averie woodard

When it comes to tapping into our spiritual side, it can often be viewed as an intimidating process, or at least a very serious one. And while finding alignment with our inner being is certainly a powerful and serious affair, it must be remembered that the entire point of finding that spiritual connection is finding our capacity for the greatest joy.

As the Law of Attraction tells us, it isn’t until we are truly happy that happiness will become abundant in our lives. For those who are looking to dabble in the world of wellness and woo-woo, we wholeheartedly suggest making your first foray into the space as fun and joyous as possible.

We’ve curated a bundle of our favourite ways to bring spirituality AND smiles into our journey for alignment.

That’s So Retrograde Podcast

Hosted by besties Stephanie Simbari and Elizabeth Kott, this is more than just a witty take on the woo-woo space. These girls get into it, interviewing shamans, astrologists, meditation experts, comedians, and experts in health and wellness, all with a highly relevant pop culture spin. If you’re looking to understand a bit more about the moon and the stars and the newest trends from wellness-mecca, LA, then this is the podcast for you. The ladies are hilarious and offer a refreshingly light-hearted take on the universe and all its beautiful complexities. Check out more here.

Do Arts and Crafts

Some of the most powerful activities in our spiritual journeys involve (biodegradable) glitter and glue. Vision boarding, for example, is one of the funnest ways to get your inner being’s most powerful desires and intentions out in front of you in an exciting and creative way. You can even invite your friends and make a party out of it. All you need is some old magazines (great way to up-cycle), bristol board and glue and get going. Allow the pictures to speak to you. Cut them out and collage.

Other fun activities include bullet journaling your spiritual intentions, sketching, and painting.

Image: Estee Janssens

The Kawaii Tarot Ap

Filed in things we’re kind of obsessed about, the Kawaii Tarot app is the cutest way to get a tarot reading in a pinch. Perfect for tarot newbies who are looking to understand the intricacies behind the practice.

Tossing Things Out

Ok, this may sound like a chore, but there is nothing funner than tossing out that which no longer serves you. It is one of the easiest ways to generate a sense of instant gratification and an appreciation for a visual change. Everything like old clothes, old beauty products and bits and bobs that are weighing you down; get rid of them! Let your inner being guide you to know what you truly do not need in your life anymore as you make room for all that is fresh and new, both physically and mentally.

We must make space for the things we want in life, whether it is physical or spiritual abundance we’re after. Remember, the things we own have their own energies and frequencies. If you’re holding on to something, even something as simple as clothes you no longer wear, it is possible your spiritual frequencies are connecting with the past and creating potential roadblocks for the future abundance you wish you draw into your life.

Once you do old items toss out (or donate or recycle), make sure to give your space a once over with palo santo to reset the energy in your home or office (very important).

Image: Averie Woodard

Traveling 

Next time you’re travelling, take time out to understand a bit more about the spiritual practices of the people who live in the country you are visiting. Often times, the wholeness of our spiritual selves is compiled with the elements we resonate with from other cultures, including the people and practices we have encountered. And there is nothing more eye-opening than being immersed in the culture of another country. Take everything in, listen, observe and appreciate the values of the people around you.

Aside from the people around you, it is vital for our spiritual selves to take advantage of being in a new place as a means of gaining insight on who we are and who we want to be when we are back at home. Travel often comes with the gift of being our most authentic selves so regardless of whether you are travelling with your partner or a group of friends, ensure you have some quiet reflection time to appreciate the present moment, acknowledge your feelings and recognize what about the traveller within you you would like to bring home.

Image: Joshua Earle

Go To an Event 

Gathering with likeminded people, even those who may be a bit more advanced in their journeys, is one of the most amazing ways to feel connected, aligned and as though you are on the right path. It can be anything as simple as a creative learning workshop, a full moon gathering, a wellness talk or even a yoga + beer class (they’re super awesome). Anytime you step out of your daily routine and move towards a new space, you are showing the universe you are open to growing, learning and transforming. Plus, it’s a great and productive way to shake up another night of Netflix.

Check out Eventbrite and our own event section, where we curate amazing, welcoming experiences.

Image: Geert Pieters

Remember, above all, if something doesn’t make you happy, your inner being is totally not into it. When we feel good, we are best positioned to make the powerful and transformational shifts we desire to grow full and completely into our spiritual selves.

Image by

John Gibbons

For those who are very in tune with the planets and find themselves to be affected by natural and universal shifts, you may find yourself stepping into this Summer Solstice with an unexpected lump of emotion in your throat. Not only are we at a halfway point of the year, a time when we are meant to take stock of the past six months of our work, accomplishments, losses and spiritual growth, we are also at a critical period when we should be looking forward to the six months ahead, visualizing our next steps, setting our intentions, all while letting go of that which no longer serves us.

It’s a lot of pressure.

To top it off, this Summer Solstice happens on the exact same day when the sun moves into Cancer, which can characteristically be an emotional time. In addition to being the most emotional of all astrological signs, Cancer is also ruled by the moon, the ruler of all our feelings. So we have a trifecta of emotional turbulence running currents through our small human bodies.

So while we encourage acknowledging and honouring our tendency towards ups and downs, passionate outbursts, powerful tides of love and sincere vulnerability to heartbreak and disappointment, we do not view Cancer season as a time of weakness. To the contrary, the season of Cancer gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our hardshell strengths in the face of adversity, while embracing the opportunity to balance our masculine sun energy through the Summer Solstice with our feminine ties to the moon.

So How Do I Do That? 

Ritual. Ritual is everything when we are working with our universal connections. Rituals do not need to be anything extensive, that you’re not familiar with, they can be subdued, mindful moments of acknowledgment and self-love.

Here’s a couple ways to implement ritual this Summer Solstice:

Honour Your Work

Take 5 to 10 minutes and write down what you have accomplished over the past six months. Read your list as many times as you need to over the next few days to let acknowledgement of your accomplishments resonate within your soul. Further to that, write down what you want to let go, what hasn’t worked out and give yourself acknowledgement for trying. And then, tell yourself that everything that didn’t work out, or that no longer serves you is something you will not be taking into the next 6 months of the year with you. Let. It. Go. 

Smudge Your Space

Start the next six months off with a clean energy slate. Smudge your workspace, closets, and home with sage or palo santo. Clear old energy and make room for new positive frequencies.

Use Citrine

Said to embrace the energy of the sun, Citrine is one of the most powerful stones to use for stimulating passion, strength and the power of manifestation. Citrine is connected your Sacral and Solar Plexus chakras where our feelings of personal power, will and determination are found, as well as our capacity for abundance and joy.

Keep Citrine close to you over the next few days. Hold it in your hand while you meditate or visualize the next six months to come.

Self-Care with Meditation

This is a beautiful ritual that ideally we would make time for everyday. Take an hour to your self  and do something that is only and completely for you. Whether it’s yoga, a bike ride, a run, a salt scrub, drink a warm calming wellness tea afterwards. Then settle into a meditative state for about 10 minutes or more if you can. Clear your mind in preparation for what is right around the corner, while practicing tools to help deal with any Cancer-induced emotional tides.

Everyone’s favourite Canadian yoga essentials company, B Yoga announced yesterday that it has acquired Halfmoon Products, a Vancouver-based yoga and meditation accessories company.

The two brands have been collaborating closely over the past year and going forward, the two companies will be operating as sister brands. The B Yoga site will continue to carry exclusively B Yoga products and Halfmoon will mainly carry Halfmoon products with the exception of the B MAT Everyday.

Image from Halfmoon website

So what’s this mean for the everyday B Yoga and Halfmoon customer? The main change will be seen in events, festivals and shows. The public will see B Yoga and Halfmoon TOGETHER. For example the team will be present together at four Wanderlust Yoga Festivals this year.

“We couldn’t be happier that Halfmoon is joining the B Yoga family,” says B Yoga founder Andrea Morris. “Both companies are deeply rooted in the same values— integrity, authenticity, respect, empowerment. It feels natural for these companies to come together, and I’m looking forward to working with Beth [McTavish, Halfmoon founder] to make this transition as seamless as possible.”

“We did not take the decision to sell Halfmoon Yoga Products lightly, but in Andrea we have found a leader who understands the essence of our company deeply,” says McTavish. “We are excited and optimistic about the next chapter in the Halfmoon story.”

We’ll try to keep this as short as possible, but we just love the Law of Attraction. Once we get started on it, it’s hard to stop. So let’s consider this a simple introduction, with more to come.

The Law of Attraction is not new. In fact, its as old as time itself. But the concept was introduced to our modern mainstream conversation via vehicles such as the movie The Secret (praised by people like Oprah, you may recall) and the recordings and writings of Esther and Jerry Hicks who put out the book The Law of Attraction: The Basic Teachings of Abraham; Abraham being the name of the group of spiritual entities that started channelling themselves through Esther Hicks as she was in meditative states in November of 1985.

Through Esther Hicks, Abraham revealed The Law of Attraction and its principles, which the married couple went on to share with the world in a variety of different ways. We won’t go further into the Hicks’ and their story because while we do believe it’s a fascinating one, we also believe it is only appropriate for those who are ready to hear it (a simple Google search will render thousands of articles on the Hicks’ and Abraham).

Essentially, the Law of Attraction means that we as human beings have the tools to create and manifest the life experience our higher selves truly desire, through the power of our thoughts, frequencies and vibrations.The Law of Attraction’s basic practicing principle is “Like Attracts Like”. In short, we get what we put out into the universe via our vibrations and/or we get what we think about.

For example, have you ever had a morning where you woke up and you stubbed your toe? You may have got angry about that and then you spilled your coffee on your shirt, making you late, which got you in trouble with your boss. Each incident and your reaction to it built negative momentum until it was eventually a day in which you should have just stayed in bed.

The Law of Attraction is extremely powerful. If executed correctly, you can start to see its effects pretty quickly and a simple awareness of the fact that it exists is the first step towards being able to use it to help you create a more joyful life experience.

Below are 5 very simple ways to get started on your journey with the Law of Attraction.

Set Aside the Ego 

Many people may challenge the Law of Attraction and say “if all we have to do is think about what we want, then why isn’t everyone a millionaire?” This is because the Law of Attraction is not “The Law of Things I Want”. It is important to strip away the ego when it comes to working with the Law of Attraction and determine what it is you actually want in life.  Rather than say “I want a million dollars”, ask yourself “why do I want a million dollars?” Is it because you want more freedom? More security? You’d like to travel more? Those are all non-ego related desires that stem from your higher self.  If you want a million dollars because you want a big house and swimming pool, which are visible displays of your life success and wealth, then you are looking to serve your ego. It is the desires and needs that come from our inner being that Law of Attraction can help us achieve.

It’s In Your Vibrations

If you think negatively, negativity will come back to you. If you feel unworthy and as though you cannot get ahead, the universe will continue to give you experiences that validate this feeling. If you feel unloveable, you will not be able to find love. If you feel financially lacking, you cannot attract the opportunities that will bring you abundance and security, and so on. You may know someone in your life who is always going through some type of negative drama, saying “why does this stuff always happen to me?” There are people who have built up such negative momentum in their lives that they have a very difficult time changing the direction. If we are feeling positive, then we are more likely to attract positive opportunities and instances into our life experience. The universe will work to match our inner vibrations. What we put out there is what we attract,  Leading us to our next point…..

Embrace Feelings of Abundance and Gratitude

Many people aren’t leading the flashy lives of Instagram Influencers or the Kardashians. Our obsession with these types of lifestyles that are in our faces every day can leave us with the collective understanding that we are not enough or that we do not have enough.  We don’t have enough money, enough clothes, we don’t have enough time, we don’t get enough sleep, we aren’t pretty enough, skinny enough, successful enough, etc.  If we work to change that inner story in our minds through practices of gratitude for what we do have, the universe will reward us with more to be grateful for. It is important to practice feeling abundance and gratitude on a daily basis. This will work to change our inner vibration. A great way to practice this is to conscientiously note 5 things you are grateful for everyday, Feel that gratitude in your body. Meditate on it, embrace it and watch it grow in your life.

Practice Self Love and Self Care

Making time for yourself is one of the best ways to show the universe you are grateful for your life, your body and your experiences. Further to this, when we are feeling good, we are in a better space both mentally and physically to speak to the universe with our positive vibes. If we are feeling worn out, anxious, stressed, we will continue to attract experiences that feed those feelings as opposed to those that make us feel good, happy and healthy. Make time for your personal self-care. Show the universe you love yourself and are grateful for the body you were given by being kind to it. Meditate, take long baths, go to yoga, wear sunscreen everyday. These small things will do wonders for your internal vibration and self-love.

Be Clear with the Universe

This is where tools like vision boarding, bullet journalling and goal writing are so important. You must be willing to confront yourself and ask what you feel is lacking from your life experience that would enhance your joy. Once we have a clear understanding of what we actually want to achieve and attract in our lives, we will be in a better position to convey these messages to the universe through our vibrations and minds. The universe wants us to have what we desire. But we need to know what that is before we can work with the Law of Attraction.

Stay tuned as we continue to divulge more about the Law of Attraction.

Jonas Svidras
We’ve all seen the “Hustle Align” memes on Instagram and depending on where we stand on the Law of Attraction we either can get behind that messaging or reduce it to another woo woo philosophy.

In a society that rewards the results of constant action, it’s not uncommon to put the “hustle” on a pedestal. Results of what we believe are constant action can be seen in the unbelievable bodies of people who are always at the gym, or the material displays of wealth from those whose “hustle” has brought them the success we crave for ourselves. Instagram doesn’t help. We see many of these people sharing messages of the “hustle” on social media and in short,  it’s bad for our own vibes.

Our society values beautiful, hard bodies and we praise and admire those with money. Therefore we, in turn, feel that in order to achieve these desired results, we have to “hustle”.

Now, of course, as with everything, it is important that we put in the work and the action for the things we want and need to survive. We cannot expect the universe to give us money, wealth, security and health simply because we want it.

However, based on the principles of the Law of Attraction, it can be argued that focusing on working harder and longer can be the exact  thing that’s stopping us from reaching our goals.

Alignment Vs. Hustle

The Law of Attraction is based around the principle that the universe will give us experiences that meet our internal vibration. Our energy vibrations are what attracts similar experiences into our existence. For example, someone with positive energy is vibrating at a high frequency. That person will be more likely to attract more positive experiences into their day-to-day, and into their life in general. Someone who is constantly focused on the negative in life is out of alignment and vibrating at a low frequency. The probability of that person attracting positivity into their lives is also low. Therefore, no matter how much that person “hustles” they will not get the results they want from the action they are taking.

Not only can negative thought processes put us out of alignment, when our bodies are exhausted and stressed, and we are neglecting our own self-care, i.e. skipping the gym and not making time for proper nutrition, our inner vibrations will start to match our physical state. Therefore the universe will continue to bring us experiences to match our vibrations and no matter how hard we’re working, we may feel like we’re getting nowhere.

When our bodies and inner beings are in alignment and we are vibrating at our highest frequencies, our actions will render more positive results. Therefore, we may not have to work as hard as we think we do to get the results that we want.

I Don’t Believe That, You Crazy Woo Woo Witchy Website, You’re Nuts

Was that your first thought? It’s most people’s first thought, as we have been trained by our society that overworking ourselves is the only way to get the results that we want. But overworking ourselves is counterproductive. When we are coming to our tasks from a place of happiness, excitement, and well-being, then the energy we put out into the universe through the work we do will be more likely to come back to us with positivity.

For example, when you go to the gym after nurturing your body with good nutrition and rest, you are likely to get more out of your workout, which will in turn help you see better results. When you go to work feeling satisfied in the balance you have created in your life, you will be vibrating at a more positive frequency. The results you truly desire will come.

Satisfaction and Gratitude

Not only does our mental and physical well-being help with our alignment, it is important that we express great gratitude for what we have in order to be able to welcome more abundance into our lives. For example, if we are going to task from a place of desperate need, (i.e. I need to get four new clients this month in order to pay the bills) then you are putting a sense of need into the universe. You will attract more instances into your life that will make you feel like you need something.

When we are in alignment, we are able to express great gratitude for all that we have. We come to our task from a place of gratitude and the universe will bring us more to be grateful for.

In short, action is important. We can vibrate with positivity all we want, but unless we follow our intentions with action, we will not achieve what the results we want. In order to get the results we want faster, we must take care of our minds, bodies and souls to ensure our vibrations are at their highest frequency as we head into action..