Live Bright Wellness

Something good this way comes!

We are creating a nourishing container this Saturday to discover, connect and move into a higher state of wellness.

RSVP by Friday to book your cup of ceremonial cacao 🙏✨️

(DM for details)

Come along this Saturday to the Nanaimo waterfront to check out the latest festival.

There will be good eats from The Steel Pan food truck and I will be kicking off some dance fit and flow to get our bodies moving and grooving for the day 🕺💃✨

See you there!

Who here likes to star gaze? 🙋

I really enjoy this passtime but don't get an opportunity to do it much.

The other night though I was sitting by a fire with friends tilting our heads up to gaze at all the beautiful bright pin points in the sky.
It was difficult to look away as I found myself in absolute awe.

There is nothing like a clear sky to shift your perspective into one of rememberance that you are part of a greater whole.

Namaste dear stars! 💫

The last few moments of sun on this first of July. Happy Canada Day to everyone 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦

*
*
*

🇨🇦

🍍🍍🍍 One of my favorite fruits as they remind me of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hala Kahiki as they're known in Hawaii.

Did you know that it takes about 3 years for a pineapple to mature?

There are many heath benefits to eating pineapple one of those being the phytonutrients they contain that interfere with tumour growth making it an excellent cancer preventative food.

Here's another fun fact: Pineapples are actually considered berries!

Try them frozen, in a smoothie, grilled on a skewer or cut fresh and straight onto your palate as a delicious snack or dessert option!

🍍🍍🍍

Did you know over 70% of our beautiful earth's surface is covered by an ocean?

I say ocean because it is one body of water made up of five regions:

> The Pacific Ocean
> The Atlantic Ocean
> The Indian Ocean
> The Arctic Ocean
> The Antarctic Ocean

Back in the day, people used to refer to sailing the "seven seas" as the Atlantic and the Pacific were broken up into North and South regions.
(Hence the South Pacific for example)

Water is a great preceptor or teacher.

Our ocean is home to many living things - plants and animals alike - who benefit from our awareness around keeping these waters untouched by human influence.

Here at Live Bright Wellness we do our best to be ambassadors of the earth and promote environmental wellness wherever we can.

I challenge you to think of one small thing you can do towards making a difference to the health of the ocean.

Perhaps you will donate to an organization.

Perhaps you will take something with you next time you go to the beach to pick up any rubbish you encounter.

Small things accumulate into big results.

Let's all celebrate the ocean and appreciatethe life that it brings to us!

🌊🦀🐬

Feeling overwhelmed?

This post is just a little reminder that it's ok to ask for help.

Contrary to a prevalent belief pattern many of us hold, we do not in fact have to do it all.

I know, shocking right? At least that's what I felt when I had this realization.

A lot of the time we have feelings of shame and weakness created when we think of asking for help.

I am here to tell you this is simply NOT TRUE!
You're not weak, you're human.

This is a belief your brain was taught and you can teach it something new - with practice.

This recurring topic is something that's been coming up for myself and others lately so I wanted to share something personal.

One of the many self awareness lessons I was gifted with when presented with the many challenges of a cancer diagnosis was the fact that I was absolute CRAP at asking for help!

Anyone else with me? 🙋‍♀️

Well here's a little secret, I'm still not great at asking for help.

This piece of self awareness is what allows me to continue to practice improving my skills of learning that it's ok to ask for assistance.

This includes:

-> accepting that my body doesn't always have energy to complete the things I set out to do

-> adjusting my expectations

-> letting go of any guilt that I am not able to do all that my brain wants me to do

It's a concept that is so important when seeking balance from within.

Cancer recovery takes a team and there is no "i" in team guys.

I am blessed to have people in my world who I can call on and count on in those times where I can't see a way forward.

Shout out and much gratitude to two ladies who are amazing and talented problem solvers and truly beautiful on the inside and out ❤️

Laura Healey of
&
Kelli Etheridge of

Thank you for always being my cheerleaders. 😘

"I get by with a little help from my friends.." 🎵

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and tell someone on your team that you appreciate them! ~ BB

Where is your focus right now?
Is it right here in the present moment or is your mind racing into the future?

Sometimes what we need is right in front of us!

Sometimes we need to let go just a little of the idealism in our minds and allow ourselves to sink into this moment.
Allow ourselves to be open and filled with a feeling of gratitude and trust that everything will be ok.

Sometimes all we need is to take a deep breath and get a good night's sleep.

Sweet dreams everyone 🙏✨

Happy Earth Day 🌎

Happy you say?

Yes, I am feeling much gratitude today for the beauty in this world. 🌲🌳🌲

We had an uplifting outdoor Zumba class in the sun by the ocean this morning that put a smile on all our faces.

I also signed up to so any takeout or coffee I get will be packaged in reusable containers.
A great way to reduce my carbon footprint 👣 PLUS you get 3 free months (or one month after today)

How are you spending your earth day?

Let me know in the comments! 👇

Here's some mid-week motivation!

Progress is a matter of perspective.
Our minds try to convince us that there is only one way to do something and that there is a "right" and a "wrong" way.

Something I find helpful to open or shift my perspective is to practice cultivating a sense trust that I am in the right place at the right time.

Remembering that progress is not linear and that it's the experiences along the path that are the building blocks of life.

As long as you know what is important to you and you are acting in integrity with that, this is all that matters.

So next time things seem to appear to be moving backwards in life, perhaps remember the cha-cha and just keep on dancing!

~ B x

It's Saturday share time!
This week's water theme just keeps on going 🌊

There I was on the edge of the bed this morning hearing the cars drive by on the wet pavement.

My mind tried to talk me out of donning my gear to go to an outdoor Fitness class I had committed to the night before.

My body said "remember last night when you said your mind would try to talk you out of this?"
So I let my body lead me out the door and arrived for class just on time.

I was so glad I went and I learned about a new trail that led to the beach with a waterfall on the way. Water, water everywhere!

Thank you Jennifer of Jumpstart Outdoor Fitness for an invigorating morning 💚

If you're in the Nanaimo area come check out a class for free!

Well do you? If you don't have some drinking water handy go on and get some.. I can wait. ;)

Did you know that our brains are made up of approximately 77% water?

You may be thinking, "Fabulous Barbara, thanks for sharing now I can say I learned something new today."
But wait!
There's more...

This little tidbit means that our brains NEED constant replenishing in order to work optimally meaning it is essential - not an option.

Here at Live Bright Wellness we are ALL about optimizing the body and mind - not settling for mere sub-par living.

If you'd like to learn more about this I have a
FREE 5 Keys to Fuel Your Energy Guide with videos and downloadable workbook. (Hydration is Key #4)

In this guide I go into all the benefits of hydration, including how it can keep you slim and trim if that's your goal, and tips to staying hydrated.

Get the guide here:
https://livebrightwellness.com/5-keys-for-energy-lbw/

If you'd like to skip ahead and just watch the Key #4 video to learn some interesting facats about your body and ways to optimize your hydration levels you can do so here:

https://youtu.be/bBBE5d-8cQ8

Happy hydrating to you!
~ B x

What does water mean to you? 🌊🌊🌊

This is the question being asked of us today by the CDC to Unesco to the challenge you can participate in at www.worldwaterday.org to raise awareness around sustainable ground water.

Post something in the comments below if you feel called to share!

I am lucky enough to live in a place where clean water runs abundantly from my taps.
It can be easy when you live in this environment to take this for granted.

As years have passed, my awareness has grown around the issues different places in the world have around accessing fresh water.

Years ago as a teenager my Nana caught me doing dishes under a running tap instead of filling the sink.
She had lived through the "dust bowl" of the 30s and WWII and had developed strong preservation habits which she passed down to me.

A few years ago my dear friend in Puerto Rico recounted the fact that she had to boil water on her stove to have a hot shower after the hurricane hit.
Her and her sons were shlepping water inland to those that lost access to water completely.

I never take my showers for granted.

I have come to revere water after having traveled through various countries, studying the traditions around water of the Andean shamanic people and learning exactly what water does for our bodies in my nutrition training.

Raising awareness starts with having conversations, developing an educated opinion and then being heard.

Give us ONE WORD that pops into your head when you think of the word "WATER" 💧💧💧

Then, if you have access to it, go get yourself a glass of water and feel a sense of gratitude that you were able to do so and feel it nourish every single one of your trillion cells!

Happy sipping,
~ B x

Life can get a little serious sometimes.
I find in these times it's helpful to remember and be grateful for the element of water.

Water is a powerful preceptor and reminder of the cleansing and renewing that can happen.
That whatever is occurring in that present moment will eventually pass.

We can live without food for many days but not so with water.
Without it we, and the living things around us, would perish.

So next time you're washing the dishes, watching the rain fall from the sky or admiring a lake vista say a little 'thank you' to the water for all the new life that it gives us and watch your day change!

~ B x

7 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The path of recovery has been winding and hilly, sprinkled with a lot of acquired knowledge, practices and wisdom along the way.

Each year when the first signs of spring start to show up all around me I notice my body starts to become more alive.

Spring is a time that reminds us that things are in a constant cycle and ever changing. That sometimes those changes are beautiful.

Spring can also be a symbol for hope.

I looked up what the standard definition of "hope" is and I found one I liked; "to expect with confidence."

When we plant seeds - whether it be an intention or an actual flower seed - we can hope that whatever we planted blossoms into beauty.

That is we can expect with confidence that things are always changing for the better.

A group of cancer survivors were interviewed and cross examined as to what factors they all had in common.
One of those factors was that they all had some form of hope in their hearts and they all believed in something larger than themselves.

Here's hoping the seeds you plant today grow into something of great beauty 🌷🌷🌷

~ B x

I am SUPER excited to be kicking off weekly ONLINE Zumba classes.

When? SUNDAYS 10am PST

Zumba is for EVERYBODY and EVERY BODY!

Come shake it off, raise the roof and your vibration while we have some fun and get a workout while we're at it!

No experience required - just some water and a willingness to have fun :)

SIGN UP HERE:

www.livebrightwellness.com/lbz

Hope to see you there!

~ B x

Heyyyyoooo! Who's up for a dance party this weekend?

Sunday March 20th 2022
10-11am PST

No experience necessary
Bring a water bottle and wear comfy clothes

Sign up here!
https://livebrightwellness.com/lbz/

Hope to see you there!
~ B x

Just a little reminder that magic does exist all around us. ✨
Take a moment to inhale all that this season has to offer and open yourself to the magic!

~ B 🍀💚🍀

I wanted to share today the amazing sense of gratitude I feel to be able to offer Zumba classes to others.

It's such an uplifting hour of fun and I wish everyone could experience this for themselves.

That's why I'm excited to let you know that I'll be offering online classes starting this weekend!!

Sunday March 20th 2022
10-11am PST
No experience necessary
Bring a water bottle and wear comfy clothes

Link to sign up:
https://livebrightwellness.com/lbz/

Hope to see you there!

~ B x

Let's talk about flow baby, let's talk about you and me!

Break it down now..

(Anyone else have music randomly pop into their heads?)

Ok so what is "flow state"?
I recently had a conversation with someone who hadn't heard this term before.

I believe it came into my life about the same time people were talking about the negative effects of multi-tasking.
I was shocked by this of course as I was a master juggler at that time.

Flow state is a state of being where:

-- one is totally immersed in an activity
-- all focus is in the present moment
-- time seems to pass without any notice
-- stress hormones leave your system and are replaced by feel-good neurochemicals.

Ever been there?

It's that place where you slide into the moment and your whole being is present with what you are doing.

The practices of Yoga are one way that can allow us to practice this.

You are all consumed by feel-good feelings and when you come out of it you kind of feel like you've popped in from another dimension.
You may also look at the clock in confusion perhaps.

Time does fly when we're having fun right?

That's what something like Zumba does for me (and hundreds of thousands of other people according to the stats).

If you haven't tried Zumba here is your chance!

I am starting online classes THIS Sunday @ 10am PST.

This means you can join from wherever you are in your comfy clothes and get a workout while having fun.

Maybe that's not your jam and that's ok. We all have different things that will put us into our own personal flow state.
Make sure you know what those things are though k?

Take some time out and make a list of 3 things you feel really passionate about.
It might help to remember when the last time you were doing something and the time just flew.

Then do your very best to do at least one of those things a minimum of once week.

Here's to your flow ~ B x

PS. If you'd like to sign up for online Zumba with me you can do so here: https://livebrightwellness.com/lbz/

When's the last time you splashed in a puddle? Better yet a mud puddle?
Feel free to tell me in the comments below!

It's been a while since I've done this and I get so much joy out of it so I'm looking forward to doing it soon in my rain boots (or Wellies as I like to call them).

The quote "no mud, no lotus" can mean many things and is a lovely invitation to contemplate and honor the process or the journey.

We have become so used to receiving things at the click of a button or snap of our fingers in our 24/7 world.

We are often set up for convenience so much so that more often than not we lose sight of the importance of enjoying the process of planting seeds and the action of watching them grow.

In order to create balance in our lives we can make choices of how choose to rest and play.

Allowing and bringing value to the time sitting in the mud is where the magic is.

Then putting a big smile on your face knowing that the renewal of energy you're cultivating will serve whatever it is you are creating in the world.

Enjoy the puddles as much as the sunshine for we cannot have one without the other.

Are you ready to play in the puddles? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Happy puddling ~ B x

Welcome to Thursday on the west coast of Canada and what a thrilling one it is!

Why?

Because it's the best day of my life - and yours too!

Not for any specific reason other than this is the only day that we have.

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't here but this very moment is yours.

Every moment we get to choose what kind of day we want to have.

You may be saying "oh sure Barbara, maybe YOU get to choose but you don't know about my life. Things happen TO me that I can't control and flip a perfectly fine day into one of disaster and a mess of stress!"

I know these days. Believe me I do!

Just the other day I was carrying my groceries up from my car and all of a sudden heard a "RiiiiiiP"!!

My favorite pink cloth grocery bag fell apart and I had vegetables and salsa all over the pavement of my parking garage.
OUCH.

I was having SUCH a good day and feeling really accomplished and then all of a sudden.. not so much.

Was I frustrated, angry, disheartened, suddenly stressed?

You betcha!

You know what I did?

After a few moments (and perhaps a few choice words) I quickly caught myself in the downward spiral and turned it around.

I asked myself "ok what can I do?"

I gathered up what I could, cleaned up the mess and took a moment to sit in peace so I could take some deep breaths and center my VERY frazzled nerves.

I carried on with my day with the words from Mathew Wilder's song from the 80's "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride" playing in my head.
I'm not gonna lie, I love 80's music and that song has gotten me through some pretty tough days.

So what am I saying here?

Two things:

1. It's never too late to have a good day no matter what lands on your plate.

2. It's all about perspective which is something that YOU have control over.

Seize the moment. This is your life. Make sure you're holding the pen that writes this chapter.

Wishing you all the best day of your life ~ B x

"Charge!" Words can bring images to the mind...

If you look online there are many definitions of the word "courage".

It's a word you hear a lot about these days in the personal growth and self mastery circles.

I heard someone speak of its origins the other day who also mentioned the French word for heart = coeur.
This brought back memories of a woman I met in the south of France years ago.
It is too long a story to tell here but I will share it in this week's edition of "Living Brightly".

Every day we are asked to find our own courage.

It is the thing that drives us to persevere and do the things that are uncomfortable, bring doubt and perhaps trigger fear.

The courage to rise and meet another day.

The courage to do the things that align us with what is true for us as individuals.

The courage to confront the uncertainty and step out of our comfort zones.

The courage to show up for ouselves in that unconditional love kind of way.

The way of your heart.
Coeur-age

Perhaps you're thinking "But Barbara, I don't feel very courageous. Where do I find courage?"

Well my friends, we can find it in our truth that lies in our hearts. Totally serious.

Sit down for a moment, close your eyes and put your hands on your heartspace.
Ask it what is true in that moment.

If you figure out what is true for you, you are sure to find some courage with it.

The original definition of the word courage was "to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart".

Empowering you to seek truth and embrace your own courage today and every day ~ B x

The Five Love Languages.

Has anyone ever read that book?

It was recommended to me about 15 years ago.

A year later I bought it.

A year after that I read it - I read it in a day in fact!

The concept is that we all have one (or two) dominant ways in which we like to receive love from others - be it a partner or friend.

One of the love languages is "Words Of Affirmation".
Those of you that have that as your dominant love language will especially resonate with today's post.

Those of us with type A personalities with noses to the grindstone, the overachievers, those who have high standards, those who keep saying "yes" when your plate is already full, those who feel obligated to do ALL the things - I see you!

I just want to say "you are enough, just the way you are." ❤️

Give yourself permission to feel it in your body.
Choose to allow yourself to trust that feeling and keep it close.

With compassion,
~ B x

Pausing takes practice.

It takes practice to ALLOW ourselves to pause.
This is another type of self compassion.
We are constantly do, do, doing.

So.. I invite you to be observant with yourself.

When you notice you're weary.. pause.

When you notice you have doubt.. pause.

When you notice you have anger.. pause.

When you notice you are stressed.. pause.

When you notice you are worried.. pause.

Tell yourself it's ok to pause.
Take a deep breath and re-center yourself.
Carry that place with you as you resume the doing with more clarity and confidence.

Happy pausing everyone,
~ B x

The applause I'm talking about here is the applause that we give to ourselves.

Wha?
Stay with me here..

We applaud others all the time when we appreciate something they've done right?

Well so often - and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say too often - we are so busy going around doing all the things that we forget to stop and applaud ourselves.

It's what I call the pause when you're climbing a mountain moment.

It is such an important and healthy practice to consciously stop and observe every now and then the path you've been treading and appreciate the distance and effort you've put in.

A little "Hey, I'm doing the best that I can in this moment and I'm doing a great job" can go a long way!

Whether it's a giant task or something small but meaningful to you.

What's one thing you can share that you've done this past week that you will applaud yourself for?

For me, it's getting back up again today when I felt knocked down yesterday. (there's another song in there somewhere!)

Sending you virtual applause,
~ B x

Let's talk about choices.

Personally, I try to look at every new day as an opportunity. A fresh start - like a "reset" button.

An opportunity to live this day making conscious choices to do the things I intend to do.

Not every Monday - every morning!

I know, I know, some days are hard. Like really hard.

Hard to do the thing you know you need to do.
Hard to do the thing you know you need the most.
Hard to even move your body.
Hard to focus your brain to even figure out what that thing is!

This is why I find it so helpful just to look at one day at a time or even one hour at a time.

It's all about mindset and this does not happen overnight although some things can hurry it along.

It's one of many silver lining skills I learned while navigating the onslaught of cancer treatment that I still use today.

So I say to you:

This is your day!

Listen to your body
Choose wisely
You got this 💚

Your virtual cheerleader,
~ B x

What's your definition of "compassion"?

I was out on my forward ambulation adventure at sunrise - or walk as it's commonly known - this morning and out of no where I heard the word "compassion".

I got curious and thought "what is compassion really"?
I do this often as I'm a bit of a word nerd or logophile and I just love language - in fact you might even say I'm passionate about it.

For me compassion is when you pair passion with love and caring.

The love I'm talking about is the universal, unconditional love that just IS and is available for us to tap into at any time.

I invite you today whether you are interacting with yourself, the person at the grocery store, or perhaps plants your find on your walk show some passionate love and express it!

It could be a smile to a passerby, a feeling of gratitude for the flower that's growing on the side of the road, or pausing for 5 minutes in your day to appreciate every cell of your wonderful being.

I believe it's the accumulation of small things in our day that add up to a satisfying end result.

Would you agree with this definition of compassion?

Give me a heart in the comments if so! 💚

Have a great day everyone,
~ B x

Sign up to keep up to date on ALL the Live Bright Zumba events so you don't miss out:

https://livebrightwellness.com/live-bright-zumba/

We call it the "Zumba Glow".

That feeling after you've just spent the last hour with your Zumba tribe having fun while getting fit.

Now all those energizing endorphins are running through your blood powering you up to help you tackle the rest of your day ⚡

I'm back outside tomorrow @ 9am here on Vancouver Island down at the Nanaimo waterfront so drop by and say "hi" if you're in the area.

Not local?
How about an online class Sunday morning at 10am (PST)!

I'll be streaming classes from the dance floor - party lights and all!

https://livebrightwellness.com/live-bright-zumba/

See ya there ;) ~ B