VEDA Yoga with Lauren Willett

11/04/2023

Phew. Who fell headfirst into this weekend after a non-stop week? For us it’s a combination of the pace of things, and the load. The responsibilities. The weather change. The juggling and tag teaming to get it all done, and done well. The remembering. The illness and lovingly tending to little sickies (if you have school-aged kids, you know we’ve embarked on the beginning of “sick season” in the northeast). Being available emotionally, physically, and mentally when running on low. And while we got through just fine, and I did all of the niche self-care that included hot tea + honey, steaming soup, early to bed, etc., I haven’t found the time to stretch, walk, move my body, or take a quiet moment to myself.

Last weekend I wrapped up my seasonal job directing , and stood in the cold, rainy, outdoors for 6hrs. My sensitive neck and back muscles have been in quite a knotted up state since. And I’ve been pushing through and ignoring— exactly what I preach not to!

So here we are on Saturday morning. A handful of our daily life responsibilities have been subtracted for the next two days. I have a full weekend for the first time in 6 months! Yes, there’ll be dishes and laundry, and parenting, and meals, but we’ll be prioritizing gathering up the scattered parts of ourselves and nourishing. We all slept in, currently the kids are watching TV together under blankets, I’m in cozy sweatpants, a pile of books nearby, a hot drink, fireplace, yoga mat, shades drawn…all the fixings. I’ll take it for the moment.

We’re staying in, taking it slow, and recovering, recuperating, replenishing.

My wish for you, is that you can too 🤎 Find your breath, connect with your body, stay warm, do something to fill your cup. And if you need ideas, you know I’m always your gal!

05/25/2023

Surrender.

Can we talk for a minute about what it looks like and why it’s essential to your wellbeing, even if it’s a little scary, a little vulnerable, a little unknown?

We’re primed to abide by this idea that control brings safety and/or success, but sometimes we’re gripping so hard that we miss the good stuff. And besides, controlling everything is literally impossible and utterly exhausting.

Being a leader in your life is a beautiful thing. BUT *always* seeking control is like existing in constant fight-or-flight mode. It shuts down your flexibility, your breath, your knowing.

Practice existing somewhere in the in-between— making calculated, inspired decisions, and then sitting back to watch things unfold. Directing again, and letting go again. Over and over and over.

When the pressure of maintaining control or perfection builds, it manifests as stress, anxiety, depression, injury, and a whole lot of other harmful things. Taking a step back will allow you to trust, to pause your doing, and just BE. It’s enough.

In the softness of surrender we can finally play, rest, find balance, and ironically discover our strength. This is something that I can *easily* bring to my yoga practice, but can almost never gracefully translate into the rest of my life without spiraling a little first. 😳

My brain has so much to learn from my body.

Is your internal pressure gauge creeping into the red, manifesting as physical or emotional tension? What’s it time to loosen your grip on?Usually we don’t know, until we know. Reflect and tell me about it.

Now is the time to trust the process. Use your yoga practice to teach your mind about letting go with deepest intentions. Interested in learning how? I can’t wait to guide you through it. 💚

Use the link in bio to hop on my mailing list to get a free wellness lifestyle guide and to keep us connected! xoL

05/15/2023

These three. In respect of their privacy in this online space, I don’t share much of my babies, but believe me when I say that I want to all the time! My photos are bursting at the digital seems with their sparkly eyes. The 99.9% of my life when I’m not sharing online, is spent in the orbit of these three (sometimes in collective harmony and sometimes in clashing dissonance).

I honestly don’t know who I’d be without them. The early days were filled with magic, learning, loving with every cell. Golden. These days we’re learning new things, like how to be a good human in the world, how to embrace our power to steer our choices and ultimately our happiness, how to communicate clearly and effectively (and with vulnerability), how to respect individuality and boundaries, how to hold space, and guide without limiting or controlling. There’s still the role of keeping them safe, clean, and fed, but now more than ever, we’re learning how to support them individually on their journeys to becoming, while also grasping with full awareness that what we do and how we do it (as parents) has massive impact and influence— both right away, and cumulatively.

It’s a lot. It’s beautiful. And anxiety producing. It’s fun and joyful. It’s heart wrenching. The holding, the letting go. The counseling. The being always a million percent available, and understanding, and patient, and knowledgeable about how to do this thing we’ve never done before, chapter after chapter. But it’s such a gift to love and nurture their unique sparks. To play a pivotal part in their develop is an honor. Holding them, breathing them in, loving them (and being loved by them) is everything. We’re learning and growing together as a family every day— I hope we never stop.

I’m the luckiest to live with my besties, the loves of my life, to have an incredible partner who is in it so deep with me, and a village of the most wonderful people to bolster us. Mothering is not a role, it’s a defining characteristic with a distinct before and after. I hope we can all be there for one another no matter what stage we’re passing through or just arriving at. Sending and receiving love 🫶

05/05/2023

Space-care is self-care. Here are a few simple tips to take right into your weekend— turn any space into a gorgeously supportive sensory sanctuary for personal practice.

Happy Friday. 🥳 Happy full moon. 🌕 Happy mental health month. 🤍Put yourself at the top of your to-do list and all parts of life will benefit.

Head to the VEDA Blog— read the full article and find lots more wellness goodness from me to you. https://www.vedayogaspace.com/veda-blog/2022/5/3/claim-your-space

04/26/2023

Have you downloaded my free guide yet? It includes strategies to reduce stress, begin to uncover and trust your inner knowing, and nurture your best self. (Link in bio 😊)

Here’s a summary of Essential Daily Practice #2: Create boundaries with your tech

Are you still engaging with tech without healthy boundaries? This could be the cause of some of your not so great feelings. The good news is that you’re the gatekeeper of your headspace, you just have to take back the reins. 👏

Ask yourself:
-is there a strategy I can implement to keep my headspace free from digital input for the first hour of the day?
-can I structure my day in a way that allows for focused time-blocks, free from digital interruptions to my juicy creative flow?
-if I stop seeking distraction, what will I find?!

Self-awareness and conscious consumption are key, but willpower can be immensely challenging…especially when we’re dealing with something so powerful. So what do we do? Strategize and seek support!

You’re already on the path to feeling better 🤍

Head over to the VEDA blog to dive a little deeper!

04/22/2023

I hope we get back to experiencing the interconnectedness of everything. Feeling and knowing the thing that we’re so deeply a part of, not at all separate from. I hope we relearn to treat our bodies, communities, and planet as home. I hope we understand it’s not just about us and our things, but about awareness, and this breathtakingly special thing we’ve been gifted for a short while, and our immense responsibility and honor to be present with it, to be connected, to care for it as it cares for us. I hope when we leave here, it’s awe is savored over and over and over again. I hope we notice. All of it.

💚 Happy Earth Day. Happy unfurling.

03/31/2023

Trying to remember what it feels like to be sun-ripened on a rooftop borrowed from two of my favorite people, while reflecting on perfection (as a recovering perfectionist).

I’ve been working through some body challenges utilizing several healing modalities. Every wellness appointment I go to, I want all the information— tell me everything, analyze my body, give me new vocabulary, assign me homework, fix me, help me fix myself. Maybe the idea of “fixing” is preventing progress? There’s really only being, and optimizing functionality, but not one of us perfect. In an effort to correct my dysfunction, maybe I’m working too hard toward a perfection that never existed in the first place?

During my massage yesterday, my wonderful therapist flipped my hand a few times, giving it a little shake to help me release control. At the end she asked if I noticed myself returning to a palm-up position, subconsciously attempting “right” posture, an open rotation for my injured shoulder. To be correct. To fix. I hadn’t noticed until I noticed. At the end she told me that my body doesn’t need “fixing”, it just needs support to get through this hurdle. So while I’m hoping my efforts will help me feel better and get back to the things I desire, I’m also working on more on ease, acceptance, and growth over perfect.

I love this photo. It’s so imperfect. I flipped a three-legged dog into a backbend, but everything is a bit misaligned, a bit off, the lighting was tricky…but I remember how great it felt. And that’s what we’re going for in yoga and wellness in general— not perfection, but growth. Does it feel good? Can we tune-in just a bit more? Can we grow in our bodies, in our minds, in our emotions + energy?

If you’re not on my email list, join now so you don’t miss out! My first newsletter is hitting inboxes Monday morning!! It’s full of seasonal reflections, journal prompts, links to recent blog posts, etc. If you sign up for my free guide, 10 Daily Practices, you’ll automatically be on the list! Link in bio to join! Ps— make sure to check spam/promo folders, okay messages from me, and enable images :)

📷
Hair + makeup

03/29/2023

Sleep is self-care. 🤍😴

Feeling:
Sleepy
Exhausted
Tired
Worn out
Depleted
Burned out
Drained
Fatigued
Beat
Empty
Drowsy
???

⇨ ⇨ Head up to https://www.vedayogaspace.com/veda-blog for some SIMPLE PRACTICES TO HELP YOU GET MORE SLEEP and feel better. 🥱

⇨ ⇨ While you’re at it, download my free guide: 10 day practices to reduce stress, trust your inner knowing + nurture your best self (hint #1 is Prioritize Sleep!) at vedayogaspace.com or link in bio

03/28/2023

Hey, Sleepyhead

Whatever sleepless chapter of life you may be deep into, it's all about honoring where you are, while using awareness to seek a kind of balance that works for you and supports you in the best way.

03/21/2023

The stirrings of springtime are underfoot, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Here’s a little support to help guide you through this glorious transition 🤍

03/20/2023

Phew! We made it. ✨

Happy Spring, dear friends. I’m working on embracing all seasons equally, but this winter was really HARD. I’m more than ready to let it go and skip happily along to brighter days. You? My intentions are to let in more light, more inspiration, more movement, and more time in nature and as we embark on the second quarter of the year (which has come way too fast, and not nearly fast enough).

I have a hunch that if we become more connected to everything around us, we’ll in turn become more connected to everything within us. Magic. May we wash away winter’s sleep and renew ourselves right alongside Earth as she reawakens.

Let’s work on shaking off the energy of hibernation and instead embody the energy of new beginnings. This doesn’t mean making a to-do list a mile long, but it does mean spring cleaning our minds, bodies, and scared spaces in preparation for whatever is coming next for us. Reset.

The equinox— one of only two times in the cycle of a year when the day and night are equal in length— is an opportunity for reflection. Getting on your mat to practice yoga can help balance the body (physically + energetically) and clear the mind. Balance the breath (and emotions). Refill your energy. Be intentional about sleep and wake time. Dream of new beginnings for yourself in this next chapter. Journal about it what you’re grateful for, what you’re ready to let go of, and what you’re calling in. Reassess your needs.

I’m coming off a beautifully restful, and cozy birthday weekend filled with my favorite things: my beautiful people and their warmth surrounding me (especially lovely since it’s been very cold and windy). I feel so loved and ready to move forward, grateful for the opportunity to spin through another revolution around the sun. I’m sending the very same goodness out to you today 🤍

03/15/2023

How amazing does this look right 👏about👏 now👏? Here’s the not so secret, secret: it feels even better. And not just on the outside— your insides will thank you too. So please, take a pause (this morning, this afternoon, this evening) and *s*u*r*r*e*n*d*e*r. Let go. Curl up into yourself, resting into the sensation of being fully supported and embraced. I have a feeling it’s exactly what you need in this moment, because honestly, it’s what we all need.

Here are some modifications if your body is asking for one: hug a cushion between your knees and chest if that feels good. Or over your ankles/under your hips. Or under your forehead with your arms wrapped beneath. Take full artistic freedom in making this posture work for your unique body.

Now, close your eyes and settle. Melt a little. Tune into your breath— slow, deep, and even. Feel your belly expanding with each inhale and softening with each exhale. Hang out here for a bit, finding stillness or shifting gently from side to side, if movement is more your jam.

Notice your forehead releasing tension. Feel your low back let go of whatever it’s holding. Find comfort in the simplicity of being— the weight of your body against the ground, the space you take up, the connection between your breath and the surrounding air. When you’re feeling overstretched, overstimulated, worn thin, this pose contains and protects your energy, while everything else drops away.

Whatever you’re wrapped up in will be waiting for you after this much needed time-out. I promise. And when you emerge, you’ll be equipped with wholeness to face it. When our nervous systems are better regulated, we become better versions of ourselves.

Balasana // child’s pose. Because children know when they need a hug or a quiet retreat, and when they’ve had enough. Let’s take a cue from our littlest beauties and choose what we need most.

Give me all your before/after notes in the comments! Sending love + rest on this late-winter Wednesday.

02/02/2023

I created this fun guide *10 Daily Practices* to help manage the overwhelm and stress of modern life with the simplest, most impactful daily tools that I use myself to feel better!

Make sure you’re on the email list to receive it in your inbox! (*opt in here* https://view.flodesk.com/pages/618afd6c3a0e5bcf6f541534)!

If you’re already on the list and haven’t seen anything from me, check your spam/promotion folders and mark my email (lauren@vedayogaspace.com) as safe for your inbox! ♥️

04/08/2022

Hello friends, I know it's been awhile! I miss you and hope you're all well. I've been slooowly working on a plan for relaunching my yoga business with more content to really make a difference and meet the big, heavy needs that exist out in the world right now. In my own little community of women, I keep hearing a lot of my feelings echoed in peers, and want to be a positive force for balance, support, and growth in this extremely overwhelming time we're living in.

I created this little questionnaire to get a better feel for the personal frustrations and struggles out there as I consider what to offer and how, so that I can bring my wellness expertise, skills, and strategies to the table in the best possible way. I'd love your input! Responses are anonymous (even to me!) and will be kept private.

This re-launch could still be a ways off (I progress at a snail's pace), but knowing the answers to these questions will really help a ton, so thank you. Feel free to pass it along to anyone in your circle! Thank you so, so much. xoLauren

Hello friend, I'd love your help! I've been working on a plan for relaunching my yoga business with more online content and programs to really make a difference and meet the big needs that exist out in the world right now. In my own little community of women, I keep hearing a lot of my feelings echo...

02/22/2022