Moondance Wellness Coaching with Angela Kittock

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this audio version of the Preface to the book I published last year: Soul Healing & Spirit Dancing: A Seasonal Journey to Embody the Balance, Peace & Joy that is Your Birthright. P.S. No elephants were harmed in the making of this book. 1. Get the book: ask your local bookstore to carry the book, or find it everywhere books are sold online. 2. Join the newsletter: at moondancecoaching.com 3. Review the book: wherever you purchased your copy, or at Goodreads. Thank you!  

During this festive and busy season, take a moment to slow down with me, breathe deeply, and reflect on what's been going on. Cup of tea and cozy fireside spot optional (but always recommended).    Episode Resources: Bookshop/IndieBound Book Listing Barnes & Noble Book Listing Amazon Book Listing Get on The Waiting List Subscribe to the Newsletter

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." -Japanese proverb Long enjoyed as part of Winter Solstice traditions across time and culture, dancing can truly be the soul-healing medicine we need to shift our energy during this darkest time of year. Whether we choose to celebrate the solstice with lit candles and fires burning all night, we can dance as a way to keep our own inner fire stoked and our inner light alive. What is your relationship to dancing? What fears, self-consciousness or vulnerability does it bring up? Explore 11 steps to get you dancing right now - no choreographed steps to follow, and without the crutch of substances -  just your heart, your soul and your spirit...and transform your fear into healing, joy, and freedom. Playlists: Move Your Feet (dance-y grooves to make you move!) A Ray of Sunshine (explore a more diverse array of feels) Moondancing (perfect for your next full moon dance sesh)   Work w/me or learn more

"After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." -Dumbledore What if death wasn't the terrible, absolute worst-case scenario that we spend our whole lives fearfully trying to avoid? What if discussing death could actually make us feel better about life? Autumn is the perfect time for discussing such dark things - the season that ushers in and embraces death in nature's yearly cycle. And by the end of this episode, you'll have 10 useful, bizarre, and meaningful practices (plus a specially curated playlist!) to work with - and make peace with - the elements of death & letting go in your own life. Special Playlist: On Death, Autumn & Letting Go Work with me or learn more

"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men." - Roald Dahl As children, we don't need to define what playing is - we just go outside, let our imaginations take over, and get weird with it. But, somewhere along the way, it seems we stop knowing how to get weird with it. Listen along to re-define play as an adult, create your play to-do list, and re-infuse your life with the driving force of play! May you unleash your creative side and find JOY in playing once again. Happy frolicking, romping and merrymaking!   www.moondancecoaching.com Play Personalities at: https://www.nifplay.org/what-is-play/play-personalities/  

Within every cell of our bodies, there is both yin and yang energy. And yin and yang balance each other, support each other, keep each other in check. But if balance is written into our very cells, then why does it always feel so elusive and impossible to maintain in our lives?! Just a few days past the Autumn Equinox we are in a state of near-perfect balance of yin and yang energies. And we can use this to our advantage as we finally learn the trick to achieving that illusive sense of balance: that true balance isn't an act of rearranging our external world - but of re-balancing our internal scales and filling ourselves with life.   www.moondancecoaching.com  

Every year as the summer begins to wane, we look back and think, how time flies! Our most common sayings about time are speaking to our relationship with Father Time - also known as 'chronos' time, a Greek word for time. But unlike us, the Greeks also had a second word for the concept of time: 'Kairos.' "In a Kairos moment, the world stops...and it opens." -Robert Moss, Sidewalk Oracles If Chronos time is the more masculine/yang aspect of time that maintains order in our lives, it is the more feminine/yin aspect of Kairos time that nourishes the soul. Utilize the current energy of Late Summer - the little known 5th season - to naturally connect to this time of slowing down, returning to the Earth, and welcoming in the Kairos moments in your own life!   Learn more about Spiritual Life & Wellness Coaching: www.moondancecoaching.com

Instead of trying so hard to “be spiritual,” what's the most spiritual thing you can do?  Be your true authentic self.  I believe your soul chose your personality to help you carry out your life mission here. It's a tool for you to use - but you have to know how to use the tool.  When we rediscover who we really are at our core and give ourselves permission to live in alignment with that - underneath the conditioning of our wounds, defenses and expectations...we heal our bodies and we change the world.    Learn more: moondancecoaching.com Set up Free Consult

This week we celebrate the Summer Solstice! It's a time of celebration, culmination, and basking in the light. But life isn't just about thriving in the good times, or feeling joy and gratitude when everything is going our way. The real secret is knowing HOW to find the sweetness during the hard times, the dark times, the times when things aren't going the way we would like them to. With hummingbird as our guide, this is the perfect time to start honing your sweet-seeking radar. Because life is meant to be full of beauty and sweetness! We just have to learn to see it. www.moondancecoaching.com

When the world is awash in springtime abundance, but you're just not feeling it? It might be a reality check about how you're living your life, and how out-of-alignment you might be with the messages of your soul. To truly bask in abundance, joy, and a feeling of manifesting our true purpose, we have to live in alignment with the soul. But how?! Learn to connect with the inner compass that will keep you forever soul-aligned, plus discover the 8 barriers to trusting your intuition that are probably tripping you up and keeping you from feeling the joyful abundance of YOUR life!   Mentioned in the episode... Listen to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast episode #64 w/Angela Kittock - Personality Typing for Growth + Relationships Listen Now on iTunes / Spotify!

Life is too short and also too long to be living in a way that doesn't make your Soul happy. We tend to think our purpose here is to make money, or make children, or build a business, or make a name for ourselves, or change the world in big systemic ways. But do we consider that it might be our purpose to be JOYFUL? How drastically would we have to alter our lives and our jobs and our aspirations if every day our main goal was to be joyful? Learn to heed the call of your Soul, have the courage to recognize what is no longer serving you, and find joy in new beginnings this spring! Spiritual Life & Wellness Coaching LEARN MORE @ www.moondancecoaching.com

"The world is a weave of energy and every human being is a thread on that Great Weave..." -Amantha Murphy, The Way of the Seabhean: An Irish Shamanic Path Though January 1st may claim the title of New Year, it is the Spring Equinox that really marks the beginning of Nature's New Year. So this is an excellent time for planting seeds of intention; it's a time to know what we really want! So with the right energetic conditions in place around us, let's do some tending to our inner conditions. Let's take a deeper look at the spiritual principle of the Law of Attraction - on an energetic level that goes beyond the more surface aspects and allows us to get up close and personal with our Soul - so that maybe this spring we can finally get what we really want. Or perhaps instead of getting what we really WANT, we just might get what we need. www.moondancecoaching.com

"The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear." -Daniel Defoe Consider for a moment that, like a diamond, you too start out in a 'less-polished' state and it is only through the application of extreme pressure, a bit of heat, and the passage of time that your true brightness really begins to shine. But, unlike the diamond, we have the added responsibility of free will and the option to completely get in our own way and stunt the process from completing. Oops. To avoid that, we can choose to be conscious partners to our own process of growth and healing! A process that leads us from a random pile of carbon atoms to a lustrous, fully integrated, shining diamond. www.moondancecoaching.com

If you peel back the “NEW BEGINNINGS” overlay that we've put onto January and pay attention to the energy of the season beneath the expectations, you'll find that we're smack dab in the middle of the dead of winter. And winter…is a time for deep rest, restoration, healing, quiet, solitude, stillness. Not exactly New Year resolution energy, eh?! So here's what we can choose to do at this time of year instead - that still honors new beginnings - but is more in alignment with the energy of this season! www.moondancecoaching.com

"There is a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen No matter how much our lives become a whirlwind of chaos or uncertainty, the Winter Solstice arrives every year on schedule in the darkest time of year bringing us a tiny shred of light - imperceptible at first! - to each and every day - bringing us the reminder of HOPE. But may we first wisely use this much needed season of darkness, quietude and restoration to see and begin to repair the cracks in our systems, our relationships, and perhaps most importantly - in ourselves. May we do this in service to a new world infused with the LIGHT of wisdom, hope, and healing. www.moondancecoaching.com  

Do we truly understand this? In the society we've created, with the cultural values we uphold, you being sick/unwell/unhappy makes sense. That's messed up, right? Who wants to live in a world where being unwell and unhappy is the norm? May we as a society one by one awaken - and dream a bigger dream for our health and happiness.   Explore Moondance Wellness services here: www.moondancecoaching.com/coaching

"You don't know who they will be, the ones who open your eyes to life's wild magic..." How do you perceive the things in your life? Before judging something in your life as being very very bad, can you leave a little space for the possibility that it is also very good? It's hard to know how life will unfold when viewed from our zoomed-in vantage point. But trust that when you zoom out and look down below, there is a plan in place.   New services here: www.moondancecoaching.com

When a caterpillar enters the chrysalis it becomes a liquid soupy mess before eventually becoming the stunning butterfly or moth. The Chrysalis is a phase in our lives that ushers us into our next Becoming. But we have to allow the time and space for it to occur. Otherwise we remain stuck in Caterpillar Land forever. Let's use this covid time/enforced-chrysalis-phase in our lives to wrestle with some fear and pain and emerge into a bigger dream.   www.moondancecoaching.com

After the dark of winter (and this past YEAR) comes the rebirth and awakening of spring. Learn the art of Inner Gardening and write your new chapter - to awaken at the deeper level of the SOUL.   For virtual Yin & Mindfulness class details: www.moondancecoaching.com/events

FIRE-AIR-EARTH-WATER: No, not the Power Rangers. It’s a Myers Briggs Personality Types/Elements of Nature Mashup! Are you a snail like me – burrowing into the deep? Or perhaps instead of burrowing, you tend to swirl, or ignite, or stabilize? See if you recognize yourself in the following four descriptions.  Written version of the types: https://moondancecoaching.com/whats-your-elemental-type/ Personality Discovery Info: https://moondancecoaching.com/coaching/

How do we close out the year we can't wait to forget? Wizardly advice for a new kind of holiday season... Plus practices and rituals to release 2020 - using the energetic support of the Winter Solstice, the December 29 Full Moon, and the New Year!   www.moondancecoaching.com

Take out your trash, play is healing, be careful what you ask for, surrender to what is...  Meet Elanor, the beefy four-legged with some important life lessons to teach us to not only survive 2020 - but to come out better on the other side. Because when we look beneath the surface of our struggles, sometimes there is magic. See Elanor here! moondancecoaching.com/lessons-from-a-tiny-hippo/   Yin + Mindfulness Virtual Classes Nov/Dec HERE Email angela@moondancecoaching.com for your Free 1st Class this Nov/Dec!

These days we so deeply understand physical hygiene to support our health and the health of those around us. We’ve gone to great measures on this front. Masks are becoming more fashionable. Hand sanitizer is at the front of every store. The social distanced air-hug is the new awkward goodbye. We are physical hygiene warriors. But what about the health of our spirit? Are you also practicing your spiritual hygiene? Don't be that kid. Make your hygiene a priority for the benefit of yourself and everyone around you! Here are 9 ways to start caring for the health of your spirit right now (and yes, these can all be practiced at a safe distance!)   Yin Yoga  +  Mindfulness Meditation Classes Personal Growth + Healing Coaching www.moondancecoaching.com

...yet everything is accomplished. What has happened to our lives that we move so fast we can't feel this pace of nature's divine perfection? That we fill our lives so full to the brim that we can't accomplish everything and instead end up feeling overworked, overburdened, overwhelmed? We have a love affair with nature because she offers externally what we can't bring ourselves to create within. On this official first day of fall, the Fall Equinox, what wisdom can we glean from the divine perfection of nature?   Yin Yoga + Mindfulness Meditation Classes Personal Growth + Healing Coaching Programs

Just by being human, sometimes you're gonna find yourself smack dab in the middle of a wtf phase. It’s been one of those years where every time I start to experience a deep-seated and long-awaited feeling of ‘ahhh everything finally seems ok and I feel at peace in this moment’ then BAM something exceedingly strange happens and I’m thrown back into that ‘extreme wtf phase.' Here's to trusting in the process and wholeheartedly embracing the wtf phases of life.   Fall Virtual Yin + Mindfulness Classes [Sept 8 - Oct 20] www.moondancecoaching.com/events

So which of these 'wisdom-producing' practices has this global pandemic forced you to experience - maybe even appreciate?!Do you find yourself slowing down more lately? Staying grounded in one place? Appreciating your quiet time? Practicing - by force or by choice - the art of surrendering control?Is it possible this global pandemic has the ability to make us all more wise, self-aware, and content human beings?!Probably not. Or does it..??   Mentioned in this episode... Yin Yoga & Mindfulness Meditation virtual classes: moondancecoaching.com/events 1:1 Personal Growth & Healing Coaching session: moondancecoaching.com/coaching moondancecoaching.com/free-call

2020 is definitely a year of changes, and it can be about starting over in a fresh new way. This can be an exciting time that feels good with the promise of a new world on the horizon. We can learn to break the cycle of disconnection, destruction, and division that tears at our personal and worldly relationships by bypassing 'otherness' and tapping into an empowering empathy. It's time to throw out the stale templates of division. So here's to reaching out across the divides with open hearts and open minds. Here's to cohesion, the act of forming a united whole, and to the once in a lifetime opportunity to build a new world - together.  www.moondancecoaching.com

My husband and I exist in very different experiences of the world. I'm a personal growth coach into healing and spirituality, and he's a police officer who has to deal with some pretty scary situations and interact with people who aren't always pleased to see him. Truly we don't always see eye to eye as our world experiences have shaped us so differently. One day a couple months ago, exhausted after a fight and stuck at an impasse, we came up with a manifesto of sorts and we both signed it - here are our seven values for building a better relationship. It strikes me now how this is simply good advice for all of us trying to make our way through the world. www.moondancecoaching.com

When I wanted to change my life for the better, I asked for one thing: to feel a sense of peace and ease.  But I’m going to bring you in on a little secret: Peace and ease are NOT dependent on your external circumstances. You can change the container you're in hoping that you'll feel differently on the inside  - and you will feel better temporarily! But if your sense of peace and ease is based entirely on external circumstances, you will forever be stuck in the pursuit of happiness. And if you're tired of the chase...then it's time to take back your power and learn to embody a sense of peace and ease that you can carry with you no matter what your life throws at you.   Things mentioned... Virtual Yin + Mindfulness Classes: http://moondancecoaching.com/events/ First Coaching Call (Free!): http://moondancecoaching.com/free-call/

As we continue to plod our way through this challenging time, perhaps you’re coming to the realization that things will never be exactly the same. I, for one, am ecstatic. A crisis is a call to change and there IS a big change long overdue in our world and in our selves. Continuing to explore the tools, practices & mindsets that can help us through this time, today I present to you The Great Imbalance! And One Sacred Act of Rebellion you can take right now to re-balance your soul and literally change the world. I’m serious.   Virtual Yin Yoga + Meditation - starts May 14 - Jun 18! http://moondancecoaching.com/events/ WHOLE Health Coaching: Body/Mind/Heart/SOUL: http://moondancecoaching.com/

When you feel powerless to change what is happening, it can be helpful to remember the idea that: it’s not always about changing your life, sometimes it’s about changing the way you experience your life. Here’s to making peace with the present moment AND letting the process shake you back alive.   Soul Health Empowerment Coaching: moondancecoaching.com Get the Moondance Newsletter to stay in the know re: Virtual Yin Yoga, Healing Meditation + Tea Ceremony - Sign Up Here: http://eepurl.com/dtwGJL  

I want to keep sharing the tools, mindsets, and practices that can help you during what might feel like a very strange or challenging time. For today...When the big picture of what's going on in the world becomes overwhelming, practice zooming in to one singular moment of beauty.   Registration for April 25 Virtual Tea Ceremony & Healing Meditation: email angela@moondancecoaching.com SoulHealth Empowerment Online Coaching Programs: moondancecoaching.com/coaching    

In the wake of social distancing and self-quarantining, I’ve been thinking… that perhaps it's time to venture INSIDE in MORE ways than one... Never will there be a more perfect or necessary time than now to explore your INNER WORLD. Our outer world may be shut down, but your inner world is wide open for business! Discomfort is the container for growth. What is one brave change you could make inside of yourself spurred on by this challenging and uncomfortable time? Can you release what no longer serves you and trust that you are being guided into a whole new way of being in relationship with the world and yourself? moondancecoaching.com/coaching  

There is a spiritual and psychological concept that says that all human emotions can be distilled down into two base categories – fear or love. Though we can feel quite powerless during this time of immense worldly fears, it is helpful to know that we always have a choice. The power to respond a certain way is always in our hands. And in this choice lies our true power and freedom. What are you aligned with - the energy of fear? Or love? Episode also contains a sweet lil Guided Meditation on Love - use this for casting out fear and re-aligning with feelings of peace, safety and contentment!

I'm back from the dead (of winter)! After a bit of a hiatus I'm excited to share what I've been up to and what's in store for you and Moondance in 2020. Big themes for this year...ALIGN and HEAL. And it all kicks off with the Spring Equinox (or what I like to call "Nature's New Year") in mid-March!

Though the Winter Solstice marks the shortest period of sunlight and the longest period of darkness of the entire year, it has always been a time for celebrating LIGHT. That's right, from this point forward the days get longer and the nights get shorter. The only rules for celebrating this festive time? Conjure up some warmth and light! Dec 21 - Winter Solstice Candlelight Hygge Tea Ceremony: moondancecoaching.com/events

Midwesterners (or anyone who's ever lived in or visited a cold climate) - this one's for you! Hygge experts agree, hygge is less of an easily definable concept and more of a feeling, perhaps even an emotion. I like to think of it as “the art of coziness.” This is the stuff that’s good for the soul. Winter Solstice Candlelight Hygge Tea Ceremony: moondancecoaching.com/events

What if it doesn't have to be the end of the magic? What if adulthood isn't a curse that casts out all feelings of whimsy and wonder? What if there's a way to still experience the childlike wonder of the holidays even as a - gasp! - mature adult. Learn to slow down and listen to your soul as a path back to the magic of the holiday season. moondancecoaching.com/events moondancecoaching.com/coaching

Calendar calendar on the wall, who’s the dreariest of them all? Although November arrives in one pretty ugly package, it comes bearing some vitally important gifts. So no matter what your fall season looks like right now, let’s explore this magic that exists just below the surface. Workshops + Coaching + Testimonials at moondancecoaching.com

The Staycation feels like a lost and forgotten art. Gobbled up by our go-go-go culture, we seem to apply the busyness mentality of “doing” to our vacations, weekends, days off and downtime. So here’s the list we all need instead: 8 Excellent Ways to Do (Almost) Nothing.  moondancecoaching.com

There is something magical about fall: the crispness, the crunchiness, yes – the pumpkin-spice everything-ness. And the colors. OH the colors. Aside from the ciders and the bonfires and the scarves, there’s something else I’ve always loved about fall. It’s the FEELING of fall. This is a season that asks us to do what is often the hardest thing to do: Slow Down + Rest. Set Up Your Free Intro Call: http://moondancecoaching.com/free-call/

Confused about September’s hot/cold – summer/fall indecisiveness? Turns out, it can be categorized as it’s own separate season w/an agenda all it’s own. Seeming to do whatever it darn well pleases, September can represent the wild soul that lives inside each and every one of us. The part that is uniquely you, won't be boxed in - and knows exactly what you need to do to make yourself utterly, joyfully, amazingly happy. moondancecoaching.com

Does the idea of meditating make you laugh - or scream, or cry, or want to run away? Is it a practice in finding inner peace, or just a practice in pure frustration? For a long time, I felt the same way. This episode is about my own journey from hating meditation to understanding how to make it work for me. And if you’ve got a busy mind or a painful body, I think you’ll be able to relate. Meditation for Busy Minds / Yin Yoga Classes: moondancecoaching.com/events

The end of summer is busy enough; trying to add one more thing to do - even if that thing is self-care - can seem impossible! A friend once asked me for my one single most important piece of self-care advice. Here's that, plus four more simple self-care tips - easy enough to implement right now - to wrap up your summer with a much-needed dose of replenishment. For the info on iced tulsi tea + yin yoga in bed: moondancecoaching.com/blog  

We don’t get to a true experience of our light until we’ve been through the dark. And from what I’ve been hearing it sounds like this was a summer that acquainted many of us with our darkness. So, in the spirit of authenticity and confronting the uncomfortable in the name of growth - let’s shed some light on this darkness. Fall Class & Workshop info: moondancecoaching.com/events

August is a time of heat (too much?), joy (too little?), and - the fire element. And whether the heat is making us batty or we’ve lost our connection to our joy – the energetic prescription is the same: balance the Heart Meridian.  Remember the idea of mindfulness – paying attention – and you will begin to find that you can feed yourself with small ongoing doses of pure and honest joy. For info on Yin Yoga classes: moondancecoaching.com/events

On today’s episode we explore that elusive idea of finding balance in the summertime. Summer is hot, bright, fast, light and expansive. We get busy out of the gate, and then we just seem to get busier! But a key step towards personal growth is taking care that we don’t run ourselves dry. So we ask ourselves: How DO we find balance? For Yin Yoga Class Info:moondancecoaching.com/summer-yin-yoga-classes/

While the Full Moon gets all the attention, the New Moon is actually a very powerful time for setting intentions. Instead of waiting for the New Year to roll around, the New Moon gives us a monthly reminder to check in with ourselves and get clear on what it is we really want. A New Moon symbolizes a new beginning; so take advantage of this time to reinvent yourself and start afresh. For a visual list of the 6-Steps: moondancecoaching.com/new-moon-time-for-clarity-intention/

The environment around us can often affect how we feel on the inside - a messy house can sometimes make us feel more chaotic and strung out. On today’s episode, we explore the positive side of that, how the abundance that surrounds us every spring and summer can help to create that same feeling of abundance WITHIN us. THIS is a journey through six senses. For Summer Solstice workshop info: moondancecoaching.com/events

On the heels of late spring’s amazing display of nature’s abundance, today’s episode explores the idea of physical vs. spiritual abundance. And while having money and material abundance isn’t inherently bad, the question is…is it enough? How do we counteract our spiritual poverty and cultivate a “spirit of abundance” in a world that constantly leaves us feeling that something is lacking? For event info: moondancecoaching.com/events

The winter into spring transition ushers in a big energy of growth, rebirth, and new beginnings. We suddenly feel more inspired to bring our creative energy and our goals to fruition, and we are encouraged to detoxify ourselves on all levels. Find out what's NEW at Moondance this spring + explore what it means to detox in a simple and supportive way.  moondancecoaching.com