2020 Reflections with Helena McKinney

A Year in Review with the founder of In Fine Feather Yoga & Hamilton entrepreneur, Helena McKinney. 

Every year around this time I share a personal and professional reflection of the year. I usually highlight the major accomplishments, milestone moments and successful events. (Check out the 2019 reflection). Well, as we all know this year has been extremely different and challenging in so many ways, so this year's reflection is going to have a different vibe as well. Rather than bringing to light the specific things that happened (or didn’t happen at all), I want to talk about the overall sensation of 2020, as well as my core values that have been strengthened and have supported me immensely throughout ALL the decisions and hardships that came with this year. These words have been my mantras, repeated daily to myself; they have been my constant reminders for how I want to feel, that it's ok to not be ok sometimes and they’ve picked me up when I needed a gentle hand.

Acceptance

It's felt like a rollercoaster for all of us but navigating the physical location of the studio was causing me so much additional stress and taking so much emotional energy from me. At some point I had to LET GO and find radical acceptance with all of the circumstances that were out of my control. Once I landed in this place, I was able to focus my attention, be clear with my intentions and explore my creativity again. Leaning into this time and trying to find peace with it has allowed me to cultivate new adventures for myself and ultimately offer new services for you. I have deepened my own daily mindfulness practice and I am beyond excited to share them with you in the 21 Day Meditation Challenge that is about to begin on January 4th. I have developed as an entrepreneur by learning new skill sets and been able to do more lifestyle and business mentoring with Emerge Mentoring, the other business I founded in 2019. Taking on new challenges has actually been refreshing and invigorating once I let go of the forces that are greater than me.

Consistency

Showing up for myself hasn’t always been easy over the last 10 months and I have sometimes felt the added weight of showing up for a community. BUT I do it and I LOVE it! I have often been asked how I show up to teach our LIVE classes every day with something insightful to say and how I don’t even skip a beat when it comes to being present. Here's how: I understand the importance of my role and the service I offer for people's mental health and wellbeing every day. I always feel better after I teach and move with our community. In Fine Feather Yoga is my life and you need to show up for life otherwise it keeps happening without you. Even when it is the hardest it has ever been, I want to move through it together, rather than feeling stuck and alone.

Self Care

Taking care of myself has become a top priority. I began to understand that my energy is different right now and I need to have a different level of expectation from myself. We are all trying to process so much every day and it's exhausting sometimes. Taking rest and time to slow down has been essential to making it through the weeks of isolation and now the current lockdown. Without the usual hustle of day to day life I have embraced new hobbies that feed my soul and aren’t so closely associated with working all the time the way I used to. My schedule is much more balanced and allows me to crochet, nap, cook meals in the evening, listen to an audible book, catch up with a friend on the phone, nourish my plants, do projects around the house and soak in the tub for an hour. Want to see a little more of my personal lifestyle and sillness? Check out my  instagram account @helena_hamont; you’ll get daily doses of my cat Gus, witness my ridiculous solo dance parties and hear my random rants. 

Finally, I move forward with HOPE

While this year has looked really different, I have learned so much about my personal drive and cultivated deeper connections with our community. I am HOPEFUL that we will emerge from this time stronger, more compassionate and more understanding humans. I think we will be more mindful to our work/life balance, respectful of each other's boundaries and appreciative of human connection. These are good things! I want you all to take 10 minutes of quiet space to yourself to explore what this slower, more introspective time has offered you. What have you learned about yourself through the challenges? What relationships have been strengthened? How have you grown as an individual? I would love for you to join me on New Year’s Day for our Intention Setting LIVE yoga class. I will guide you through an Intro to Flow class, (safe for students of all levels) followed by a journaling exercise that will deepen your awareness of the growth you have received this year. Please be sure to sign up online HERE to receive the live class link. 

All we can do is our best. Keep showing up for yourself and support yourself in whatever ways possible. Keep connecting to your community and loved ones. We are in this together! Sending all my love and gratitude,

Happy New Year, 
Helena xo 

A Reflection from Helena McKinney, Operating a Business During Covid 19

I remember the moment Coronavirus touched down in Hamilton and on March 15th I decided to close the yoga studio for what I thought would be two weeks. Schools had just announced that they were shutting down and I felt a social responsibility to keep our community safe, to be a part of the solution to end this deadly virus. I can hear my words, “This is 2020. We have modern science. There is no way this can last longer than a few weeks.” HOLY… (insert all the cuss words you would like). I know we have all been drastically affected by the last 8 months but I wanted to write this blog for a few reasons. I haven’t really talked about the studio’s ultimate decision to close and perhaps I can process a bit here. The studio has been my home for 7 years and I still don’t even know how I will fully adjust without it. Also, anyone who has built their career from the ground up and who works in the service, hospitality, entertainment or group led fitness industries might be able to relate. Navigating your business around this has been a shit show. 

Owning In Fine Feather Yoga During a Global Pandemic

I wrote the following being in isolation and quarantine for 4 weeks, when the impact of this was really sinking in for all of us. It seems appropriate to share now. “I am in week four of lockdown, at home by myself and with my cat Gus. At this point I am riding the emotional waves with everyone else in the world trying to process everything that is happening. 7 years of owning In Fine Feather Yoga has almost broken me a couple of times, but this is something next level. This is something different. I feel rocked by this. Learning to navigate not just a business crisis but an economic, health and societal crisis. All I can say is, is this really happening? There are moments where I just have to surrender and find acceptance with not knowing what the world will look like after this. Or if my business will even be standing.” HOLY… (insert all the cuss words you would like). Well we are still standing but in a very very different way. If you told me a year ago that my business would be entirely virtual, I never would have believed you. 

The Studio isn’t Closed, It’s EVOLVED! 

So at this point in the article, I hope you’ve realized, I closed the brick and mortar to the yoga studio. I still hate saying it and have secretly been avoiding Ottawa Street, the location of the studio, for weeks. It was an emotional rollercoaster to get to this decision, so let’s talk about that journey a bit. Right from the get go, the IFF staff hustled. As an entrepreneur, I have come to realize I thrive in chaos. (Not 7 months of it! That’s not sustainable for anyone but I do alright under pressure.) We got our classes online rather quickly and formulated a quick marketing plan to get this out to the community. I have to thank the universe for a few people here. Thank you Meagan Santa, studio assistant manager, my business partner and best friend. Meag has been working in the virtual studio world for awhile and stepped up with confidence, while I poured a glass of wine and said, “What the bleep are we going to do?!!!??” I am grateful to our students. Our members are loyal and I would like to attribute that to importance of COMMUNITY and how I made sure it was the foundation of everything we try to create at In Fine Feather. Almost everyone followed us online! There have been some tech hick-ups and our instructor, Stephanie Weiler, has been there to support each and every student along the way. Carol D’Alves, our community ambassador has been an advocate on our Facebook community page; daily sharing inspiring posts, initiating book exchanges, porch drops offs and charity drives for local organizations. WOW… I couldn’t ask to be surrounded by more amazing people. 

Why a Virtual Home Yoga Practice is the NEW Way 

So obviously, I would initially say that teaching on a live stream was not ideal but there are certain things I have come to realize about this new method of delivering classes. There is something so comfortable and intimate teaching right from my home. I feel like I have been able to open new doors for all of you. The more I was exposed to teaching online the more familiar I became with it; in fact it became a part of my daily routine. This routine is keeping me feeling safe and supported as our world is constantly changing. My decision to close the physical location is still supported by my initial response to Covid; a social responsibility to keep our community safe. I will always stand by that. We are so SO fortunate that yoga is something we can still access virtually. The message still translates online and our service to teach can still be delivered. The fact that we, as a community, pivot like this is remarkable. Want to check out our Daily Live Stream Class options, click HERE.

Over the last 8 months we have done everything; we closed, we went online, we went outside to Yoga in the Park, we recorded, uploaded, downloaded and reopened the studio to in person classes. We recreated the business at least 5 times. The truth is, that being in person made me feel uncomfortable and also carried the huge financial burden of keeping the space open. When our second wave was coming, I wanted closing to be MY choice, not the larger forces that are working against us right now. So I came to terms with it and made a very tough call. Saying that, I know deep in my heart In Fine Feather Yoga will continue to evolve and grow. We will overcome this challenge and any other challenges that come our way. I visualize a new space for us in the future; one with outdoor space to practise, quiet, lots of light and more PARKING, lol! My heart remains hopeful for our future. Until we can be in person again practise in the warmth of my home, with Gus by my side. What is most important is that you are here and I am here, no matter where we are. 

Much love for where we have landed as a community, 
With gratitude, 
Helena xo 

How to Best Optimize and Balance Your Tech Time by Meagan Santa

“On social media, we’re all plants, leaning towards the sunlight we can’t get enough of, seeking the warmth of likes, hearts, and retweets. But staying rooted and grounded is important. Being intentional about how you use social media and having your own strategy gives you time to process how it’s affecting your life and find what you may want to change.” -Tiffany Shlain - 24/6 The Power of Unplugging One Day A Week

Have you ever felt like your eyes and brain get really tired from technology use? Do you feel creatively drained, experience brain fog or get easily stuck in comparison mode? Many of us have a bad habit of consuming social media and/or having a screen on as soon as we wake up and right before we fall asleep.

About a month ago I found myself dreading the thought of even opening my laptop. I couldn’t stand the thought of opening Instagram or sending a text. I was teched-out! But when I looked at my work to-do’s or thought about my online community; they weren’t the problem. It was my overuse and consumption of screens. I’m a millennial and I run online businesses. I freaking love how connected technology has allowed us to be. I love working from wherever I have a wifi or data connection. But it was affecting my health and I knew it was time to explore this topic to find solutions.

I hope my tips and tricks will invite you to become self-aware and encourage a more mindful habit of tech consumption. It will be hard at first to adjust and break a few habits but trust me it is worth it and you will feel so much better. Most importantly don’t allow a few too many hours of mindless scrolling, Netflix binging, or TV watching to affect how you show up and how often you come to your mat to practice with us. There is a balance and I believe I’ve found a few solutions for you! It’s important because there’s a thin line between enjoying the benefits tech has brought to our lives and it negatively affecting our physical and mental health. Commit to taking deep care of yourself. That means YOU choose when screens are on and you’re consuming content instead of tech running you on autopilot! Are you with me? Let’s dive in!

Do Your Own Research

I’m reading 24/6 The Power of Unplugging One Day A Week by Tiffany Shlain and I’m sure your local library will have several books on this topic to dive into. If you’re more into watching a documentary, Netflix has a popular release called The Social Dilemma. Simply searching on Google will give you thousands of blogs, articles and videos with ideas and perspectives from tactical ideas to more scientific evidence-based research.

Downtime Settings on Apple Products

Technology is intelligently designed to make us want to use it often and for a long period of time. That’s part of the reason apps are so visually pleasing. When I have the Downtime setting enabled on my phone, the apps are all dimmed and have an hourglass symbol. I get a notification each evening at a time I’ve chosen to remind me that my “downtime” begins in 5 minutes. I use this as a signal to put my phone down for the rest of the night. I have the same setting for the morning so I can’t open my social apps until 7:00am. It helps eliminate mindless scrolling before bed and filling my mind with other people’s highlight reel as soon as I wake up.

Schedule Your Yoga Practice Ahead of Time

Since we are often using our phones and laptops to connect with our family, friends and community in a safer manner during COVID or to complete a number of tasks to make our lives simpler (like online banking, ordering groceries ahead of time, shopping, making appointments, etc); it invites us to use our abundant screen use wisely. I find it helpful to schedule my yoga classes ahead of time using the Mindbody app so I have it carved out and I can look forward to it. Mindless scrolling is not going to serve you like a yoga or meditation practice will. Both often require a screen so be mindful and choose what is healthier for you. 

I find myself getting distracted on my mat somedays so I’ve made a new rule for myself to put my phone on silent during my yoga practice and set it down across the room. You are a priority; everything else can wait while you fill your cup up.

Blue Light Glasses

I bought a pair of blue light glasses over a year ago and notice a huge difference in my sleep quality and have experienced less eye strain. Because almost all of my work requires the use of a screen; my eyes can get tired quickly but wearing blue light glasses has really helped. It’s worth a try!

Create Your Own Guidelines

So where can you start? I began observing how often I grabbed for my phone or how often I had Netflix playing in the background. Do this observation exercise over a 48 hour period and write down what you noticed were your own tech habits. Then maybe you start small and try any of the above tips I’ve found helpful and build from there. Creating boundaries for yourself around your own tech use will encourage those around you to do the same or at least recognize their own usage. These little boundaries will add up. It’s incredible how quickly I started to feel the benefits of being more mindful and making intelligent choices like the above. I now have more energy, I’m sleeping better, my creative ideas are flowing regularly, I’m comparing myself less to others on social media, and have found an inner calm that I can hang onto longer throughout the day.

Here are a few more ideas!

• Unplug from social media (or limit all screen use) for 24 hours once a week.

• Go for a daily walk outside without your phone.

• No phone for the first hour of waking up.

• Plug your phone in to charge in a different room.

You can watch my short IGTV with a little more insight here.