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empowerment

Owning Our Stories: Living Our Unedited Truths

Owning Our Stories: Living Our Unedited Truths

On Tuesday, December 5th, WILL LANE and WOMEN MAKING WAVES co-hosted an evening of open dialogue at WeWork Soho.

“Break The Silence” was a special evening dedicated to breaking social and emotional stigmas by shedding light on the importance of owning and voicing our real stories as women.

With women from all over NYC in attendance, WOMEN MAKING WAVES founder Charlotte Haimes and WILL LANE founder Emily Soong shared their personal stories and discussed how embracing our struggles and fights can build courage and inner strength, in the same way that embracing our triumphs does.By sharing their journeys honestly, they aimed to create solidarity, connection, and an opportunity for women to share their truths (vulnerabilities and all) without judgment. 

I’d like to challenge us to think about the concept of empowerment & strength in reverse. What if by being empowered, we were being enabled to find strength in honesty, to find strength in vulnerability, to find strength in asking for help, and to find strength and power in authenticity.
— Emily Soong
There is so much stigma attached to emotional pain because of the pressure to live our lives according to what’s expected of us. Accepting our struggles is challenging, but it teaches us to be more tolerant, self-accepting, that being imperfect is OK, and that ultimately, our stories may be a part of us, but they don’t define us. Once we’ve understood that, we realize how freeing it is.
— Charlotte Haimes of Women Making Waves

The talks were followed by small group discussions & mingling with delicious snacks provided by "Allo Maman What's Cooking"!

We'd like to thank everyone who joined us! We loved connecting with you, sharing our real stories, and learning about yours. YOU continue to inspire us each & everyday.  

Start Your Day with Some Flow

Start Your Day with Some Flow

By Chloe Knight

As someone committed to daily fitness, people often ask how I stick to my workout routine. What keeps me going is starting each day with movement. Being active early in the day, especially in the mornings, helps me feel so much better - physically & mentally - throughout the rest of the day. It's a matter of throwing on my Kali sports bra, Jennifer leggings, and sneakers and then getting outside. 

Whether it’s a twenty minute run around the neighborhood, forty minutes of yoga and core work, or making one of my favorite workout classes in the city, I know that once I'm done sweating, the feeling of accomplishment and the boost of endorphins makes me feel so much more energized, and I’m ready to take on whatever the day brings.

Do whatever feels right to you in the morning! Everyone’s preference is different and every day is different too. Whatever it is, as long as it’s active, just get up and move. There is no better feeling than making progress towards a personal goal, no matter how “big” or “small",  which is an achievement in and of itself. Embracing the process can provide an amazing boost of confidence.
 
I begin my day with the following yoga sequence. Not only is it great for opening your heart and focusing the mind on a positive intention for the day, it also stretches the IT bands and loosens up the hip flexors. Check out the video and sequence below!

What I'm Wearing: Kali Sports Bra and Jennifer Legging

Morning Flow:

15. Slowly roll all the way back up to seated

16. Squeeze knees lifting chest

17. Plant right hand down behind you

18. Lift hips: Rockstar pose

19. Breathe here opening heart setting intention for your day and what you want to focus on while running

20. Wrap left arm up and over around your body/ twisting legs/ walking hands back into a forward fold

21. Release head and neck/ breathe / let everything go: stretch into the IT bands preparing for your run

22. Walk hands forward to plank

23. Chataranga with legs crossed

24. Upward facing dog, uncrossing the legs 

25. Downward facing dog

26. Repeat sequence switching Rockstar to the left side this time

1. Downward facing dog

2.Plank

3. Chataranga

4. Upward & downward facing dog

5. Bend knees look forward hop to your hands

6. Half way lift

7. Forward fold (release/exhale/let everything go)

8. Sweep arms up/sit low: chair pose

9. Breathe: with every exhale sit a little lower

10. Come all the way down to seated

11. Boat pose & crunches

12. Squeeze knees tight into chest

13. Plant feet on ground 

14. Slowly roll all the way down to tips of shoulder blades, engaging the core