If you need more support with a personal retreat, join me for the Come Home to Yourself Retreat on December 20th or December 27th at 2-4:30 p.m. via Zoom. Use the links below to purchase tickets. Feel free to get holiday gift tickets for colleagues, family, and friends.
In times of great change, I have often engaged in an internal boxing match where I resist and struggle with accepting my normal life has been altered. That struggle is a boxing match I always lose. Why? Because change is inevitable. It’s always going to happen. In 2016, I gave a talk on how I used mindfulness to embrace change in the midst of career reinvention at the Nonprofit Technology Network’s annual conference in San Jose, California.
During my talk, I shared the four lessons I learned:
Lesson #1: Ask for help.
Lesson #2: Take great care of yourself.
Lesson #3: Be a lifelong learner.
Lesson #4: Be open to possibilities.
This year, I almost forgot these lessons as I struggled to deal with changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements, economic instability, fake news, politics, and the national and local elections. I tried to ignore the changes by filling my time with serving others through the Thriving Mindfully Academy. That strategy lasted for about three months until I realized I was burning out in May. So I stepped back from many of my obligations, took a social media summer vacation, and changed the way I practiced self-care. I began giving myself more time and space for do-it yourself (DIY) personal retreats. My DIY personal retreats helped me recharge, reflect, and reconnect with my authentic self.
During my personal retreats, I looked at my full self in a mirror and came face-to-face with my vulnerabilities, challenges, wins, and losses. As a result, I gained new insights, brainstormed innovative solutions, participated in women’s healing circles, read inspirational books and magazines, and spent more time walking in nature. I also decided to change my pescatarian diet to a vegan diet, get more sleep, seek support from a therapist, join a virtual meditation community, deepen my study and practice of digital wellness, and move my body with more dance, Barre 3, yoga, walking, and bike riding. All of these efforts helped me set intentions and create shifts in how I choose to show up in my life, relationships, and career.
More on personal retreats …
The best thing about a personal retreat is you get to choose how long it will last and what you will focus on. Over the past several years, I have used several formats for my personal retreats. Here are several examples.
A week: one to three hours per day starting on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday)
A three-day weekend: several hours per day beginning on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday
A full-day: two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and one hour in the evening
A half-day: two or three hours
What changes occurred in your life and career this year?
Have you embraced or resisted the changes?
Do you need a personal retreat before 2020 ends?
Do you need help getting started on your personal retreat?
Join me for the Thriving Mindfully Academy’s Come Home to Yourself Retreat on December 20th or December 27th from 2-4:30 p.m. ET via Zoom.
The Come Home to Yourself Retreat will be offered twice. You can choose to attend the virtual retreat on December 20th or December 27th.Consider giving the Come Home to Yourself Retreat as a holiday gift to your loved ones, friends, and colleagues. Register here for the December 20th retreat. Go here for the December 27th retreat.
During the virtual retreat, you will:
Practice mindful self-care with deep breathing, meditation, affirmations, and gentle chair yoga
Reflect on and journal about who you have been and the lessons you learned in 2020
Identify who or what’s been getting in your way in 2020
Release and practice forgiveness
Explore who you want to be and how you want to show up in 2021
Set intentions and identify the resources, action steps, and accountability support you need to manifest the person you want to be in 2021
Create a self-celebration plan to appreciate your small, medium, and big wins in 2021
A Zoom video link will be emailed to you once you register for the online retreat.
I think we all need to slow down and celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13th given everything that has happened to us in 2020. World Kindness Day has become one of my favorite days to recommit to my loving kindness practices. It was launched in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations’ kindness nongovernmental organizations to highlight good deeds in the community that focus on the positive power of making kindness the norm and bringing people together to celebrate our common humanity.
I believe kindness starts in our hearts with an understanding and acceptance that we deserve it. When we claim and accept our own kindness and treat ourselves with gentleness, nonjudgment, patience, and tolerance FIRST, we strengthen our ability to be kind to our loved ones and others. That’s what I call taking a step in the direction of kindness!
May we all be inspired on World Kindness Day to take a step in the direction of kindness. May the Thriving Mindfully Academy’s Loving Kindness Month resources below help you in your kindness journey.
2020 has been a year like no other. So many things have happened to us as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, divisive politics, fake news, and the constant acts of injustice, oppression, and violence against indigenous and people of color, women, children, the elderly, the disabled, and LGBTQ communities. In an effort to provide support to everyone, I am using the Thriving Mindfully Academy’s platform to launch Loving Kindness Month this month to remind us all of the power we have to slow down and take better care of ourselves with gentleness and nonjudgment.
Digital Wellness Month is a new initiative that was created in response to the time most of us are currently spending on technology to communicate in our lives, careers, and businesses during COVID-19 (known to some of us as the new normal, #QuarantineLife, lockdown, or my personal favorite – Q-Life).
The purpose of Digital Wellness Month is to encourage and help people to practice tech life balance with small steps.
During each week in May, tips and resources will be shared to help you create tech life balance in your life, career, and business on my blog and social media. Follow Ananda Leeke on Facebook and LinkedIn. Check out @anandaleeke on Instagram and Twitter.
Go here to listen to the Thriving Mindfully Podcast to learn more about Digital Wellness Month and my digital wellness journey that included my struggles with spending way too much time online and burnout.
What Is Digital Wellness?
Digital Wellness is the use of technology in mindful, intentional, and healthy ways.
Go here to listen to Thriving Mindfully Podcast about digital wellness.
Becoming Mindful About Your Tech Use
Get your favorite pen, journal, or a piece of paper. Take a few minutes to answer each of the questions below. They will help you become aware of how you currently use technology. Your responses will help you identify what needs to be included in your Digital Wellness Intention.
Questions
How much time do you currently spend online Monday through Friday and on the weekends?
Do you take breaks from using technology?
What stresses you out when you are online?
Does your body experience tension, tightness, or discomfort while you are online?
How do you take care of your body while you are online (the way you sit or stand, screens that protect your eyes, etc.)?
Do you sleep with your digital devices on or near your bed?
Being Intentional About Your Tech Use
Digital Wellness becomes a reality in your life, career, and business when you take time to slow down and to create a Digital Wellness Intention, a statement about the way you want to use technology. Use my Digital Wellness Intention as a sample (see below).
Sample Digital Wellness Intention
I am mindful and intentional about the ways I use technology. I honor my spirit, heart, mind, and body with mindful self-care practices including breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, and mindful movement while I am online and offline. I take breaks, use time boundaries. and unplug to manage my tech consumption. I place my digital devices in my living room or kitchen at the end of the day. The end result is a healthier me.
Digital Wellness Plan
A digital wellness plan is a gift you give yourself to help manage your time online with mindful self-care practices. Mindful self-care practices encourage you to slow down, become aware of how you spend your time online, and identify and take small steps towards having a healthier digital life. Examples include breathing exercises, journaling, massage, meditation, physical movement (walking, running, yoga, and aerobic classes), rest (naps and a good night’s sleep), setting time boundaries, unplugging, and more.
Tech Life Balance Tips
Make Your Breath Your BFF: Before you get out of bed, incorporate breathing exercises into your morning routine by taking 7 deep breaths. Place your hand on your heart as you inhale and exhale through your nose. Do the same thing before you go to bed.
Mindful Moment: Take 1 deep breath before turning on your digital devices, answering your phone or responding to an email or text.
Mindful Movement Break: While you’re working during the day, step away from your digital devices and take a 3-5 minute break to breathe deeply move your body.
A Few More Things!
Remember to be patient with yourself as you make changes in your life, career, and business.
Take small steps. Make them baby steps.
Celebrate your victories no matter how small, medium or big they are.
Go here to get the Thriving Mindfully Academy’s resources on mindfulness, self-care, and wellness.
Enjoy your digital wellness journey!
Need More Support?
Join me on May 27th from 7-8:30 p.m. ET for the Digital Wellness 101 Webinar via Zoom. During the webinar, you will:
Learn about and understand wellness and digital wellness
Identify barriers to your tech life balance
Practice mindful self-care exercises (deep breathing, mindful moments, and eye, keyboard, and gentle office yoga while seated in a chair) to relieve stress
Receive tech life balance tips and resources
Set a digital wellness intention
Begin the process of creating a digital wellness plan that includes small action steps, accountability support, and self-celebration
Happy Second Year Anniversary Thriving Mindfully Meetup Group!
I am deeply grateful for everyone who has attended the Mindful Monday Meditation classes since April 16, 2018, at Qi Kratom CBD Tea. It’s been a blessing to share meditation, mindfulness, self-care practices, gentle yoga, silence, hugs, and delicious tea with you. Building community with you is powerful!
In case you didn’t know, our powerful community was launched as a Meetup Group during Stress Awareness Month and on Stress Awareness Day to support folx who wanted to practice meditation and mindfulness in community, felt stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious about issues in their life, career, and business.
I have learned so much from everyone. Your presence has been a gift that continues to bless me even now that we are living in a new normal with new opportunities to embrace loving kindness for ourselves and others virtually. My prayer and intention for our third year is to continue to open my heart and serve our diverse community with your support.
REFLECTION AND SHARING
Check out the photo slideshows below and leave a comment that expresses how the community has helped you. Feel free to share your favorite moments like my poetry and favorite meditation cues, Martin’s poetry and amazing baked treats, Sincere’s sound baths, the guest teachers Angel and Corey, my favorite sayings, or the fabulous tea blends that Qi Kratom CBD Tea served.
PHOTO SLIDESHOW #1
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PHOTO SLIDESHOW #2
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WHAT’S NEXT
We will continue to meet on the first Monday of each month via our new virtual platform on Zoom. Check the Meetup Group page here for the dates in May and June.
Right now, I am leading Mindful Monday Meditation and Sound Bath, a donation-based series, on Zoom from 7-8 p.m. ET in April and May. Sign up here. Invite your family, friends, and colleagues to join you. The first May session will serve as our monthly Meetup Group.
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to ee, Kai Kai, Gigi, Sincere, Naima, and Vince of Qi Kratom CBD Tea for hosting our group, providing tea, and being a vital part of our community. You have been an amazing community partner.
Many thanks to Angel Dungee, Corey Castle, ee, and Sincere for leading the classes when I was away.
Deep bow of gratitude to Martin Parker for your support, poetry sharing, and tasty baked goods.
Together, we have successfully laid the foundation for an awesome and diverse mindfulness community that supports folx in and who visit the DC area. I look forward to serving our community together in our coming year!
FINAL WORDS WITH NEW RESOURCES
Have you heard about the Thriving Mindfully Academy, an online learning platform that provides personal and professional development education, coaching, training, and resources in the areas below.
Mindfulness 101
Mindful Self-Care
Mindful Creativity
Mindful at Work
Mindful Communication
Mindful Relationships
Mindful Leadership
Mindful Technology
In March, I decided to to offer a soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy to support and help people just like YOU and mission-driven companies, organizations, and communities navigate the COVID-19 emergency. Go here to learn more about it. Feel free to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues.
May we all continue to take great care of ourselves with loving kindness and embrace Thriving Mindfully in everything we think, feel, say, and do!
Here’s a much needed reminder I received recently.
WE ARE RESILIENT!
That’s right I used the big “R” word and claimed it for all of us!
What is resilience?
It’s a human quality and a choice that allows us to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of any adversity, crisis, difficulty, disappointment or failure in our lives, careers, and businesses. It takes choosing to tap into the quality of resilience that lives within us. It takes making a commitment and then doing the work needed to navigate the rough spots and tough times that I like to call our greatest growth opportunities.
So how can we tap into our resiliency?
Here’s what I know to be true from my own life and work as a wellness professional, an artist, an author, and a recovering high achiever, a lawyer, and an investment banker.
When we tap into our human birthright of mindfulness and choose to practice it along with self-care, we are nurturing and strengthening ourselves.
These two efforts begin with the Thriving Mindfully framework I have used in my mindfulness, self-care, and wellness work with individuals, companies, organizations, and communities for the past 20+ years.
The Thriving Mindfully framework consists of:
AWARENESS: We become aware of our birthrights of mindfulness and self-care: 1) Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of what’s happening inside and outside of ourselves in the present moment; and 2) Self-care is the act of nurturing ourselves in ways that uplift our spirit, heart, mind, body, life, career, and business.
ACCEPTANCE: We accept and claim our birthrights to mindfulness and self-care.
AFFIRMATION: We set an intention and affirm our birthrights to mindfulness and self-care with what I call the Big 5 on a daily basis: loving kindness, compassion, nonjudgment, patience, and forgiveness.
ACTION: We commit to and practice mindfulness and self-care by taking action steps.
ACCOUNTABILITY: We seek and secure accountability partners to support our efforts to practice mindful self-care.
APPRECIATION: We appreciate ourselves and mindful self-care efforts by celebrating our small, medium, and big wins on a daily, weekly and/or monthly basis.
BONUS TREAT: Listen to the Thriving Mindfully Podcast episode on resiliency.
RESOURCES
If you need mindfulness, self-care, and wellness resources, I am here for you! Check out the links to my Thriving Mindfully Academy, blogs, podcasts, and more below.
Thriving Mindfully Academy, an online learning platform that provides personal and professional development education, coaching, training, and resources on mindfulness, meditation, self-care, and wellness.
Don’t miss out on my Stress Awareness Month (April) and National Meditation Month (May) updates, resources, tips. online classes, and trainings.Sign up for my updates here.
During this week’s Wellness Wednesday Meditation Class on Facebook Live, I shared a quote from the “phenomenal woman,” Dr. Maya Angelou, one of my favorite sheroes, about home.
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
I used Dr. Angelou’s quote to introduce a mindful reflection on how we are nourishing our physical home and the homes we inhabit in our body, mind with our thoughts, emotions with our heart, and soul with our spirit.
I also shared an excerpt from my poem, “Home” that is published in my book, That Which Awakens Me (available on Amazon).
Guess what I have for you? A mindful reflection and/or journaling exercise that will help you explore your relationship with your home.
Check out the questions below. You may want to share the questions with your loved ones to spark a discussion.
When you hear the word ‘home’ what comes to mind?
How does your current home nurture and support you?
Do you feel at home in your body, mind, heart, and/or spirit? Why or why not?
What can you do in the next 30-90 days to support yourself in feeling at home in your body, mind, heart and/or spirit?
BONUS QUESTIONS: If you want go deeper, spend time exploring these questions.
Who will serve as your accountability partner and support you in taking the actions steps in the next 30-90 days?
How will you celebrate your small, medium, and big wins from the action steps in the next 30-90 days?
Meditation and Mindfulness 101 Session Videos
This week, Meico Whitlock, Founder/CEO of Mindful Techie, and I have led a series of Meditation and Mindfulness 101 sessions during the Plugged In Nonprofit Tech and Transformation, a free digital conference hosted by Keela. see the videos below. Feel free to watch them with your loved ones at home. We hope they will support your mindful self-care practice.
Wanna join me for the March 26th class? Sign up here.
March 24th class led by Meico
March 25th class led by your truly
Do You Need Help?
Does your company or organization need help in navigating the new normal of working from home?
Do you and your colleagues and clients need training and coaching support to learn how to mindfully work from home, manage stress with mindful self-care practices, use mindful creativity and communication practices to be more effective, and use technology mindfully to be more productive?
If you answered YES or MAYBE to one or both of these questions, contact me to see how we can work together: ananda@anandaleeke.com.
I look forward to hearing from you in the coming days and weeks.
PS: I am happy to support you and your team with online coaching and trainings. It’s something I’ve been doing for years!
Thriving Mindfully Academy
I decided to offer a soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy to support and help people just like YOU and mission-driven companies, organizations, and communities navigate the COVID-19 emergency.
The Thriving Mindfully Academy is an online learning platform that provides professional development education, coaching, training, and resources in the following areas:
Mindfulness 101
Mindful Self-Care
Mindful Creativity
Mindful at Work
Mindful Communication
Mindful Relationships
Mindful Leadership
Mindful Technology
April is Stress Awareness Month. Outsmart stress in your life, career, and business during my Wellness Wednesday Meditation classes on April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and April 29th from 7-7:15 AM ET via: Facebook.com/AnandaLeeke64.
If you miss the class, I will post the replay on my social media channels.
Mindful Self-Care Weekly Themes
Watch my video to learn how you can bring more mindful self-care into your life, career, and business with the Thriving Mindfully Weekly Recipe of Themes (for each day of the week; includes tips).
For me, Spring is about fresh starts, new beginnings, new ideas, and new possibilities. It is a time of rebirth and renewal.
I welcome Spring into my life as my second new year. I use the Spring Equinox to slow down, become still, breathe, and check in with myself while I practice mindful self-care. My Spring check-in gives me time and space to review what’s been happening during the first quarter of the year. During this time, I recommit to myself by setting intentions and planting seeds for the second, third, and fourth quarters of the year.
This year, my Spring season looks and feels different due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Instead of taking a mini Spring break, I find myself spending most of my days at home with limited physical interaction with others (social distancing is the new phrase). I also find myself spending more and more time online connecting with family and friends, using yoga and barre videos to workout, listening to music and podcasts, operating my business, working with and communicating with clients, and watching TV shows, movies, and videos.
Now that we are in the midst of COVID-19, what does your digital life look and feel like?
How much time are you and your loved ones spending online?
Do you feel overwhelmed by technology?
How are you taking care of yourself while you are working and communicating online?
Need mindful technology tips and resources including tips on how to create digital a wellness plan, set time boundaries on email and texting, unplug daily or weekly from your digital devices, and/or start a digital detox?
Check out the Thriving Mindfully Digital Wellness resources below.
My Mindful Technology Journey & Burnout
Learning how to use technology mindfully started when I began my career in digital communications as a knowledge manager for Hamilton Securities Group, Inc. in 1996. My struggles with overdosing on technology increased dramatically when I started using social media, a smartphone, a tablet, and a lap top in my home life, digital communications career in the nonprofit sector, and wellness company. I didn’t have a healthy plan for communicating with family and friends; working with clients; managing my websites and social media; creating and curating blog and video content; hosting and producing podcasts; leading and participating in online communities; listening to music and podcasts; and watching TV shows, movies, and videos.
When I experienced burnout and enlisted the support of my life coach, Yael Flusberg, I started to make changes in the way I use technology. The lessons I learned and the mindful tech self-care practices I discovered laid the foundation for the Thriving Mindfully Podcast’s Mindful Technology playlist below. Check out each episode and see what tips and resources work best for you. Use what you find to create your own digital wellness plan.
Resources for You: Mindful Technology Playlist
The Mindful Technology playlist includes nine podcast episodes that offer meditations and mindful tips on how to create a digital wellness plan, practice self-care with a digital detox and unplugging, and have a healthy relationship with email, social media, and technology. Click on the links below.
Here’s a bonus gift for you. A video of me sharing the Thriving Mindfully Academy’s recipe of weekly themes to inspire and help you practice mindful self-care Sunday through Saturday.
Join me for the Wellness Wednesday Meditation class on March 25th from 7-7:15 AM ET (held every Wednesday until April 29th) via Facebook Live: www.facebook.com/anandaleeke64.
Have you thought about how you want to live your life in 2020 and beyond?
Do you need support in planning out your year?
Looking for accountability?
I’d love to work with you! I love coaching and supporting people just like you who are committed to exploring mindfulness, meditation, and mindful self-care in their lives, careers, and business. My coaching areas include:
Mindfulness 101
Mindful Self-Care
Mindful Creativity
Mindful at Work
Mindful Communication
Mindful Leadership
Mindful Technology
Interested in exploring how we might work together to manifest your heart’s desires for your life, career, and/or business this year?
Fill out my client intake survey and then let’s set up a free 20-minute consultation call.
Click here to complete the survey. I will follow up with an email once you complete it.
I offer an hourly rate and three-month and six-month packages
Check out the Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes below. Go here to listen to the over 100 Thriving Mindfully Podcast episodes on mindfulness, meditation, self-care, and wellness. Share them with your family, friends, and colleagues.
Watch my video (above) to learn how I’m using the coronavirus (kora-virus is what I call it by accident; read the description on YouTube to find out what kora refers to) as a personal development growth and service opportunity to support you with the soft launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy next week (mindfulness exercise is included at the end). Look out for more news about the launch of the Thriving Mindfully Academy and online events next week.
Have you thought about how you want to live your life in 2020 and beyond? Do you need support in planning out your year? Looking for accountability? I’d love to work with you! Check out my one-on-one coaching below.
ONE-ON-ONE COACHING: I love coaching and supporting people just like you who are committed to exploring mindfulness, meditation, and mindful self-care in their lives. My coaching areas include:
Mindfulness 101
Mindful Self-Care (can incorporate meditation, gentle yoga, reiki, crystal therapy, journaling, chakra healing, and rituals from world cultures, eight phases of the moon, astrology, and goddesses)
Mindful Creativity
Mindful at Work
Mindful Communication
Mindful Leadership
Mindful Technology
Interested in exploring how we might work together to manifest your heart’s desires for your life, career, and/or business this year?
Fill out my client intake survey and then let’s set up a free 20-minute consultation call.
Click here to complete the survey. I will follow up with an email once you complete it.
I offer an hourly rate and three-month and six-month packages.
Ananda Leeke 