Happy April and Happy Spring!
I have been fielding questions about how things are going with me, yoga in general and my biz. And I have been sharing bits and pieces with those that ask. So I decided to share a deeper update with everyone. I will start by going back a bit to pre-covid: Things were going pretty good (with me and my biz). I was comfortable. Taking my time with tweaking my business as needed. Moving through life in a forward direction. Then covid came. Everything changed (for most of us, in most aspects of our lives). The way that I had operated my yoga biz for the past 15 years no longer worked. There were many times over the past 2 years I had to consider the possibility of letting go of some or all of my classes in order to take on another job - thankfully something always showed up to help me “keep my lights on” and continue holding the space of these on again off again yoga classes. Then, in mid January of this year, I was offered an interesting job. Decision time! I decided to pause (I’ve been doing that a lot this year). I sat and asked myself a series of questions (I’ve been doing that a lot over the past couple years too). I had to consider the options: A) Take this new part-time job. Receive a steady pay cheque. Spend 3 to 6 weeks learning a new job - a new computer system, new line of products, new clientele, etc. If I took this job I would have to let go of many of my yoga classes. If I take this job, is it for 1 month? 6 months? while I wait for the yoga world to return to “normal”. B) Do I find a different way to support myself while I sort through this current yoga business model? See what is salvageable, what needs to be tossed and then start over. And how long will this take - 6 months? 12 months? What will this new business model look like? How do I figure that out?! And, What if “normal’ never returns? After a few days of writing, sitting and contemplating, my decision came clearly. “For now, keep holding the space on these precious and precarious classes. We all need something constant in our lives right now. Trust. And commit some time to redeveloping/redesigning your yoga biz.” Shortly after this decision, destiny intervened and a great 6 week “get your biz together and how to survive while doing it” course came along - perfect timing! It was out-of-the-box creative, heart-centred and mindful. I was not surprised to see that many of us in attendance were re-designing our businesses for this post-pandemic world. I was very surprised at how much time it took and, how much energy it required! Our course leader kept comparing the re-design part of our business as a marathon and the “what do we do for income in the meantime” as a sprint. And this course was largely about the sprint. How do we pay our bills, keep food on the table, as we navigate this 6 to 12 month journey to our new business models? Well, we were presented with and explored over 30 different ideas! This is the one I chose to start with: - (paraphrased) Choose a service to offer that is not your current business. Something like a hobby; something that you do for fun and know really well; something that you would enjoy sharing with others, and have perhaps shared with others already, cuz you love it so much. What a fantastic idea. Developing something new or re-designing something old can take months, sometimes years. Sharing something you know really well and could do with your eyes closed? Fast! Right, this fits with the sprint analogy! It might only take 3 to 6 weeks to put together a workshop or course based on a hobby or skill I know and love! I. Love. This. Idea. I am not yet ready to share what this new content/course will be. As I mentioned above, the course I took was intense and I need a pause to recharge and then figure out a few more details. It is my intention to send out details in a couple weeks. Stay tuned! The main purpose of this post is to let you know what I’ve been up to…. and what is ahead. I am excited! I will also share here that I have a “later on - it’ll take time” list. Some things on that list are to record some more guided relaxations and meditations (Yes, I am taking suggestions), re-ignite some old offerings like 1/2 day retreats and workshops, and/or develop some new ones (Yep, taking requests for that too). Lastly, in all of this, I am slowly re-designing the content of my website - please excuse the mess. And check back regularly. My goal is to make things more easily interactive and transparent to help visitors figure out what I offer, how I offer it, why I offer it, and if it is even relevant to them. So thank you so much for sticking with me! And I hope you are interested in sticking around a little longer to see what new things will be popping up. And, if it is time to move on, or if we are no longer a fit, I get that. No hard feelings. As always, please feel free to reach out. I am here. Warmest wishes of well-being your way! And hugs too. Sheron UPDATE: the course has been announced. See the "dreams" page for details.
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I am in a "get your biz together" course right now. One of the projects is to share a little about ourselves in order to find clients that are a fit. One assignment is to share your bookshelf. I actually really like this idea.
The books I have chosen are ones that I have had for a long time, have read multiple times, and/or have deeply affected me and my life choices. What do you think of this idea? What books would you share to help explain a bit about who you are? Do you enjoy sharing? If yes, please leave a comment below. You can click on the images to see the full view/larger image. As most of you know, all in person classes are on hold again. So i decided to take the plunge and offer my current classes as on-line, live classes via Zoom.
If you are not on my email list, and you are interested in attending an on-line live class, please send me a note via the contact form on my "contact/bio" page. So, you are interested, what do you need to participate? If you are already familiar with ZOOM, skip below to PROPS & SPACE. NEW TO ZOOM?
PROPS & SPACE This will all depend on what class you are taking.
This is just a starting point. I will add more as i think of it. Questions? Let me know. Suggestions? Let me know. HUGS! ![]() It took a few months to get this together. With many stops and starts. I had to continually remind myself of my own advice with this project (click here for that blog post) ; “I do not have the skills, ability, energy or understanding to accomplish this task right now. So be gentle. Do what I can when I can. This IS something that WILL happen because I am passionate about it. BUT it will happen only when it happens and not a moment sooner”. Well that moment finally arrived. My first offering is one you might already be aware of in video form. “Guided Relaxation - Savasana”. I recorded this in audio format specifically for Insight Timer. It is the same script but a few minutes shorter and likely will feel different as it was recorded at a different time. The links are at the bottom of this email. First, A bit about Insight Timer: -A smartphone app for meditation, sleep, stress education, relaxing music and so much more. -An amazing free basic version with over 35,000 titles (music, talks and meditations) provided by experts such as neuroscientists, psychologists, mindfulness & yoga teachers, lecturers and professors. -A paid option that provides access to 400 courses and additional features like rewind, repeat and download. Teachers CAN earn an income on Insight Timer “We calculate who earns what based on two metrics only; Total play count (75%) and Teacher engagement (25%). As well, teachers can receive donations from their listeners.” This means that you can support teachers by
You don’t have the app, but you want it.... 1. On your smartphone, click on the Google Play Store app and search for “Insight Timer”. Download and start using! (if you need help with this step, or how to use the app, let me know and i will walk you through it.) 2. On your computer, head over to https://insighttimer.com/. And you will see a floating button at the bottom of the page that says “download our app”. If you click on that, you can enter your cell phone # and they will send you a text message with the link to download. (I have not used this option so i am not entirely sure of the steps. If you have, and you’d be willing to share some details, then i will pass them along too). And if you are reading this on your phone, and you have the Insight Timer app, click on the links below and (you should) be taken directly there. https://insighttimer.com/yogasheron https://insighttimer.com/yogasheron/guided-meditations/guided-relaxation-savasana-2 I look forward to practicing with you in the new way! hugs! ![]() I am getting comfortable and skilled at editing videos now on YouTube. I am also getting skilled at pausing while recording when i've made a mistake and starting over. Yay! and Phew! The good thing about getting better, is that i am braving some trickier edits - like the video (How To Improvise A Bolster) i just posted (see "expand" page). I realized that i talked extensively (in the video) about Halfmoon Yoga Products and i put myself into new territory. This product chat could be seen as product endorsement which would put my video into different category AND add extra bits to my video. YouTube's explanation on what qualifies as "product endorsement" is ambiguous. Since i am not likely to get a response to my inquiry into clarification in a timely fashion, i decided to edit out that bit of my video - thereby removing any possibility of confusion. I don't need to get myself in trouble, nor do i want my video to get removed. Plus, from what i was reading, there are legal guidelines outside of just YouTube that need to be followed re product endorsement and i am not yet ready to read that extensively on the subject - especially since i am not actually profiting from the "endorsement"! :) ![]() Well I have to trust there is a reason only one of the four videos I recorded yesterday worked out. Restorative practice? nope. Belly Breath practice? goner. How to make your own yoga blocks? sorry, it didn’t make it either. Sigh. I watched them all to see if anything was salvageable but no. HOWEVER; “How to improvise a bolster” survived and turned out well. So to the editing table I go. It should be up on my web site and my YouTube Channel tomorrow, that is, unless it somehow meets the same fate as the other fallen videos. HA HA HA! I can only laugh, sigh, surrender to “what is” and start over. Boy, am I gonna be resilient after all this! :) ![]() I had a few hours this morning with an empty house so I decided to record a video. Long story short, the universe was testing me today… “How many things can we mess with until she losses her cool? Until she says I give up?” Well the answer is I don’t know. Many, many things went wrong
So the lesson in all this? I AM COMMITTED to making these videos! I AM COMMITTED to sharing! I am still feeling a little raw so I won’t look at the videos today. I need some space. But if something was salvageable from my 3.50 hours of work, I will post it! Hugs! ![]() Thank you everyone for sending me those kind words and good healing vibes! Whatever is going on with my right arm (tendinitis?) is getting better. I am still only mousing with my left hand and keeping typing to a minimum as my arm starts to ache after a couple minutes. So it'll be another short update today. The house is mine for a couple hours so i am heading to my "studio" to set up and attempt to record the video that flopped last week. If you are reading this on May 5th around mid day, send me some good recording vibes please. If my arm is feeling up to it, i will update later. Otherwise, see you tomorrow! hugs! ***UPDATE*** well, it took 1.50 to record plus 1.25 hours to edit and upload a 13 minute video. HA HA HA! And that is not counting the first go at this that flopped (see Day 25). Savasana is now ready for your viewing (and practicing pleasure). May your body and mind be relieved of stress. Enjoy the practice. ![]() Tendinitis still alive and well in my right arm so this will be short... May 2 Script in hand, i decided to record an audio practice (way less set up). So how to hold the script up at eye level (so i can read without having to tip my head down to read at a table - not good for my neck). Introducing..... The Script Holder 2000! Ha ha. I blue goo-ed a long ruler to my tripod and then blue goo-ed my script to the ruler. Success!! NOTE: no, my walls and carpet are not hot pink, i just needed to add some fun colour to a drab image. So this means, i have an audio practice to edit now. My intention is to upload it to Insight Timer. And this statement should help give me a nudge to complete my account set up and take this next plunge. :) Hi All! I am not quite back to 100% re tendinitis. So i will keep my posts short.
April 30th I had the house to myself, so i set to work with recording my new video. Long, long, story short it was a flop. Nothing was going right for me that day. So i spent 2 hours with nothing to (literally) show at the end. I was off my game and the universe was testing my patience. The universe won that round as i was cranky for a couple hours after. Now, i look back and think, "meh, whatever. It is what it is. I was doing the best i could with the tools and skills and time i had available at that time. I will just do it again." I am grateful that the pain of that day didn't turn me off this endeavour forever! :) A quick note to say, i am taking a couple or maybe a few days off. I have developed hmmm, maybe tendinitis? I guess, this sudden change in the type of work (typing, typing, mousing, mousing) i've been doing since mid March has taken it's toll. The self-care and counter-computer exercises i have been doing just wasn't enough. So my body has spoken, and i am going to listen.
The good side of it is, i have a script written so i can record a new practice when i have a quiet house! And maybe i can record another yoga video too! See you soon! :) Today is a writing day. I have some notes on a few meditations and guided practices i'd like to record so i now i need to sit down and write the scripts.
What does that process look like? Well, it happens a couple ways: Way #1:
Way #2:
Today is "Way #2". A few days ago I recorded a Savasana idea i had after a Yoga in Bed practice. Today i will transcribe. And we will see where i get to. Wish me luck! and Happy Tuesday! :) Happy Friday!
I went to the Lewis Centre today and recorded another class - Gentle Hatha. Thanks to everyone that sent requests! I was not as "centred" as i have been in previous videos - i had a couple false starts and foibles. I was in a different space than i am used to so i was adjusting to my surroundings as i was recording plus the air conditioning turned on a couple times and threw me off. I had to suppress a few laughs when the foibles occurred. But all in all, i think it'll be o.k. And thank you for asking questions about making donations, and where to find the info for that. I have not been sure about what to do to set that up on my site, so i haven't done much. BUT, that is my afternoon project today! I will update this post when i am done or when i give up. :) I had a couple days of surrender… See “back from the abbyss” on the expand page.
Another video posted (Chair Yoga -posted April 20th) ! Woo Hoo! I am definitely getting faster at editing and uploading now. That feels good. “Life planning” (April 17th) complete. It was surprisingly easy. Once I decided what needed to be done and what I wanted to do, I did it. It feels good to have balance in my life’s activities again! I am heading into the Lewis Centre tomorrow to film another yoga session. This class will be geared towards those that have been attending my “55+ Yoga - Ongoing” classes. So for those of you that are hoping for something specific, send me your requests! I have done a little planning already and will complete that tomorrow morning. That’s all for now. See you tomorrow! Hugs! ![]() Happy Friday everyone! i have 3 things to chat about today... 1. My field trip was fairly painless - only minor confusion at both pick up locations (with them, trying to find the item i ordered/reserved). Here they are...... A lovely, light, very adjustable tripod and the phone holder attachment! Thanks again to everyone that contributed! 2. I uploaded a video guided meditation/relaxation/breathing practice last night. Head over to the "expand" page to check it out or click here. And, i learned how to edit things out of the middle of a video too! There was a goof while i was recording so i decided to start that part over and then see if i could snip it out later. And i did! Hooray! This new skill/tool, i think, will create a little more ease in me while i am recording now. 3. I am excited to start using my new tools BUT the tripod is super stinky- strong chemical &/or plastic smell. I will wipe it down later but for now it is outside airing out. AND.... It is an admin day. I need to put my excitement of new toys to the side and finish some other important tasks.
So have a fabulous day! I send all you good vibes and big virtual hugs! And, May all good things come your way! :) ![]() I awoke full of beans again today and started work around 9:00am What?! Yup. This not a morning person was up early again! I knew that i would have at least an hour with an empty house in the late morning so i knew i had to take advantage (and be prepared). My goal was to shoot one video and record one meditation. I also knew that set up would take just as long as the recording itself (see yesterday’s post) so i had to "get on it". The video: I have been teaching a monthly chair yoga class to a lovely group of people for almost 10 years and i really missed seeing them in March. And i don't know when we will see each other next! It is a short, gentle routine that we do, and it is all sitting on a chair. (I thought) set up would be easy and I know the routine in and out, so I hoped it would be a quick process. HA HA HA! My chair-pod (see Day 6 - a bull clip, blue goo & an office chair) is too tall for recording a chair yoga session so time to MacGyver a new phone holder. The recording went smoothly, I think. For what ever reason, during playback, my phone no longer plays the audio (only the video). So I will have to disassemble my phone and check the recording on my computer, but I will leave that for tomorrow. The Audio: My experiment today was to record a relaxation/meditation audio, but in video format. I am curious if it will be an easier way to upload meditations to my YouTube channel. I figured I would not be moving and “you” would not need to see me so I set up my new desk decor (the photo included in today's post) as the visual. Again, I had to MacGyver a way to hold the phone in front of the flowers and I would hold the mic. I did several takes - I jumbled up my words a few times and had to start over. I have no idea if it worked. This item will also go on to tomorrow’s list. Lesson learned? Just do it already! I have my plan (see yesterday) so i am going to get on it! It is research time! But first I need to go put my room back together now that recording is complete for the day. I send you all big hugs! And I hope you are well! ![]() I had another brain storming session with myself today. I needed to look back at what i have done so far and assess. I asked myself the following questions:
my biggest challenges/priorities: 1. I have been frustrated with the time it takes to set up my phone for recording videos. I don't seem to have the right type of "things" to create an easy to use, fast set up, flexible camera holder at home. Set up is agonizingly slow and often takes just as long (or longer) than the actual recording does!! 2. I have an ancient mic that plugs into my phone. It works pretty well considering its age (I’ve had it for at least 4 years and it is 2nd hand). It is a tiny mic and I need to hold it while I speak into it - I usually get a hand cramp part way in and have to switch hands, and it usually picks up the noise from this simple switch. I have tried to make a mic stand and I have one set up that works when I sit at my desk, but it is not transferable. So what is my plan? I am going to use the gifts from you, my dear ones, to buy a phone tripod and possibly a new mic (that comes with a tripod). I have done a bit of research on a couple mics that will work. Next I will research a phone tripod. Hopefully someone has them in stock and can ship/deliver or maybe locally and I can pick up soon! I am ready ready! So keep on sending those good vibes! Hugs :) ![]() I am always a little surprised at how long these seemingly simple tasks take. So it is end of day, 3:00pm, and here is what i accomplished:
Time to relax and enjoy the sun and blooms on my patio! Hugs!!! :) ![]() In an earlier post i mentioned that i had a couple people offer equipment loans and i had to test to see if they'd be compatible. My tests are complete and... A quick update:
Also i have uncovered some of the reasons why i had become "anti-technology" and quit teaching and learning half a decade ago.
:) ![]() Some days are easier than others. Some days i am able to just go with the flow. Some days i can comfortably sit with discomfort. Today is one of those days. All messages pointed towards "no work" so i listened. After that, a whole pile of "lovely" flowed into my life. I had a great phone walk with a friend only to come home and have an offer of a coffee phone date, followed by another lovely phone date. So blessed am I to have these experiences!!! So grateful for the gift of still being able to connect with friends even though i can't see them face-to-face. So today i share the pretty scene at my work desk, that will hopefully stay fresh for one more day, until i return. hugs to all!! :) Testing time: A couple people have offered to loan out some equipment to me during this "at home" time.
Also, i jumped in, downloaded and tried out Zoom the other day. It was a last minute and hurried adventure because Pema Chodron was offering a meditation and Q&A through Tricyle - The Buddhist Review. I had signed up for it the week before but as i am not on a schedule for much these days, it slipped my mind. Thankfully a friend sent me a reminder text a few minutes before it started. I do not yet have a web cam, so i joined in "silently". Practicing "live" with Pema has been on my "Ooo that'd be special" list for many years. It was eerie and good at the same time. Although i am not Buddhist, her wise words have helped to guide me through many times, joyful and uncomfortable, in my adult life. I feel recharged and inspired. She reminds me of why i do what i do. Woo hoo! Here is my favourite snippet from many years ago that i watch when i need a laugh and a nudge: ![]() HA HA HA HA! Yesterday was not the "forward" motion day i was hoping it to be:
![]() Happy Monday everyone! It was not my intention, but i ended up stepping away from the "on-line" production for a few days. I realized that i had fallen behind on my admin and accounting work. I am all caught up and ready to return to the on-line world. The time away was a good thing. I had time to process where i've been and where i am going. Here are my updates:
So what is on my list for today:
Thanks again for joining me on this ride! and yes, Please do keep posting comments here, and sending me emails. It is nice to know that someone out there is reading some of the words i am sharing! HUGS! :) ![]() Update: That Yoga Video I Recorded: In Day 9, i mentioned that i recorded a short yoga video. I did scan through it quickly today.
How exciting to be moving in a forward direction with this project! :) 1. Editing on YouTube:
The editing on YouTube is basic but good. I can trim videos there, which is the most important feature for me. You can also add music (they have a library of free music to use) and you can blur faces or parts of videos. I won't work with these right now as they will likely not be required. 2. Editing on my Computer: As i mentioned in a previous post, there is a video editor on my computer.... I think it is just the one that comes with windows. Anyhow, today i played with it and i am able to add a "title" screen to the beginning of my videos. I am getting closer...... |
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April 2022
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