30 Days of Yoga Together

They say it takes twenty one days to create a new habit. I am not sure who “they” are but it seems like a logical and probably pretty true statement. Years ago when I had my great wake up and decided that I needed major changes in my life, I wanted the results to happen immediately but was kindly reminded by a friend that for as long as it took to get unhealthy, it would take that long to get healthy. And, it really did.

What began for me as a weight loss program became a life changing experience that altered the path that I was on and opened hundreds of doors for me. I not only lost the 80+ pounds and created many healthy habits I also discovered a holistic approach to living and an incredibly grateful heart.

One of the biggest game changers came by learning the beautiful practice of Yoga. After a few years of practicing I became a Yoga teacher and sixteen years later, here I am. I teach many classes a week but have honestly lost much of my personal practice. I am like anyone else and make a million excuses as to why I don’t “have the time” to unroll my mat or pull up a chair. I decided it is time for that to change!

Starting August 1st I am inviting anyone to join me in sharing accountability to practice Yoga consistently(again). Each day I will send out a 15-30 minute Yoga gentle session directly to your inbox that you can do on your own time and not have to worry about logging in at a certain time. Knowing that I have people like you counting on me to get on the mat, I am hoping to cultivate that glorious habit of practicing Yoga consistently again. If you need help creating a home practice time and space, check out this blog post.

Will you join me in this habit creating Yoga accountability month? It is simple to sign up!


Follow me for more goodness!

About Stacie

Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life.

With over sixteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is an E-500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.

Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes.

In addition to teaching classes at a variety of local centers and health clubs, Stacie also continues to offer Yoga and Wellness coaching individually to those seeking private sessions.

Loving Myself

We all think we know what love is and what the definition is, but I resonate the most with how Brené Brown defines love–

We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honour the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.

Love is not something we give or get, it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.

For the first 30 years of my life I thought I knew what love was and that I was living as an example of love—dependable, reliable, giving, and selfless. I’ve come to now see that what I was really offering was anything but that. I was clueless, unaware, oblivious and at times, destructive.

Not to others.

To myself.

Back when I was young, married and raising three people I was completely asleep when it came to self love. I have come to realize now however that I simply did not like who I was, so loving me was not even close to being on my radar. It is clear now that when you love yourself, you take actions that care for yourself.

Back then I had no awareness that the fast food I was consuming and the sedentary life I was living was contributing to my very large body. I never connected that the heaviness I was in my body was a direct link to the heaviness in my emotions. And then I realized that being an amazing mom wasn’t enough love. There was someone that love wasn’t shown.

Not to myself.

When I began to what I like to refer to as “wake up” and get healthy, I started to like me. I was finding dark shadows that were lurking in my heart that were asking to be let out. The beginning to many things that were literally weighing me down. I forgave others and accepted my circumstances. I began to care for me.

The logistics in which I lost weight are simple–I changed my habits. Recognizing what wasn’t working and learning to make a very conscious decision to change it was my new way.

Some of my strategies were:

  • Eating meals on small plates
  • Chewing gum while I cooked
  • Teaching others to do their dishes
  • Putting trigger foods out of sight
  • Making sure my walking shoes were always with me
  • Changing routines to avoid mindless eating (taking long baths, going for a walk, learning to garden)

You see these simple changes were to avoid be being unconscious. This influenced snacking, portions, and sedentary lifestyle choices. Many of these changes still remain part of my life.

By swapping out the mindless munching on snacks for bubble baths or a short walk, my mind was beginning to see the value in me. It is extraordinary what happens to a person’s soul when time is spent consistently alone on a walk. The changes that occurred both on the inside and outside were amazing.

I began noticing myself.

I have spent a decade and a half living like these habits; mindful eating and multiple daily walks. I even became a yoga and meditation teacher. Basically transformed myself from an angry obese woman to a healthy and happy woman.

A vibrant life was mine.

Then I got injured.

For the last seven years I have dealt with healing from four orthopedic surgeries and learning to live with chronic pain. This body that I had worked so hard to become healthy began to defile me. It was as if she was rebelling against this lifestyle of health and fitness.

Feelings of deep sadness came.

While I have maintained a healthy weight for over 20 years, I have struggled with trusting my body. The multiple diagnoses felt at times like a betrayal. In truth, I spent a solid 10 adult years living on double cheeseburgers, fries and chicken nuggets without a stitch of pain or health issues.

How did I begin to develop inflammatory issues when I was now living my best life? My body’s ability to climb mountains, race bicycles, practice endless hours of yoga, walk miles and miles each day was endless..

And yet, my body was struggling.

I have since learned to accept what is. Learning to continue on living an extraordinary happy and healthy life despite pain.Making daily choices around movement vs sitting. Or ice cream vs a single bite of dark chocolate. And binging on stupid tv vs a long bubble bath. I’ve been extremely happy with the self love I have discovered by nurturing myself.

Loving myself.

The game changed about six months ago when I stumbled onto a strength training program. I was completely content with my body and it’s strength and flexibility-and my size- but was intrigued by this idea of committing to something new.

Questions of worthiness immediately rose to the surface. The excuses were miles long. (I can’t do that because of my hip, that will hurt my ankle, I don’t need to do burpees, I don’t have enough weights, my body is “good enough”).

Deep down I knew that all of that internal dialogue didn’t sound much like loving myself. And I knew it.

So I began October 1st. A brand new love affair with myself. And like any new love there have bumps along the way—days I doubted myself and had some pretty bad words spoken, days I wanted to give up and go back to the inner narrative that I was “good enough”.

Those challenging days of the early love affair with my 51 year old self are gone. Now, I am in complete awe of what I have been able to do and overcome. I am happily shocked at the human body and it’s ability to transform. No longer held back by the story of age or injury, instead I am madly loving my ability and what I have achieved.

Amazing how much healing can happen when you say yes to YOU.

Whether it is food choices, walking, yoga, mindfulness or even getting down with lifting weights learning to love myself has been a journey I am so grateful for.

I have found trust in myself. And isn’t trust a much needed part of love?

This new love affair is destined to last a long, long time and I couldn’t be happier.

Self-Care Series

Self care is often the lowest priority for parents. School is back in session for most and that means many parents will have a little more time to think about themselves. As a parent it is hard to put ourselves first but now is a great time to do that.

For many, many, MANY years I neglected my own well being thinking that I was being a great mom by giving every ounce to my kids. Wrong.

Before long I was overweight, angry and exhausted.

It was time to learn self care

Long ago, when someone mentioned to me the idea of practicing self-care, I had no idea what that could be and I had an immediate reaction that is was selfish. Boy, have I ever come a long way.

Not sure what self-care looks like for you?

For each of us it can mean so many things. There is no one-size fits all when it comes to self care.

The good news is, if you are not sure what self-care can be, I can help!

A self-paced virtual self care series

I have an amazing virtual self-care package that includes a variety of tools to help YOU take care of YOU. And the best part? It is self paced and can be done on YOUR time, in YOUR space, but with my loving support.

Check this out! I’d love to walk alongside with you on finding YOU again.

Meditation and Essential Oils

Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Meditation can calm the body, mind, and spirit. It can help us to connect more deeply with the worlds around and within us. It has been shown to have physical health benefits including lower heart rate and lower levels of stress. But sometimes, life’s distractions and our busy thoughts can make a meditation session challenging.

I love that essential oils may provide assistance with meditation. I know for me, I am continuing to practice stilling my mind, observing my breath and just learning to BE.

Aroma and fragrances have been an important part of rituals and meditations for ages in many cultures around the world.  In our super fast-paced and distracting world, sometimes we can use all the help we can get.

To use essential oils while meditating, there are several options: You can apply directly to the body–the space between your eye brows known as the third eye is a great option or your heart. You can also create a mist by putting oils and water into a small spray bottle  and spray the fragrance in the air, or you can use a diffuser. I really enjoy applying oils.

Here are my top 5 essential oils for meditation.

1. Frankincense: A holy fragrance if there ever was one, it’s believed to help you increase your faith and connection with spirit.

2. Myrrh: One of the highest sesquiterpene contents in an essential oil, myrrh directly stimulates the hypothalamus, pituitary and amygdalin glands to help reduce stress and bring focus. It’s uplifting scent can assist in deep spiritual “opening” while bringing calm and tranquility.

3. Cedarwood: Focus inward a bit more clearly with the help of cedarwood. It can also help to illuminate your need for meditation and return you to your spiritual path when obstacles have made it difficult.

4. Sandalwood: This oil is very helpful in healing, particularly emotional/spiritual wounds. It opens the heart and helps to promote trust.

5. Neroli: The potent floral fragrance of neroli can help you to be more self-accepting, face your fears and accept the work you need to do for yourself. It can also inspire creativity, particularly as it pertains to a spiritual practice.

AAEAAQAAAAAAAAlEAAAAJGMwNDI5ODUyLTM0NjItNDQ1Ny04MTg1LWU3NTIxYjc5ZDE5MQ.jpg

If you are ready to start using essential oils, just go to:

https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/staciewyatt and click join and save! Choose a starter kit (my favorite is the home essentials kit) and you are all set!  When you purchase a starter kit, you get exclusive team perks, an amazing welcome gift and access to free education.