Saturday, October 22, 2016

Consciously Create The Life You Truly Want...for free!


Hey, could you benefit from having your own personal life coach right now? I'm not even joking when I say that I'll be your coach for free! I'll help you set some goals and reach them, and your self-awareness will increase simultaneously. What's the catch? How can I offer this for free? What are my qualifications? Excellent questions...

Well, I decided to do audio recordings of the 12-session coaching program I've designed called Consciously Creating the Life You Truly Want. I've seen the very positive results of this program with my in-person clients and I wanted to be able to offer it to a greater number of people -via the internet. If you love it, you can make a donation, or not.

As each individual becomes more empowered and aware, this raises our collective level of consciousness. That's good news for you and me, my friends. That means more love, more peace, less hatred and violence. It's really as simple as that. If you'd like to know more about me and this free Conscious Coaching audio program, please visit my website, www.lisevilleneuve.com

All the best,

Lise,
The "Conscious Coach"
www.lisevilleneuve.com
Creator of Conscious Kids & Conscious Health

Saturday, October 1, 2016

My Darkest Time Revealed in a Magazine!

I never would have thought in a million years that one day, I'd be sharing what turned out to be the darkest period in my life with the world - in a magazine recently published in India! Life is funny that way, and I don't regret a second of it!

Click on the link below to read the article. Special thanks to Suzy Singh.


Love,

Lise Villeneuve
Free printable mindfulness cards

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Un P'tit Poème en Français Pour Faire Changement...

For some reason, these words came to me in French tonight. They describe a typical day at our house. If you don't understand French, that's ok, you're not missing that much anyway! :)

Un doux baiser me tire du sommeil
Je crois qu'un ange a frôlé ma joue
Tandis que je flotte entre le rêve et l'éveil
De petites mains me chatouillent le cou

Mon réveille-matin a déjà sept ans!
Il est pressé de commencer sa journée
Je le retiens, je l'embrasse un moment
Quel bonheur que de se retrouver!


On passe doucement à la cuisine
Là où s'affolent deux chattes affamées
Mesdemoiselles se lèchent et relèchent leurs babines
Alors qu'on prépare le petit déjeuner

Le soleil éclaire notre salle de classe;
Le salon, la cour, la ville, la Terre
Je fais apparaître du café dans ma tasse;
Mon carburant de choix pour explorer l'Univers

Les enfants sortent leurs livres, crayons et cahiers
Parfois encore dans leurs pyjamas
Heureux d'apprendre, curieux et enjoués
L'école est un jeu, une tombola

Les leçons terminées, la nature nous appelle
Le ciel est bleu, l'air est enivrant
Dans le jardin dansent mille coccinelles
Sur des champignons hallucinants


Les jours sont simples, les jours sont doux
Ils savent bien vivre, les enfants
Le coeur ouvert et prêts à tout
Ils savourent l'instant présent
Oui, ils savourent l'instant présent.


Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com


Wednesday, September 14, 2016

What A Crappy Morning...Literally!

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was woken up by a mysterious crash at about 3am (probably the cats having another wild shooter party on top of the China cabinet.) Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep until about 7am, and when Theo pulled me out of a very strange dream, the first thing he said to me was "Emma says something's wrong with the toilet." I just figured the chain was tangled or something minor like that, until I pulled open my drapes and saw the sewer truck working in our back alley. Oh-oh. When I opened my bedroom door, I was greeted with a real, genuine, overwhelming smell of 'eau-de-toilette' that permeated the entire house.

The bathroom door was closed by the time I got to it, Emma had made it "off limits." I peeked inside, only to find dirty toilet water sprayed everywhere. Yuck! (and the seat was down!) What made it even worse was that my bladder was about to explode. I checked the bathroom in the basement and it was the same scene. Yucky sewer water everywhere. Crappy. Crappy, crappy, crappy. We've had a similar issue in the past, the sewer line workers are required to use low pressure. But they obviously didn't!

I called the city and they told me someone would call me back...eventually. So I shamelessly went out to the truck in the alley (yes, in my pajamas, with my dragon breath and crazy morning hair) and told the workers about the pleasant situation in our house. Yup, I told them "my house smells like s**t, my toilets are overflowing, and I need coffee. Now." Well, maybe I didn't use those exact words, but all they could say was "sorry."
So back to the house I went, knowing that it was going to be one of those days. There was breakfast to prepare, I had to get the kids started on their schoolwork (we homeschool), Emma had her first Musical Theatre class in a few hours, I still had to pee and the house was a smelly disaster. Then the city called back to say "sorry". I told them I would send them the cleaning bill. Of course, that means filling in a damage claim form, yadiyadiyada. I probably looked a little bit like the woman in this picture (with worse hair, pajamas and a fuller bladder).

But then something in my brain happened. That's quite surprising pre-coffee. I remembered a particular mindfulness card that I had written and included in my deck of 56 cards just a few weeks ago. Yup, those cards are back to haunt me. This one basically said "if you can't change a situation, you might as well relax and surrrender." I took a deep breath and just let go of the anger, the frustration and the stress. Then I smiled to myself, thinking that if the damage claim goes through, at least I will have started my day by making $100 for washing the bathrooms. Not bad, right?

The whole ordeal was stressful, but somehow, we got everything done. The kids ate their breakfast on the front step -where at least it didn't smell like a sewer- while I pulled out the sexy latex gloves. Emma and Theo promptly did all their schoolwork, I sent in the damage claim, and we even made it to Musical Theatre class on time. The only thing missing was my coffee, which I got to enjoy even more than usual later in the day. Did I mention how sparkling our bathrooms are now?
All the best,

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids
Get your free deck of mindfulness cards here.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Nobody Ever Taught Me THAT In School...

School's back in full gear for many of us. Believe it or not, every morning when I wake up, I feel extremely grateful to have the opportunity to home school my kids. I'm not going to lie, we don't like being rushed in the morning! We're now starting our 5th homeschooling year and I feel like we're really starting to get the hang of it. We know what works for our family, and we're more confident about this alternative way of life.

In anticipation of all the people who will be asking the kids 'What school do you go to?' this year, I think we will just call ourselves L'Académie Francophone Villeneuve-Carver. Sounds legitimate, right? That should at least reduce the number of awkward conversations with cashiers who think homeschooling is only for hillbillies. But hey, this post is not really about homeschooling. It's about the Art of living.

I wish that someone had taught me about the Art of living a happy, fulfilling life when I was a kid! I learned plenty of practical, interesting facts in school and University, but like the majority of us, I had to figure out the  most important questions on my own: What makes us truly happy? What's really important in life? What can we do on a daily basis to create a fulfilling and meaningful life? How do our thoughts matter? Where's the nearest Starbucks? Good, you're still paying attention.

The bottom line is, school didn't teach me that happiness is a choice I make every day. Did it teach you that? Maybe I just went to bad schools. Lol. I just felt like I had to go to school and things were largely out of my control. I never knew that I was creating my reality with my thoughts. I didn't know that my emotions were my inner-compass and that I could wilfully move myself up the vibrational scale of emotions. Nobody ever taught me that I would eventually get what I focused on, even if I was focusing on what I didn't want! If I had known these things, I would probably have felt much more empowered and confident. Thankfully, times have changed and these notions are now becoming more widespread, even in some schools.

Back to homeschooling for a minute. One of the things I love about it is that I can sneak in some of these 'Art of living' notions when challenges come up with the kids - because they always do- especially during school time! When the kids get frustrated or discouraged, I can immediately intervene and help them become more aware of the thought patterns that are creating their negative emotions. This helps them keep things in perspective, and it may prevent really bad habits from eventually forming. I can remind them to focus on what they wish to reinforce in their lives.

Education is super important, and it becomes even more powerful when it's combined with a growing self-awareness. As their teacher, I get to practice teaching mindfully each day, and that's a real gift!

Here are some of our rules at L'Académie Francophone Villeneuve-Carver:

Teachers:
1. Thou shall stop teaching immediately if you are unable to give loving, compassionate energy.
2. Thou shall stop teaching your lesson if there is no sense of joy, play and wonder in it.
3. Thou shall remember: your energy sets the tone. Be in the moment. Breathe.

Students:
1. Happiness is a choice you make every day. You are in control.
2. Your thoughts create your emotions. Choose your thoughts wisely.
3. You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want, not what you don't want!
4. You are the creator of your own reality. Your intentions are powerful.
5. Negative emotions tell you you're out of alignment. Raise your vibration!

Wishing you a wonderfully mindful school year!

Lise Villeneuve
Creator of Conscious Kids -downloadable mindfulness stories & activities
Get your free mindfulness card deck here
www.lisevilleneuve.com


Saturday, September 3, 2016

You Have Arrived. You Are Home.

Take a deep breath. 
Stop.
You have arrived. You are home.
 Be still. 
Quiet your mind. 
You have arrived. You are home.
 In this moment, there is nothing you need to do. 
Nothing outside of yourself can create the peace that is already arising naturally within you now.
Release all tension. 
You have arrived. You are home.
 Breathe. Relax. 
Open your heart and trust that all is well.
You are loved. You are beautiful.
You have arrived. You are home.
 Smile. Be grateful for all your blessings.
Inhale. Exhale. 
Notice any thoughts that come and just let them go.
You have arrived. You are home.
Surrender to the perfection of this moment.
Breathe deeply.
You are connected to everyone and everything.
You have arrived. You are home.
Whenever your life circumstances pull you out of the present moment
Remember : You have already arrived. You are already home.
The joy of being is already inside you.
Don't search for it somewhere in the past or the future.
You have arrived. You are home.

Lots of love,
Lise Villeneuve

Friday, August 26, 2016

I Know Where You Can Get Free Mindfulness Cards...

So I have this thing for oracle cards. Emma was given angel cards for her birthday last year, and I have to admit that I sort of, kind of... stole them. Well, she knows where they are, but I seem to use them a lot more than her. Why do I like oracle cards so much?
I have no doubt that the divine, the spiritual realm, or whatever you want to call it, is constantly communicating with us. Sometimes we are open enough to get the message and at other times, a knock on the head with a hammer is still too subtle for us. When I'm in a spiritually receptive mood -and especially if I have a particular question or seek guidance, I'll pick up the angel card deck. Every single time I do this, the cards help me find clarity. These cards are a great tool to get in alignment with our higher Self.Very often, I laugh my head off because the message I get is so obviously clear!
 For example, about three days ago, I got this spontaneous idea. I wasn't anywhere near the angel card deck at that time. My idea was actually to make my own oracle cards for Conscious Kids (the mindfulness course I wrote this year). I thought to myself "hum, I wonder if this is a good idea? Let me check with the angel cards." Then I thought "It would be really funny if the one card in the deck that says 'Brilliant Idea!' popped up. Well you can guess the rest. I was shuffling the cards and one of them jumped right out of my hands. Yup, it was 'Brilliant Idea!' I laughed, then I realised I had no excuses to put off this divinely inspired project.


Some of you may think it was just coincidence, but for me, the sure sign that something is divinely inspired is that it takes form almost effortlessly. Here I am, three days later, and my 56 mindfulness cards are done, printed and fully available for free download on my website! Badaboom!

So there, if you've never tried oracle cards, you can try these mindfulness ones for free. They are good for kids and grown-ups too. Younger kids can play the game "memory" with the cards -matching the pairs of identical mandalas. By the way, Emma (who turned 12 just yesterday!) drew every single mandala on those cards.

Are you ready for a little divine guidance? Let's see what's in your cards...

All the best,

Lise Villeneuve
www.lisevilleneuve.com