop you will paint each other's birth flower and write a little personal note on the back for each other, and we will provide a frame. It's an experience and a take home gift all wrapped up in one!

(The image in the post is of a bunch of daisies which is the birth flower for the month of April)

We hope that you can join us!

First of all, the term biohack is just a marketing tool...

Second, a lot of it is just living a healthy lifestyle

Third, constantly trying to optimize yourself through "hacking" your natural rhythms is a way for you to gain more of something so that you can keep up with a world that requires much too much of us

Perhaps just slowing down is the answer.
Making space for less.
Relearning our natural rhythms rather than trying to manipulate them in order to fit into a society that is completely unnatural

Of course there are many nuances to this.
Stay tuned for an article where I dive much more deeply into this topic.

What mom doesn't love a handmade card!?
Even as an adult, I don't think the appreciation for handmade items from your children ever goes away!

This is a workshop for you to express your love and appreciation for your Mother by creating a beautiful handmade watercolour card (or 3).

We will begin by exploring different techniques, designs, and just play with the materials we will be working with. You will have the chance to follow a design or come up with something on your own.
We will also have two different card design options. The popular "bookmark" card or the traditional card.

We will be doing all of this in my cozy kitchen with tea and snacks, while we chat and just enjoy the process of creating and connecting with each other.

When: Sunday, April 30th 1-3pm
Where: my house
Cost: $40

DM me to register!

I don't know about you, but I place a lot of restrictions on myself.

I make up rules about how I should do things, what I should do, when, etc.

It takes a lot of energy to break down these conditioned beliefs.

And I think that sometimes our yoga practice falls into this trap.

We create rules around what we should do.
What we should feel.
What poses should look like.
How long our practice should be.

In essence, we are creating a lot of restrictions around a practice that is meant to create expansion.

That's why I began to change how I practice and how I teach yoga. I began to let go of the "rules," the expectations, the outcomes.

And it feels SO MUCH BETTER.

Our yoga mats are a safe place to practice this expansion. It is a safe place to let go of all the crap we hold onto everyday and open ourselves up to something so much bigger. It is a safe place to practice the feeling of expansion, which can often feel uncomfortable in our everyday lives.

If you want to come practice yoga in a way that allows you to just show up and be, come and join me in April!

Your "poses" don't need to look a certain way.
You don't need to "work on" anything.

You get to just move and breathe and see what shows up in the space that you are creating for yourself.

Tuesdays at 9:30am
6 weeks
At
Starts April 5th

DM me or Jessie for more info or to register :)

It's not your fault that our culture doesn't value true wellness.

It's not your fault that in order to prioritize self-care, you need to re-examine the social conditioning you grew up in.

It's not your fault that you don't know what is even important to prioritize.

It's not your fault that the culture we live in makes caring for ourselves an extra thing to do rather than THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to do.

Of course we all have individual choice, but in order to be able to even make a choice, we need to have the resources to do so.

From what I have seen, it takes A LOT of re-conditioning in order to prioritize self-care. And I'm not talking about pedicures here. I'm talking about meeting our basic needs to function at our highest potential, not just survive each day.

In order to do this, you need time, energy, and unfortunately, a fair bit of money.

If you are lucky enough to have the resources, to be able to shift things around enough in your life to prioritize self-care, you are extremely fortunate.

But the fact that it's hard, is not your fault. If you don't have the resources, it's not your fault.

The very idea that each individual has the same amount of ability is flawed. Does that mean that people who don't have the same privileges are a failure? If you think that's the case, then we are definitely not on the same page.

Yes we all have individual choice, but we are all operating within a system that doesn't prioritize wellness, and that doesn't even come close to offering everyone the same amount of access.

It's not your fault.

You are enough.

It's just f*cking hard.

Due to popular demand, we have added another 6 week session of Just Breathe Yoga at in April :)

These classes are a slow paced practice that focus on bringing awareness into your body and mind.

They are not about perfect poses.
They are not about improving yourself.
They are about just being.

If you want to join us, email [email protected]

xoxox
Kristin

I thought it was just me!?

It’s a whole vibe for people like us!

Had a shower, put some thoughts together, posting it before I change my mind.

I thought I didn’t want to teach yoga anymore… I was wrong. You know when you’re in the shower and you come up with this monologue in your head that so perfectly depicts what you are thinking or feeling and you have to get out so that you can write it…

I'm over it.

We are all doing way more than enough.

End of story.

xoxo
Kristin

As I was writing this post a friend sent a message in a group chat expressing how grateful she is for our friendships. She didn't know that I was writing it. I can't tell you how happy it made me!

Whether you are celebrating today or not, I hope you have people in your life that love you unconditionally.

I wrote this post because it is a day to celebrate love and also because my friends are so very important to me.

10 writing prompts to deepen your friendships We learn at a very young age that friendship isn’t as easy as it seems. When I watch my little ones at the park, “making friends” simply by being in the same place at the same time, I am amazed at …

The way I practice and teach yoga has changed over the years.
For me, it is a much better balance between the physical and the energetic.
Maybe it is for you too?

Did you know that I have a group that is all about living your yoga?

I love yoga asana, but it is the lessons form this practice that I take off of my mat that make the most difference in my life.

Each month I share a new theme and we explore it weekly.

Week one: What is the theme? A blog post to introduce it
Week two: Asana to support the theme
Week three: Meditation or pranayama practice
Week four: Reflection and integration

This month we ware exploring Satya - truthfulness and how it relates to living a Wild and Grounded life.

Want to join!?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/344357700336153

You can also read the article on my blog here

Satya and self care I always hated the term self-care. Even before I became a yoga teacher or health coach, I never liked the term. I always thought of pedicures and bubble baths when I heard it, and those things just…

Just some thoughts...

To be clear, I don't think that wellness practices are bad or wrong, I just think that selling them with the intention to fix people assumes that people are broken, and that's not what we need in this world.

This started as a scrap piece of paper that I was practicing flower petal brush strokes on.

I was just playing with different ways to move my brush, different ways to hold it, different colour mixing, it was all an experiment.

It ended up turning into this little bookmark. It's not perfectly measured, painted, or designed. It's just what became of me playing around.

That's what I love about art. You can just begin and see what happens.

Often my experimenting doesn't turn into anything. This time it did. This time it kept growing into this cute little creation.

It's not a work of magnificent art. But it has inspired me to take this idea and roll with it 💖

Are you experimenting with anything in your life? Seeing where it takes you?

Daytime yoga with me at coming in February!

These classes are an entry level class on the fundamentals of yoga and how it can assist you in stress relief and resilience.

We will spend time working through some of the most common shapes, learning how to notice what's going in in your body, and learning how all of this can help you feel more calm and centered in your body and mind.

Classes begin February 7th
Drop in $20/class
Sign up for 4 classes $15/class

Link to sign up is in the bio!