Category Archives: Yoga

Sep 20 2018
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eating disorder, forgiveness, Friends, Health & Wellness, health coach, Health Coaching, Inspiration, love, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, relationships, Spirituality, strength, Writing, Yoga

Sometimes yoga looks like three folding chairs. {yoga of recovery}

Sometimes yoga looks like three fold-up chairs in a group therapy room that smells like coffee. And you talk about the things you feel ashamed of, you share the things you think no one wants to hear because you are afraid they will judge you or not accept you or not love you.

And you use this space to practice being you. You use this space to practice being human.

And you find out that the other dude has a similar story to mine and I’ve known him for X months and we never shared this.

Because yoga looks like intimacy. Looks like trust. Looks like holding space for someone, no matter what.

Oh and then maybe we do some poses, or we just keep talking for the remaining 26 minutes or something. And sometimes you hear a story that breaks your heart and you’re so damn grateful that the person is there, sitting across from you telling their story.

You’re so damn grateful that they weren’t successful at giving up on this life. You’re so damn grateful they are here telling you how grateful they are for the simple things in their life, the things they always took for granted.

And you realize how grateful you are for everyone who has ever held space for you. Who has ever listened to you and let you open up. And just BEEN there.

It is truly a gift that we get to surround ourselves with these people as we grow older. I’m grateful for all the souls who hold space for me. 


To just be me. 

#thankyouthankyouthankyou

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Jul 29 2018
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Body Image, Breathing, energy, Gratitude, Health & Wellness, Health Coaching, love, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, Spirituality, Writing, Yoga

Take Care Through Transitions

Right now I am really being asked to walk the talk. To practice what I preach as a teacher and coach.

What I mean by this is:
I have to move out of my house and this is totally unplanned (at least by my human existence, I’m sure The Universe had something to do with this).

There is a serious mold situation and so in the past 2 days I have packed up and moved as many of my belongings as my little Subaru can hold. Taking several trips to and from my parents house, finding a place for my cats to stay, and all the while making the time to take care of myself.

I always encourage my clients (and really all my people – that includes family, friends, etc.) that when we are in the midst of transition or a life crisis or whatever you want to call it, you must remember to take care of yourself even when it feels like you have no time.

We go through a lot of our lives using that excuse:
“I have no time” I all too often hear people say.
No time to meditate.
No time to slow down.
No time to sit and read a book for fun.

But as I move through this major upheaval of moving myself, my dog, my cats, my belongings, I am making sure I create moments to check in with myself.

I make sure I eat full meals.
I make sure I shower and put on clean clothes.
I make sure I meditate.
I make sure I move mindfully (yoga, running, walks with my dog).
I make sure I get enough rest.

Just last night I had plans to meet a friend for dinner but after I showered and put on clothes I decided I needed to rest. I had been going from 9:30am to 5pm – packing, loading the car, unloading the car, unpacking.

And especially when we are going through something traumatic, we must tend to our souls.

Whether it is a change in job, moving, the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one (human or furry)… we must tend to our souls. It can be so easy to get swept up in the to-do list or feeling overwhelmed by the situation – feeling at a loss of how little control we actually have of what happens around us.

But what this precise situation is showing me is this: what I can control is my internal experience.

I can allow space to feel the sadness of having to leave the home I just set up (5 months ago) or the sadness of temporarily having to separate from my cats.

I can feel that but I can also choose to nourish myself.

I don’t entertain the feelings of doubt. Or thoughts of “how could I have prevented this?”

That doesn’t even enter my mind! (<<< that’s growth right there!)

I trust that this is where I am meant to be right now.

Yes, it totally stinks. It is totally hard.

But I am already seeing a lot of beauty coming from this.

Like fully acknowledging the generosity of other human beings; as I lean into them, and the universe for support.

So what happens to you when you experience an upheaval – big or small? How do you respond?

I have many great suggestions of meditation apps, websites, YouTube channels for you. I also have two free meditations on my website that you can access here. Of course meditation is merely one resource.

I’d love to hear from you, as always – and I promise to reply to your comments! 🙂

Sending light, always.

XO
Maggie

PS. I sent this out today to my email list. If you’d like to receive notes like this, you can get them here >>> http://eepurl.com/czLI35

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May 16 2018
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Body Image, eating disorder, Health & Wellness, Health Coaching, love, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, reiki, relationships, Spirituality, wellness, Writing, Yoga

Sometimes SELF-LOVE Looks Like This…

Are you going to run & hide?
Or are you going to grow?

When we are confronted with a challenge – we have a choice.

We can choose to run and hide and attempt to escape our problem. Out of fear for what we might feel or how difficult it might be to navigate the challenge. This is acting from, guess where… FEAR.

At first fear may feel like the easier road. But in reality it just means we are running from our pain, problems etc. and these things we attempt to avoid will keep coming up. Until we confront them, accept our circumstances and move through. Which sometimes can feel like trudging through sludge.

But this is the path of growth … of LOVE. Which may at first feel more difficult. Especially if we are used to acting from a fear place.

When we choose the path of growth each time we experience contrast (conflict, challenges, problems etc.) it gets easier. Yes it can seem to be more work. The work is so worth it.

The work my dears … is actually self-love. The work is asking ourselves the tough questions and really truly searching within for how we can grow.

This is love. 

Not avoiding, running, hiding.
But facing head-on.
Being brave to accept the current situation no matter how challenging it may seem.

This is love my darlings.

Sending you all the love and light in the world,

MC
Interested in 1:1 Intuitive Coaching, Reiki, Yoga or meditation with Maggie? Click here to get started.

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Apr 05 2018
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Body Image, Health & Wellness, Inspiration, love, mindfulness, wellness, Writing, Yoga

On Self-Love

How do you practice self-love and empowerment?

Self-love.

It used to just mean doing nice things for myself or saying nice things to myself. And then just waiting for the good feelings and the shifts of finally feeling self-love to come..

But it wasn’t until recently when a coach (Amy Fiedler – look her up, she’s amazing) highlighted this one aspect of self-love that I was missing:

Acknowledge when you are kind to yourself.
Acknowledge when you do something loving.

Even the little things like getting out of bed in the morning. And this is especially if you are having trouble finding acts of love.

But be amazed at how compassionate you are with yourself. How patient. How kind.

Acknowledge all of it and THIS is going to shift your mindset and your entire way of being.

These thoughts will soon replace the self-loathing, negative, unkind thoughts.

So instead of trying to stop those thoughts you simply (and slowly) replace them with the self-loving thoughts.

Bottom line: I practice self-love all the time. Some examples:
-taking my time to make and eat my breakfast in the morning
-making sure i have a full glass of water first thing when i wake up
-prioritizing time to write
-going for a hike with Daisy
-meditating

And I ACKNOWLEDGE the fact that I am so loving to myself. I allow myself to receive this love.

That is so key to this process. You have to acknowledge the love you are giving yourself, otherwise you’re not going to receive it.

Got it?

How do YOU practice self-love? I’d love to hear in the comments!

XO Maggie

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Mar 23 2018
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Inspiration, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, Spirituality, wellness, Yoga

How I learned to slow down and stop over-exercising

The more time I spent going on hikes and exploring parks and trails, the more I realize that time spent in nature has greatly helped curate my perspective on movement and exercise.

 

Nature forced me to slow down.

 

I spent years swimming in lakes and oceans, cycling through hills and mountains, and running roads and trails. This was all in the name of triathlons, half-marathons, half-ironmans, dozens of 5ks and 10ks, a marathon, and an ironman.

 

The irony is not lost on me that it was my training for various races, over the course of about 5 years, that got me spending more and more time outside. To the point that outside became my most favorite place in the world (maybe second to curled up on the couch with a dog and a good book.)

 

Moving back to CT several years ago I found myself hiking and running trails in Easton, Redding, and Weston. I got a dog and spent even more time exploring local trails. I started booking trips not around races, but around nature – national parks, seashores, and other hidden treasures the earth had to show me.

 

I couldn’t exactly pinpoint it but I always felt like I couldn’t spend enough time outside. Even with bugs, heat, and humidity – I wanted more.

 

There was something big I was receiving. Some intangible yet powerful gift.

 

I was learning to slow down. Nature evolves at its own pace and I wanted to absorb every morsel I could. Every sound, every smell, every glimmer of sunlight through the trees. Every sweeping vista and mucky footprint. All of it. I felt a profound connection to something greater than myself.

 

My eyes welled with tears and I was rendered speechless when I first saw the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley. I wanted to feel this humility over and over again. Even by the babbling brooke on the trail in the town where I grew up reminded me of mother nature’s vastness and simplicity all at once.

 

So I kept hiking and I kept seeing and I kept feeling. And I began choosing a walk in the woods over pumping iron at the gym (don’t get me wrong – I still lift heavy things on occasion). I began listening much more acutely to the wishes of not just my body, but of my soul.

 

Now I fully acknowledge when I need the groundedness of the earth beneath my feet. I’ll touch a tree as I make my way down a trail and even when running through the woods, I’m no longer in a hurry.

 

And you can bet money this movement has nothing to do with burning calories or getting a yoga butt or anything like that.

 

It’s about feeling freedom. It’s about simplicity. It’s about being humbled by something much greater than myself. And it’s just about the deepest gratitude I have ever known in my human existence thus far.

 

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Mar 21 2018
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Body Image, eating disorder, forgiveness, Gratitude, love, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, Spirituality, Writing, Yoga

How I healed myself from my eating disorder

I healed myself from my eating disorder.

How?

Yoga

Meditation

Journaling and writing

Nature

Mindfulness

Breath awareness

But what this all ultimately amounted to was that I was (at times unknowingly) cultivating a spiritual practice.

I think I’ve always been spiritual but wasn’t fully aware of it until this past decade of spiritual growth.

And I read a sign the other day when I took a trip to my local dispensary that read:

Faith is not believing God can, it’s knowing that he will.

And insert any word you prefer for God: source, the Universe, vortex, nature, etc.

In my path to healing I always had the knowingness that I was not on this journey alone. I didn’t have a word for what (or who) was supporting and guiding me, but I always had faith that I was never alone.

Because for the human body and mind alone to recover from ANYTHING is a gargantuan task. In any recovery and healing process, we are always supported.

Whether that support comes in the way of discovering a meditation practice or stumbling upon teachers, coaches, and therapists that are able to guide you in just the right direction … or a book that truly illuminates what you have been wondering all along …

Universal support and guidance is ALWAYS available to you. You simply have to open up your body, mind, and soul to receive that guidance.

It does not mean that you don’t do any of the work. But that most of the work is in turning inward, getting quiet, and leaving space for that guidance to appear.

And so it was the tools of yoga, meditation, and writing that enabled me to open up this space for my spiritual intuition and connection to strengthen.

So that I was able to recognize (and to this day STILL recognize) when I was potentially harming myself – emotionally, physically, physiologically, etc.

And if I felt I could not do it alone, I asked for guidance.

I ask for guidance every single day. In every situation imaginable.

Again – this does NOT mean that I just sit there and wait for shit to happen. But when I take action, I do so with deep awareness. And I listen and I look for the guidance.

And guess what?

The guidance ALWAYS appears.

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Feb 12 2018
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Body Image, Gratitude, Health & Wellness, Health Coaching, love, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, reiki, Spirituality, workout, Yoga

it all boils down to one thing: love

Sometimes I feel like I do so many different things. That i wear many different hats.
One day I’m with private yoga clients.
the next i’m at the recovery centers and then guiding a coaching client into their meditation practice.
and sometimes i feel like i wear too many hats…
but today i realized that all these “hats” are really just variations on a theme.
i work with people in the way that i can best connect with them.
whether it’s bowspring, yoga, meditation, health coaching, life coaching, or reiki… my intentions are always the same..

i hope and wish for people to feel aligned and connected.
i hope and wish for people to better understand and accept themselves.
i hope and wish for all people to know their purpose in life.
i hope and wish for people to know and understand that they are loved so that they may find unconditional, universal love. no matter the external circumstances.

i know that i’m good at what i do.
i know that i’m good at sharing my story.
i know that i’m good at reaching people.
i know that i’m good at holding space for people.

i know that i’m good at helping people understand that their bodies are a way to experience this planet, celebrate life, and feel joy.

if you’re interested in a class or 1:1 work with me in any capacity please use this link to connect with me. most of the work that i do IS customized. but it is all around creating connection. to your Self. to love.💖

CONNECT ⬇️⬇️⬇️

http://www.maggieconversemethod.com/connect-1/

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Oct 01 2017
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Body Image, eating disorder, Meditation, mindfulness, recovery, Spirituality, Yoga

How Spiritual Practice Guided Me Into Eating Disorder Recovery

This was originally posted 9/28/17 on Nonpoliticalnews.com as “How Yoga Saved Me From Myself.”

I grew up going to Catholic Church every Sunday and CCD until I asked my mother in 8th grade if I could quit. I told her there were aspects of it that didn’t feel aligned with my beliefs and she agreed under the condition that my sister and I accompany her to the hippie church in the barn in the woods every Sunday. We complied.

I hold nothing against the church, or any organized religion. I am aware that many people derive deep healing and goodness from religion. My religion, however, wasn’t serving me. Little did I know I was already on a spiritual path in 8th grade and I recognized that the Catholic Church didn’t support that path.

I have had issues with my body since I was a child. My earliest memory was that my little puffy tummy was a problem. I prayed it would go away by the time I was a grown-up.

Fast forward to high school. I was tall and had body dysmorphia. I believed my body was unsightly.

By my first semester of college I developed bulimia nervosa. It felt like a completely normal thing to do as a means to having a sense of control. On the surface, I saw nothing wrong with the behaviors I was committing to.

My best friend and boyfriend at the time were the only ones who knew and they did everything they could to help but overall I isolated myself.

I lived in my mind: constantly calculating calories. I sought control over food and my body. But mostly I wanted control over every aspect of my life. Food and my body were the most attainable way to feel any semblance of control.

There is a lot from this dark period that I don’t remember. I’ve blocked it out for self-preservation. I was also so distracted by my obsessive mindset and behavior that I detached and disassociated from my body and college experience.

In college I found a yoga studio. I had been practicing yoga since age 16 but there was something about going to this no-frills studio that resembled the rituals of going to church but this time it felt right; it felt like a spiritual match.

No one said: a spiritual practice will heal you! But this is exactly what happened. As I practiced yoga regularly, I also grew my spirituality. I integrated yoga teachings into daily life.

When I learned the yogic practice of non-violence I saw my eating disorder as being brutally violent toward myself. I had to stop.

My primary concern for years was controlling my body/appearance since I couldn’t control the world around me. I was operating on a very small-minded level.

As soon as I decided I was going to heal from my eating disorder, I felt at ease. I surrendered and loosened my grip on control. My world-view expanded. I valued my intelligence, my passions, and my relationships. I felt like I was part of something greater than myself and my appearance.

This was over 12 years ago. Today yoga is still part of my spiritual practice. Today I walk in nature and connect to something greater than myself. I meditate and remember we transcend our bodies. I spend time with my dog and cats, friends and family, and revel in the relationships I cultivated. My spirituality is all around me and is in my daily life.

I’m not saying you need a spiritual practice to live a good life. I’m saying it worked for me. And it keeps me in recovery from my eating disorder, every day.

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Aug 21 2017
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Body Image, eating disorder, Health & Wellness, Health Coaching, Inspiration, love, mindfulness, recovery, relationships, wellness, Writing, Yoga

One day I decided NO MORE

I know how to do the hard stuff. That doesn’t mean the hard stuff isn’t hard. Or that it doesn’t feel like work.

I know how to muck through shit.

Why?

Because I’ve mucked through shit before. I’ve had to completely re-haul my patterns, my habits, my behaviors and my beliefs around my body, food, exercise, and my self-worth.

And do you know that I did a lot of it {at first} on my own?

Of course I reached out to people when I FINALLY freakin’ realized “It’s OK to ask for help!” And then those people got me even further on my path of doing the work.

But it’s a powerful realization to sit down with: You can alter your patterns, habits, behaviors, and beliefs.

It’s a journey.

And I’m going to tell you, the most difficult part of the journey {for me anyway} is saying I want to make these shifts. Is saying I want help.

Not just from this person and that person and this other person over there. But accepting help… no wait … RECEIVING help in the myriad of ways it comes to you.

One day I decided NO MORE with my eating disorder. I was probably mid-forward fold in yoga class. Sweating through my tank top. And I made this decision on my own. For myself.

No one said to me: Maggie, you have to stop.

No one said to me: Maggie, no more.

Actually, that’s not entirely true.

Because I said it to me! I decided I was done. I decided I WANTED to change the way I treated myself. I decided I wanted to change my relationship with myself.

I decided I was ready to take my emotional journey one step further.

I decided it was time to turn down (way down) the volume on self-hate and self-loathing.

I didn’t decide because someone told me. Because hardly anybody knew in the first place!

This is not to say there’s no room for support from others. This is not to say there’s no room for interventions in this world.

But the person in the seat of “needing change” has GOT to be the one to ultimately flip the switch and choose the direction of their emotional, physical, and spiritual journey.

This is so powerful to me because when I am confronted with a new challenge, a new pattern in my life to shift {example: I did it with my romantic relationships!} I know that I can do it.

Does it mean it’s gonna be easy peasy? NOPE. It’s still gonna be damn hard.

Does it mean it’s gonna be so worth it? YES.

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Jul 20 2017
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Body Image, eating disorder, Food, Health & Wellness, Health Coaching, Inspiration, love, mindfulness, recovery, wellness, workout, Yoga

You’ll only hear me mention bikini body on these two occasions…

I was inspired to write this post after reading the article Enough Talk of Bikini Bodies by Renee Engeln Ph. D. 

You’ll only hear me mention bikini body on two occasions:

 

  1. When I’m telling you that you already have a bikini body
  2. The notion of a “bikini body” just doesn’t matter because it’s made up anyway

 

I don’t know about you but I immediately tune out when I’m in an exercise class and the instructor starts getting into “x will give you a six pack” or “y will get rid of your love handles so you’re ready for bikini season!”

 

I immediately notice the shame/fear-based motivation and I tune the instructor out and do my best to tune into my own resources that I am enough. That my body is already beach ready — and so are everyone else’s for that matter! There was even a time in one particular class where the instructor started talking about burning fat off our bellies… oh how I wanted to scream out:

 

“All of your bodies are wonderful – exactly as they are!”

 

I know it’s not the instructor’s fault and I always try to have compassion for them. And I know this is a particularly heightened issue for me because of my own history with an eating disorder and body image issues but as most of you know I’ve come along way to the point where I no longer feel the need to change the way I look or act or speak or think or feel in order for me to be worthy or deserving of this life or loved or accepted.

 

But when someone starts telling us you need to get a bikini body or you need to get a six pack or you need to get rid of your cellulite or you need to get rid of your tummy or love handles … that is saying that our bodies, as they are in this very moment, are wrong and need fixing. The message we get is that we are only acceptable with certain conditions when in fact this is absolutely not the case.

 

This just isn’t true!

 

If we have the luxury of free time in our day to move our bodies why on earth would we ever choose to do so in a punitive or fear-based or shame-based manner?

 

We are all busy with families, careers, relationships, friendships, homes, fury friends, and so forth that what happens when we get that little sliver of time in the day for ourselves?

 

Why not chose to approach movement with a more neutral, if not positive, frame of mind?

 

Why not chose to move because it is beneficial for your physical/mental/emotional health?

 

So when we have that opening in our schedule where we can pop into a class, or maybe we can even get to the trail for a run or ride a bike or swim in the ocean…  Let’s instead remove the intention to punish ourselves. Let’s stop focusing on how bad we are for eating too much of whatever it is we love to eat. Because… doesn’t that just make for a shitty experience overall?

 

I know it does for me and I know it does for a lot of my clients and my students and that’s why I feel it’s extremely important to create a relationship to movement that is mindful, sometimes even joyful. Movement can empower us to feel more like ourselves instead of the person that we think we should be because society tells us were covered in flaws that we need to fix.

 

You don’t need to be fixed. And if you’re with me here on any of what I’ve just said, you’ve gotta check out THIS is Mindful Movement. Because it’s the antidote to the bikini body/6-pack/burn away your fat fab and craze. And you get lots of personal guidance attention from … yours truly! Via online yoga classes, meditation, coaching, and more.

It ALSO happens to be super affordable at $39 a month or $385 for the whole year. Yup. You heard me. You get a ton of 1-on-1 attention and guidance from me plus the support of the group.

Whether you sign up or not, I cannot stress this enough:

You do not need to be fixed. You are enough. You are whole exactly as you are right now, today.

With Love,
Maggie

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