Unleash the Power of Yoga Through Breath and Peace with Megan Nolan

Today I'm visiting with Megan Nolan, creator of the Power Pause Method that combines the tools of yoga, movement, breath work, and mental fitness to be more profitable and productive. Megan teaches her clients to press pause in order to refuel, refresh, and rejuvenate yourself on your way to your goals.

In this episode we'll visit about posture, breathwork, stress relief, and how to make progress without burning out.

Get your free Energy Fix Blueprint at https://www.megan-nolan.com/energyfix

Connect with Megan at https://www.megan-nolan.com/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/iammegannolan/

Transcript

Magic Barclay: 1:00

Welcome back to a Magical Life. I'm your host, magic Barclay. And today Megan Nolan joins us. Megan helps success-driven women press pause on their busy lives to overcome overwhelm and stress. She's the creator of the Power Pause Method that combines the tools of yoga, movement, breath work, and mental fitness to be more profitable and productive. Welcome, Megan.

Megan Nolan: 1:27

Thank you so much for having me. It's lovely to be

Magic Barclay: 1:29

here with you. It's my pleasure. Now tell us more about the Power Pause method.

Megan Nolan: 1:36

Love to. Thank you. So yes, as you mentioned, I do work with goal-driven, success-driven women and being one of those myself, and perhaps you have a few in your audience and you might be one as well. Sometimes we're very much in the go, go, go, go, go. We want to accomplish amazing things. You wanna. Get to the top of your mountain, if you will, and perhaps that's, you know, an actual mountain perhaps, or maybe it's going to Paris or having a home or what have you. But what I help people to do is to press pause on being busy to refuel. Because if we think about it from the perspective of climbing a mountain, and even if you haven't climbed a mountain, very likely yourself, your guests have gone on a hike, right? And so we think of getting to the end of the destination, and of course, along the way we paw. We sit down, we have some water, maybe you have a snag, take a look around, enjoy the view. Maybe you put your foot up on a rock and stretch your legs for a second. And that really helps to refuel and to refresh and to rejuvenate us. So I look at our lives in the same way. That in order for us to accomplish those big goals, it's really important that we press pause and do those same things to refresh your energy, to come back to yourself, rather than being in that, ooh, frantic, frantic, go, go, go, go, go, to, come back to. Center and to bring your body back to that place of calm, especially with all we've been through over the past few years. Really taking that intentional pause is so, so impactful, and it actually does fuel you to be able to keep going, whether that's. In your day or towards your goals, or if you're doing a launch or if you're on a hike, to be able to keep going. It replenishes your energy. And so that's really the essence of what I do and to help people to do that. I like to bring in tools that accomplish a lot all in one go. Yoga, exercise, breath work. All of that is so incredible because it not only helps you to feel good on a physical level, but also. Emotionally and mentally and you know, if you look at it from a broader sense, can really help you to tap in spiritually as well. And so I love things that accomplish a lot all in one go. And so that's really, you know, what yoga is for me, but also the power pause sessions are for me as well.

Magic Barclay: 3:57

Sounds brilliant. Now, how can your expertise. Accelerate people's health. Like I know the benefits of yoga, but maybe some people listening are just a little bit sketchy on, you know, how can this accelerate my health?

Megan Nolan: 4:13

For sure. That's a great question. And you know, starting with perhaps sometimes, We have these impressions of yoga based on what we see on social media. And you know, if you've seen some things on social media, you might be thinking to yourself like, I don't know if I'm ready for the Cirque de sole contortions, or if I wanna twist myself into a pretzel. And you know, that might be what we see. And that's, you know, there are some poses like that. But truly yoga helps you to come back. To yourself. It does. So by helping you to bring your body back into strong posture. I don't say good and bad posture. I say strong and weak posture because let's be real. I mean, I'm doing it right now and I know you are too. And maybe your listeners, we all spend way too much time sitting down and that's taking a toll on our body. And so. You can accelerate your health by bringing your body back into strong posture, because we all know what it feels like when we're like lit up with energy, feeling confident that helps you to glow with radius, and that brings natural energy and vibrancy back into you. And so when you're in strong posture, not only do you have less tension and pain, you have more energy, but it helps energy to flow more easily through your body. So it helps to balance your hormones, helps you to sleep better, feel less grumpy, feel happier, all of those things. And because. Yoga looks at you and all of us as a holistically interconnected system, mind, body, spirit, soul, all of it. And so by doing breath work or by doing stretches, it simultaneously benefits you on all of those levels. And there aren't many things that do that all in one go. And so I believe that that's how yoga can really accelerate your health.

Magic Barclay: 5:52

That's great. Now we talk about wealth here as well, and people think it's just financial, but also personal and emotional wealth really do help round out that whole area of life. So what are your top three tips to creating wealth?

Megan Nolan: 6:12

my first tip is the way you start your day is so, so important. It really does set the tone for the day because it creates that wealth of energy because you're moving back into strong posture. It creates a wealth of presence and focus and clarity. And so that would be my first one. My second one would be to expand your vision. And by that I mean, you know, we've likely heard the quote from Stephen Covey, begin with the end in mind. And so expand your vision to what you see wealth encapsulating for you. Yes. And that might be like your impact goals, your income goals, but the wealth of your reach is so important because if you think about it, For example, say you help somebody with, business coaching. So if you're able to empower them from the sense of creating an impact in their business, what does that make possible for them? What does that make possible for the people they get to help? So think of it from a broader perspective that creates wealth of impact and benefit for a larger community. So I like to really help people to expand their vision. So that would be another tip to create wealth and. My one that is like a staple foundation for me, a go to is what I meant there is in creating wealth is gratitude. And it's so important that we're grateful for everything that we have, but it really does help us to see that wealth and, and you know, not just the financial, and I love that you're seeing it from a broader perspective, but. Really appreciating everything that we do have. The fact that you have, eyes to open, to see ears to listen to us right now you have all of these things. And so I think that really allows us to get a wider perspective and it gives us that abundant or wealth perspective and consciousness. So those would be my three tips.

Magic Barclay: 7:59

There's some great tips there. Now look, we talk about weight loss here as well. It's something I've kind of chased all my life and I know many of the listeners may be juggling with their weight a little bit. So have you ever battled your weight? If so, how did you lose it and what can you offer the listeners on this journey? Because we know that stress is a really key player in weight gain or weight

Megan Nolan: 8:25

loss. Absolutely. Yes, a hundred percent. I have been challenged by that multiple times in my life. I have Hashimoto's, so I have low thyroid. So before I was able to get that into check, I really. Struggled with that because I was carrying extra weight and, and I have, you know, of course when I went away to university, there was that whole situation, but as an adult as well, I've had that multiple times. And during the pandemic, of course, despite being a yoga instructor and teaching fitness, I, I, I definitely added some extra of me to love during that time. And so yes, I've gone through that. And so what helped me is to. As I mentioned before, we committing to that vision for myself. I like to go to, you know, a few years from now, or 10, 20 years from now and look at like, how would I like to be feeling then, and I recognized. Okay. I, I want to, and I'm ready to make a shift in how I'm feeling and how I'm seeing myself and my level of confidence and energy and all of that was definitely really sinking down. So for me it was a recommitment to how I want to feel each day and a recommitment to the way that I was nourishing my body and moving my body. And I. have several times in my life gone through challenging times of depression and anxiety. And when I'm in those states, I definitely am far less motivated to move, and often that ends up in me having carrying extra weight. And so really just looking at that in a gentle way and a loving way and recognizing, okay, there was a season of that that's happened, and so what can I do to come back into that place of. Recommitment to my goals and to myself and moving in a way that feels nourishing, not punishing. Because a lot of times, you know, and, and especially in my industry, people are just like, I gotta work hard to, I gotta lose the weight. And I think it's really, for me, it comes back to what can I do that feels good for me right now, that feels supportive for my body, for my mind, my spirit. So coming back to that recommitment to. Being gentle and being patient, but being consistent and having that morning routine, truly that's like my go-to for so many reasons, but having the morning routine that sets me up for that every day And being okay with sometimes it being two to three minutes, five minutes, sometimes it's longer, and I can luxuriate through the process and the workout and the yoga, whatever it is, but just letting it be consistent. And I know that that's a challenge for a lot of people, but that's, to me is, is been one of the core ingredients of releasing the extra weight and coming back to a place of feeling really strong within myself and feeling happy and, and proud of who I am and how I feel and, and back to that place. Of loving acceptance. It's a journey though, for sure.

Magic Barclay: 11:10

It definitely is. Now look, before we go any further, we need to address the elephant in the podcast, and that is we love freebies. What can you offer the listeners and where can they find it?

Megan Nolan: 11:25

Yes, I love, I love that the elephant in the podcast, so I have a freebie. You can go to gift from megan.com and it's my energy fixed blueprint. It's a really quick but very powerful and impactful way for you to reset your energy, get a boost of energy, activate your body, get back into strong posture like that, quick like bunny, so it's some. Movements that you can do anywhere, even right at the office without changing clothes, without any extra equipment to come back to that feeling of ha you feeling vibrant, feeling energized, feeling clear, feeling happy, so that you can reset anytime you need it. So it's a little blueprint that you can use anywhere and you can grab that for free@giftfrommegan.com.

Magic Barclay: 12:13

Brilliant. Now that's all the official questions. Megan, tell us what the listeners need to hear about what you do, the impact that you see in the world, and how they can benefit from opening their lives up to the power of work and more.

Megan Nolan: 12:33

Well, I would say from what I do from a broader perspective as far as my mission, so my mission is to elevate the energy of the planet by helping people to get out of pain. And I mean that from a multilayered perspective, in a sense for pain, because yes, I certainly help people with physical pain that typically comes from the. Aches and pains of working on the computer all day. You know, the kind of seven sneaky symptoms of sitting too much, the ouchie and the tidy and the achy and the groany and all of that. That can happen very easily when we sit. So the physical pain, yes. But directly related to that is the feeling of like, oh, I just don't know, have this in me anymore. I'm exhausted, I'm drained. And the emotional drag that can happen if we're feeling like we're just push, push, push and not refueling along the way. So helping to. Create change by helping people to feel more vibrant, to feel more grounded, to feel more alive within themself. And so that's my bigger mission. But knowing that, you know, you have something that you're working towards.'cause I believe that we all have a mission in your soul. Or maybe you know, a vision that you wanna crave for your life, but knowing that in order for you to get there, And for that to be easy and to be light and playful and fun, ideally you are thriving and that's really when you take the time to, you know, fill up the proverbial cup, if you will, and do these tools, take pauses, have the morning routine, whatever that looks like for you. It doesn't necessarily have to be yoga, but whatever lights you up in that way will help you to thrive. And so you can really go out and accomplish your magic and share your magic with the world. And so really that's the essence of what I do. And, and you know, I have a variety of tools to help people do that, but ultimately for me, it comes back to helping you to, I. Go forward and shine your beautiful light. And so whatever it takes for you to do that, I'm on board. I mean, of course, I would love to support you in that mission and share these tools of yoga and exercise because there is a load of science and research behind how amazing they are. You don't have to just take my word for it, but if you like to have it, you know, well validated by research, there's lots of that as well. But it also just makes you feel really good. So in my opinion, that's really important.

Magic Barclay: 14:52

Definitely look in my experience with breath work, having had high blood pressure a couple of times in my life, just sitting still and just being, and really focusing on my breath box, breathing, that kind of thing, has been able to, regulate that blood pressure. So what are some other ways? That listeners can really focus on their breath and just sit still and be, that can improve

Megan Nolan: 15:23

their health. That's a great question and and I will add a bit of a qualifier to that because sometimes when people are starting out with breath work or meditation or yoga, for example, it can be really challenging because. As soon as you try to quiet your mind and focus, it's like ding, you know? And it's all over the place, and it's just trying to do everything it can to distract you from what you're trying to do. So please just, you know, keep that in mind that very likely that will happen, because that's certainly is what happened with me and what I, you know, cause me to not do meditation or breath work for the longest time and longer than I'd, you know, admit. But it was way too long, you know, I guess. It was a long time anyways, but just knowing that going in. But one of the tools that I really find quite helpful is if you are experiencing something for example, if you're feeling really stressed out in a moment and you're thinking, I'm feeling so stressed right now, I'm totally stressed. Oh, you're in that frantic state, I would ask you to just de declare that I'm feeling stressed. Then ask you what would you prefer to feel instead? Would you feel calm or peaceful? So, okay, so say you're feeling stressed now, but you'd like to feel peaceful. So what you'll do is as you breathe in, You say to yourself, I'm inhaling calm, or whatever it is you want to inhale. Okay. So, or be. So say to yourself, I'm inhaling calm. And as you exhale mentally say to yourself, I'm exhaling stress. Okay. So you focus on the inhale and you say to yourself, I'm inhaling calm. Then as you exhale, I'm exhaling stress. So not only are you doing the breath work, you're taking that long breath in and you're mentally repeating to yourself that statement. And then as you exhale, you're taking that long breath out and you're repeating the other statement. So you're saying a mantra to yourself. So you're saying something to yourself over and over, but you're also layering it with the breath work. So that can be a very powerful tool, especially if you're feeling kind of wound up or worried or what have you. So that's A really powerful one to start with because it's not only allowing you to let go and release, but simultaneously you are receiving, you're drawing in, you're calling in, you're asking for what you want. So it's a powerful tool to both receive and release, which is essentially what you're doing when you're breathing, but layers it on a little bit more. So it allows your mind to really focus on what you're doing.

Magic Barclay: 17:57

I do love that. Now, what is something else that we haven't covered that you feel the listeners need to hear?

Megan Nolan: 18:03

Hmm. I would just remind you that every little bit I. Is powerful. And whether that's three deep breaths before you get going in the day, or it's a little pause to step outside and put your feet on the ground or to, you know, do a little wiggle, shake it off a little bit, everything adds up. And so both in positive and the negative sense, but focusing on the positive is that sometimes we get really caught up in our head of like, my routine should look like X, Y, Z. Or if I can't do a half an hour or an hour, what's the point of doing it anyways, just knowing that. You can sneak it in throughout the day and still have a really powerful therapeutic healing, beneficial effect on yourself. Just like steps, you know, we think about steps and people have this goal of 10,000 steps, and it's not like you're gonna walk 10,000 steps, then that's the end of the day. They're counted throughout the day. Right. So just knowing that every little bit that you do. When you do something for you is so, so, so brilliant and so powerful and such a beneficial thing for you to do. And so not to get too, you know, fussed on what it looks like, but just knowing that when you take that little time out, when you press pause, it is, Going to affect how you feel today, which then of course will affect how you feel later on and then tomorrow. And so just knowing that it all is cumulative when it's taking you towards the direction that you want to go.

Magic Barclay: 19:37

I love that. That is some great advice. Now, people can find you on Instagram at I am Megan Nolan, so that's I a double m e g a double n o l a n. And your website is megan nolan.com. What can people find on your website?

Megan Nolan: 20:05

On my website, there's. More information about me, as well as some other things that I do. So I work with a variety of local businesses and businesses internationally to help their teams to press pause so that they stay energized, focused, and productive, as well as some other. Resource and fun blog posts, as well as other different places where I have gone on other podcasts. So there's lots of incredible things for you to check out, to get great value from, but also to learn some more about me and the way that I share these tools with, with you, and with the world.

Magic Barclay: 20:39

Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us, Megan. This has been a lot of fun listening to your passion about all the things that you do, and what are some parting words you have for the listeners?

Megan Nolan: 20:55

I like to remind people that you are far more powerful than you give yourself credit for, and that is because you get to decide how you're gonna show up each day. You get to decide how you. Interact with each moment and each person and really remembering that. And so I like to remind people of the quote or perhaps share for the first time from Viktor Frankl that says, between the stimulus and the response, there is a space. And in that space lies your power to respond. And so I see that pause in between what happens and how you respond to it as the place of power. So we get to. Settle in and make the decision of how you're going to respond to somebody, what you're gonna say, or how you're gonna show up into that meeting or what have you. And it really comes back to practicing the pause. And sometimes the pause can be a split second. Sometimes we do something, we have a knee-jerk reaction and we gotta go back and, you know, make amends and all that. But really remembering that. The way you show up is going to impact how you feel and what happens for you. And so just really being aware of how powerful you are and making it a priority to prioritize how you feel and how you think about, and how you speak to yourself because it's all has a ripple effect in your life and into

Magic Barclay: 22:18

each moment. There's some great advice there and a brilliant quote. Thank you so much for your time, Megan. I've really enjoyed listening to you, as I'm sure the listeners have.

Megan Nolan: 22:30

Thank you so much for having me. It's been great to be here.

Magic Barclay: 22:33

Listeners. This was your episode two 15 of a Magical Life. As always, we invite you to jump onto our Facebook page. A Magical Life podcast. Let us know who you wanna hear from, and if you've loved this episode with Megan, please go and give us a great review. I'm sure Megan will love that too. Definitely visit her website@megannolan.com. Listeners, for now, thank you for your time. Go forth and create your magical life.