A Space to Pause & Re-Align With Your Own Wisdom

25Sep 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments
Walk 4 Change

Walk 4 Change

Uncategorized
Walk for 20 minutes | In a natural setting | Without technological distractionsExperience the Changes in your body and mind WHERETo start with, think about a place near you that is or represents "nature" for you: A place that is easy to access, is quiet and untouched if possible Where you can be undisturbed by other people (if other people are present, don’t worry; be prepared to tune them out though) HOW ... to prepare mentally: All technological devices have to be turned off, muted or not brought along, so you are free to experience the sensation of "unplugging" and "reconnecting" Walks 4 Change always do something for me: Sometimes, as I find myself taking a deep relaxing breath, I realized that I had not even been aware of the…
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24Sep 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Unplug 2 Reconnect (INTRODUCTION)

Uncategorized
Do you experience stress that has a negative impact you can feel it in your body? Do you feel like you are on a hamster wheel without the opportunity to follow your heart and do - or even think - what you long for? Have you had experiences in nature that have deeply moved you and that you still remember? This coaching series is all about unplugging from stress & living your vision: focusing on the future you long for, and sustainably tapping into positive feelings by focusing your attention on emotionally relevant events in the past, present and future. And that works! You have probably heard quotes like "We are what we think." You may have already told yourself, “I can’t do that” (and consequently, you have proven to…
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28Mar 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments
Challenging Compassionately & Directly

Challenging Compassionately & Directly

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Uncategorized
Coaching is pointing out what I sense, hear and see to benefit the client.* The magic of coaching is in the set up and in the intentions. And it works. My superpower is that I am very empathetic and I listen exceptionally well, which creates an open and safe environment that bubbles with prospects. Another potential lies in the way coaching challenges a person’s thinking and beliefs compassionately and directly. Here is an example: Imagine someone who keeps putting off making arrangements regarding the succession of their business. Said person is in their 70s and their health has become a bit fragile. Asked in the right context with a compassionate intention, a direct challenge would be: “What if you were not able to attend to your business, starting tomorrow and…
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02Mar 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments
Think in Positive Terms & Increase Your Potential

Think in Positive Terms & Increase Your Potential

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Nature, Problem Solving
You have probably heard that our subconscious brain cannot process a negative command. In simple terms, when you are told, “Don’t think of a pink cat!”, you cannot help but think of a pink cat (mine had blue whiskers). And this brings me to my topic for today: Everything we create starts with a thought, then comes language, and communication, and slowly the world is created and recreated. Here is a thought to practice with: Imagine peace More: If you want to dive in deeper, think of a recent challenge and formulate it in positive instead of negative terms. An example: Instead of telling myself, “I want to spend less time sitting” (negative term), I say, “I spend more time walking” (positive term). See how one’s focus shifts? Walk more…
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02Feb 2024 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Gratitude Changes Life As We Know It

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Personal Development
Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty person? Whichever one you are, you are right, and this perspective likely shapes how you see the world in general. Another metaphor is that every object casts a shadow in the daylight, and depending on your perspective, you might stand in the shadow or see the shadow that something is casting as dominating the whole picture. Gratitude compares to stepping into the sunshine and seeing the “other side” of things. It is just a matter of perspectives. Every position is subjective. We are free to change our perspective. What are you grateful for today? Photo by Mayur Gala, Unsplash 2024 ________________________________ Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness & Nature Coach
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16Oct 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Stewardship & Serenity

Connecting with Nature
So often we find ourselves in despair because there is too much to worry about. Picking apart what can and cannot be changed can be a great way to empower ourselves and the ones in our care. Recently, my daughter expressed her frustration about worldwide pollution. It seemed that along with the sharing of facts, the school does little to catch those young minds as they battle the implications of what was shared with them. Tangled up in her questions, her frustration and her eagerness to make the world a better place, she asked me with some exasperation, what she can actually do. I pointed out that we are conscious of the packaging we buy, and we are purposeful with the way we use our car and the fuel (both…
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29Sep 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments
European Starlings in North America | Contemplations about Invasive Species

European Starlings in North America | Contemplations about Invasive Species

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Development
A Story about Three Baby Birds A few years back, an old lady asked me to raise three newly hatched starlings that had she had found at the foot of a big old tree. Reluctantly, I took them in, and lo and behold I was able to raise and release them successfully. Whenever I see or hear starlings since then, I like telling my daughter that those are our three starlings saying thank you. Today, a extraordinarily big flock of starlings landed around the house and well beyond the creek. They were so loud it was both amazing and a little bit intimidating. Afterwards I thought about writing about this, as in "I had rescued the starlings and they came back with all their friends to thank me", when I…
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16Aug 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Finding Your Wild Self & Living A Full Life

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Personal Development
Manuela & Anya, 2022 The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door. ― Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Photo by Sandra Grünewald, Unsplash, 2023) One of my doors is behind the pain and loneliness I experienced when I was a toddler, in a hospital, for several months, tied down so I would not fidget with my leg (it was in a cast), or stand up (which might have jeopardized the…
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08Aug 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Connecting over Garbage

Connecting with Nature, Getting to know your Coach, Mindfulness, Nature
At first, we saw some garbage, the usual, a few discarded food containers, a coffee cup lid, carelessly dropped or lost by the inattentive visitor. Nothing that could not easily be picked up and collected in a small garbage bag later (and I generally do, because it hurts my eye more to see the garbage than it is an effort to pick it up and dispose of it in a designated spot). It was a hot Sunday. We decided to go for a swim at a place along a river, where the water cascading over sheet rock is easy to access and not too deep. Walking on we came across an abandoned campsite, with bottles and aluminum foil in the fire pit. Right next to it was a good sized…
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28Jun 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Minding the Little Things

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness, Nature
Leopard Frog I just came across a very small (what I believe to be a) leopard frog. Why I saw it? – Because it moved. Once it stopped, I had a hard time finding it again. Can you spot it in the picture-insert? Leopard Frog, June 28, 2023 When I held out my hand the frog jumped on it. It did not stop but kept moving, and I felt fortunate to get one shot with the little amphibian in focus. I am sharing this experience, because I felt so passionate about this sighting, so amazed at how tiny, how perfect and how fragile this little frog is. That created a sense of responsibility and reverence in me. What I learned from the encounter: Frogs are amazing. Life is precious. I…
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14Jun 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

In the Face of Negative Emotions

Getting to know your Coach, Mental Fitness, Mindfulness
What is the Gift of Negative Emotions? I generally like to present myself well composed and in control of my negative emotions. I don’t like to be seen when my negative inner voices - like my inner critic - get the better of me. Feelings of stress, anxiety, self-doubt, frustration, restlessness, and unhappiness can be very unsettling. I work through strong emotions best by going outside. Walking and running are always doing wonders for me. Mental fitness activities have added a new and unexpected effectivity for me. I still experience negative emotions, but more and more I feel AND see them for what they are, and that makes it possible for me to step aside and that really takes the edge off those emotions. You Are Not Alone If you…
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14Jun 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Spirit Plants

Connecting with Nature, Mindfulness
When I lived in the Yukon, I was given a handful of Haskap berries. I harvested the tiny seeds and started them. I planted the little plants in a raised bed. They survived winter after winter, and after a three years they produced their first fruit. When I left the Yukon, I took some seeds with me. The whole story repeated itself, and we had our first berries last summer. This summer, we have such an abundant harvest, which made me think that Haskap bushes are definitely my spirit plant: They are easy going, produce fruit very early in the season and for an extended period, they are abundant, appreciative of what I can give them, they are decorative, and they are not of interest to little harvesters like chipmunks…
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06Jun 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Your Body Has You Covered

Connecting with Nature, Mental Fitness, Mindfulness
When the fog is too thick for you to find your way around, your body knows where to go. That might be a bit of a metaphorical exaggeration. Please bear with me as I unroll my thoughts: Unfortunately, our area is currently experiencing dense smog from wildfires in this and other provinces of Canada. While we cannot really smell it (unlike yesterday, when the smell of a cold fire pit hung in the air), my chest felt heavy this morning, I felt reluctant to take a deep breath, and a headache was (and is) lingering. I pointed out to my daughter that there are people who spend their lives in conditions like this, where the air is polluted all the time. And how lucky we can be that this is…
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05Jun 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

When Life Happens

Mindfulness, Personal Development
We live on the side of a beautiful creek. In the spring, the water level is fairly high and the current is fairly strong; strong enough so I can swim in it without moving in relation to the shore line. It is perfect: cool, refreshing, clean. The birds are singing, the mosquitoes cannot get to me, and all I see is nature. I have a tendency to forget this beautiful setting, when the water level drops radically later in the season and the flow comes to a halt, until the creek is full of long algae. That is partially due to the fact that this creek drains from a lake that is dammed up so the people with cottages around it can enjoy the water all summer, when there is…
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15Jan 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Fit Body & Fit Mind

Mental Fitness
I have good news and a reality check. Let me tell you a story, and you can see if you can find the good news! If you are lucky, your body was naturally fit in your younger years. For example, you could eat whatever you wanted without gaining any weight, for example, and you were naturally fit, even if you did not work out a lot. If you are anything like me, now that you are older, you are putting on weight much more easily, and to stay physically in shape takes time and dedication. Again, if you are lucky, you love healthy food, which can give you an advantage with regards to healthy eating habits. Me, I love crunchy vegetables and any kind of fruit. So now that we…
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12Jan 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Canine Assisted Coaching Anyone?

Canine Assisted Coaching, Connecting with Nature
Today I would like you to meet our dog Danica. Danica is an English Shepherd, and she is 6 months old. She has been with us since September, and she is in training to become a Therapy Dog, assisting me in my coaching. What Danica (along with so many of her fellow canines) brings into the world is her playful, gentle nature, and her ability to live in the moment, while never wasting time with grudges. Danica loves to play with her Frisbee and with sticks of all kinds. __________ Danica’s question for you: When was the last time you petted a dog? Danica and her Frisbee (12.1.2023) __________ Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness & Nature Coach
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10Jan 2023 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Mental Fitness Snippet: Walking & Breathing

Connecting with Nature, Mental Fitness
The snow is crunching under my feet. I breathe in while I take two steps. I breathe out while I take the next two steps. My mind chatters. I think: “In” (and take two steps), “out” (and take two steps). I let go of the thoughts that want to bubble up. “In…. out” (crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch). https://youtu.be/zzReU25B79Q __________ Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness and Nature Coach
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29Dec 2022 by Manuela Zeitlhofer No Comments

Pictures Touch

Mindfulness
I use pictures in coaching to evoke reflection, inspiration, and associations. Something in a picture might evoke an association, a thought or a feeling that wants to be talked about. For example: In a coaching session, a client might say that they feel stuck. I might show them the following card, and they in turn can share what they see, and what the card makes them think about, thus getting the person “un-stuck”. Question: What does that card make YOU think about? Please comment or send me a message. Source: Dixit Board Game __________ If you are curious about more thought-provoking questions and inspirations, I am looking forward to meeting you in a Free Discovery Meeting:
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