Ahhh, the F word – and no, not the one you’re thinking of. I’m talking about forgiveness –  a formidable word and resentment’s sworn enemy. But, the truth is, it ain’t all that powerful if we don’t practice it on ourselves, as well as others. What’s the outcome of holding anger over someone for something they did? Suffering. What’s the outcome of holding anger over ourselves for something we did? Suffering. So, it seems the old phrase, “resentment is like drinking poison and

What you resist persists. I used to think that was an overused, empty saying but recent emotional work has shown me the truth of it. Shame is one of my favourite self-conscious emotions to tuck away in the dark corners of my mind. It carries a heavy weight and a dirty core that often feels too overwhelming to look at. I think this is true for many of us. We resist acknowledging the sense of inadequacy, unworthiness, regret or disconnection that comes with shame because we som

All of our experiences come with opportunities, we just don’t always see them. That’s because our brains are too busy categorizing and defining these moments as either ‘good’ or  ‘bad,’ to be able to see the bigger picture. When we jump out of the present, we block our ability to see potential opportunities that can come from it all, especially the challenges we face. An awesome way to open ourselves up to possibility in times of upheaval is to remember that we’ve also been g

Support mindfulness & mental health by purchasing one of my mindful partner’s wicked tanks. Outta donates 10% of proceeds to mental health initiatives. We must have an awareness of something in order to change it. It’s just that simple.  We can’t create shifts in our lives if we spend most of our time in the dark. Enter: mindfulness. The ‘M’ word is taking over the world, one industry and community at a time and I’m loving it. It excites me and ignites my drive to keep foster

Many of us form strong attachments to the people, places and things around us. We craft our identities out of what we do, how we do, who we know, where we’ve been and are expected to go. We create identities for all the other characters in our stories, too. Labeling is easy. Categorizing is automatic. Attachments make us feel safe- but they keep us limited. Identities, attachments, judgments and labels all have one thing in common: limitation on freedom of the self. When we s

Hello. My name is Eryl and I’m a recovering To-Doer. I’ve spent the better part of my life making checklists, crossing tasks off and looking for more to ‘get done.’ To the outside world I’ve likely seemed super organized, goal oriented and/or pretty damn anal. To the inside world, my world, I’ve been drowning in obligation and rejecting the natural flow of life. Feeling stuck and uptight. Now, I’m not saying there’s no value in writing down what you want to address because th

Many of us felt like we set the world on fire with our New Year’s Resolutions this year- I know I did. In truth, I really feel that way. I’m going big and being bold in 2016. Does this sound familiar? The only thing standing between me and abundance is mindset. FEAR. It’s likely the case for you, too. I’ve spent the past few weeks journaling, brainstorming, meditating, declaring, clarifying, breaking down, breaking through and being in action towards my goals for this year. I

“I’ll never recover from this day,” a smiling stranger announced, with her jacket unzipped and arms outstretched on the boardwalk bench. As I passed her by with my dog leash in hand and a breathtaking scene of the lake in view, I thought to myself- how perfectly true. Normally, it’s below ze Life is made of up beautiful, unexplainable moments. Many that cause a stir in our souls because of their natural foundation. It’s moments like this, where the sun’s golden shimmery rays

I was sitting on the couch the other night, staring anxiously at my phone and feeling self-conscious because I’d just posted something new on my social media accounts. After an inspiring chat with my good friend, social media guru Brigitte Truong (check out her website), I created a schedule for new and uplifting weekly Instagram posts, YouTube yoga videos and monthly blog posts to connect me with the online world in a positive and more reliable way. I want to, and someday so

There’s nothing more rewarding or fulfilling than building your own business from the ground up and watching it grow. There’s also nothing more exhausting, challenging, defeating and at times, down right frustrating, than going it alone. I started my Freelance Writing business over a year and half ago and it’s been such a colourful journey. I’ve made incredible connections with people all over the country, cried over setbacks and celebrated successes. I’ve chased down payment

Clutter has a purpose. It prevents you from seeing, moving and living with clarity. Many of us collect physical clutter subconsciously to create a divide between ourselves and our world and yet, we seem so frustrated when our mess becomes “out of control” with no one to blame but number one. The tangible trash we collect can feel icky and suffocating, but I believe mental clutter can be just as, if not more, damaging to ourselves. So, let’s look at some quick and easy ways to

Hockley Valley is paradise. It’s less than an hour away from Toronto, but I feel like I’m a million miles away in a magical mystery land when I come here. Sometimes, all it takes is a few kilometres between myself and the big city for me to feel detached from my busy life and connected to the beautiful, natural world. Judging by the smiles on their faces and the words they expressed, the retreaters felt just as at peace as I did– and I was leading the group! My goal for this

I am over the moon with excitement about my Hiking Yoga B&B Retreat and I know you will be too, once you learn more about it! I created this retreat to combine some of my favourite things: hiking, yoga, bed & breakfast joints and Hockley Valley! I made this super affordable and easy because I don’t want there to be anyTHING holding you back from getting a chance to truly look within, expand out, connect with nature and REST! Photographer Claire Cole and I hit the trails in Ho

When your brain says you “can’t do” something, take it as a sign that you need to dive right in! There are two types of fear. There’s the kind of primal, raw fear that takes over your entire body before you jump out of a plane to skydive. Then there’s the sometimes- debilitating type of fear that lives upstairs in your brain. This gremlin is always on standby, ready to tell you what you can and can’t do and it can be just as intense as your instinctual, your-life’s-at-risk ty

Take time out to quiet your mind and listen in every single day. We come face to face with challenging situations that are out of our control quite regularly. A flight gets cancelled and your return date has to change. Temperatures drop drastically and your car won’t start. A friend passes away suddenly, leaving you shocked and devastated. However, with self-awareness we can shape and change the course of our lives, as we hone in on our ability to control what we can control:

I’m taking the opportunity today, on Bell Let’s Talk Day, to share the unfiltered, raw version of my mental health story. I absolutely love that this conversation happens nationally each year on this day, but truly, we need to be talking about mental illness openly 365 days a year. Nevertheless, I open myself up to you today with a little fear and a lot of gratitude for how far I have come since I was consumed by sadness and worry. I was a nervous child and was heavily preocc

New Year, new Buddha 🙂 I think there’s real value in reflecting on the past, not only for the sake of creating New Year’s resolutions but in order to see what’s shaped you, who you’ve been and where you need to go. 2014 was a crazy, rocky, beautiful and transformative year for me. I went through a lot of major life changes and I’m really proud of myself for rolling with the punches–you know, going WITH the flow, not against it. This time last year I had just left my career a

My dad had this beautiful way of endlessly believing in me. I wanted to be an Astronaut for years growing up, and it wasn’t until I wrote a speech on these space superstars in Grade 4 that I realized I wasn’t cut out for it. Floating weightlessly in space became less appealing when I realized I’d have to leave Earth for weeks or months at a time, with the possibility of never returning home, due to some mechanical failure. My dad pushed all the space books and movies he’d bou

New Beginnings I can’t believe it. I’m sitting here in our new apartment, absorbing the beautiful view from our office/yoga room. A light dusting of snow is softly covering all the rooftops in view and the lake, seemingly within my reach, is icy and breathtaking. I’m enjoying a break in the clouds for the first time in days, watching the sun warm up every surface it touches. I’m finally here, in reality, embodying a fantasy I once had: to start fresh in a new city, with ample

I feel like an old book, rife with dust, that hasn’t been cracked open in years. Stiff, stale and unused. I haven’t written for two weeks or been active on social media because my phone broke on my way up to Wemindji to visit my sister. It feels natural and freeing to get back to writing–one of my favourite forms of expression. The Cree Nation of Wemindji is on the east coast of James Bay, in northern Quebec. The major city nearest to the native reserve is Montreal. It took m