Hi, I'm Natalie!
Lawyer, Mom, Coach, Qoya Teacher, and Blogger
I am a certified Presence-based Coach, Qoya teacher, and practicing attorney.
I offer movement and embodiment practices, retreats, and one-on-one coaching sessions.
Photo credit Ashley Hallmark, Gathered and Found
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Need some ideas for how to practice more kindness toward yourself?
Embrace Rest
Have you ever gotten sick and been secretly glad that you had an excuse to rest? What if you could grant yourself permission to rest without needing an excuse?
You may think, “But I don’t have time to rest! I just need to power through and get everything done.”
In addition to the wonderful mental, emotional, and physical benefits of rest, rest also gives us the gift of discernment. It helps us know what really needs to be done and why.
I offer a powerful practice called yoga nidra that has helped me embrace rest. Yoga nidra is a guided meditation that is practiced lying down. In a 20-40 minute session you can experience deep rest and peace.
Befriend your body
If you're like me, you spend plenty of time in your head, and risk overlooking the immense wisdom that lives in our bodies. We may be missing signals that we need to slow down and take care of ourselves, or that we need to get up and move. Our bodies communicate our most important needs. A powerful way to connect to the body is through movement.
Slow, gentle movement practices allow you to really feel sensation in the body. I use somatic, or body-based practices in one-on-one coaching sessions to help clients access the wealth of information held in their bodies. I also lead Qoya movement and dance classes.
Enjoy connections with others
Practicing law can be solitary. Many lawyers shut themselves in their offices and work alone for many hours. While this may be necessary at times, it is important to find balance and seek connection.
Humans are social creatures. We have a fundamental need for connection and support from other humans. We need people who will lend a compassionate ear, serve as a sounding board, or keep us accountable to reach our goals.
I encourage you to find these people and make time to connect with them. They might be colleagues, old friends, new friends, or family. Spend time with people who help you feel supported and joyful.
Practice Presence
This moment right now, this breath you are taking, is the only moment that is truly available to you. In this moment you can make a choice, shift your attention, take action, or sit still. So much is available in this moment. When our thoughts or attention are focused on the past or the future, we may be missing the chance to live the moment right now.
Learning to pause and be present gives us the opportunity to choose kindness for ourselves.
Focus on what matters
Many modern-day workplaces are rife with distractions. Meetings, phone calls, instant messages, emails. Multitasking becomes the gold standard. But multitasking, in the way it is commonly understood, isn’t really possible. You can’t truly do more than one thing at a time.
The good news is we can retrain our brains to focus, and we can choose to focus on what matters to us.
Mindfulness practices, setting healthy boundaries, and guarding against interruptions are just a few ways to strengthen your focus and ability to be present.