Conscious Strategies LLC

Tag: tips

How to make a yoga space at home
Setting up a yoga space that meets your needs
I once studied with a teacher from India who said “every room can be a yoga room”. What he meant was that space is a luxury so don’t let not having a separate room for yoga keep you from practicing. Making room for yoga practice can help you cultivate peace and keep your body limber.
Making a yoga space at home, it’s ideal to be further away from smells, sounds, and people. But that might be a luxury for you so do your best to simply have room for a yoga mat. You can round up a few blankets and cushions or invest in yoga props.
Using yoga props to create room for your yoga
Here are a few items that keep your practice safe and your postures purposeful. The links go to my Amazon store and I’m only linking brands I use. If you can only invest in one item, make it as good quality yoga mat as possible.
Yoga mat
A yoga mat is the most important yoga prop to buy. It transforms a floor to a practice space by ensuring you don’t slide around. Go to town with any color or style you like but make sure to buy good quality. It’s called a sticky mat after all and skimping can mean slipping and that can injure you. Look for words such as “durable”, and “non-slip grip” and make sure to check customer reviews. The tread on a yoga mat can wear out also, so consider that when you make a purchase.
I have a few Manduka mats that are pricey but trustworthy and durable too. The tall ones are also great for me because I can count on room to stretch out.
Manduka EKO Yoga Mat
Manduka PRO Yoga Mat
If you take your yoga mat with you to a studio, you can also look for “lite”, “light-weight”, “travel”, or “easy-to-carry” mats which may be thinner (1.5 to 4mm) than the regular ones.
Manduka Pro Lite Yoga Mat
Manduka X Yoga Mat – Easy to Carry
Manduka EKO Lite Yoga Mat
Manduka EKO Superlite Yoga Mat
Pro tip: Clean your yoga mat frequently. You can DIY a yoga mat cleaner using a spray bottle filled with water, tea tree oil and rubbing alcohol. Or, splurge on a cleaner and be done with it.
Manduka Yoga Mat Wash and Refresh
Yoga strap
When I travel, I always bring a yoga strap (yoga belt). Look for a D-ring or square buckle as opposed to the cinch style which can sometimes feel less adjustable. There are 6, 8, and 10 foot straps. I am tall and like the longer variations which are also more versatile than a too-short strap. Cotton is gentler than cord.
Hugger Mugger D-Ring Cotton Yoga Strap
Manduka Unfold Yoga Strap
Blankets
While you can use towels and household items, yoga blankets and especially the ones with fringed ends are very commonly used props. You can fold them to sit on, roll them to lie down on, and stack them up to simulate a bolster. At least one but some asanas (postures) use 2, 3, 4 etc. I’m tall for example, and sit on at least 3, while also using one under my ankles. Cotton Mexican ones are pretty common but wool is also pretty sturdy.
Benevolence LA Authentic Hand Woven Mexican Blankets
Manduka Yoga Wool Blanket
Halfmoon Cotton Yoga Blanket
Yoga blocks
Many types of yoga blocks exist. Some are thin, some are thick and you’ll also find them made of various products. Foam blocks are lightweight. Cork and wood are heavier and often more sturdy. I only trust the heavier versions and prefer cork and foam to wood based on years of using them. I recommend you buy 2 of one type – I actually own 6 cork and 2 thick foam. Since the cork ones chip, I may eventually get some blocks made of wood. Look for “non-slip” and at 9”Wide.
Manduka Yoga Cork Block
Manduka Recycled Foam
Hatha Yoga Walnut Wood Yoga Block
Gaiam Yoga Blocks
Bolsters and cushions
Yoga bolsters and meditation cushions are wonderful additions to any yoga prop collection. You can use them for many restorative poses and for sitting quietly. My preference is oblong / rectangular and I own two (now) the same as well as several cushions. If you have a blanket stack, you can get one to start. It’s ideal to get one with washable covers.
Manduka Yoga Rectangle Bolster Pillow
Hugger Mugger Standard Yoga Bolster
Hugger Mugger Zafu Meditation Cushion
Gaiam Yoga Bolster Rectangular
Gaiam Zafu Yoga Cushion
Yoga chair
You can do a whole practice using a yoga chair or pull it out to make certain postures more accessible. Metal folding yoga chairs are typically backless and I often fold up a very thin yoga mat on top which adds a layer of softness. You can build up the height with bolsters or blankets for some restorative posture variations. Chairs often make it easier to hold postures with the right alignment for your body so I love using them. Sub a folding chair but it’s not always the same.
Iyengar Yoga Chair – Backless
Metal Yoga Chair
Backless Yoga Chair Prop
Yoga Auxiliary Chair With Lumbar Back Support
After you’ve set up your yoga space
You can keep your yoga props visible or in a closet. This part is up to you. I like the ritual of taking my mat out and putting it away.
Even a short breathing practice can turn a frown upside down. Learn natural breathing easily on track 5 of the Yoga Mind CD. Or, contact me to schedule a class on Zoom.
Thank you for shopping. I do receive a small commission on each sale.
July 29, 2024
The Freelance Writer’s Five
Do you wonder how to make it as a freelance writer? I’ve been a professional freelance writer for many years now. I’ve worked 50 hour weeks and 50 hour months. These ebbs and flows are the result of client budgets, not ability. It’s the kind of flux that is often super rewarding or downright challenging. Resilience, in other words, is a freelancer’s middle name.
5 Tips for Freelance Writers
To navigate the world of a freelancer writer, there are five things I find crucial. Here goes. Bullets first for the skimmers.
- Create a Productive Workspace
- Manage Your Time
- Be Receptive to Feedback
- Research and Develop
- Have a Bottom Line
Create a Productive Workspace

If you work from home as a freelance writer, you’ll need a productive workspace. Clean and de-cluttered works for me. You show up at work and get right down to it. After all, if you don’t meet or come in ahead of deadlines, good luck getting a recommendation on LinkedIn.
Make sure you are professional
https://twitter.com/yoginiqueen?lang=en
Wise Freelance Writers Manage Time
The wise freelancer uses gaps in contracts. I’ve used mine to prepare invoices, re-write my resume, develop new business, blog and write forward.
Writing forward is about getting ahead. Yes you need a day off. But, writing for next month when you have time puts you in the position where you can accept new projects.
Blogging is obvious. You need to craft a writer identity. It can be different from what you write for others. In fact, many writers get their feet wet with a blog-on-the-side. I did. As a yoga therapist, I wrote about what I knew, then others asked me to write for them. Some initial gigs were free. Others paid.
Also, a blog is useful to drive traffic back to you (SEO 101). It also provides content for your social media feeds.
Be Receptive to Feedback
As freelancer writers, we work both for ourselves and for clients. Working for clients you may or may not get feedback on your submissions. Feedback is your metric, so if you don’t receive it, ask for it. The purpose isn’t to make you feel like the best writer in the whole world. It is to help you achieve optimal performance.
Research and Develop
Many freelancers stress the need to create a niche. Others speak of diversification. My feeling is that freelancer writers have to be in research and development mode. Maybe you are flipping a finance career into writing about finance. You’ll need to follow up on compliance, credible sources etc.
In my own case, my liberal arts background has fueled a strong interest in research. I’m also curious, inquisitive and love to learn. And I’m versatile. I can write for many industries. From education to yoga, mortgages, home decor – pretty much anything. Why?
I like to learn. Learning is vital to digital writers because search is changing. Searchers type and talk. Whatever you write about, just make sure you put in some legwork.
As the programming behind voice search gets more refined — in 2012 the word error rate was over 20%, but now it’s as low as 8% — it’s getting much better at picking up our speech quirks. This means that marketers interested in voice search SEO will need to reflect this in their strategies.
Forbes
I also follow up on any platforms and tools that I read about. I may not use them now, but it helps me to develop insights. To have conversations with others that might lead to new business. This means I can pitch to a wide variety of potential clients.
Have a Bottom Line
As a freelancer, I work to help clients achieve their bottom line. This could be higher conversion, social engagement etc. At the same time, I have a bottom line.
For instance, I will not write other peoples’ term papers. I mistakenly signed up with VIP Writers thinking it was all about high quality writing. In fact, it is a platform where professional writers (or students) write (Master’s) theses and so on. Not for me. You need to decide where you draw the line. This also goes for your wages.
How much do freelance writers make per year? Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for writers and authors was $61,820 in May 2017.
Yet, there is no clear cut answer to how much freelancer writers make per year. Some writers invoice at a flat rate, or per hour. A platform such as Upwork allows you to submit proposals with either terms. It does take a certain experience to calibrate how many hours each project needs.
Other freelancers bill per monthly retainer for frequent work and may thus extend a volume-based discount. If you are doing any social media, or routine blogging, subscriptions (rolling retainers) are the way to go. Great article by Stanford Business on why subscription services are taking over.
Some jobs pay per word but I am not sure this is favorable to writers. Fluff is out and usable is in, so using fewer words to sell a message is a skill that should pay higher (my view).
How Do I Get Started as a Freelance Writer?
Many freelance writers (I am one) started writing on the side for the pleasure. Do what you love, love what you do – right?
Outside WeWork in Northern Liberties
But enthusiasm aside, you need to treat yourself as a business. So get out there and be fiercely professional, creative and curious.
October 29, 2018
This Blog is About Me
This Blog is About Me
In Front of McGill University
I feel like this blog should have a soundtrack or at least a drumroll. That certainly sets the reader up with high hopes of fascinating content, perhaps a laugh or two, and maybe even a ‘top ten’ list. But seriously, the other day I got a quizzical look when I handed out my business card – Conscious Strategy? What is that? So today on the blog – and it has been awhile – a few things I have learned from nearly 2 decades of teaching and practicing yoga that have filtered into my work as a freelance writer. In other words, you may actually get a little insight from this blog post and maybe a few healthy lifestyle tips along the way. P.S. if you do want a soundtrack you could go here —> Yoga Mind CD
The Flow Plan or Conscious Strategy
Waterworks in Philadelphia
For one thing, teaching yoga (well) involves some planning and preparation. You don’t just dive into the most challenging asana (posture). You cultivate it by properly warming up with other postures that wake the muscles up and focus your attention and then winding down to come back to equipoise. There is, in other words, a flow plan.
Conscious Strategy: My Yoga of Penmanship
The Steps Through Westmount in Montreal
In writer-speak, I use the term ‘conscious strategy’. Perhaps I can attribute systems thinking to years of having to think of things in terms of steps and stages, fluid movement, fluid thought, fluid writing. When I write I prefer the approach of having a beginning, a middle and an end. Where do you want to go with that? Writing, is after all, a sales tool.
Writing is a sales tool #content #blog #marketing #sales
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Your client should benefit from increased business. Anyway, this is my hope when I get to write the home page of a website. When you think about it, having a destination in sight has a powerful way of focusing us. I learned this from taking class from a newbie once. Teaching a bunch of random stuff is very confusing. Writing randomly is fine for a biography (I guess) but not when you want to be hired for freelance writing.
A Calm Mind is a Creative Mind
Street Haiku in Jersey City
Before the reader and the writer part ways, I want to leave you with another gift from yoga, and that is mindfulness. No I don’t meditate with business clients, but I do listen, I do slow down, I do try to be conscious about many decisions. What to do and how to do it. So just to recap, here are a few interconnections I have made. Your own life has its own links in it. I like to use the lessons of my day, it’s like homework that I get a gold star in just for showing up and taking note.
- For any project, have an outline, menu, flow plan or conscious strategy
- Think about where you hope to end up
- Be available to be flexible if **it happens
- Creativity can come in when you take a break from over-thinking
- Catch yourself from going off on too many tangents
- Wrap it up, let go and start another project
September 15, 2016
SEO or Streaming ~ what is your writing style?
I recently attended the ICC where one of the best sessions I attended was about writing for SEO. This is what I do for my job so I admit, I have been less than diligent about posting on my own blog. So what is my motivation? I am reading a new book called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. I’m not that far into it, but the theme can be applied to writing style as much as to organizing a closet. So the topic for today is: Are you writing for SEO or Streaming of Consciousness? How to stay relevant to search without getting messy or too wordy and how to tidy up your act.
Are you #writing for #SEO or stream of consciousness? #tips to stay relevant #content
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Intelligent Content : Writing for SEO
SEO or Streaming ~ What is Your Writing Style?
If you are writing for SEO, you want to make use of search phrases. However, you don’t want to just stuff the same key words into one paragraph. That is akin to putting all your clothes in a bundle on your floor.
The act of tidying is a series of simple actions in which objects are moved from one place to another. It involves putting things away where they belong ~ Marie Kondo
I found, ironically, that the few first paragraphs of this book are cluttered. Repetitious. I’m not disparaging it. For a novel, stream of consciousness writing is acceptable. If you don’t like the author’s style, you don’t have to read the book. Arguably, if you are writing for a website, your goal is two fold: write for the audience, and write for the spiders. Some repetition is necessary although keeping it spaced out is a better option. Akin to hanging your white blouses on separate hangers.
Cleaning up your act: Writing with style and SEO in Mind
Writing for content generation is a layering process.
#writing for #SEO is a layering process
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You have the visible layer that you readers see, and the text that is woven through to ensure that your brilliant penmanship is not buried on google like the proverbial heap of clothing on your floor.
SEO and the art of layered writing
Cleaning up your act may involve:
- Determining your search phrase
- Organizing your thoughts: having a beginning, a middle and an end
- Categorizing your posts/pages so they are easier to access in search
- Expressing your key words in a variety of ways (don’t be too repetitious)
If you use stream of consciousness you have to balance that with the art of tidying up.
March 19, 2016
Functional Writing: Interviewing @Josepf
Functional Writing: An Interview With @Josepf
Functional writing is a phrase I am using to describe the intersection between content generation and purposeful presence online.
functional writing: an interview with @Josepf about #SocialSEO & #contentmarketing
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I believe as writers, we need to have integrity in what we express; this comes across in our writing style or voice. The other component is the idea of practical and functional expression, if what we are doing is to be relevant in digital marketing.
Brainstorming: functional writing/SEO/SOCIAL with @Josepf @Emmalish @Yoginiqueen
Interviewing Josepf Haslam
This is an interview with @Josepf, well known for SocialSEO, strategy and his Udemy courses among other things.
ME: I was teaching a workshop the other day, and one of the participants mentioned that he had been advised not to write for keywords. As an SEO expert, I thought I would ask you what you thought of this.
J: It’s more accurate to say ‘search phrases’. If you’re not writing to be found then you can completely ignore key words and search phrases, but if you do want to be found for either a key word or a search phrase, you damn well better write for it.
ME: I understand you are presenting at the Intelligent Content Conference (ICC) in March. I look forward to hearing you speak. Would you give us a snippet of what your seminar will be about?
Looking forward to your 10 #tips for #SEO @Josepf at ICC in March ~ @CMIContent
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J: My approach is that most people have learned how to use toilet paper and clean up after themselves. I’m giving away 10 expanded pro tips on how to optimize your content for SEO and Social before you publish. Each of these tips is as easy and necessary as using toilet paper. If you’ve mastered the first part, I’m sure you can master these tips.
ME: What is the number one misconception about SEO out there?
J: Unfortunately SEO has been likened to a snake oil salesman and there is a lot of truth to that stereotype. The best way to think about SEO is that you are actually writing for 2 audiences; the search engine spiders and people. You need to understand how to write for the spiders of you’re never going to be found by the people.
ME: What do you feel makes a good blog stand out?
J: A good blog is one that understands the 4 “S’s” of content marketing
what makes a good #blog? 4 #tips to make your #content stand out
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1. Segmented: who is the micro-segmented audience you are writing for?
2. Searchable: people are actually looking for the content and you know how to make the engines find it
3. Snackable: Like a great snack, people are always reaching for it; you want your audience to consume your content
4. Shareable: the #1 KPI for content is “was it shared”
ME: How did the nickname Godfather of Social Media come about?
“The GodFather of Social Media”
A twitter friend of mine @optioneerJM interviewed me about the future of digital marketing and she coined the phrase in that interview
what is the future of #digitalmarketing? @optioneerJM @Josepf
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ME: What is your favorite social media platform and why?
J: My favorite platforms have changed over time, and each serves a different purpose. Today my top 3 are Instagram, Linkedin and WeChat, all for different reasons.
March 1, 2016
To Review or Not to Review
To Review or Not to Review
Review are evaluations. Is a review useful to you? Do you write them or ignore them, and have you ever considered learning how to write one that is useful and purposeful?
To Review or not to Review
To review or not to review…that is the question. I am propelled to write about reviews because it seems like they are everywhere. I never paid much attention to them when I lived in Montreal, mostly because I never shopped online. Now living in the U.S. I actually do look at reviews, and as a writer, I examine them with a critical eye. A good review will either give you the motivation you need or save you from making a purchase, whether for goods or services. So what makes a review worthwhile? A few of my thoughts follow.
Writer’s Bias
Often, you can spot a writer’s bias. Words like “hated it” or “loved it” are strong statements that indicate a very personal experience. Yes, a review should reflect personal experience, however, it should also constructive so that the reader understands where you are coming from.
to review or not to review #writing #tips
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“I loved the restaurant because the waiters were patient and kind although the food was too salty for my taste buds” as opposed to “I loved the restaurant” gives the reader an indication of why you enjoyed your experience, and might be useful to the diner who enjoys good service and salty food.
Put a Title On It
A catchy title will attract people to actually read your review, and trust what you are saying. I was truly on the fence about the above yoga mat I purchased. It has some good features but for the purpose I bought it for, it is not ideal. I expressed my bias, my reasoning, and then left it up to the reader. I wrote it with the intention, no of criticizing, but rather, reporting. Short and sweet is a good way to configure your heading
Reading Between The Lines
Match the review with the product description. If you are buying a yoga mat that is supposed to be sticky, and people are rating it as slippery overall, this is a red flag. This is a good tip for you if you buy clothing online. Read the body types of the the reviewers to see if “too tight” means they should really buy a size up and the product will fit right, or whether in fact, across all sizes, the arm holes run too small.
Write As If The Readers Were Your Community
Being helpful is a way of sharing your insights in a constructive way. If you don’t have anything nice to say, use good manners. “The staff was disgruntled” versus “the waitress was a be-atch” for instance.
Wrapping Up
Businesses are using reviews to create engagement and harvest feedback from clients. It is a tool that is being used more and more to gain a following, and show that there is social listening. We can choose to participate or not. For me the bottom line is: keep your online presence purposeful!
People now expect to find out everything about everything with the click of a mouse or the touch of a fingertip. This is the age of mass transparency ~ Anthony Bradley / Mark McDonald
January 20, 2016
Keeping the Social in Social Media
Keeping the Social in Social Media
No doubt you have at least one social media profile, whether it be Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter. We have become a society who probably picks up the phone less than past generations, relying on texting and IM chats. We document our travels, food preferences, shout out birthday greetings, and curate coats on a variety of different platforms. This can be a way to have online (social) relationships with people we know but live far from. Personal social media is pretty social. We engage.
Business Use of Social Media
So many awesome people working in digital marketing to inspire new campaigns. The most successful ones are cultivating a purposeful presence online by building engagement and getting people to be excited about their products. While you may think that getting likes gets you noticed, getting your content shared, and sharing your own content, has marketing potential.
Once you’ve chosen the right social media technology and created a great participant experience around a compelling purpose, only one question remains. Will they come? Maybe not. ~ Anthony J Bradley/Mark P McDonald.
My friend Ty made me into a meme:
Sharing on social media trumps likes
Here are a couple of reasons I like to use social media channels:
a couple of reasons to use #socialmedia for #contentmarketing
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- To get my blog out there
- To create conversations around something I might be doing, such as writing a new post, or advertising an event
- To build engagement with audiences. Maybe we can share each other’s wisdom, or learn new things
- To network. You can meet interesting people who share your interests, or want to hire you.
- Good for organic SEO.
Social listening
Often overlooked, some pages get a lot of comments but don’t seem home. It’s like not answering your phone. I try to answer questions, or at least thank people for their comments. I would recommend, if you are trying to build a faithful network, or audience, that you check your page and at least “like” the fact that someone left a remark. Think long term fan base. Think engagement.
My personal preference is to keep my posts short and sweet, use a link to drive traffic to my site or a particular blog post. Long winded commentaries do not necessarily feel like conscious content.
If you are looking for a few tips to make your Facebook business page more fantastic check out this paid piece I wrote here. You can also contact me for social media management!
January 7, 2016