Category: Uncategorized

Health / Wellness, Mental health, Mindfulness, Mindset, self care, Stress / Anxiety, Uncategorized

How Heart Coherence Changes Your Life: Simple Practices with Big Benefits

Cassandra Troughton

Let’s talk about Heart Coherence!

You’ve heard me preach it before (And I promise you, this won’t be the last time either 😉)…

What is Heart Coherence?

Heart coherence is used to describe a state of harmony and balance between the heart, mind, and body. 

In this state of balance and harmony, our heart rhythm pattern becomes highly ordered, and this has some seriously amazing implications on our health and mental wellbeing!

According to the HeartMath Institute, heart coherence has been shown to reduce stress, improve immune function, and enhance cognitive performance. 

Heart Coherence leads to a sense of calm, clarity, focus, and resilience.

All of this means less sick days, a better memory recall, more peace in your life, and…

A happier, healthier you!

Who wouldn’t want that?

(Now you understand why I preach Heart Coherence – Because I want this so bad for YOU too!)

Okay, so we know what Heart Coherence is… And how it can benefit us…

But HOW do we get into this state? 

Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds!

In fact, here are three simple mindfulness practices you can try today:

First up, Heart-Focused Breathing. 

This technique involves breathing in and out through your heart center. This helps you shift your focus away from distracting thoughts, and allows you to focus on the present moment instead. 

By shifting your focus to the present moment of your heart beating, you create a positive emotional state. You increase the coherence between your heart and brain. And it will leave you feeling calm, centered, and ready to tackle whatever comes your way!

Next, Let’s Talk Gratitude. 

Practicing gratitude is all about shifting your focus from negative thoughts to positive ones. 

By focusing on things you’re grateful for, you activate the heart’s electromagnetic field, leading to a state of coherence! Not only does it feel great to appreciate the good in life, but you’re also attracting more positivity into your world.

Last But Not Least, The Quick Coherence Meditation Technique. 

This guided meditation technique, by The HeartMath Institute, is designed to help you achieve a state of coherence by synchronizing your heart and brain rhythms – and QUICKLY!

This technique has been shown to help reduce stress, improve sleep, and enhance cognitive performance. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with your intuition, creativity, and inner wisdom.

To learn more about this meditation for this right here.

Or check out their guided meditation on Youtube here:

So, there you have it! Simple enough right?!

So simple that you can do it TODAY!

And by incorporating these simple practices into your daily routine, you can create a sense of calm and balance in your life. 

“When your heart is coherent, you’re more in tune with your intuition, your creativity, and your inner wisdom.” 

-HeartMath Institute

So please, take a few minutes each day to tune into your heart, and just watch how it transforms your life.

Heart coherence is truly a beautiful thing…

With love,

Miss T.

Kids, Mindfulness, Uncategorized

Ground-Breaking News For Parents: How To Get Your Child To Listen!

Cassandra Troughton

How many times do you find yourself saying things like:

“Don’t forget to use your manners…”

“Please clean up your mess…”

“Don’t forget to wash your hands…”

Only to have a response like:

“NO!” Or, “BUT I DON’T WANT TO!”

It’s True… Sometimes We Struggle To Get Our Kids To Listen.

We repeat ourselves over and over again…

And, to no avail.

It’s a tiring battle…

It’s as if our kids are PURPOSELY doing the opposite!

So we try to beat them at their own game…

We pull out some ‘reverse psychology’ on them…

But, even that doesn’t work!

Because kids are smarter than that…

Kids Are Observant.

They can tell when you’re fooling. They can read your body language and they can tell by your tone.

They know you well.

Maybe even TOO well…

At the End of the Day, it Doesn’t Matter What you Say,

It Only Matters What you DO!

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,
but they have never failed to imitate them.”

-James Baldwin

Model It!

Modeling the behavior you want to see in your child is a MUST.

If you want your kids to use their manners, they must see YOU use your manners.

If you want your kids to clean up after themselves, they must see YOU cleaning up after yourself!

If you want your kids to practice hygiene, they need to see YOU practice good hygiene.

And no, you can’t just do it ONCE and call it a day… They NEED to see you repeat your ideal behaviour!

Why Do Kids Copy What They See?

Kids notice the actions of others through their Mirror Neurons.

Mirror Neurons are types of brain cells that pick up what others are doing around us.

When kids see others performing an action, their Mirror Neurons observe it and signal for our body to do the same.

Kids Learn Best Through Imitation.

They imitate what they see in order to learn new things and new skills.

And because you as parents spend the most time with your kids, what you DO, what they SEE you DO, matters the most!

This is a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because through our actions, we are able to mold our kids brains and shape them the way we desire.

A curse if we are not modelling the behaviour that we expect of our kids.

But I choose to see it as a blessing! An OPPORTUNITY even!

An opportunity because YOU as the parent have the power to choose your actions and words!

To inspire your children through your actions and words.

And what a power that is to have…

With love,

Miss T.

Health / Wellness, Mental health, Mindfulness, Mindset, Stress / Anxiety, Uncategorized

How to Live a Happier Life with this Mind-Blowing Mindset Shift

Cassandra Troughton

Do you struggle to find happiness in each day?

Are you always thinking:

“I wish life was easier.. I wish I had a better job…. I wish I could be happy…
I wish… I wish… I wish…”

Then you, my friend, are living in ‘The Gap.’

What is this Gap, you ask?

‘The Gap’, described by author Dan Sullivan, is this constant comparison we have of ourselves to our future, our goals, our ideals.

Unfortunately, when we are always comparing ourselves to where we want to be some day, we are spotlighting this gap.. of all we don’t have.

It’s too easy for us to get stuck in this cycle of thinking.

It’s easy because we are natural goal setters.

We work towards goals and strive for success.

And while setting goals is not a bad thing, if we are only measuring ourselves to our future goals, we will only see ‘the Gap.’

This can have detrimental effects on our happiness and well-being.

Here is what we need to do:
Shift our mindset from ‘The Gap’ to ‘The Gain’

‘The Gain’ is the opposite of ‘The Gap’.

Instead of measuring forward, we measure backwards. We can look back in time and measure our current selves to our old selves.

We are able to see how far we’ve already come.

We aren’t measuring ourselves to something external. We are shifting inward.

Now, don’t get discouraged is you find yourself in ‘The Gap’ from time to time…

Awareness of this mindset is key!

Awareness means we have the ability to choose another thought. Another mindset.

Awareness of ‘The Gap’, allows us to shift into ‘The Gain’!

To remind ourselves of our progress. Of how far we’ve already come.

To appreciate the experiences we’ve had and lessons learnt from those experiences.

To start thinking:

“Look how far I’ve come… I am grateful for where I am on this journey…
I’m grateful for all the lessons I’ve learned…. I’m grateful…. I’m grateful…. I’m grateful…”

Only by making this shift to see ‘The Gain’, can we be happy now.

Remember:

“Happiness is where you start, not where you finish…”

With love,

Miss T.

compassion, Education, Kids, Kindness, Mental health, Mindfulness, Uncategorized

I See You: You are MORE than Just a Number

Cassandra Troughton

Miss T, here!

I just finished re-reading ‘The Power of Moments’ by Chip & Dan Heath. (If you know this book, awesome! If you don’t… get yourself a copy!… There’s a reason I read it a second time around! :P)

I first read this book 2 years ago. One day recently, I started thinking about it. How I wanted to read it again. And refresh my memory of its many lessons.

Two days after that thought, the book ended up on my boyfriend’s doorstep… randomly, through a book exchange he was a part of… 

Talk about synchronistic!! 

I took it as a sign to start reading it again. It was just as good the second time around!

‘The Power of Moments’ a wonderfully inspiring book about how we can capitalize on and craft moments that have the power to be life-changing. (More on HOW in another blog post… :P)

One of the biggest takeaways from this book was:

The Power we have to Create Moments Through Simple Connection.

It is so easy for us to get lost in our day-to-day mundane tasks. We go through the motions; Do our jobs and cross things off our daily list.

Students, clients, and fellow staff members become 2 dimensional characters to us. It’s easy to forget there’s more beyond the surface of the people we interact with daily.

I know for myself, after working with the same students each day, it’s easy to lose sight of the human being behind the student. Too easy to focus on the daily to-do’s. Especially when it feels like there’s a million of them…

But the truth is: Our students, our kids, our coworkers, are more than just a number, or a ‘to-do’ to cross off a list. 

They have their own identity. And with their identity, comes a whole background of experiences and moments that shaped them into who they are.

It is important for us to acknowledge each individual identity. After all, we are all different in some way. We’ve had different experiences that all led us up to this one moment. HOW we got here matters just as much, if not more, than the fact that we are here. 

Its our human nature to want to be seen and heard. To be noticed and acknowledged.

The authors of this book suggest a reframe to our thinking… 

Instead of always asking
“What is the matter with you?”,


we simply ask instead
“What MATTERS to YOU?”

See how powerful that statement change is?

We get lost trying to assess and fix problems, we often forget to consider the individual as a whole.. Their feelings and their experiences.

I wanted my students to know that they were loved and heard. I wanted them to feel appreciated, down to their very core.

During a Wednesday afternoon in Mindfulness Club, I brought in different coloured sheets of paper, markers, and crayons. I explained we would be mindfully working on a little project called:

“What matters to me!”

I reminded all of my students that although we are all in the same place, we all have different stories and backgrounds. There are certain things and experiences that make us, us. And how important all of our individual stories are. How those stories deserved to be acknowledged. 

And so, we all had the opportunity in Mindfulness Club, that day, to create our own “What Matters to Me” poster (myself included!) so that everyone around us could see our stories. So they could see what lies beneath.

A one-day-project, turned into a whole-month-project!

Because my kiddos had so much they wanted to share about themselves!

They shared about their families and their experiences. About certain memories that stood out in their minds. About the things they liked and the things they didn’t. Some were personal. Some were sad. 

All were so very beautiful in their own ways.

I learned a lot of things that day. About my students… About our own stories…

About making sure those stories are heard and understood. 

What I’ll remember the most about that day, is the way their eyes lit up just because someone listened…

I really do believe it is as simple as acknowledging those around us. 

Seeing them… I mean, really seeing them. 

We all deserve to be seen.

And the most wonderful part about that…

Is that WE have the power to give others the acknowledgement they deserve…

…the acknowledgement they need.

With Love,

Miss T.