my "top of" 2021 list
Who doesn’t love a “Top 8 of 2021” list? The following is a collection of things that have resonated with me throughout the year. While it doesn’t cover everything, I wanted to share some of my favourites with you.
Yoga & Meditation Trainings
Yoga & Activism: Off the Mat and Into the World - www.offthematintotheworld.org
Mindfulness Meditation: Cyndi Lee - www.cyndilee.com
App
Insight Timer - https://insighttimer.com/en-gb. Great for meditation. I use this app is for its timer feature which allows you to choose the start/end sounds (a soothing Kanse bowl rather than my jarring phone timer), but there are also guided meditations from greats like Ram Dass and Jack Kornfield.
Book
Wild Swans by Jung Chang. This book gave me a window into China's history, the horror and hardships my family endured and the bravery it took for them to immigrate to Canada.
TV Show
It’s a Sin by Russell T. Davies. It was also the Guardian’s #1 for 2021, don’t they have great taste!
Podcasts
“Feel Better Live More” by Rangan Chatterjee
His catalogue is vast and I’ve listened to a fraction but here are a few that have stuck with me:
Episode: 136 with Arianna Huffington - “Microsteps and Rituals to Help You Thrive”
Episode: 169 with Gabor Mate: “We are All Addicts”
Episode: 197 with James Nestor: “How To Transform Your Health Through Your Breath” (He has an early episode with James that I haven’t listened to yet #124)
“CTZN” by Kerri Kelly
I’ve just dipped my toes into her library but one that’s blown me away is:
20 May 2020: “Wellness Beyond Whiteness: Rev angel Kyodo williams, Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Seane Corn and Anasa Troutman”
*You’ll need Google Podcasts to open these links but you can use whichever podcast provider you have, just search for the episode number
Life Coaching/Business Development
Marie Forleo - www.marieforleo.com. She’s brilliant and the real deal.
Laura Belgray - www.talkingshrimp.com. She’s hugely influenced my writing, including these emails.
Barre Classes
Psycle at Home - www.psyclelondon.com. I love Rod and Maria. So much fun. And haaaaard!
Most streamed tune on Spotify
“Blinding Lights” by Weekend
That’s my 2021 summed up. Any favourites from the year that you want to share?
And to you, thank you for reading. This is the first year I started writing these newsletters and I couldn’t have done it without you. Seriously. They’d just be diary entries or half-baked thoughts if it wasn’t for you.
I’m an INFJ according to the Myer-Briggs personality indicator (bleck “judging”, I know) and publicly sharing my stories is hugely out of my comfort zone. But it’s because of your engagement and your support that I keep going.
Whether it was a smile, a new song to your playlist, an unearthing of a memory, I hope that there’s been some value for you here because there has been a tremendous amount for me and I'm grateful.
For me this year has been one marked by study and growth. My intention for 2022 is to focus more on creation and expression. Bring it on.