canada

40 Things From My 40s

Posted on by DLeduc

Today is my last day in my 40s.

As I look towards my 50s it is with a positive mindset, hope and optimism. My life is not perfect—never has been, doubt it ever will be. But, I am always loving life and curious what comes next.

As I am about to enter this new decade I find I am feeling the healthiest I ever felt—body, mind, heart and spirit despite circumstances making this also one of the most challenging times of my life. Below are some of the ups and downs of my 40s that brought me to where I am today.

  1. After decades of being scared of driving finally got my driver’s license (thanks to a little hypnotherapy and being out of the Toronto area)
  2. Got my very first car, a 2003 Jaguar X-type I lovingly call Lucy that I sometimes treat like a work truck, sometimes treat like a race car and still drive today
  3. Lost our wild and fun Siberian huskies, Loki and Sylvia when they passed away at the old ages of 14 and 15
  4. Said good-bye to my last living Grandma and gave the eulogy at her funeral
  5. Worked as librarian
  6. Founded the registered charity, Prairie Bear Books
  7. Because I love learning continued taking university classes
  8. Said goodbye to my stepfather who passed away too soon
  9. Lived in a charming, imperfect old Eaton house that I adore and call Hazel
  10. Wrote for the labour news website Rank and File (and has thrilled when Naomi Klein tweeted a link to one of my articles)
  11. Became a yoga teacher
  12. Nurtured plants and a garden (and killed more plants than I will ever admit to)
  13. Opened a yoga studio
  14. Started teaching BarreAbove, Tabata GX, Balletone, and Zumba
  15. Visited Victoria and fell in love with the city while discovering it by walking 150 km in 10 days through her beautiful streets
  16. Visited Jackson Wyoming and rode horses through the mountains
  17. Surprised myself driving through Yellowstone and the Rockies (this woman who couldn’t drive in her 30s was having fun now)
  18. Made several trips to our beautiful little place in the woods of Quebec
  19. Had a hysterectomy
  20. Adopted a tarantula named Rosita
  21. Watched my daughters grow and blossom as young women facing their own challenges and successes
  22. Made new friends, connected with old friends
  23. Saw some great concerts
  24. Along with the rest of the world experienced my first pandemic
  25. Been a blonde, brunette and a redhead (even had a bit of blue hair) and I can confirm hair colour doesn’t matter, I always have fun 😉
  26. Studied and took a deep dive into the field of embodiment
  27. Started writing for the newspaper
  28. Had a poem published in an anthology
  29. Did my very first death meditation. If you are well-resourced and in the right frame of mind I highly recommend. The saddest part for me was discovering that the thing I would regret most is not being kind and loving towards my own body and letting my body image issues limit me
  30. Spent 2 years working on those body image issues. If I couldn’t love my body could I like my body? If I couldn’t like my body could I be civil to my body? After putting in a lot of work I can truthfully say I appreciate, respect and love my body for the first time since my adolescence
  31. Started reaching out to counsellors and therapists for the first time
  32. Lost our beloved pup Charlie Bow at the age of 13 1/2. She had been with us since she was 16 weeks old.
  33. Published my first book, Letting Charlie Bow Go celebrating our love for her and dealing with her loss
  34. Started a small publishing company, Lilac Arch press
  35. Published 3 other books and 2 journals
  36. Became a full-time caregiver to someone with dementia
  37. Met our new dog friend, Tucker and welcomed him into the family
  38. Started running (something I was never sure I would be able to do and believe it is only possible because of my running partner Tucker)
  39. Celebrated 25 years of marriage with my best friend
  40. Felt love, joy, sadness, grief, hope, despair, anger, resentment, compassion, empathy, and contentment

In all its imperfection I get up every day with a smile on my face and see what is next in this journey. I am looking forward to tomorrow and this fabulous new adventure of my 50s!

#RealLife

Posted on by DLeduc

In the March newsletter I said I was going to launch some yoga courses the first day of spring.

I didn’t forget. As the first day of spring was approaching I knew I wasn’t going to do it yet. The yoga part of these courses is so much fun for me. However, the technology part of setting everything up stresses me out.

I imagine most of us have things that cause a bit of anxiety. Playing with new technology is one of my things. However, when I take a deep breath, sit down and just do it, I often find it’s not half as bad as what I envisioned. Once I get to it, I even find myself having fun. I love learning new things.

Maybe yoga is something you would like to learn more about. Perhaps, the idea of learning yoga even stresses you out a bit. That is actually part of my inspiration for these courses. I believe everyone deserves to have their own personal yoga journey. I want to share some tools to empower you for that journey.

Whether you are brand new to yoga, or want to deepen your knowledge in the practice, I invite you to check out the three courses I am currently offering, Foundations in Yoga Level 1, Foundations in Yoga Level 2, and Yoga with the Chair.  
https://livingskyyogafitness.ca/online-courses/

Registration is now open until April 4. Courses begin April  7.
In these courses you work through them at your own pace. They are yours to use again and again.

I invite you to join me
Warm Wishes
Denise

Happy 2021

Posted on by DLeduc

This morning a picture came up in my Facebook memories and I remembered how 1 year ago today I was driving across the country on my way home from the woods of Quebec. The picture was taken in the middle of northern Ontario. Though I have done cross country trips several times now, I always marvel at the natural beauty Canada has to offer.

Little did I know at that time that for most of 2020 I would be staying at home or close to home. I went into 2020 full of optimism after a 2019 that for me was marked with illness and surgery. I went into 2020 full of goals, dreams and plans.

As with everyone else, 2020 was not what I had envisioned.

Yet, the eternal optimist in me enters 2021 full of hope and a quiet contentment. With my business I still face months of uncertainty as I know that government guidelines will dictate what operations look like. However, this year my goals and dreams are softer. I just want to do work I love, contribute to kindness in the world, and find beauty in the simple things.

Though I know that I can only imagine what this new year might bring, I trust that no matter what there will be days that I smile, moments of joy and times nurturing connections with others.

Wishing you a peaceful 2021 with moments of beauty, fun and a little adventure