Season 3, Episode 3: “Everyday Self-Care” with Julie Gentile

Rosanna 0:15
Welcome to season three, Episode Three of the relentless pursuit podcast: Everyday Self Care with Julie Gentile. Before we get into today’s episode, I thought we would just give you a little reminder of where we are, it is the month of February, which we’re calling love month, thanks to Valentine’s Day. And if you’ve been with us, the two weeks prior, you know that week one was all about “your person,” your people, you know, how do you love them? How do you show up for them and being vulnerable with them. Week two, we talked about loving thy neighbor. And we brought in that definition of neighbor to include everyone and anyone. So there’s a challenge there in how we treat all of those around us. And now this week, we’re focusing on loving ourselves with self care with Julie G. And then next week, we will end this four week love month with the book, Everybody Always. And it’s about loving difficult people.

Jordan 1:08
So if you haven’t picked that up yet, I know that we’ll be talking about that next week, you’re welcome to read that book along with us. And we’ll be sharing some of our thoughts and reflections after enjoying that text. You know, this week is important, because I think it’s a great idea to focus on the concept of love. And you know, especially when I think there’s a lot that we take for granted and a lot that makes us forget about this amazing experience that we can have as humans. And we can both give and receive love as a gift. But there’s a lot of fear and uncertainty and anxieties that persist. And so helping us stay grounded in what truly matters. I think it’s a great platform for launching this third season.

Rosanna 1:51
Yeah, we’re often so focused on taking care of others, we kind of forget neglect to take care of ourselves. So that’s why I’m excited about this week’s episode. And it reminds me of when you’re on an airplane. I haven’t been on an airplane in a while. But what happens in emergency when the masks come down? What do they direct you to do? They direct you to put your mask on first before helping someone else with their mask. And so we have to remember to be kind to ourselves to remember that we’re human beings and it’s okay to not always be doing and doing for others.

Jordan 2:18
You’re almost more good to others when you are also good to yourself too, and I think we forget that more good. You’re gooder.

Yeah. All right, so this week, we had the privilege of having a really fantastic informative conversation with Julie Gentile. And a little bit about Julie, she is an award winning author, yoga instructor and self care advocate. Her books include 108 Yoga and Self Care Practices for Busy Mamas and How to Stay Calm in the Chaos an Everyday Self Care Guide, which you’ll hear us talk about on the show today. She received the 2019 bronze medal in the exercise fitness yoga category from IPP why living now Book Awards, which recognizes books for better living and authors changing lives and changing the world. And she’s also a 2019 book excellence awards finalist in the mind body spirit category for her book 108 Yoga and self care practices for busy mamas. She’s been featured in numerous media and has many published articles and has been a guest on the Chicago Parent Masters and Parenting Podcast and the Strong as Mothers podcast. You can learn more about her and benefit from her works by subscribing to her nourish note, to get a monthly boost of self care, self care by visiting her blog, which is www.JulieGtheYogi.com. And you can also find her on her YouTube channel, which is “Stand Up For Your Self-Care” where she maintains, which she maintains in addition to being a wife, a full time working mom of two young children. So we hope you enjoy the upcoming interview. And don’t forget to stick around afterwards for a few thoughts and takeaways that we’re sending I have.

Rosanna 4:05
Hi Julie, welcome to the show.

Julie G 4:07
Hello, how are you?

Rosanna 4:09
We’re great. It’s so great to have you on here. We’re really looking forward to today’s conversation. As you know, the relentless pursuit is all about taking life off autopilot and pursuing a life worth living. And I feel like you definitely embody kind of that that mantra that we have, you know, your marketing and communications guru. You’re but you’re also a wife, a mom, you’re a speaker, you’re an author, you’re a yogi, you’re a self care like know it all – in a good way. You know, how do you how do you have time like we’re interviewing you now and and you’ve got all of this, you know, how do you find the time to pursue what you love amongst all of the different hats that you wear?

Julie G 4:47
Well, first of all, thank you so much. I’m so excited to be here and to talk about one of my favorite topics. self care, and self care is the reason why I’m here and self care is the reason why I’m able to do everything I do. So it helps bring balance to a busy day. And you would think it would be, you know, you’re just adding one more thing to the to do list, but self care doesn’t take time it actually gives me time.

Rosanna 5:11
Okay, so maybe we should start off with, you know, defining self care, you know, how would you define it? And what is it for people who really aren’t, like aware of what it is and what, how it can play a big role in people’s lives?

Julie G 5:25
Yeah, so self care is how we show ourselves love. It goes beyond brushing your teeth, and taking a shower. And self care is really looking out for our own well being. And it’s really anything we do that nourishes our whole being. So that’s physically, emotionally, spiritually and beyond that brings our minds, our bodies, our spirits into a greater state of balance. Self Care is this evolving, lifelong journey. So it’s not like we practice it one day, and we’re like, we’re good to go. See you later. So it’s ongoing practice, which makes it so beautiful and exciting, because it’s constantly unfolding. I look at self care as how kind and loving Can I be to myself today, and I often will ask myself that question. And so I do often describe self care in terms of a bucket. So just for a moment, if you will, visualize a bucket in your favorite color or pattern. And every time you do something for self care, such as exercising, imagine a little drop being added to your bucket. And eventually, you’ll add so many drops to your bucket that your self care starts to overflow, right, so this bucket starts to overflow. And because you gave to yourself now, it’s so much easier, seamless, effortless to give to others.

Rosanna 6:50
Yeah, do you think that self care is more of like a modern concept? Like, do you think the emergence of this as an idea is more prevalent now, because of the way our lives our lives, how they’re filled the infiltration of technology, or even generally- generationally, like our obsession with like, work and achievement?

Julie G 7:10
Yeah, so self care is definitely a buzzword these days. It’s a trendy word, we hear it probably every day. And it’s just important to note that it’s not a modern concept. When we look at ayurveda, which is the sister science of yoga, and one of the world’s oldest medical traditions, which originated in India around the time yoga did about 5000 years ago, we can see that the idea of self care isn’t new. Ayurveda literally means the science of life. And although it’s a practice developed in ancient times, it very much still applies today. Ayurveda is this personalized approach to well being and longevity, that incorporates well being routines into daily life, there are so many things our beta teaches us when it comes to self care, including living in alignment with nature. So working when it’s daytime, and sleeping, when it’s nighttime. Now, that might seem simple, but it isn’t to everybody. In it’s a modern concept that we can grocery shop at midnight.

Jordan 8:15
Yeah, it’s like easier said than done. It’s like, Yeah, that makes sense. But at the same time, like we do have so many communication tools, and so much technology, and we have lights, and so that really over the last 100 years is really like changed that that rhythm that a lot of life may have been accustomed to previously.

Julie G 8:32
Absolutely. And while that may be beneficial to our modern schedules, it’s it might not be beneficial to our overall well being. So you know, and many of us are doing more, we’re achieving more, we’re setting more goals than ever before, which is why we need to balance all of that with self care, which is why I also mentioned, I’m able to do what I do with self care, because I make I interweave it into my life. And so, you know, we a lot of us have heard we’re not human beings, we’re human, or we’re not. We’re human beings. We’re not human doings, right, and so a lot of us are doing. And technology certainly makes our lives easier in so many ways, right? We’ve learned that over the last year. Right? We’re also doing more because of technology. And we’ve definitely learned that over the last year, you know, we can stay up all night and watch TV if we really wanted to. And we can be on every social media channel and still not feel caught up. Our devices aren’t everything, but it certainly seems that way because we rely on them so much. And I always say that the only time I ever see people without a phone is in a yoga class.

Rosanna 9:41
You might you might be very right about that.

Jordan 9:44
So I mean, one of the things that comes to mind as you’re describing this is that, you know, in some ways we can be very, I would say like selfish even in a good way with you know, kind of spending money on ourselves or really doing something that we want, but I think maybe the idea of self care can often get to the bottom of a priority list too. So like, why do you think that is, if it’s so important for us, how come there’s a lot of other things that seem to take priority?

Julie G 10:10
Because a lot of us are innate caretakers and want to care for the others in our lives, right. And so we often hear, we can’t fill up other’s lives unless we’re filling up our own cup. And so you know, it’s so easy to put exercise at the end of your list, it’s so easy to even not have it on the list. Because as a modern day adult, you have so much going on. And it’s just if you’re not prioritizing exercise, let’s say in the morning, or if you know, you’re going to exercise during lunchtime, it’ll, it’s so easy for it to fall off the list. And, you know, it’s it’s important to note as well that it does fall off the list one day, it doesn’t mean that’s how it’s going to be the next day, you can just pick up where you left off the next day. And so it’s just like anything else. It’s this constant practice and getting into the habit, and I call it the habit of self care, or the cycle of self care.

Rosanna 11:06
Yeah, well, that’s what I was going to ask you is how important are routines for self care? Like do you think it’s important to establish a routine so that yeah, if you miss a day, it’s not a big deal. But it’s, it’s part of the plan. So when it’s part of the plan, you’re like, is it easier to get to it than when it’s not part of the plan at all?

Julie G 11:23
It’s definitely easier to get to it, if it’s already built in to your day. Self care routines do help set the foundation of your well being. There’s not just one self care routine, though, even though we all have the same basic requirements of seven to nine hours of sleep every night, eating healthy meals and include fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, exercising and moving more, right. Those are the basics of self care. Self care practices are highly individualized. So no two people will have the exact same self care routine. And that’s because we’re really drawn to different things that inspire us to stay well. So for some folks, it might be a walk in nature outside to start their day. And that’s wonderful, right? Because they’re able to look forward to that, right. So I think sometimes that’s what’s missing. And some of the self care practices where we’re feeling maybe a little bit forced, it’s, instead of feeling like, Oh, I have to do this, if I’m excited to do this, right, I’m excited to wake up and get up and start my day in this way. So whatever it is, for you that walk outside, or journaling, or meditation, there’s something for everyone, literally, when it comes to self care. You know, and it’s also important to share that ultimately, we’re responsible, we’re responsible for making self care habit, we’re in charge of our own self care. That’s a big responsibility. But at the same time, it’s also empowering.

Rosanna 12:47
Yeah, and I think I’ve found or at least for us, over the last couple years, busy schedules, kids careers, whatever it is, is that you almost have to try a bunch of different things to figure out what works for you. So yeah, is it a walk? Is it yoga? Is it you know, a heavy lift exercise? Is it like, what is it and so trying on different things to find what kind of like sets sets you on fire a little bit that excites you?

Julie G 13:10
Yeah. And it’s absolutely a lab. It’s the lab of life, right? And self care practices are going to change with you in your season of life, maybe in the season outside, right? Because if it’s snowing or icy on the ground, we’re not going to be walking outside. But we what can we do and bring indoors, right? Or what what else can we do to bring that mind body balance back to us? Right? Because that’s what we’re seeking constantly. And it is this juggle? It is this juggle? Because as new things come into your life, and other things you let go of it is going to constantly be this evolving practice.

Rosanna 13:43
Yeah, definitely an ebb and flow.

Jordan 13:44
I have two questions that come to mind. The first is, as I reflect on some things that I’ve been doing over the past year…maybe you can comment on this. I have found that there’s certain things that I’ve been doing that I don’t like the process of doing them. But when it’s done, I’m glad I did. So exercise, namely, and in other episodes, I’ve griped about this a little bit where I’m very proud of myself for like maintaining that routine. And at the end of every exercise, I’m like, I’m glad I did it. I glad it’s like I feel great. But during it, it feels like such a chore. And there are other things like that, that I could make comparable. So I don’t know if that’s an appropriate like stance to have if I would, you know, label it as self care or like what what’s your take on that?

Julie G 14:30
Yeah, so it totally makes sense that after the exercise, you feel great, because you’re getting that endorphin boost, right. So we’re moving our bodies, we’re getting that endorphin boost. But going into it, that’s the mindset that we really have to analyze. So asking yourself, why am I feeling forced doing this? or Why do I feel this way? Right. And so it’s, it’s constantly checking in with yourself and really knowing yourself and saying, maybe I like swimming more. Or maybe there’s another exercise that I really like more that I get excited excited about? And also had that same endorphin boost at the end, right. So can I ask what is your favorite action? What are some of your favorite exercises?

Jordan 15:07
Well, I’m I’m very glad to announce that yoga has been rising on my list. So I’d like to talk about that a little bit more today. And I know I’ve been doing, we subscribe to Beachbodyondemand.com. And so I’m able to like cycle through a few of their programs and like, but they’re all similar in the sense that like, if I’m lifting weights or doing some kind of like cardio workout, it is like, I can’t wait for it to be –

Rosanna 15:35
Well it’s at the edge of your comfort zone. It’s more like pullback and not sweat in that push. But –

Jordan 15:40
But then after a month of it, then I’m like, you know, I’m proud of the work that I put into it. I’m going to continue this but waking up and being like, maybe I could skip today is just part of that daily battle too. And if I were being honest, it’s like, well, what am I comfortable with? What is true self care? For me? It’s skipping the exercise and eating a giant Cinnabon. Right?

Julie G 16:02
Yeah, and that might be what you need in that moment, right? It is all about that balance, right? And I always go back to that definition of the mind-body-spirit balance. Maybe it isn’t the one that you need that day. Maybe it’s something else that you haven’t even explored, right? Because again, it’s this there’s all of these tools, right? And what is in your self care toolbox. And, you know, I know that I’m constantly adding adding myself to your toolbox and learning new things so that I can keep it fresh. I can keep it exciting when it comes to my self care practices. But I also have mainstays that I know that I’m excited to do them, right. Not always as excited. But I am excited to do them every day. I look forward to it with some of my mainstays. But also, you know, I don’t feel forced, typically when I’m doing self care when I’m practicing self care, because it really I, I go back to that kind of loving, am I being toward myself, and if it’s I want to run today, then I won’t I’ll choose to walk or I’ll choose to dance around and listen to music. Right?

Rosanna 17:00
Well, and that’s what I’ve seen with you too, is you lift pretty heavier do cardio, but there are certain days that he programs into his routine to yoga. And he you know, he gets up and he just does like a 30 minute yoga, or if he misses it in the morning, because he needs a little extra sleep. Then he comes home and after dinner, it’s weren’t all in the basement with the kids doing a yoga.

Jordan 17:18
It’s been a rough day – I need my yoga break!

Julie G 17:21
When I asked you when you’re practicing yoga, especially in the morning, how does that set the tone for your day?

Jordan 17:29
It’s, it feels similar to some of the exercises in the sense that like, okay, like I feel good that I’ve taken care of my body for the day. And before it’s so especially like it when I do it first thing in the morning. So then no matter else what happens that day, I can look back and be alright: I have I have been proactive with my day in that sense.

Rosanna 17:51
And you’ve taken some time for yourself, which is comes at a you know, high premium around here that that doesn’t always happen. Yeah. Because we’re both getting up early before the sun is up and before the kids are up to get workouts in. And for us that’s, you know, when the alarm goes off, or before you wake up for the alarm, you say no, but when you say yes, ultimately it sets the tone for the day. So yeah –

Julie G 18:11
And we talked about ayurveda which I mentioned, and you’re waking up before the sun, that is that’s an ayurvedic practice. And you might not even realize that it is waking up right before the sun or with it. Because really, you’re you’re already help setting the tone for the day by waking up at that time. Because you’re you’re ready to go right when you wake up. So –

Rosanna 18:30
Yeah, I was just reading atomic habits by James clear. And they talked about like things that you can do atomic habits that kind of help build a successful life. And that’s, you know, one of the practices is waking up before the sun and starting so. But speaking of books, let’s transition over to your book, How to Stay calm in the chaos, which you wrote at the start of the pandemic and have had published, a great read, very accessible, very straightforward. And your book has seven guiding principles, one for each day of the week to help us all like mindfully move forward. And I think that’s kind of one of the things we’ve been talking about. Moving into 2021 is mindfully moving forward, this year is going to be a mixed bag of kind of like 2020. But knowing that how can we move forward gracefully healthy and positively. So let’s talk through some of those principles and help our listeners be better equipped to kind of navigate what what lies before us.

Julie G 19:27
Yeah, wonderful. So the way that I designed this book was to share a theme or a practice really an intention, if you will, every day of the week. So there are seven main themes in the book. And the first one is to stay present. So it starts us off with the week already staying present and practicing that because staying present is not easy to do, in this modern world. We all know this, right? As parents as adults, it’s just not easy to stay present even for kids. So staying present is hard because there’s so much that needs to get done every day, or at least we often perceive it that way, right? We have hundreds of things on our to do list. And we’re like, oh, we need to at least get through half of it. But maybe that’s not the case. So it might require a mindset shift, right. And so there is so much noise coming in and out from our external world. We’re interrupted constantly with text messages, phone notifications, social media, notifications, we’re trying to multitask and be everything to everyone. But we need grounding more than anything. And we deserve to be grounded. That sounds kind of funny, right? We deserve to be grounded. But meditation and mindfulness help us stay present where life is happening right here, right now. We’re essentially taking time in the chaos, even though it’s still swirling all around, to focus on our breath. And to just be.

Rosanna 20:55
Yeah, in your book, you say doing less helps you stay present. And for me, that is not that’s not my default to do less.

Jordan 21:02
I feel like even maybe even culturally, to like even to use phrases like, Alright, I’m going to do less, or even what you said, like the phrase “I deserve,” I think that we often don’t feel allowed to say those kinds of things.

Rosanna 21:16
Yeah, or human being versus doing I’m like, I’m definitely a doer. So my planner, like has the week laid out, and I’ve got where, who needs to be where and on the side, it’s like life to dos. And then it says work to do. So like, I fill in all of those slots. And like, my goal is always to, like, get them done. And I used to be like, Alright, let me get all 80 of these done on Monday. And now like, I’m just kind of shifting this mentality of like, these are the things that I would like to get done, nothing is urgent. So let’s see, like, what I can cross off and what doesn’t get crossed off gets moved to the next week’s list. So yeah, you know, and giving myself the the ability to do that. And that this is like a huge shift for me in the last year. Like, you don’t have to do it all between eight and 10am –

Jordan 21:58
Changing what you’re like permitting yourself to to do or to not do.

Rosanna 22:02
but for the sake sake of being present for my kids who are here, most of the time learning for my two year old, who, you know, is not engaged on a screen for school and a host of other things, you know.

Julie G 22:12
Yeah. And that’s definitely a great distinction that you made, I always share that we don’t have to earn self care, we should automatically just get it, right. I mean, it’s, it’s a privilege to take care of ourselves. But just because we do more and more and more things, it doesn’t mean we get more and more self care, the self care really should be there anyway, because that’s what’s going to help us keep going, that’s what’s gonna help energize us, that’s what’s gonna, you know, thinking about that bucket, again, we’re filling ourselves up first, so that we can more effortlessly, right, give back to others. You know, in so many ways, it doesn’t have to just even be one way. But it isn’t, you know, it definitely is great to share that, you know, I don’t have to do all of this in one day, even if that’s my expectation, but really why oftentimes, we we put the most pressure on ourselves, more pressure on ourselves than anybody else, you know what, but our kids noticed this, too. And so, you know, oftentimes, kids are looking at our laptops, right, the back of our laptops more than they’re seeing our faces. And that’s just the reality for so many modern parents. And that’s why I think it’s important for kids to see the balance. You practicing the self care, you exercising, meditating, ask them to join you making kale chips, I mean, whatever it is that you’re doing in your house to practice self care, how can we raise the next generation so that they have a more balanced approach to technology and work? Right, they’re seeing their parents, you know, kind of move through this or, you know, their caretakers kind of move through life – but how can we raise them to continue this cycle of self care? So it doesn’t stop with us? It continues on.

Rosanna 23:49
Yeah, that’s a conversation that our kids have now realized, you know, they’re logged on line. And then we have a break for lunch. And every day, and even though it’s been cold and snowing, and it’s slushy, outside, we walk. And they’re like, why do we have to go it’s cold, and it’s good to get away from our screens, it’s good to like, take a breath of fresh air to let your body around and to move your body. And some days they are happily skipping along and other days I’m you know, dragging a stroller, a dog and a six and a an eight year old and you know, they don’t want to go but I said it’s it’s the consistency of doing this is good for us. It’s, you know, a good break. And so I don’t really know that they understand it. But I hope that that’s something that they learn to appreciate. And remember, and then practice long term for themselves.

Jordan 24:30
It seems like what we’re modeling for the user just like what we do, then they they see that and then like we’ve said before, like just the example of the tone that we set. So even even taking care of ourselves is a way of taking care of them in that way too.

Julie G 24:43
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Kids are gonna grow up knowing that that’s just part of being you know, in this world that self care is part of you know, who they are becoming and who they will be.

Jordan 24:55
There’s something that you mentioned earlier in our conversation about how self care gives you time. And now like we’re kind of talking about just being being present, being grounded. So I was wondering, just for our listeners, if you can explain like what you meant by, like, how kind of taking time also gives you time, in that sense.

Julie G 25:13
Yes, yes. So essentially, I’ll provide meditation as an example, I meditate every morning before I even open my bedroom door. And typically, it’s a five to 10 minute meditation practice. And this meditation practice is an example of groundedness to start my day, but I’m able to in whatever meditation practice I’m practicing, because I practice several, I’m able to just really be present mindful right in the moment. And because I’m able to have that presence with myself, everything else seems easier. So that means that I can maybe respond to emails quicker, or I can, you know, I mean, like, I’m just a lot more efficient, because I took that time. So I’m essentially saving my time in the long run, because I took those five minutes in the morning to meditate. Whereas if I didn’t meditate, I would notice, there really aren’t any days that go by without me meditating. Because I know that if I don’t, I know how I feel. And so the feeling is, you know, I feel maybe not as caught up because I didn’t take those moments of, you know, grounding and presence. And it’s, it’s just a little bit tougher, right? It feels different. It feels off to try to get through the day in my you know, my normal way. And so, so really, those first few moments of the day, helps set the tone for the rest of it, and do save me time, in the long run, so that I am more efficient, more seamless, things are just coming to me more effortless, effortlessly, right, because I’ve already set I’ve set that tone.

Rosanna 26:10
When I was talking with a friend the other day, and she was talking about how her husband had just tried to kind of light the fire under her like instead of waking up after the kids wake up, or waking up to the kids asking for cereal, like, I know you don’t want to wake up any earlier. But maybe doing that and giving yourself five to 10 minutes, like alone with a cup of coffee just to kind of like just to ground yourself just to be present will help you like kind of breathe through it. And then like when the kids are up, then you’re like ready to go. Because you’ve had that moment to yourself instead of feeling like you’re playing catch up.

Julie G 27:26
Absolutely. That’s the point. It’s you’re you’re not catching up, then at that point, you’re feeling calmer, right? And you’re not feeling like everything is so chaotic, you’re you you’re already coming into it into life in a more calm way.

Jordan 27:39
And that just makes me think of the terms like proactive or reactive and kind of going back to what we’re saying about me like liking to start my morning with exercise, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. But I’ve been like proactive in the day. And I think this is where a lot of people struggle like with social media or phones, like as soon as they wake up, they’re even supposedly before their out of bed like they’re on their phone, and then that it kind of makes you It puts you in a reactive position. And that’s that’s a tough position to wake up to day in and day out.

Rosanna 28:10
Yeah. Or to feel like you’re thriving, when you’re reacting to other people’s responses or their posts.

Jordan 28:15
And you’re not in the driver’s seat.

Julie G 28:16
And how do you feel to in your own heart right, we all hold our attention typically in different spots. But you know, when you are in those reactive moments, it’s important to know and really be mindful and aware of where you feel that in your body. And oftentimes you can identify Oh, I feel that my heart or I feel that my shoulders Oh, I feel that feel that my upper belly. And that’s not a great feeling to go through life that day right in a clenched way. We want to be more open and receptive to our day instead of already right tightened clenched.

Jordan 28:45
Yeah, I think that’s interesting, that relationship between our our emotions and our mind and then our body too.

Rosanna 28:51
Let’s move on into staying motivated. That’s that second intention that you have for Tuesday, correct to staying motivated. Once you’ve been launched into the week and you’re you’re going through Monday, you’re staying present? How do you stay motivated to get through the week when things get tough?

Julie G 29:08
Yeah, so really, we Monday really was the stay motivated practice? Because you know, there’s that motivation Monday, out there that everyone’s like, oh, how do you stay motivated on Monday? You know, in motivation, it really depends on what motivates you. What’s your Why? What drives you? Is it love? Is it to feel better? Is it something else? What’s your highest purpose in life, which in yoga we call Dharma? And I always ask, what steps can you take to get on that path to connect to your highest purpose? Like why we’re here right now on earth sharing, you know, with each other living this life, it’s important that we have our own inner motivation. And so for example, we’ve talked about exercise – if my motivation is to feel better, I’m going to exercise every morning so that I can start my day with that momentum. So it’s that momentum that’ll keep me going, because I know I feel better right in mind body spirit when I exercise. But other things that helped me stay motivated, are setting intention. So setting intentions are really a core essence in my life, I set short term intention. So for example, I’ll set an intention for my day or even my yoga practice. For more long term goals, I create vision boards, I typically will do annual visual visual boards, vision boards, and based on a word or a theme. And then after the vision board is created, I will look at my vision board every day to just draw inspiration from it. And for the last several years, the vision boards have kept my motivation going.

Jordan 30:45
And it’s helpful because in the short term, like we’re kind of driven by a lot of like, these short term wants like a, you know, I want the piece of cake or I want to sleep in. But I think being reminded of like this, this higher goal that we have is longer term goal that we have helps us maintain those habits through, you know, throughout those short term moments to reach the long term.

Julie G 31:07
Absolutely. Well, and what motivates you?

Jordan 31:12
Depends, actually, I’ll let you answer that first.

Rosanna 31:16
Oh gosh – I think there’s a lot.

Jordan 31:19
We’ve talked about this a lot. I think like, there’s a couple even before we even compete, too. So there’s that just like the love of family. And for us, that is like the just those moments that we know, are transient, so you know, the kids will grow up. So like, we’re very motivated to try to enjoy every, like special opportunity we have with them, that we have with one another. But we’ve also talked to about like this motivation to, I wouldn’t call it to like to work but to like to build something together that we can be proud of. And that’s a longer term goal. And it’s manifested in a lot of different ways over the years, too.

Rosanna 31:59
And yeah, and even to inspire people to take the time to like, sit and communicate in like, in a good way that helps you build that love build that dream build that pursuit where it’s it doesn’t just happen and it’s it doesn’t it’s not arbitrary. It’s it’s through like these thoughtful conversations, you know, it’s intentional, being intentional and inspiring each other to kind of move forward and then hoping that other people see that they have those opportunities as well. Yeah. But what do we do when we’re derailed? You know, we want to stay motivated, you know, never miss a Monday. You know, like, Is it okay to feel that way? Is it okay? Is it normal, that we’re not always motivated? And then what what should our position be when we’re not?

Julie G 32:43
Of course, it’s normal, we’re human. And let’s give ourselves some grace. And then you know what, let’s just get back up and pick up where we left off. Sometimes it’s enough to just show up, and I talk about showing up a lot, because showing up can be the hardest part, because that means we have to make the decision in our minds to do it. You know, I asked often, who do you want to show up as today? And it might be a different answer every day, it might not. But practicing self care gives us a better chance of showing up as the person who we really want to be.

Jordan 33:21
Actually, I really liked that, because that’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot more often to is like, Who do I want to be? And maybe I haven’t asked myself that question enough in the past, but it’s a very practical question, right? Because we we are going to show up as someone, so how in control of who we are at any given moment are we? And it’s nice to have like self care as this practice that really like compels us to ask that question answered in a way that’s affirmed it for us.

Rosanna 33:48
Well I think the second part of that question is, okay, who do I say want to be and then the follow up is, am I who I say I want to be like, Okay, this is who I say I want to be, but do your actions then reflect what you’re saying? Or what you’re telling people you are? So you know, that second question should motivate you to stay committed even when you don’t want to.

Julie G 34:07
Yeah, it’s, it’s about do your actions line up with your values.

Rosanna 34:15
You have any any other thoughts on motivation?

Jordan 34:17
No, I like just being asked these questions. Sometimes. It’s like, Why? I don’t know, I haven’t tried to articulate this before. So keep ’em coming.

Rosanna 34:24
Well, I think a lot of it is, is consistency. And that’s the more I read about it. It’s all about consistency. It’s like sometimes better to show up and not be 100% there, but at least to show up and give what you do have and even if that’s 50 or 60%, like, Alright, I’m doing yoga today. Like I don’t, I don’t feel like it. But I know this is good for me. So, you know, taking a few breaths –

Jordan 34:44
Just do it and tyhe next time you might be 100%.

Rosanna 34:48
Yeah, there’s a show better to show up than to shut down.

Julie G 34:51
Oh, yes, absolutely. And that’s why we call this a practice or a habit. Right. It’s getting into the habit so that maybe we don’t even have I mean, we’re thinking about it right? But where it’s kind of like brushing our teeth, we’re just already going to do it, because it’s built in.

Rosanna 35:06
So then how do we stay flexible? And what role does that play?

Julie G 35:11
So staying flexible, really, it’s interesting, because flexibility comes up a lot. With yoga, you know, I’ll often hear folks say, you know, I’m not gonna come to yoga, you know, or I’m not interested in yoga. And it’s because I’m not flexible. And really, that’s why we come to yoga, it’s to practice that flexibility, both, you know, in our bodies, but also our minds to have this shift in a flexible mindset. And so I can share that flexibility has not always come easy for me. I lean toward being type A, I mean, I had perfect attendance, from kindergarten all through college. And I was, I was a student who did extra credit, even though I had straight A’s. But when I mentioned yoga, my yoga practice has really shifted me toward type B. And while routines are wonderful, and often necessary, because they give structure to our day, even with routines, we have to allow for some space for the unexpected. And that’s where the flexibility comes in. Sometimes we realize that a particular routine in our lives no longer serves us, because we’ve outgrown them. And so getting flexible or practicing flexibility and getting better at it is like anything else, it takes practice to develop this more flexible mindset. And now because I have shifted more with my yoga practice, you know, over the last decade plus, I really have come more into accepting the flexibility and being okay with it. You know, sometimes change comes with resistance, right? So change sometimes brings resistance, and we’re all writing this big wave of change called life, especially right now, especially right now. And it may not look like it right this second, but we’re constantly changing internally and externally, so we’re already flexible, kinda without even knowing it. But again, going back to being flexible is a mindset. And it can help us be more willing to change when necessary, which is important, not just during the pandemic, but in everyday life.

Jordan 37:28
Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if people typically think about it that way as like, I’m almost picturing it as a muscle that can be developed in a sense, but we sometimes think like, either, right, you’re flexible, you’re not. That reminds me of the students I’ve talked to in the past that like, I’m just not a good writer, I’m like, well, that’s why you’re in the class to develop that skill. If you’re already a good writer, you wouldn’t need to be here, you know?

Julie G 37:50
Absolutely. It’s like anything else. It’s, you know, learning a new language playing a new sport, it’s it’s practicing. And over time, you will develop that muscle, like you’re saying, or you will develop into, you know, a more advanced version, you know, and a person who practices this and can, you know, do this skill more easily and effortlessly.

Rosanna 38:13
Yeah, and Ithink about that now, with parenting, you know, now, we’ve got a range of kids from 10 and a half to two and a half. And so I’m really good at being the parent of a two and a half year old because i, this is the fourth one that’s been two and a half. So it’s, you know it and you can anticipate it and so, but like, I I’m having to be flexible, and like kind of grow into this 10 and a half year old parent, and but it’s not just randomly happening, like I’m intentionally like, even like reading books about like, what a boy at 10 needs from his mom, and how do I facilitate that. And so, like, it would be easy for me to just to parent, all of our kids like their two and a half, but, you know, even just based on like, what’s going in the world politically and socially and economically, like, how do we help our kids through that? Well, I have to, like grow into the parent that is going to lead them in that direction. And so it’s not comfortable. And it’s requiring a lot of flexibility, but it’s really, there’s intentionality and mindfulness that’s going towards that.

Julie G 39:09
Yeah, absolutely. And I often come to I approach flexibility in the sense of curiosity. So how can I you know, and I have this curiosity state about me my favorite questions are why and why not. But if I approach it in, you know, in a sense of curiosity, then it brings a different dimension to flexibility so –

Jordan 39:31
So then that’s kind of blends into staying realistic as well. And I think the the idea of being flexible is is how it’s like the, the contrast sometimes between the picture we have in our head of the way things should be and then the reality and being able to adapt to that. So just tell us a little bit about just staying realistic and is each person’s realistic, different?

Julie G 39:57
Yeah, so realistic is going to look different for everyone, because we all have different situations. So we can’t expect ourselves to be just like, you know, a family member or just like a neighbor, we have to be real with our own reality. Right? And and it’s not realistic for everyone’s realistic to be the same. So it’s going back to, okay, who am I? And what am I here to do? And how am I showing up to? How am I showing up today? And that’s going to give you a better sense of what is realistic in your life right now. And really, what’s realistic now can change, just like your self care practices can change.

Rosanna 40:36
As just, there’s a lot of change change is a big word. And it’s really kind of woven through all of us. And it just, it makes me realize, like, how much we do change and how much situations change and how much growth there is. It’s kind of, I don’t know, it’s kind of hit me like, it’s all change, life is all change. And so yeah, how are we? How are we rolling with that long term?

Jordan 40:57
Well, it almost sounds like too like, you know, like, the way you frame it sounds. It’s so simple and so practical. It’s like, of course, that makes sense. But we don’t often just intentionally think about that or or apply it. So it’s almost like we need to acknowledge this upfront. So then when reality does actually take place, we’re not like, so surprised by it. But we can actually, like be the person who we want to be in any given point.

Julie G 41:22
Absolutely. And in a yoga practice, we’re practicing these principles on our mats. But it’s when we walk off our mats, where we are for most of our lives where it applies. So that’s why I, when I’m practicing yoga, I really do embody the mindfulness, I embody all of the different principles of yoga, so that I’m able to practice in a safe space in the four corners of my mat. But the true work, it’s, it’s in the rest of your life, that’s, that’s where the yoga is happening as well. It’s in the rest of your life. And, okay, this makes sense on a yoga mat. But how do I apply what I’m learning about myself and about the world, in the world. So again, going back to that word, practice, it’s you’re gonna, it’s going to be an evolution, you’re kind of constantly learn about your inner world and your external world.

Rosanna 42:09
You know, for years, I didn’t like yoga, it was not interested in yoga, like, it was just like, oh, like, I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything when I was doing it. And now that the fact that we’ve both kind of picked it up separately, and kind of see that value is I mean, it’s really just about like being mindful, because you can go to yoga, and you can walk off your mat, and you can have it not connect, but it is that I mean, any instructor will say, like, Okay, this is what we’re doing on our mat, but how are you going to take this off your mat? How are you going to, like, let it lead you in the avenues that you have areas of focus or passion or, you know, that drive you.

Julie G 42:43
And when you’re talking about setting an intention for your yoga practice, it’s so beautiful, when you could set that intention for a 30 minute yoga class, an hour yoga class, however long your yoga class is, and know that you can carry the intention that you held space for in your heart and in your mind, off the mat. And that’s why I say that’s where the real practice occurs, because then it’s, you know, if your intention was, I’m going to focus on my breath for this next hour in a yoga class. That could be the attention you carry off for the rest of your life for the rest for the rest of that day. And then knowing that, you know, whatever else you’re doing, you have that intention to say, Okay, I’m here in this moment, right now, it might be stressful, might be chaotic, but I’m focusing on my breath, and I’m okay.

Rosanna 43:28
Yeah, you know, your next two tenants, five, and six, I think really go together. Well, it’s stay supported and stay connected. And I think because everyone is managing kind of like their own chaos and this kind of new normal, I feel like it’s more important than ever, for people to speak up if they need help, because so many people have, I feel like have just pulled in because things are hard, that people aren’t always now reaching out in the same ways that they were because it’s hard for them. And so there’s less than their bucket to be able to pour out. Would you agree that if people are struggling, if they need more support that now is a really important time to start reaching out?

Julie G 44:03
Absolutely. We need each other. And if you’re listening to this right now, and you’re in need of help, please ask for help someone out there can help you. You don’t have to do it alone. Even if you think you do, you don’t have to do it alone. There are so many resources out there. And that’s really why I developed the idea of stand up for your self care, which is the name of my blog, and my YouTube channel. That’s what stand up for your self care is all about, we really need to be our own best advocates. We know ourselves the best. And we need to care about our emotions, our thoughts, our well being, because if we don’t, then how will anyone else know too?

Jordan 44:38
Yeah, I think that’s thoughtful, because maybe a misconception of self care is that it’s this, like this retreat, and it’s just me and I, you know, I’m going to do this and it’s for me, but it does involve others in a sense, too. And maybe it may be someone’s form of self care is more extroverted or is more social. But also kind of this reliance on if you know, I’m in a household with five other people and a dog, then I kind of need to rely on Rosanna to help facilitate the time and space for me to be able to go and do something that is, you know, for me.

Julie G 45:17
Yeah, absolutely interactions with others can give us a self care boost. So developing a relationships, you know, having a connection with others is part of the self care practice. You know, in, for example, if you really enjoy journaling, or meditating, which is space you create to really do this deep inner work to really know yourself and understand, you know, why you might have certain thoughts or why, you know, you might be thinking a certain way, or feeling a certain way. It’s, it’s, those practices can also be done in group settings. So for example, you could take a meditation class, you can take a journaling workshop, right with a self care buddy or family member. And so you’re not doing that alone, but the inner work is done alone. And that’s because the most important relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves. And self care helps us dig deeper to more fully know ourselves. And it’s really important to have time in your day in your week to carve out for reflection, right to go back to everything that we’ve already discussed about, you know, who do I want to be? Who am I? How am I showing up? And oftentimes that that, that causes us to just create this quiet space, even if it’s for 5-10 minutes a day, right? With, for example, my meditation practice, to just really understand, you know, more, and do more that take that inner work.

Jordan 46:44
Yeah, I’m glad you said that. I don’t think we even like say that out loud enough, like the most, which is how would you frame it? The most important relationship we have is the one with ourselves.

Julie G 46:53
Correct. Yes. Yeah.

Rosanna 46:55
Well, I think we’re often looking for other people to help fill us. But if we’re not in tune with who we are and what we need, I cannot communicate that to him. And he cannot help me achieve what that is.

Julie G 47:05
Exactly. Yes. Many of us are looking outside of ourselves for answers, especially to other people, as you’re mentioning, when all along all of the answers we ever need they’re already within us. And self care helps show us the way.

Rosanna 47:21
Well, your last tenet is all about staying resilient, which we did an episode on resiliency at the end of season two. And the way that Jason Waller kind of explained it was staying resilient is all about bending without breaking. And so how can choosing to accept what is help us stay resilient? And I think that’s just a really important question. What are your thoughts on that?

Julie G 47:41
Yeah, it’s it’s that mindset of be ready for anything. Accepting every moment as it is, is often about surrendering to the moment and giving up the need to be in control. But that doesn’t always mean that we stop persevering or bouncing back. So there’s this beautiful balance of acceptance and surrendering but also persevering. But with resilience, my thought goes to be ready for anything. And if that was a practice over time, you can become more resilient.

Rosanna 48:14
Can you imagine if that’s the intention for your day, every day, be ready for anything?

Julie G 48:17
For anything there ready for anything? That really is? I mean, so when we talk about the unknown, that really is life, right? There’s so many things unknown in life. And so I know my yoga practice has really helped teach me that early on, you know, practicing yoga, is that constantly things are things are changing, as we talked about, but things are unknown, and things are impermanent, nothing, nothing, you know, is is nothing is permanent, things are temporary. So, yeah –

Jordan 48:48
Let’s talk about some specific practices. We’ve been kind of listing some throughout our conversation, and I kind of want to cut to my burning question if that’s okay. We’ve been practicing yoga for I would say, like, for me, like just a couple of times a week, maybe for about a year or so. And it’s just been growing on me. But when it comes to meditation, and specifically in yoga, you know, I love like, the movement and the stretching and the balance and that, you know, I feel like I’m doing something, but at the end of a lot of the yoga sessions is the Shavasana the, you’re just kind of you’re literally laying there, and that’s, I skip it. And to be honest, I skip it every time I’m like, Okay, this is the end of the routine. I don’t feel like laying here. So I’m, I’m done and I’m gonna move on with my day. I I feel like I’m missing something but at the same time, like meditation and like the shavasana in Yoga is very intimidating for me. It’s, it’s, it’s oddly into it. I mean, you literally just lay there so it’s not I can’t challenge physically, but I I don’t know if you’ve encountered this before. If you can help me kind of work through maybe this problem or if this is okay, like what is your take on this?

Julie G 50:03
Yeah, absolutely. And that does go back to being practicing getting uncomfortable and what you’re feeling like you’re not good at or that you can’t do. Shavasana is the most important pose in yoga.

Jordan 50:17
I was afraid you’d say that.

Julie G 50:19
Many people do resist it, or, you know, it’s, or they’ll discount its importance. You know, many people also fall asleep in this pose, because that’s exactly what they need – to rest. But so what you’re bringing up is more of it sounds like it’s like, you’re you’re not wanting to sit with your thoughts, you’re just not comfortable sitting in the quiet space, can you talk a little bit more about that kind of your thoughts going, you know, the process going on in your mind with not wanting to stay in Shavasana, or to meditate?

Jordan 50:52
I don’t know, I guess the way I would explain it – And I don’t even know if this is accurate – as I feel like, I want to be action oriented. So I feel like movement and exercise and sweat, and even the poses and yoga is action. And then once that portion is done, I feel like Okay, I’m ready to like go do more action. So the the sitting is very foreign to me, I don’t I don’t know what to do with that. And to be honest – like, my, my mind is often thinking about my day, or I’m having ideas. And so even though I’m physically still, I feel like I’m very mentally active, and so to have that mental activity, without the physical activity that I think should be accompanying it is very awkward. So I skip it so that I can I think just go do what I need to be doing it.

Julie G 51:46
Yeah. And that that totally makes sense. And, you know, with work and with go-go-go, kind of that mindset, it’s important to bring back that that rest, right with to balance out everything else we’re doing. Because if we’re not allowing ourselves the opportunity to rest or soak up the benefits of our practice, which is what we often say in Shavasana, is that we let you know, lay down and Shavasana to soak up everything from our practice, right? And if we don’t give ourselves space to soak it up, how will we know that we have really, you know, learned from it or have grown from, from the practice, you know, even in meditation, which you know, is often comes up, right, right, you’re seated either on a meditation cushion, or just with a tall, long spine, the point of meditation is not to force our thoughts out of our mind it’s to acknowledge them without judgment, and then let them go. So we watch our thoughts, right float away, like clouds in the sky, and just knowing that stuff is gonna come up when you meditate when you’re practicing Shavasana at the end of yoga class, things like what am I eating for dinner tonight? Or am I doing this right? Or my right hip hurts, or you know, my right hip is tight, that’s okay, come back to your breath, which will bring you back to the present moment. And know that it’s okay to give yourself this moment or two of rejuvenation, so that you can be ready to go for the rest of your day. But also know that you’ve soaked up right, these benefits of what you’re learning and how you’re growing and how that will continue to take you on your next step.

Jordan 53:24
That’s good. Sometimes, it’s at that like the end of a routine by that like the, you know, the kids are awake, or the you know, the dog is trotting around. And that is, this is my excuse, you know, I’m like, Oh, I’m distracted now. Like, there’s no possible way I could focus at this moment. Or I could need to go take care of him good. Like I can skip this portion. So maybe that’ll be my my challenge in the upcoming months is to just live and breathe in that a little bit better.

Rosanna 53:48
Well, then maybe if you quiet your mind, you’ll see an influx in like, focus or productivity after if you try it.

Julie G 53:57
Well, and oftentimes we’ll notice too, when we’re sitting with our thoughts, and we’re seeing the bouncing of the thoughts come back and floating in and out, most of our thoughts are connected. And so it’s interesting because some of the same ones keep popping up. If you’re, you know, if you’re a regular meditator, you’ll notice that some of the same ones, like why are these thoughts, but instead of questioning, we’re acknowledging them, right? We’re acknowledging them without judgment and then letting them go.

Jordan 54:23
Alright, um, there are there’s other practices that we’ve mentioned, we’ve talked about like journaling and meditation and exercise. And I kind of want to clarify maybe what self care is not so like, just a couple examples come to mind. I mentioned like just totally giving in to a Cinnabon. Or, you know, I think a lot of people, a lot of habits that I see and that we’ve had is like you come home after a long day, the kids are finally in bed and you just turn on the TV and just like watch for hours. Would those elements qualify as self care as well? Or like what what do people often maybe misplace as self care when it’s it’s not necessarily?

Julie G 55:07
Yeah. So just you know, going back to our definition of self care is that self care is how we show ourselves self love. So if those practices you mentioned are showing our self love, then you know, then that might be your self care for that day. But you know, when you think about, is it nourishing our well being? Is it nourishing me physically, emotionally, spiritually and beyond? Is it to my benefit to do this. It might be for that day, but it might not be a long term thing. So it’s this dance of, Okay, today, I am gonna, you know, I am going to do this. But tomorrow, I am going to journal in this space instead. And then know how you feel with those two different practices. Note that this is how I felt when I watched a program on TV. And then this is how I felt wanting journaled. And so that’s really up for you to decide and how you want to design your self care in your life. I, you know, I really think that there are certainly preferred self care practices. But again, different folks gravitate to different practices. So maybe it’s painting, maybe it’s, you know, making music, maybe it’s, you know, it could be so many other things. It’s, it’s what is bringing that, that joy to your soul and showing yourselves that, you know, this is how I want to be kind and loving to myself today.

Jordan 56:27
Thanks. Alright, so I know that we want to kind of end we’ll call it a strong note, although for me, it’s a bit of an intimidating note, but as a gift to us and to our listeners to kind of model a meditation exercise. So you want to lead us through that?

Julie G 56:46
Absolutely. So with meditation, there are several types of meditation, including guided visualization, mantra, and many more. Today, I’d like to guide you through a metta meditation, which is also known as loving kindness meditation. And so this meditation gives our mind something to focus on, and helps expand our compassion for ourselves and others. So let’s just begin in a comfortable seated position, wherever you’re at, allow your feet to rest down on the ground. Spine is tall and long, take your shoulders up, back, and then just relax them down. Start to close your eyes, or keep them open with a soft gaze.

And become aware of your feet, your posture, your shoulders, where your head is in space.

Notice any tension. Start to draw your attention to your nostrils. And watch your breath go in and out. Now I’m going to say three sentences. And I just want you to repeat these sentences after I say them silently after me,

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful and at ease.

May I be well.

Now think of a loved one.

And what the same sentences repeating silently after me. May they be happy. May they be peaceful and at ease.

May they be well.

And then turn your attention to someone you pass by recently who you don’t know well. Maybe it was someone at the grocery store.

And thinking of these same three sentences, may they be happy. May they be peaceful and at ease.

May they be well.

And then think of the whole world and all of the people here on earth with us. repeating these same sentences to them.

May they be happy.

May they be peaceful and at ease.

May they be well.

And then start to take a few deeper inhales and exhales, drawing your attention back to your nostrils.

Watch the breath, go in and out.

One more deep breath here. And on your exhale, sending loving kindness to yourself, your loved ones, your friends, your family and the entire worlds. When you’re ready, go ahead and open your eyes.

What did you think?

Jordan 1:01:12
Like a, like a little massage for my chi? I don’t know. Wow. No, it’s it’s you know, that this was helpful in the sense of like, it’s, it’s, it’s got like, direct take picture someone who did you picture for your loved one? I picture my mom. Yeah, but it does. Like, it kind of reminds me of my experience with other forms of like physical exercise, like, just the thought of getting into it is unpleasant, but the process and outcome – it’s like well I certainly didn’t regret doing that.

Julie G 1:01:55
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And so over time, you start to notice if you’re developing a meditation practice or developing a new self care practice, notice notice more of those thoughts. Like are you resistant to it? Or are you happy and looking forward to it? Right? Are you open to the experience? So you’re certainly open to the experience because you just practice the meditation. And it’s also right, it’s, it’s finding what’s going to work for you. So maybe this type of meditation works for you right now instead of you know, a breath, focus meditation, right? And you’re just watching the breath go in and out. Because that’s when oftentimes the mind will get distracted. But in a specific, loving kindness, meditation practice like this, you are thinking about, right? These sentences, these words visualizing, so we’re using more of that visualization. So that just might be easier to do it. So yeah, it’s all about exploring. Again, it’s a lab. So –

Rosanna 1:02:45
I like that mentality that it’s a lab. But it’s something that we don’t have to –

Jordan 1:02:48
Yeah you don’t have to sign up for life to like one form or another. It’s like, just experiment and see what works. I think that’s profitable.

Rosanna 1:02:56
What a great conversation today, Julie, like, thank you so much for leading us through these practices. And even just like the realization of change being, you know, something that we cannot control, but it’s the way that we move through it with, you know, grace and intention that will really help us move forward.

Julie G 1:03:13
Absolutely. Thank you. It’s my honor, and my passion and my privilege to be with you here today. So thank you so much.

Jordan 1:03:20
Yeah. So how can people connect with you and learn more about you and learn more about self care and some of the forms of self care that we explored today?

Julie G 1:03:31
Absolutely. So I have several self care resources in ways to connect with me, you can subscribe to my monthly nourish notes, you get a self care, boost, and 25% off my books. And then you can also check out my blog, which is packed with self care content at JulieGtheyogi.com. I have a stand up for your self care YouTube channel, which has several self care videos. So if you are interested in exploring more meditation, come check out that channel. I teach weekly yoga classes and my current schedule is posted on my website, JulieGtheYogi.com. And of course, you can connect with me on instagram and facebook at Julie G. The Yogi I’d love to hear how your self care practices are going.

Jordan 1:04:14
Fantastic. And we enjoyed reading your books as well. We’ll promote those one more time. We have 108 Yoga and self care practices for busy mamas.

Rosanna 1:04:24
and how to stay calm in the chaos and everyday guide to self care.

Jordan 1:04:27
These were enjoyable reads. Yeah.

Rosanna 1:04:29
So what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna do a giveaway of each of these books. And so we will have a social media post, and the day that this episode goes live, and so we’ll have details on how you can enter to win how you can connect with Julie how you can connect with us, all in the name of self care.

Julie G 1:04:46
Thank you so much.

Rosanna 1:04:47
It was such a pleasure, Julie, thank you so much.

Julie G 1:04:49
Thank you. Namaste

Namaste

Jordan 1:04:51
Thanks, Julie.

We hope you enjoyed that conversation that we shared with Julie as much as we did. Because I feel like, you know, self care is maybe something we kind of get engaged in without really thinking about it, or maybe something that we don’t prioritize. But I think like a lot of the topics on the show, like just being able to talk about and explore these things, we are able to, I think, give some of these topics like self care a little bit more of the attention that they deserve. And this is something that I think we’ll we’ll definitely be building into, in our, in our processes for this year.

Rosanna 1:05:26
Yeah, and I mean, my favorite part about interviewing people on the podcast is that so many different people have so many different perspectives, and are passionate about things that we really have little reference for. And so learning firsthand from them, face to face, or even over, you know, a zoom recording, like, like we did, you know, excites me, and just gets me to think about our life and my life and in new ways.

Jordan 1:05:49
Yeah. So there are a number of things that she said that stood out to me, one of the first was that and this is one of the first things that she mentioned too was that self care actually gives us time. And I think that’s maybe one of the misconceptions about self care is that like, we’ll take care of ourselves last, if at all, because we’re so busy doing, you know, everything I like taking care of our kids are working at our jobs are just like maintaining our household, that some of the things we would think might take more of our time really don’t. So she said, it enhances your your focus, it gives you more, I say, like more energy, it helps you, I think, just be a better person in whatever you go and engage in afterwards.

Rosanna 1:06:33
Yeah. And my mindset has always been that like I can, I have to earn my self care. And she tells us that you don’t have to earn it, like you can just have it.

Jordan 1:06:41
You deserve it. Give yourself Yeah, it’s like, we have to give ourselves permission, in a sense to see like, you know, what, like, darn it, this actually does matter. And I don’t need to ask for it. This is something I already am allowed to have.

Rosanna 1:06:55
But in the conversation, it was interesting that most of the self care she talked about, or that we talked about, were things that we schedule in, in the early hours, that really kind of shape, and change the way we perceive and even act throughout our day. So it’s not this reactive state of self care, it’s a proactive approach to doing things that are good for our mind, body and soul.

Jordan 1:07:15
Right. It like makes you stronger and smarter upfront. So then no matter what comes, you’re not reacting to it, but you’ve already like prepared for it in a sense. And you know, one of the other things that stood out to me too, was this idea of like, you know, self care, all these changes is going to be like different for different people. But even for your self, like it may change at times as well. But one really effective way to think about it is in terms of like, is this constructive, or destructive in the long term? So, you know, I kept on bringing up like just gorging myself on a Cinnabon, which I would love to do, or kind of the joke in 2020 was like, you know, at what time do we transition from coffee time to wine time. So, you know, we can kind of indulge in some of these things that make us feel good in the short term. And there’s nothing wrong with that, except we want to be looking at how are we being constructive for ourselves over a longer stretch of time as well. And so a true self care practice is something that is both constructive and something that we enjoy engaging in.

Rosanna 1:08:20
Yeah and she even said the words life is a practice, not a perfect, and a lot of times, we’re so focused on making everything perfect. We don’t focus on the practice and the practice of these habits, the practice of self care, and even trying different things at different stages in our life, depending on what our mind or body needs. You know, it’s it’s it’s ever flowing and ever changing. It’s not always going to be this this one thing. And so practicing different things, and starting new habits is a good way to approach life.

Jordan 1:08:47
Yeah. Well, we certainly enjoyed the conversation that we had with Julie. So I want to extend a special note of gratitude to Julie. And if you benefit from the conversation as well, why don’t you reach out to her and reach out to us and share what got you thinking.

Rosanna 1:09:02
And at the end of this episode, if you head to our social media on Instagram, you can find out details on how to win one of Julie’s books. Every day –

Jordan 1:09:11
You can win a free book?

Rosanna 1:09:12
Yes, she has her two books. And so we are going to be giving away one of each book. And so there’ll be details on there for how you can like, share and follow to enter to win.

Jordan 1:09:22
That’s good. We had a chance to read both and they are both worth your time. So we hope you get a chance to win and definitely check them out.

Rosanna 1:09:29
Alright, see you next week,

Jordan 1:09:30
Bye everybody. Thank you.