Tag: wellness

Health / Wellness, Mental health, self care, Stress / Anxiety, Yoga

Unlocking the Benefits of a Morning Meditation and Yoga Routine

Cassandra Troughton

Today, Let’s Go Back

Way back… 

Back when I first started as an Educational Assistant in a special needs classroom right here in Alberta, Canada. 

This career path as an Educational Assistant was not the job I intended to take after high School. 

To be honest, the transition into adulthood was a stressful time in my life. Adulthood hit me smack in the face at 19 years old. Reality set it and I realized I had to do something with my life. And I had to do something quick…

I opted to follow in my mother’s footsteps, who was a classroom Educational Assistant herself. 

Although it was not a planned intention, I found my purpose in the classroom. I loved supporting these kiddos. I loved being able to make a difference in little lives.

As a new and enthusiastic Educational Assistant, I kept busy to stuff the stress of the realities of being an adult… You know the stresses – bills, taxes, college debt… 

So, I committed fully to my work. I helped out where help was needed. I said yes to anything anyone asked of me.

I tired out quickly… 

Little did I know, I was on the path towards burnout early in this new career.

At the end of each day, I’d get in my car and prepare myself for an hour-long drive home. Get home and scrape up whatever energy I had left to cook supper. Immediately after, I’d head to bed in sheer exhaustion. 

Going all-in to my new job was not the answer to my stress.

Feeling depleted each morning (Let me tell you, I hated mornings…), I would set my alarm to get up at the last possible moment that would have me out the door and on time for work. 

I’d get to work, get busy, and repeat the cycle – all. over. again.

It didn’t matter how much extra sleep I’d get, I never felt rested. 

I was tired, groggy. I stopped going to the gym. My health suffered – mentally and physically. 

I needed to make a change.  

Here’s the thing: I love learning! I’m a real book nerd if I do say so myself (and a proud one)!

When things aren’t working, I read, I research. And I implement.

I happened upon some books and articles that spoke about the benefits of a solid morning routine – Waking up earlier to start a morning meditation and yoga practice and get the brain going with some reading and journaling.

At first, I thought it was crazy… 

How could getting up even earlier in the mornings make me LESS tired? 

How is losing sleep supposed to give me more energy?

I was skeptical, but I couldn’t help but give it a try.

And you know what… It worked! 

This was 7 years ago now and since I’ve started a morning meditation and yoga routine, I’ve NEVER looked back. 

Turns out, I actually LOVE mornings now. 

All these years I’ve been getting up each weekday morning at 4am – Call me crazy, but I love the dark quiet and peacefulness of the early mornings.

(But don’t worry, I do listen to my body when my body tells me I need some extra sleep).

I begin each morning with meditation, yoga, reading and journaling. 

And because of it, I found myself having an abundance of energy. I’ve found myself happier and healthier. I’ve found myself more cognitively aware. And more productive! 

Who would have thought that sacrificing just a bit of sleep for a solid morning routine could do all that?! 

How It Works!

Studies have shown that a morning routine that incorporates meditation and yoga can improve physical and mental wellness! When we are mentally and physically at our peak, we receive plenty of benefits throughout our day – like a boost in energy and productivity!

Yoga and meditation reduces stress, improves sleep quality, increases focus, and enhances cognitive function – It improves our ability to rationalize and make better choices. 

We change on a physiological level – our brain experiences changes in activity, our heart rate changes, and our bodies begin to release different hormones like cortisol and dopamine. 

These physiological changes are directly related to cognitive and emotional changes – Our mood improves, we begin to foster a positive outlook on life, motivation and energy levels increase – all of which are essential for a productive day!

You can capitalize on these benefits by scheduling your meditation and yoga routine at the beginning of each day!

Doing so will set the tone for your day ahead!

Looking for some tips to getting a morning routine going?

Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll break down 7 crucial tips for establishing a consistent morning routine – and LOVING it!

Until then –

If you’re curious about what books I read about routines, check out this one:

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

I read quite a few, but this one impacted my routine the most. It’s short and simple.

Its simplicity saved my life.

With love,

Miss T.

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

How To Protect Yourself From The World’s DEADLIEST Disease: Fear

Cassandra Troughton

Fear – What is its purpose?

Experiencing fear is part of being human. It was built into our operating system to keep us safe.

When our lives are threatened, our stress response triggers us into ‘fight or flight’ mode to quickly expel the danger from our presence.

These short-bursts of fear are essential for our survival.

But, What Happens When our Fear is Constant?

While short bursts of fear are meant to keep us safe, living in fear does the opposite…

When our sympathetic nervous system (‘fight or flight’) is triggered for long periods of time, we feel its detrimental affects.

Our bodies are not meant to sustain this mode for long.

Our bodies CANNOT sustain this mode for long.

So, what actually happens to us as a result?

Fear Reduces Our Body’s Ability To Function

In ‘fight or flight’ mode, our body suspends energy that is needed for other parts of the body. It directs all energy towards the perceived threat.

When the threat disappears, our body returns to normal, sharing the energy among the body’s systems.

But when the threat does not disappear…

When we are always fearful of something….

Our stress response hoards that energy.

It leaves nothing for the rest of the body to function properly.

Our Immune System Takes a Hit.

Our immune system doesn’t receive any energy to produce the cells it needs to keep our bodies safe.

Our ability to fight off diseases and infection is reduced significantly!

We become prone to illness.

The Whole World is Living in Fear…

And while there is lots to be afraid of, accepting a life of stress is not serving anyone. It does not serve YOU!

People are afraid because they want to stay safe.

But fear is what is preventing safety…

So… What Can We Do to Keep Our Fears at Bay?

Here are a few tips to get you started!

Tip #1: Turn off the News!
Although the news is supposed to keep us “informed,” it also sends constant messages of worry and fear into our brains. The news turns fear into a part of our subconscious.

I promise, it will not kill you to turn off the news every now and then… in face, it might SAVE you!

Tip #2: Social Media Detox!
I get it, social media is another way we stay “informed,” but constant scrolling on social media is another way of penetrating more fearful news into our brain and subconscious.

It also promotes comparison. We compare ourselves to others. We get depressed over all that we lack. But, we see only the “best” of peoples lives on social media – not necessarily their REAL life…

Tip #3: Get Outside in Nature!
Reconnect with the real world! Being in nature, we get out of our own heads and away from our fears. Nature takes us to the present moment.

Nature also triggers the parasympathetic response, which is the opposite as our stress response! This allows our body and minds to rest, relax, and restore energy.

Ahhh! Just what we need!

Living in Fear is Not Keeping Anyone Safe.

Get out of your head and into the present moment…

Let the present moment lead you to wellness…

With love,

Miss T.

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

What Is The Heart-Brain Connection? And Why Do We Need It To Unlock Optimal Health?

Cassandra Troughton

We understand the importance of the brain.

Especially when it comes to our mental health, stress, and of course our intelligence.

But, we seem to be forgetting something about our friend, the brain…

He doesn’t work alone…

He is part of an essential team!

Introducing Team: Heart-Brain Connection!

Our heart and brain are in constant communication with one another.

They communicate in 4 different ways:

  • Neurologically
  • Biochemically
  • Biophysically
  • Energetically

The heart and brain need open communication to function optimally, just like any good relationship.

When they are communicating openly, it creates something called ‘Coherence’ in the body.

A Coherent state not only improves our mental wellness, but also improves our physical health and boosts our immune functioning!

So, HOW Do We Get To Coherence?

First, we need to understand who the real captain of this team is….

This Captain is…. drumroll please….

The HEART!

We need to, first, tap into the heart to effectively access the brain.

In order to synch up this wondrous team.

And then, to become coherent.

Okay, But, Why The Heart?

The heart has a mind of its own with 40,000 neurons!!

It has its own intelligence…. It can think for itself…

It doesn’t need its team member, the brain, to do all the thinking like we might assume. In fact… it does most of the thinking.

Afferent Neural Pathways

One way the Heart and Brain are connected are through these Afferent Neural Pathways.

These pathways lead up from the heart into the brain through ascending pathways, and down from the brain to the hearth through descending pathways.

When looking closely at these pathways, scientist have noticed that 90% of information travels UP from the heart to the brain.

We can see that the heart responds independently to the environment, processes emotions, and regulates its own rhythm without receiving any information from the brain!

Fascinating!!

Electromagnetic Waves

Another form of connection is through electromagnetic waves.

The brain and heart emit their own waves into the space around our bodies. These waves interact with other waves around us – including those waves from our fellow humans.

What scientists have found is that our hearts electromagnetic waves are 5000x bigger than that of our brain!

It is greater in amplitude and greater in strength.

In fact, our heart has the strongest rhythmic field produced by the human body!

And because of this, our brain syncs up and moves to the rhythm of our heart!

What a beautiful dance!!

This Heart and Brain Synchronization is Imperative for Coherence!

Coherence is a necessity.

It is the key to optimal health and well-being.

And our Heart-Brain connection is the key that unlocks coherence.

So please, don’t neglect your heart…

Remember we need to harness the power of both, the Heart AND Brain in order to care for our health through Coherence.

With love,

Miss T.

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

Can our Thoughts Affect our Health?

Cassandra Troughton

Happy Monday to all you Mindful Minds.. Miss T, here!

You may have seen my post last week, where we jammed a bit about mindfulness and why I’m a big advocate of it. Especially when it comes to practicing it with our kiddos. 

Well, today, I’d like to get a bit into the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of mindfulness and explain how it works and what it can do for our body and mind.

Like I said in my last post:

mindfulness, in essence, is our natural state of being;
it is living in and embracing the present moment.

It releases us from all those swirling thoughts in our heads, and brings our focus into the now.

Don’t get me wrong, I know it is an extremely simple concept but it can seem complicated and hold more weight than it seems! 

There are even a ton of benefits from incorporating mindfulness practices into your life. Some, you may haven’t even realized.

Yes, Mindfulness is bringing awareness to what is going on around you. And of course, focusing on the world around you brings you out of your own head and reduces anxious and fearful thoughts. 

But what else does mindfulness do?

I want to introduce a new term to you (maybe you’ve heard this one before… it’s quite the mouthful!).. It may help you understand the power that lies behind mindfulness.

Psychoneuroimmunology:

The study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease

I heard about this term about 3 years ago in a book I read by Dr. Gabor Mate. If you don’t know who he is, Dr. Gabor Mate is a physician and internationally renowned speaker who specializes in addiction, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness to the body. His book, that I read, is titled: When the Body Says No – The Cost of Hidden Stress.

This term stood out in my mind. I mean, just look at the word! It took me a couple of tries to make sure I was getting the pronunciation just right.. But mostly, it gave a name to something that I had understood, but couldn’t quite explain.

Even though I had never heard the term psychoneuroimmunology before, now that I understood it, I realized I had already read a lot about it… 

I love learning about the inner workings of us humans and our biology. In the past, I’d studied the placebo and nocebo effect a lot. As well as epigenetics (the study of how our behaviours and environment influence our gene expressions). Realizing, all of those were perfect examples of psychoneuroimmunology- where mindset and thoughts dictate reality.

I read many books with stories of instances where a patient’s mindset can have a direct impact on their healing process. And their likelihood to get ill again. Even instances where a particular mindset was the reason for illness in the first place.

Even within my classroom walls, I realized teaching my students to have a growth mindset was psychoneuroimmunology hard at work! Aiding kids to think in a positive mindset makes them more likely to reach their goals, AND creates happier and healthier kids!

I’d seen it all around me and learned all about it in my reading endeavors, but never really knew it had a name… until now! After naming it, I began to see patterns of psychoneuroimmunology all around me!

In my classroom, in the books I read,
and even within my own family.

My sister is someone who has suffered from depression and chronic migraines almost all of her life. She has them quite regularly and was even put on a prescription medication to help her ease the pain of her migraines. It helped for a short while, but overtime, her body adjusted to the medication and she wasn’t getting results. 

I started to pay more attention to her migraines. When she got them, and how often. I started to notice an interesting pattern… Her migraines always subsided when she had good days. And they flared up when she had bad days- bouts of depression or when something was causing her extra anxiety, or even when getting into arguments with someone she cared about. 

It became very clear to me that her migraines were in direct correlation with her thoughts and overall mental health.

After studying psychoneuroimmunology and conducting some of my own experiments, I am even more confident that with the practice of mindfulness, we can positively influence our mental wellbeing and, in turn, achieve optimal health!

Mindfulness allows us to strengthen our mind by disassociating from our thoughts. It reminds us that, although we are full of thoughts, it doesn’t mean we ARE those thoughts. We simply have them and we can, just as simply, CHOOSE another thought. Mindfulness is about the power of choice. It brings about awareness- about ourselves, our lives and the people around us.

I see Mindfulness as exercise for the mind. Just as we would train our muscles by going to the gym, we can train our mental toughness through mindfulness.

And once again, we can benefit in so many ways from Mindfulness! 

By using mindfulness to increase our mental resilience, it initiates a domino effect that translates to an abundance of other health and life improvements!

Improvements like:

  • Reduced anxiety and depression
  • Improved immune system functioning (and other bodily systems!)
  • Boosts confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness
  • Better memory and cognitive abilities
  • Better physical health- increases strength and flexibility
  • Stronger and more positive relationships
  • Builds resilience – overcome adversity
  • Enhances mind/body connection
  • Increases focus and attention

Maybe you’re thinking.. Really? I can gain all of that just from the practice of Mindfulness?!

The answer is YES! 

I believe that mindfulness is the key to health and wellness! 

And just like the study of psychoneuroimmunology reminds us: Our thoughts and psychological processes have an impact on our overall health.

But don’t forget, mindfulness is not a ‘one and done’ activity. Mindfulness is for life. It is about practice and getting those reps of mastery in. Building a solid foundation of mindfulness to live a mindful life.

It includes building a daily practice that fits into your life, that fits your schedule. 

Start off slowly, and eventually, you’ll be practicing mindfulness throughout your day, without even thinking about it!

Before you know it, you’ll be a mindfulness ninja!

With love,

Miss T.

Education, Health / Wellness, Kids, Mental health, Mindfulness

What’s so Great about Mindfulness, Anyways?

Cassandra Troughton

Miss T, here!

You might be thinking… 

“What’s so great about Mindfulness, anyways?”

Well… I can’t give you one simple answer. Because the practice of mindfulness is simple and complex all at once – we’ll save the complex stuff for another post!

Mindfulness is our natural state of being…

…before the world was filled with
constant distractions and everyday stressors. 

When we focus on the present moment and are mindful in everything we do, it’s like we are connecting back to our roots. Our natural state of being.

Back in the times of our ancestors, our ‘fight/flight/freeze’ mode of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) was only activated when we were in serious danger. Dangers like being hunted or killed by larger animals.

And even then, when our ‘fight/flight/freeze’ (called our sympathetic nervous system) was triggered, we were still PRESENT. Presently focusing on removing ourselves from danger.Once the danger was removed, we were easily able to switch modes back into our parasympathetic nervous system, where our bodies and minds could ‘rest and relax.’

Nowadays, these stress triggers are everywhere. We stress all day long. About our kids, students or families. About our jobs or the pay we get. We stress over not making it to work on time while sitting in rush hour traffic. Or about how we will do on an exam. 

And now with COVID we have additional stressors! We stress about sickness and the health of our friends and family. We stress about when the next shut down might happen. Or if we’ll end up losing our jobs. Or worse.. Our lives or the lives of someone we love. 

Sometimes, we’ll even stress about all the bad things that could possibly happen and things that haven’t even come true yet (and most likely, won’t ever come true).

In this day and age, stressors are EVERYWHERE.

But there are 2 crucial differences about these stressors than what we’ve experienced in the past:

#1

Our sympathetic nervous system is basically running on overdrive!
When we are regularly stressed, our body is living in this constant state of fight, flight or freeze. There is no time for our parasympathetic system to kick in (our rest & relax mode) and so our body is unable to conserve the energy it needs to function properly. Our body systems are working hard to get us out of this perceived danger, which never really seems to go away… This can have serious detrimental effects for us in the long term.

#2

The majority of these new stress triggers aren’t even happening in the present moment!
They are things that are going on in our heads!! Like I said earlier, we give too much attention to the things that have not yet happened, and may not even happen. Yes, some of the things we think about are important to consider in terms of planning our lives, however, when we are non-stop thinking about our stress, it completely takes us out of the present moment. We are stuck living within our heads. Not mindful at all. And not our natural state of being.

Now, the wonderful thing about understanding all of this is that it makes us aware. Aware of the problem, so we can also be aware of the solution. 

And in returning back to our natural state of being- Living and breathing mindfulness, we can reverse some of the long term effects that stress and anxiety can have on our minds and our bodies. We can extend our lives and improve our health!

Of course, it’s never too late to practice mindfulness!

But, I am an avid promoter of the
“get ‘em started young” philosophy!

Why, you might ask?

Well, for one, kids are SPONGES! They are the best kind of learners because they hold onto new information quite easily. Especially if that information is engaging! And even more so, if they see the adults in their lives MODEL it well!

And second, even though it’s never too late for anyone to practice mindfulness and improve their health, when we teach mindfulness to kids, we are better able to set them up for a successful path in life. We can teach them strategies BEFORE stressful events happen and they will better know how to deal with them when the time comes.

Ever heard of the mastery rule of 10,000 hours?

Well, Michael Gladwell speaks about it in his book “Outliers.” He states that it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve a level of mastery in a particular skill.

In the case of mindfulness, bringing awareness and teaching this skill to kids at a younger age, allows them to achieve this level of mastery even before they become adults. 

This is why I am so ‘gung-ho’ about practicing mindfulness to kids. By practicing mindfulness throughout their younger years, living in the present moment becomes a natural part of their subconscious. They develop mastery level to this skill before their teen and adult years – some of the most stressful years of their lives.

Being a master at mindfulness before they get into those stressful years, will allow them to utilize strategies for dealing with stress in the future.

We are setting them up for success in a terribly stressful world.

Imagine a world where we can all get out of our own heads and into the present moment?

A world where we don’t have to be constantly living in fight, flight or freeze.

I believe THAT world begins with our kids.

Stay tuned for more posts on how mindfulness works and how it improves, not only our thoughts, but our overall health!

With love,

Miss T.

Education, Health / Wellness, Kids, Mental health, Mindfulness, Technology, Yoga

Oh, the Possibilities of Teaching Mindfulness Online…

Cassandra Troughton

Hello Mindful Minds! 

Miss T, here!

Well, I think we can all agree that the last few years have been anything but easy…

We are living in a world full of fear and uncertainty. Stress and anxiety is on the rise- and was well on the rise before the world even had a glimpse of COVID-19. 

Many of us, myself included, are feeling isolated and alone, struggling to cope with the reality of the world… 

If we are struggling… Our kiddos are struggling… How will our kiddos learn to persevere and thrive in this changing and stressful world?   

I asked myself this very question when I first began my Mindfulness Club at my little Elementary School (if you haven’t read my last post, make sure you do before reading ahead!). Mindfulness was the answer then, and is most definitely the answer now!

In fact, in this COVID-struck world, I believe the practice of Mindfulness is even more important and more detrimental to our kids (and our own) well-being and resilience than ever before!

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other
is to listen with our ears and our hearts .”

Fred Rogers

In March 2020, one week before our scheduled Spring Break, our schools in Edmonton, Canada shut down completely. We thought we would see our students bright and early Monday morning, turns out, we would not see them face-to-face for the rest of the school year…

I took a deep breath and reminded myself of the ‘controllables.’ No, I could not control what was happening in the world, but I COULD control and was very capable of finding a way to bring mindfulness to my students.

As schools and teachers frantically made plans to teach online, I thought about how to best serve my school community with the power of Mindfulness..

I decided to create a website for my students to access our mindfulness practices in the comfort of their own homes!

Using the platform, Google Sites… Mindfulness Club ONLINE was born!

Google Sites was easy and simple to use for a ‘non-techy’ person like myself. I am by no means an expert when it comes to web design. I prefer simplicity. Google Sites was the easy answer for me!

I designed it with a similar structure to our Mindfulness Recess Club- keeping our Mindful Monday, Wind-down Wednesday & Flexy Friday themes alive! Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I would post new breathing activities, yoga videos, games and stories (while getting creative and having familiar faces within our school record a read-aloud of a mindfulness book) for kiddos and their families at home.

I added a couple of extra features and resources on this site, including a virtual Gratitude Wall where students could submit notes of gratitude to an online Google Form. At the end of each week, I would add the submitted notes to a page on my google site, named “That Gratitude Attitude!”

This was created after our real-life ‘Gratitude Wall’ bulletin that hung in the hallways at Sherwood Elementary. 

Pre-COVID, students could submit notes of gratitude themselves, though a little drop-off box at the front office.
Welcome to Mindfulness Club ONLINE! Where our ‘Online Gratitude Wall’ came to life! Kids could submit their notes of gratitude through Google Forums.
Our Gratitude Wall Evolved over the years. This is the final version in 2020/2021 upon returning to ‘in-class’ teaching.

Most of the activities I posted were found for free on youtube (Cosmic Kids Yoga, GoNoodle Guided Relaxations), and breathing activities from a book I already owned (Breathe like a Bear- highly recommended for quick breathing activities for young children). 

But… I felt I needed something more… and tailored to these online needs. And that’s where Kids Yoga Stories came into play! 

I am a huge fan of Giselle and her work at kidsyogastories.com! I had previously purchased some of her classroom resources, but she had most recently come out with the ‘Keep Calm’ and ‘Get Connected’ packs and I knew I had to jump on those! These packs came with a ton of digital resources that I was easily able to implement onto my Google Site.

As crazy as this year was (and the years have continued to be), it ended up being a lot of fun and an exciting new venture for me: learning to build this site and share my passion in the online world. And surprisingly… easier than I anticipated!

If you are looking for ways to implement mindfulness online, or find new ways to bring these practices to the kiddos in your life, I would love to connect with you and share any insights or answer any questions. 

You can send me an email:

And check out my Google Site, Mindfulness Club ONLINE, at the link below for more ideas:

Mindfulness Club ONLINE

5 PRACTICAL Tips for Educators who are Shifting to Online:

  1. Find an easy “website” platform to use: 
    Choose a platform that is user friendly. Easy for your students to access, and easy for you to use. You don’t need anything too fancy. The point is getting out info to your students, you don’t want to waste a whole lot of time making it look pretty. I used Google Sites. My students and I are already familiar with google applications (easy to access) AND it is designed simply with no excess distracting features.
  2. Be open to using multimedia to address all learning styles:
    Think about the needs of your students. In the classroom, we differentiate to address different learning styles. Bring that practice with you in your shift online. Record videos or sound clips, add pictures and text. Make it easy and fun for all types of learners. A Lot of my students in Mindfulness Club were younger and weren’t great readers, so for every text I wrote, I also added an audio clip of myself reading the text. 
  3. Record YOURSELF and/or known trusted adults:
    Yes, you could search up videos of ‘professionals’ on youtube who already have videos posted to demonstrate a concept, but students love it more when they see you or someone they know on video! When choosing read-alouds for my Mindfulness Club Online, I recorded myself reading and asked other teachers and office staff in the school to read and record videos of themselves. The kids loved it!
  4. Make it interactive for your students:
    Find a way to make it interactive for your kiddos. A page of some sorts where they can respond or ask questions on their own. Google Forms can easily be inserted on any page to be used for daily check-in’s, questions of the day, etc. I’m sure there are some other awesome programs out there (maybe even Jamboards) that you could link up to your site, but my personal experience is working with Google Forms on my Google Site.
  5. No stress! Just have fun with it:
    This is where you get to see this as an opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and have fun while playing around with your site (Gosh, now I really do sound like Ms. Frizzle). You get to design it to let your personality shine through. If you have fun with Bitmoji, this is the perfect time to plaster your Bitmoji-self all over your website!! Ever heard of Bitmoji classrooms? I bet you have! Well, you can link your interactive Bitmoji classrooms all over your site! I have to warn you though.. This one can become a little time consuming if you’re a particular person, like me… So try not to dedicate a whole lot of time to it. (Unless it’s a fun hobby for you of course!)

P.S. I first wrote about my journey with ‘Mindfulness Club’ at KidsYogaStories.com

You can check out the blog post here!