Nicole Barclay Co.

New Year, New Yoga Session!! Tuesday nights! 7pm. St Paul’s United Hall $10 drop-in or $45 punch card (5 classes).... Proof of vaccination mandatory. Covid protocols in place. Space is limited. Starts Jan 4th! See more

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), is a self-designed prevention and wellness tool that you can use to get well and stay well. Find more information here: http://ow.ly/34iX50GWEMN Deadline to sign up is January 7.

I am human, I am flawed, Imperfect. But I am trying And that counts for something. ... L. Jean December 22nd, the first day after solstice. The day our son was born. I always feel so much hope reborn inside me on this day. From now until summer solstice the days will get longer and brighter. Doesn’t that just feel lighter?! The new year is just around the corner. I believe in my heart it’s gonna be a great year #hello2022 This world could not be more imperfect. It feels heavy at times even. But hey, I too am flawed. We all are in some ways. Today let’s pause and see where we are all . Celebrate the little things that count for something!!!!!#perfectlyimperfect #presentoverperfect Tag someone below who is trying - let them know you see them, you hear them, you love them. #beherebeyoubeloved

‘Tis the season to be Jolly?!?!? In a perfect world maybe. No matter how many times someone says Have a happy holiday!many folks just can’t. . ‘Psychology Today says almost half of North Americans surveyed dread this season. The biggest problem we see is that people build big expectations around Christmas, New Year’s, and other holidays at this time of the year, says Cheryl Henschel, social worker and health promotion facilitator. She says the bigger the differenc...e between holiday hopes and holiday reality, the bigger the disappointment. Expectations around gift giving, family relationships or social events feel the bite of reality when people have financial issues, family conflicts or are socially isolated.’ This holiday season may be especially difficult for many families because of the pandemic, yet another COVID Christmas, as well as our currently strained socioeconomic climate. One way to avoid disappointment during the holidays is to let go of so much expectation and instead focus on values that sustain you and your family year-round. It’s ok to feel the emotional rollercoaster of the season, don’t resist the uncomfortable dear ones. Turn toward it, see it for what it is and know that ‘this too shall pass’. Look for the magic in the unexpected. Be mindful. Stay present over perfect. Find gratitude and as much laughter as you can. Cry when you need to cry. Don’t bury feelings of anger, talk about them and move that energy out of the body any way you can. Go for a walk, practice yoga. Do what you love but don’t numb out. You got this, and if it feels like you don’t, please reach out. You’re not alone. Help is out there. So dear ones, ‘Tis the season’ to be gentle and go easy with courage, understanding, love, and forgiveness. Much love, Nic

Sometimes you just need to let them in. To hug you. To melt those sharp icicles that have formed around your heart. It’s hard sometimes to be soft. It’s a vulnerable place to be open. It feels messy and uncomfortable. But oh dear one, the love and warmth, the realness and humanness that follows is like a rebirth. A breath of fresh air. So go to your person and let them in for awhile. Let them hug you. Breathe and smile and be present with it all dear ones. And if you don’t have a person reach out, we all need a tribe! #beherebeyoubeloved . Love these humans with my whole heart

there’s no handbook for any of this there are no hard and fast rules for times... like these you’re doing the best you can holding things together while the world falls apart in this age of fear and fret you don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be gentle with yourself and everyone else because that’s all you can really control, isn’t it? yes, things might unravel a bit more before this is all done you might as well and it’s okay if you do while the world is resetting it’s router we can take turns deciding who gets to cry on the couch we can take turns becoming a balm for one another we can take turns yelling up into the silent sky we can take turns having insomnia we can take turns being confessionals for one another we can take turns brushing the tears off of each other’s face don’t worry about getting all of this right you won’t don’t worry about making mistakes you will ~ you’re doing the best you can there is only one great commandment for enduring a storm - and it’s this: go easy, my love, go easy ~by john roedel

Happy International Women’s day! Here’s to all the brave, strong, passionate women who came before us... may we be the next generation to break some more glass ceilings and set a precedence for generations to come. I am woman. #international #womensday2021

Focus on the step in front of you not the whole staircase. I fell asleep last night listening to one of my favorite meditations about letting go. It’s been 3 full weeks since officially starting in my new position. I have repeatedly found myself looking up at the giant staircase in front of me and feeling like no matter how hard I ‘hustled’ no matter how many hours I spent in front of my computer I never seemed to really have the top of the staircase in sight. Here’s to let...ting go of the crazy expectations I put on myself and learning to lean into the flow. I am only one person. This is all new to me and it will take time. Refocusing on the one stair in front of me and taking time to enjoy the journey. I’ve come to my mat more and more for slowwwww movements and deep breaths. It’s been hard at times but so worth it. The other night I had a Thai massage which is really similar to a private yin class with hands(or feet)on pressure.... #highlyrecommend it was one of the deepest breaths I remember taking in the last 3 wks. It was an instant return to Self in an hour and a half. My shoulders were hung up around my ears when I walked in and sat on the mat. But when I left it was a huge weight off. It was a kind of remembering. Whole body. Soul medicine. ....one stair at a time dear ones. Love and miss you all. See more

Miss Charlee Jade. Our baby girl. A constant reminder of how precious life really is. The ups and downs the birth and death; she has been a constant source of light in the circle of life as I know it. I spent years dreaming of her. We all did. It wasn’t until I turned my back on the idea of it ever happening that the universe threw a little stone against my window to get my attention. Charlee’s star seed arrived only weeks (not even a full cycle) after a dear friend took his... last breath at the end of a brave fight against cancer. The collective heart was broken. For days I’d cycle between the weight of misery that loss can bring and the honor of being gifted presence through the journey of his beautiful death. 9 months later, July 18th, we announced the birth of our baby girl only a few hours before the death of my great grandma. An Angel baby Less than a year later her paternal grandmother was taken from this earth plane. And on days when I feel angry, sad, or question the very trajectory of my life, all I need to do is look deep into the sparkle of Charlee’s eye to remember. Remember the gift of life right before my eyes. Everything in this world is impermanent. So let’s do the best we can with the time we have, AND never ever stop dreaming, amirite?! See more

‘Most people think of belonging as this mythical place’. But what if belonging was in fact not a ‘place’ at all?! This prolonged ‘social’-distancing makes me feel like a bit of a hobbit; stuck (safely thankfully) inside 4 walls and inside a community that doesn’t feel like much of a ‘community’ right now. The lack of ‘socialization’ and ‘connectedness’ has brought up some old patterns of alienation. I feel lost at times, and uncertain where I belong, or if I even belong a...t all. At times I question my purpose. Imposture syndrome seeps in and I begin to shrivel into nothingness. It’s kind of a cycle. I had listened to a podcast awhile ago from Toko-pa and it shifted my awareness. Belonging is not a place at all but rather a skill that is built from the inside. I’ve really rooted myself in this feeling of knowing I’m exactly where I am meant to be. This 40 day sadhana practice I’m on has really anchored me to feeling this deeper sense of belonging within. And as I reflect on this journey over the past year I can’t help but feel gratitude for ‘relearning’ this through the ebb and flow. But as I quietly look around I can’t help but feel a bit of heartache for anyone else who may have felt this on some level. So let me leave this with you, if you’ve made it this far... you DO belong. And no length of time of social-distancing and lock-down can take that away from you. Feel a thread attached to that stardust inside your heart.... you too dear one are exactly where you are meant to be and and the discomfort and uncertainty you feel may be just growth. This is chrysalis. A transformational state. And what lies ahead I think for everyone is a new meaning of community, of being connected on a deeper level. #Emergence never happens overnight. It’s a ‘slow stepping into the expanded capacity of our next self’ But know you are not alone in this process. Please know that. Your people are here. Source is within. You are never alone. Much love, Nic See more

Do you ever go through these phases where you resist the fact that maybe you have outgrown the space you’re in. I’ve had several guides, teachers, mamas, and leaders say it is time. I didn’t really want to believe them. I wanted to stay comfortable, small, safe...that’s what my thinking mind and my nervous system yearned for. But there was also a lot of turbulence there, in that space. Like the vibrations were out of sink with my heart and what the universe had planned for me.... So I leaned in. Into the unknown. Deep inhale. Let’s do this I whispered. Full exhale. Jump. 15 years of being a nurse this year... 2021. After a year of the biggest health challenge in decades I decided to pivot. So grateful for ALL the experiences and the people who both inspired and believed in me along this journey! I’m always up for a good challenge. Can’t wait to empower my team to be the best version of themselves and to make darn sure each and every one of them know how valued they are. Hello 2021 I’m here, ready to learn, ready to grow with a strong team of some of the best humans standing ALL around me. Let’s go! We got this! See more