I am overjoyed to feature Carolina from the LIA Project on Luna Rose today.
Carolina is the creator of the LIA project, elementary teacher, certified yoga teacher, self care advocate and lover of all things outdoors. When she’s not creating lesson plans for students, she's usually in the Rockies, at a spa, stretching it out at a studio or having soul conversations with her girlfriends... glass of wine in hand! After experiencing burn out in her University years, she traveled to South America where she studied yoga and learned the benefits of meditation first hand. This practice took on a new meaning when she moved from Saskatchewan to Alberta and started her career as a full time grade one teacher. She now calls Calgary home and is committed to bringing a collected calm to other mutli-passionate women.
Q1. What are the three words that best describe yourself?
This isn’t an easy one but I would say… creative, calm and passionate.
Q2. When did you start exploring Yoga and Meditation?
I started at age 15. My mother registered me in a teen community yoga class and I loved the dynamic movements between self expression and the physical challenge of the poses. I did it occasionally after those classes had ended then, I picked up vigorous yoga practice that got me through the stressors during my university years. l hit a burnout phase in university and after having gone through a hard breakup I decided to freeze my program and travel to South America where I took an intensive yoga teacher training in Peru. There, I was first opened to the idea of a formal meditation practice but when I arrived back to Canada to finish my studies I felt I couldn’t continue with it as I was “traditionally” taught. I needed a practice that was more flexible… and it was about 4 years ago that I really committed to a daily practice where I’ve seen incredible transformation in my life. From that space of calm and self awareness, I started the LIA project.
Q3. Tell us about the LIA Project.
The LIA project is an online educational platform where I teach online mediation classes and live workshops for women to come together as a community and learn how this practice can bring lightness to their stress. Being a full time grade 1 teacher, I know how precious our energy is so, I’ve built this platform as an invitation for the female collective to prioritize rest and relaxation so they can in turn live with calm and confidence while empowering their communities.
Q4. Do you have a consistent morning and/or evening routine? If so, what does it involve?
I have a Monday-Friday morning yoga and meditation practice that can go anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes. I’ve created a habit out of it so it’s something I simply can’t leave my house without grounding myself first. It involves a full body yoga flow that changes according where I am on my female cycle then leads into a sitting meditation practice. Someday I pull oracle cards and use specific crystals, other days, I use my essential oils and journal. And frankly, sometimes it’s far from elaborate and a 10 deep breath grounding practice is all I need to build up that inner fire to take on the day. On the weekends I enjoy experimenting and getting creative with the timing and style of practice.
Q5. What does self care mean to you?
To me self care means listening and aligning our actions to our intuition. It means honouring myself when I’m making decisions, when I’m nourishing myself and when I’m surrounding myself with people. It means tuning into my inner dialogue multiple times a day to check on how I’m talking to myself and if my actions are aligned with my desired lifestyle.
Q6. And lastly, what is your go-to essential oil and why?
Ooou, there are many to choose from but I’d say lavender. It reminds me of the smell of my mother and she represents beauty to me so when I smell it or add it to my body oil, it encourages me to be proud of my feminine nature.
The Live LIA meditation class is now open for registration until April 13th! This is a unique 4 week online meditation class where we will be practicing mindfulness meditation focused on cultivating relaxation and self-connection. The beauty of this class is its empowering community by being held accountable to your practice and yourself! Classes are Monday and/or Thursday evenings from 8:00-8:40pm MST. For more information head to https://liaproject.ca/online-classes