Get Merry

If you've been wanting to get into meditation, tune in to this episode. Carla just finished her second Meditation course for the year and she has gold to share. Get ready for one-liners that will make you be like AHA! 

Stuff we talked about...

• Meditation welcomes less suffering, or it helps us respond to the suffering better. 
• Scientific studies say that meditation changes the brain structure and increases the grey matter of our brain. You become smarter and better at decisions (we'll take this!).
• Resistance is totally real and normal. It's through the persistence of the resistance that we find freedom.
• Pranayama is not just focusing on the breath but manipulating the energy of the body.
• Meditation helps cease the fluctuations of the mind.
• Silence is the greatest teacher in the world.
• It all starts and ends with compassion.
• It's better to not think than to think of something that's completely unreal and fabricated.

"All is true. It was all determined long ago. There is no evil. And, we know nothing." Rose Baudin

Do you feel inspired to meditate, be still and be quiet? Let us know by sending us an email at [email protected] or [email protected] or on our Facebook and Instagram account @themerrymakersisters.

Join us at MerryBody Online Studio, you can start today for 7 days FREE! Sign up HERE: themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody/

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

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How can you feel confident when you have zero belief in yourself?

In this episode, get actions steps and inspiration to believe in yourself. It’s the perfect follow up episode from episode 261: 5 ways to feel more confident.

Stuff we talked about…

• Don’t let the fear voice stop you. 
• The keys to success are persistence and self-belief. We talked about this in our book review of How to Think and Grow Rich.
• Start your morning with an “I’ve got this!” perspective instead of self-doubt.
• We can predict our future by our past.
• How do you wake up and feel excited when you hate your job?
• Remember, you are in the driving seat. You have the capacity to change it.
• Take a chance on yourself and your goals. Take a step towards what lights you up and what makes you feel good.
• How to deal with people who don’t believe in your dreams.
• Self-belief + action + unwavering faith = happiness = life with no regret = contentment.

This episode was so much fun! Let us know your biggest aha moment by sending us an email at [email protected] or [email protected] or on our Facebook and Instagram account @themerrymakersisters.

Join us at MerryBody Online Studio, you can start today for 7 days FREE! Sign up HERE: themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody/

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re so excited about this episode! A review of one of our favourite books, Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. This book completely changed our perspectives on life, it's our bible.

The book is a beautiful collection of myths, legends, fairy tales and metaphors for life.

Stuff we talked about…

• What being a wild woman means. It's doing life as she chooses to do it, not how society says. It's not about being crazy or out of control, but being free and out of the cage.
• The story of The Skeleton Woman, the right partner will travel to the depths of the ocean with you. The right people will stay around and will be there to help you through the ups and downs of life.
• In relationships, when two people come together, they don't become one. They become more.
• In the story of Vasalisa, it reminds us to connect and use our own intuition to decide which way to go. If we're relying on other's opinions before we make decisions, we feel disconnected to our intuition.
• It's never too late to blossom.
• The story of Bluebeard teaches us that there are predators in our lives who are out to bring us down and get us. As women, especially young women, we can meet men/partners who might not be the right one for us and could be a predatory figure who gives us everything except freedom.
• Life/death/life cycle means letting go and waiting for the rebirth. We have to surrender and believe that after the death will soon be the rebirth.
• Find the wise women and look to them for guidance. And, be the wise woman to someone else.

There are so many wonderful stories inside this book and we highly recommend reading it. If there’s one book that greatly impacted our lives, it’s this book. It’s like a key that unlocks everything.

We had so much fun re-telling our favourite stories. If you read the book or tune in to the audiobook, let us know. 

Join us at MerryBody Online Studio, you can start today for 7 days FREE! Sign up HERE: themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody/

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve talked about confidence in our previous episode 190: How to build self-confidence. And, we know so many of you loved it, but we have way more gold to share in this episode. Confidence really is one of the topics that we can talk about again and again.

Stuff we talked about…

• What confidence is and the misconceptions about it.
• A loud person does not mean they are a confident person. Sometimes, people use their loudness to cover up their sadness or fear of not fitting in.
• Your level of confidence goes up and down, depending on the situation you’re in. But you can tap into tools and anchors to help you through the more difficult times.
• Accomplish something early in your day. 
• Move your body because humans are not meant to be sedentary creatures.
• Catch yourself comparing. And, if you find yourself comparing, switch it off to inspiration or celebrating the success of other people.
• Have an anchor. Pick something, whether a mantra, a stance or a song, that makes you feel joyful and confident.
• Find your circle of support, and be that friend who is excited for the success of someone else.

We loved this episode. If you know someone who might love this episode or who might need to hear it, share it with them. Send us a screenshot of the podcast, write your biggest takeaway, share on your stories and tag us @themerrymakersisters

Now is the perfect time to join MerryBody Online Studio, you can start today for free! And we begin our next Member Exclusive Challenge on 20 August. Sign up HERE: themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody/

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During this chat with Karly Nimmo, you’ll be inspired to stop caring about the ‘should be’s’ and what other people think. You’ll be motivated and excited to start speaking and living your truth.

This was an old recording from our MerryBody Online Summit. Tune in, clear your mind, let’s begin.

Now is the perfect time to join MerryBody Online Studio, you can start today for free! And we begin our next Member Exclusive Challenge on 20 August. Sign up HERE: themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody/

Check out all the Get Merry Podcast episodes on iTunes and Overcast and Stitcher for Androids. Plus we are on Spotify over HERE!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever felt that putting on those few extra kilos consumes your mind and steals all your attention? Why does putting on a few kilos have to be a problem? Why do we even have to make it a big deal? For many of us, (and this has been 100% us in the past!) putting on weight is one of the biggest issues in our lives. 

And during this whole pandemic thing, we've both actually put a few extra kilos on. We've spoken to a number of people who have also and we've overheard several conversations about missions to lose weight. 

In this episode, we chat about why a little weight gain during a global pandemic (but anytime really!) doesn't have to be the end of the world. Instead, we can choose to see it as an amazing opportunity to experience growth.

Stuff we talked about…

• You're amazing. You're still awesome. But it's also OK to work on yourselves.
• How acceptance can help us make better decisions and decide from a place of love instead of fear.
• Be kind to yourself and give yourself a bit of leeway.
• We put such high standards of ourselves and this takes us away from experiencing the magic of life. (Tune in to Episode 257: Check in with your expectations and life will be better)
• If you put on a few kilos, it DOES NOT matter. Period.
• STOP - Stop. Take a deep breath. Observe how you feel. Proceed.
• Taking away the attachment of what is good and bad. Our body is just what it is. (Tune in to Episode 258: Negative body image, interview with clinical psychologist Miriam Emad)

We loved this chat so much! And, it is getting us excited for our next challenge inside MerryBody. It's the 10-Day Body Confidence Challenge starting on the 20th of August.

We will use Yoga, Pilates, Meditation, Breathwork and daily action steps to welcome in more body confidence. We will share everything that we ahve learnt and what we do that has helped us create acceptance with our bodies.

If you're not yet a MerryBody member and want to be part of this challenge, you can sign up at www.themerrymakersisters.com/merrybody and enjoy our 7-day FREE trial.

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were having lunch with our amazing friend Miriam Emad (also an amazing clinical psychologist). Ahhh we have the best chats and from this 2-hour love-filled catch up we realised we need to get her back on the Get Merry podcast. STAT! We couldn't wait, so today we're sharing an interview with Miriam from our MerryBody Online Summit. During this chat we discuss all things negative body image.

In this interview, you’ll gain a psychologist’s perspective on negative body image. You'll also leave with ideas and ways to deal with your negative thoughts around the way you look.

Miriam talks about where and when negative body image originated and how it’s adapted in our modern society, why we compare ourselves to others and how we can begin the practice of just observing our body rather than forever judging and criticizing it.

Stuff we talked about…

• Self-restricted dieting dates all the way back to the 13th century due to lack of resources. It was the women who would first deprive themselves so they were able to provide for their families.
• During industrialisation, as women began work and do hard labour, they became darker skinned and muscular. However, in this time being frail and pale was an upper-class statement, “There was this real cultural idealisation of thinness from that point because it became an upper-class statement, so women started to strive to be frail and pale.”
• Now everywhere you look whether you’re opening Instagram or a magazine, from such a young age you are being exposed to countless frail models. So it’s only human for you to ask, “Why don’t I look like this?”
• After this action of comparing ourselves and because we don’t look like the model we label ourselves ‘bad’ or ‘not quite right’ or ‘not good enough’.
• Miriam talks about changing our perspectives. To practise not defining anything as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but change to non-judgemental language like ‘I am’ and ‘I exist’.
• Welcoming this change from harsh self-judgement to non-judgmental and non-labelled, we put ourselves in a space where we don’t have to love something about ourselves to accept it.
• Miriam talks about moving away from ‘how does my body look’ to ‘how does my body work’.

If you’d like to contact Miriam you can chat to her via email at… [email protected]

More about Miriam Emad, clinical psychologist.

Miriam is a registered psychologist and holds a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. She is experienced providing individual and group-based psychological interventions to clients with complex needs across a range of settings, including private practice, psychiatric hospitals, and outpatient services. Her work has spanned alcohol and other drugs, harm reduction programs, and adolescents and youth.

Miriam’s clinical practice is focused on supporting clients with severe mental illness to live meaningful and productive lives. She has worked extensively with individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, mood disorders, and complex trauma. Miriam is especially skilled in assisting patients to enhance emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Check out al the Get Merry episode, and if you love them please leave a comment! We love reading them!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lately, we've been having many conversations about expectations. Expectations on ourselves and the expectations, we feel from others. We know they're all made up in our heads but they really do make a huge impact on our lives. And can create A LOT of unnecessary stress.

Stuff we talk about…

• How we create high expectations of ourselves and attach to the idea that we're not good enough until we reach these expectations.
• It's okay to expect but also accept because no human is perfect.
• Not being afraid to have a difficult conversation because you hate conflict. 
• Household chores, random? Tune in, it will make sense! 
• How it's important to check in with your goals and be mindful of the positive and negative impacts. Example, your job promotion might mean more money BUT it might mean more stress and less time for stuff you love.
• It's easier to judge and label others, it's more difficult to take action with love.

Remember that right here, right now, you are amazing just as you are. Hold this in your heart and go on with your life.

Yes, grow and achieve, but also remember... before you were amazing! Now you're amazing and once you achieve your desired goals you are amazing. 

If expectations cause you stress, sign up on our FREE Masterclass called Manage Your Stress with Yoga, Pilates and Breathwork happening on the 21st of July 11AM EST. You can sign up HERE.

Please rate and review our podcast and share it with someone you love. Thank you for tuning in and being here!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s If you ever need help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Get Merry Podcast episode is the second of our series on Yoga Philosophy, where we delve deeper into the mind because it is really the root of all our sufferings.

Tune in and hear us chat about the 5 levels of the mind as described by the yoga teacher Swami J. 

Stuff we talk about…

• The 5 levels of the mind: disturbed, dull, distracted, one-pointed focus, Samadhi
• How your disturbed mind keeps you from doing anything else because of the spinning thought patterns in your head.
• How being in the state of dullness (Tamasic) is similar to a candle that's not lit.
• When you're in a distracted state (Raja), you feel super motivated and energized, and then get pretty tired.
• How the practice of concentration allows you to be in a one-pointed state (Pratyahara).
• How finding a really purposeful work can move you to the state of bliss (Samadhi).
• How knowing these 5 levels of the mind and being aware of which level you are in can help reduce suffering. 

As soon as you realise that you are not your thoughts, you can be who you want to be.

If you loved this episode and want to learn how to master your mind, you'll probably love our FREE Masterclass called Manage Your Stress with Yoga, Pilates and Breathwork happening on the 21st of July 11AM EST. You can sign up HERE.

Please rate and review our podcast and share it with someone you love. Thank you for tuning in and being here!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s If you ever need help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When everything goes your way it all feels so good and easy, it flows. But how you do respond when all of a sudden, it stops going according to plan? Do you feel stressed, agitated, anxious, worried or angry? We're guessing if you're human (which you are) you probably do feel one of those? And we know this episode will definitely help you.

This Get Merry Podcast episode is the first of our series on Yoga Philosophy, tune in and hear us chat about Ishvara Pranidhana or Surrender.

'Ishvara' in Sanskrit translates to supreme, or personal, God. 'Pranidhana' translates to dedicate, devote, or surrender. So this practice of Ishvara Pranidhana is to surrender or let go of our individual ego to the bigger picture, to your higher self or to God. If you don't like to use the word 'God', simply use the other options. Or find something that works for you.

Stuff we talk about…

• How practising Ishvara Pranidhana (the 5th Niyama of Yoga), the practice of surrender or letting go can help in every aspect of your life.
• How to surrender to the external forces around you and the things you have no control of.
• How to find the flow.
• The amazing life changes you'll experience when you get better at surrendering.
• Reaching out and seeking help when everything feels like it is falling apart.
• Trusting in what is happening around you and not being afraid of the process.
• Our mantra "Let go. Let go. It's OK. I'm OK." OR, you can just lie down on the ground, close your eyes and let go. This works.

We also just added the ultimate meditation inside the MerryBody Online Studio, which we know you will love.

It's 17 minutes of original music composed by Damiano Mex. It's a Guided Savasana that will take you on a journey to help you let go and surrender.

If you're not yet a MerryBody member, sign up for our FREE 7-day experience where you get to try all the magic inside MerryBody at no cost.

If you loved this episode please rate and review our podcast and share it with someone you love. Thank you for tuning in and being here!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

P.s If you ever need help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.