I need fresh air. and to get my hands dirty, and my bare feet in the grass. I need my yoga classes outdoors! Thankfully my friend Bri offers an amazing assortment of classes we can do outside. I did horse yoga with her and loved it!
What Is Horse Yoga?
Many people think of goat yoga when I mention horse yoga. Goat yoga is actually getting quite popular. Baby goats have open access to the students during the practice. They wander around the area and sometimes climb onto a student’s back during their poses.
Horse yoga is similar; yet without the horses climbing up on the students! The horses are on a lead and they wander throughout the class area and enjoy their endless supply of grass in the ring. They do get close enough to you where you can reach out and touch them if you wish.
I had a perfect photo opp when I was in my Savasana pose at the end of the class and I heard a horse munching on the grass near me. I opened my eyes to find this cute face looking at me!
What are the Benefits of Horse Yoga?
Combining nature, animals and yoga is a wonderful recipe for relaxation and healing. The classes are held at Equine Expressions. This is a horse farm that provides therapy with horses. The horses help people work through many conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, and many more. To learn more about what Equine Expressions offers, visit their website for information.
The combination of nature and animals with yoga goes together so well! Horses are spiritual animals, and yoga is a spiritual practice so it just makes sense to combine the two for a wonderful experience.
Doing yoga with animals like horses, is so good for your mind and your mood. Having a yoga class outdoors is a great way to find something deeper in you. It is fun, and doing yoga with animals is even more fun!
Having your feet in the grass and being in the fresh air is very good for your microbiomes. We spend so much time in front of screens, so it is important to unplug and move your body. Twist out the tension, slow down your breathing and listen. I love when we are starting the practice with our eyes closed, listening to the sounds around us, feeling the breeze and the sun on our skin, and smelling the scents of the farm.
The other benefit I get out of horse yoga, and yoga outdoors is the benefit of what working out in the heat offers. It’s summer here now, so when we have our classes, it’s warm out. The warm sun and the air helps me sweat out my stress and also helps me get a better stretch because I am warmer so I can loosen up a little more. I have never tried Bikram yoga; but Bri mentioned that we are doing yoga similar to that when we do our outdoor classes.
Visiting The Horses
After the class is over, we are given the opportunity to wander around the farm. This is one of my favorite parts of class because I love taking photos. I saw the perfect photo opportunity with Bri’s daughter visiting one of the horses. It looked like she and the horse were sharing a funny story.
Are You Interested In Trying it?
Bri will be holding more outdoor classes this summer, including yoga in the vineyard and sunrise and sunset yoga at Hubbard Park. Check out her Bhogah Yoga Facebook page for the schedule.
For the past few weeks, I have been studying Russell Brunson’s book Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers. It has been very helpful to teach me how to find my dream customers, attract their attention, and drive them to my site.
This post is sponsored by “Traffic Secrets”. The opinions expressed below are my own. I received free products in exchange for sharing my experience.
Image provided by Russell Brunson
Here are some of the big takeaways I took from Russell’s book. You can also get a free copy of the book by viewing the video, and clicking my link at the end of the blog post.
Who is Russell Brunson?
Russell Brunson is the CEO of ClickFunnels, the fastest-growing non-venture-backed software company in the world. Traffic Secrets is the third book in a trilogy of books by Russell.
In the book Traffic Secrets, Russell reveals the marketing techniques he’s taught to over a million entrepreneurs about how to get noticed, drive traffic, and make sales. His books share how to use funnels to make more money for each visitor who clicks on ads.
You can’t rely on one platform to make all of the money for you. You must have one solid strategy that you can use on multiple platforms. This is the click funnel. It will help you build your business, traffic and leads on solid ground.
Who Are Your Dream Customers?
When you start a business, you aren’t creating the business for you, you are creating it to serve a need for others. It’s important that you first need to know who your dream customer is, and then study how to find them. Then you need to study the core pains and the core desires and passions your customers are trying to move toward.
Most entrepreneurs mistakenly think that their business is about them, but it is not. On the contrary, your business is about your customer.
Russell Brunson
When people purchase products, they are hoping to achieve certain results from three main core desires; health, wealth or relationships. You must determine which of these desires your customer is trying to receive when they buy your product or service.
Where Do Your Dream Customers Congregate?
The second tip from Russell’s book is to learn where your dream customer goes to get help and information similar to your message. There are generally two ways to find your dream customers. They will either find you, or they are going to interact with things that interest them; giving you the chance to grab their attention, and send them to your site.
Targeting ads to people with certain interests is a great place to start. Find the tribes your dream customers are already in. What facebook groups are they in, what instagram hashtags do they follow? Who has a large following? Once you identify these answers, you can direct your focus to getting their attention.
How Do You Get Your Dream Customer’s Attention?
Hook, Story, and Offer. This approach is the core foundation for how things are sold online. The hook is what grabs someone’s attention. After the hook grabs their attention, you can share a story with them. This will help you earn their trust, build a connection, and increase the value of your offer. The offer is your call to action to the people you are reaching out to. From there you may have a special item in exchange for acting on your call to action.
Many times, if the customer isn’t acting on your offer, it’s most likely related to the hook, the story, or the offer. You may need a better story, a better offer, or a better hook.
This book helps you learn the framework that you can use to get traffic from any platform. It is a great resource tool, a playbook, that you can refer back to often as you strive to build your business.
Image Provided by Russell Brunson
One of my goals this year is to build my YouTube subscribers list. I will be studying Chapter 13 specifically to help me with this goal. It contains the action plan you should follow to drive traffic to your channel. I can’t wait to see how this will help my growth this summer!
Do you have specific goals you want to achieve for your business growth? Share them with me in the comments. And don’t forget to get your free copy of the book today!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of “Traffic Secrets”. The opinions expressed are my own.
May the 4th be with you! It’s May and that means Star Wars Celebrations! We used to travel to Walt Disney World in May and got to experience Star Wars Day at Hollywood Studios. It’s so much fun! I have 3 ways to celebrate Star Wars Day anywhere with your family!
Disneybounding
I think out of all the character dress up opportunities, Star Wars fans go all out! I have done some Disneybounding with Star Wars for the runDisney races, visiting the parks, and also at home with Halloween and other parties we have attended.
Blue Milk Recipe
If you want to bring the magic home, you can make some blue milk from the comfort of your own kitchen easily with this dairy free recipe.
Galaxy’s Edge is a completely immersive atmosphere. I was blown away the first time I walked into the land. Star Wars fans are very passionate about their love of Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan; but nowhere close to the level as many others.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge scenery was a perfect backdrop for a surprise video I was doing for my kids. I set up to FaceTime the kids from a quiet area near the Millenium Falcon. I was attending a conference and flew to Orlando prior to the family. The plan was that when I got back home from the conference, we were going to go to Hershey Park for Adrienne’s birthday. But to their surprise, they were coming down to Orlando to meet up with me!
Here’s the video of their surprise.
Galaxy’s Edge has so many amazing photography locations, apart from the main attraction, the Millenium Falcon. Every corner you turn, you can find remnants of old transport ships, droids, and cargo. This would be a perfect place to make an announcement of a recent engagement, a birth announcement or a gender reveal to name a few!
What would you announce from Galaxy’s Edge?
How are you going to celebrate Star Wars Day? Share your ideas in the comments!
If you are an Amazon prime member then this gift guide is for you! We are just a week away from Mother’s Day. I found the perfect gift for my mom recently; but I also found 5 great Amazon Prime Mother’s Day gifts that I know would make the perfect gifts for your mom. These gift items contain affiliate links.
Here are 5 Great Amazon Mother’s Day Gifts
Have A Spa Day At Home
Moms have busy lives so it isn’t as easy to go to the spa for some pampering. I tried some of these masks at home for my face and my feet and I loved them!
I love to read. Finding the time to read isn’t always easy for me. But some of my favorite books have been about parenting and inspirational stories. Some of the books in my kindle and on my nightstand are:
I love planting seeds with my kids and putting them into our little indoor greenhouse to get them started for the season and then transferring them to our garden and deck pots. Every year I could always use a fresh set of gardening tools such as the following:
The summer season is quickly upon us here in Connecticut. I know that I need some new sports bras and running shorts. Here are a few good ideas for your athletic mom, whether it is for yoga, running, or just overall athletic attire:
When I travel I like to load up my ipod with podcasts and audiobooks. I also like to add new reading material to my Kindle. I have Kindle Unlimited and love the ability to borrow books each month.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
When the Beauty and the Beast live action movie came out in 2017 my mom and I wanted to celebrate our birthdays with a Beauty and the Beast Party! As soon as we said it, my brain was already in full planning mode. I already had ideas for the rose, the party decorations and my mom was in charge of the cake. Here are some Beauty and the Beast Party ideas for decorations, place settings, food, and costumes!
Beauty And The Beast Party Decorations
The Beast’s Rose
The centerpiece of our party has to be the beast’s rose. As soon as I thought of it, I envisioned the rose inside a glass dome, dripping with little twinkle lights. I found the supplies for it at Michael’s and Amazon and got right to work putting it together. It was very simple and was just what we needed!
Glass Dome – Approximately 11 inches high. You want it to stand out on the table as the centerpiece. LED Lights – I prefer the warm color lights Silk Rose – You can find these on amazon or any craft store. Green Foam – You can also find these at amazon or any craft store.
Tea
No party wouldn’t be complete without some tea served in a fancy pot with cups. I really want the Mrs. Potts tea set. But we used our own tea cups and pot. I’d love to get a fancy set like this to keep on display at my house and to use for special tea time.
I love tea and I collect antique tea cups. When I brought my mom to Disney with me during Princess Half Marathon weekend, we made a date to have tea at the Grand Floridian. This is an experience you must do at least once, if not every time you go to Disney!
Characters
I wish I had an old clock like Cogsworth and a candelabra like Lumiere. But we made due and my mom made some items to fill the part.
I loved the picture frames sprinkled around the kitchen with Belle and the Beast. It was a nice touch!
Beauty And The Beast Party Place Settings
I wanted each person at the party to have a “Be Our Guest” invitation at each place setting. I created a small napkin holder with a mirror and a rose with a tag that read “Be Our Guest”. These items can be found at Michael’s.
Beauty And The Beast Party Desserts
The Grey Stuff Recipe
For dessert we had a special cake made and I of course had to make the grey stuff!
In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Whisk well and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Place Oreos in a food processor and blend until they become crumbs.
Mix the crushed Oreos in with the pudding mixture and mix well.
Fold in Cool Whip and chocolate pudding mix until well combined and refrigerate for one hour before serving.
When ready to serve, place “grey stuff” in a piping bag and add a dollop to the middle and then pipe a spiral around it. Top with sprinkles.
ENJOY!
The Cake
We also had a beautiful cake made by a friend of my mom’s. It was the perfect addition to our party theme.
Disney Bounding
I love to dress in costume for the runDisney races that I participate in. For one of the Princess weekends, I dressed as Princess Belle for the half marathon and provincial Belle for the 10K.
Are you ready to host a party?
I’d love to see what you put together for a Disney Themed party from your home! Share your photos with me or leave me a comment about the theme you’d like to design! I’d love to help give you ideas!
I shared last year that I have anxiety. I try not to make a big deal of it; but it’s been quite a challenge trying to manage anxiety during the covid-19 pandemic. I am suffering from sleep loss, focus challenges, loss of motivation, aimlessly wandering around, and general symptoms related to a major life change.
I have been trying different things to help ease and reduce some of the anxiety, and I want to share them with you if you are suffering from it during this pandemic as well.
Tips For Managing Anxiety During The Covid-19 Pandemic
Talk Out Your Feelings
When my anxiety starts to ramp up, I notice one of my first symptoms is wandering around and the inability to think straight. When that happens, I notice that if I talk out my feelings to my husband, and even my kids, it helps me to see clearly. I am able to get my thoughts out in front of me and they can recommend suggestions for me to get back on track.
Writing is also helpful to me. When I write something about what I am feeling on Facebook or mention it on my nightly Facebook Live I have a lot of comments about it. It makes me feel better knowing that I am not the only one having these feelings. I also feel better knowing that this pandemic is a large trigger for anxiety.
Many people haven’t been through this before. So there is a lot of uncertainty. I am very goal driven. Being a marathon runner, I need a race on the calendar to drive me to get in my miles. I have been praised on my work reviews because of my ability to meet or exceed goals and timelines. It’s just how I am wired. So now I am setting or finding new goals to help push me or keep me motivated.
Stay Active
I just registered for the runDisney Virtual Race Series today because of two things. I love their race medals and miss runDisney events, and I need a goal in place. There are three virtual 5K races in this challenge. One for each month of the summer.
My kids and I have remained diligent about staying active every afternoon. We either take a bike ride up to the farm to collect eggs and then go for a longer ride around the neighborhood after egg collecting. Or I will go for a run while they ride their bikes. Working out definitely makes me feel better. My kids also seem happier after we come back from doing something outside.
I also prefer to do any activities outside. so I can feel the sun and the air on my skin. I need to be out in nature. When I am out with the kids I have been packing a little backpack with my camera and tripod. We went for a longer bike ride yesterday and I am so glad I had my camera with me because I was able to wander a little bit and capture some beautiful old barn photographs while we were out there. I also saw deer out in one of the farm fields.
I love wandering around with my camera taking pictures. It brings me so much joy.
Take A Shower and Get Dressed
I know when the quarantine first started I fell into a habit of waking up in the morning, rolling out of bed and walking into my office with my pajamas on, and working until the end of the day, going for a run, then taking my shower.
I didn’t bother to put on makeup or get dressed for the day. This went on for a few weeks. I even went live on Facebook without makeup! I would NEVER show my face to the public without makeup, even when I was in labor with my kids!
Now, as we are four weeks into this, I feel better if I start my day with a shower, get dressed and put on makeup. I feel like I can make some videos that I will use in future projects, I am “put together” for the day. My clothes still fit and I haven’t fallen off the wagon of eating well and continuing to work on my weight loss.
Watch A Funny Show
At least two or three times a week I like to sit down with everyone and watch a show at night. We don’t actually have time every night to do it because we all need to take showers, or we were at the farm later, or Adrienne and I had a long Facebook Live session. But when we can, I like to veg out for a little bit and watch something educational on Disney+. I look forward to those times.
I introduced my son to I Love Lucy and he’s been hooked on the show. Then my daughter got hooked on it and then we all started to watch it together. It’s a classic and was one of my favorite shows when I grew up. I enjoy when he comes into my office laughing, and shares the clip from the recent episode he is watching.
Play Games
I want to do more of this as a family. I want to play in our driveway again and play badminton and four square. We love playing games in our family. Surprisingly, we haven’t played four square yet. We’ve been a little busy! But as I try to figure out the balance between work and play, I’d like to incorporate more games into our family time.
We did host a virtual bingo game online when the pandemic first started. It was quite an event. I would love to do that again. We also tried to play Kahoot online and I’m going to work on making some quizzes for them to play along with. They use that program in school for their learning and I’d love to put some quizzes together using some things we are learning about at home during the quarantine.
Go For A Drive
The other night we took a short ride around town. It was 8:00 and my daughter mentioned that she hasn’t seen her school or the center of town since her last day of school. That was over a month ago! So all four of us drove around town, part of it was on their old bus route. We then stopped at my parents’ house and visited with them in the driveway for a little bit. My parents and brother wore their masks so we were being responsible.
It felt good to ride around in the car again and see our town. But it also felt weird. We left our little bubble that we have been living in for over a month. I am starting to feel safest at home.
Breathe or Practice Meditation
I need to listen to my own advice. Somehow during all of this, I have become so busy with work that I haven’t been able to take the time to breathe and give myself grace. I feel that I am working so hard for my clients because I am driven by their goals. So I naturally gravitate towards that because it’s how I am wired.
To randomly just play, or breathe or do things on a whim doesn’t come easily for me. I can’t just stop what I am doing. I have to “close up” what I am working on so I can “put it away” in my brain to allow myself time to not work and not feel guilty.
Meditation has been a huge help for me. I like to use the Calm app. If I am feeling anxious I will open the app and turn on the ocean waves sound. This helps ground me and gives me some focus. I will also run the app when I take a shower and allow that time to breathe and slow down.
Maintain A Normal Bedtime
It’s important for your body and your mind, to keep a normal bedtime. Your body’s circadian rhythm has a lot of effects on your hormones and how you sleep, digest your food, and heal your gut. This has an impact on your weight and if you gain or lose weight. Especially if you are trying to lose weight. When your sleep cycle is off, you will struggle even harder to lose the weight.
When you stay up later and wake up later, your serotonin, cortisol and endorphins get disrupted. This affects your mood. The circadian rhythm is closely tied to our mood regulating hormones. If you are feeling off, take a look at your schedule. What is different in your daily schedule that you weren’t doing before the pandemic?
If your sleep is disrupted because you are worrying about family and friends; or can’t sleep because you are thinking about things, it will have an impact on your mood. When that happens, you tend to go down a path of unhealthy choices. So take a moment now to think about what you are doing at night and how are you winding down your day to allow yourself time to breathe and let go of the negativity from the day.
Give Yourself Grace
As you are all aware, this Covid-19 pandemic is all new to us. No one has been through this before. I saw something recently that was a great description of how I feel many times.
I have been trying to take my advice listed above. My nights are the hardest. I can’t seem to fall asleep easily at my normal bed time. So I am working on that this week. It’s important now that the kids are also back in school this week. They need to be awake and alert for their online classes. Especially with this new structure of learning that is unfamiliar for them.
I gathered up this advice from what I have observed in the last month of staying safe at home. Do you have any tips that you can recommend for helping us get through these anxious times? Please share them in the comments!
