It’s that time of year when the January blues set in…at least for me. I dropped my daughter off in Kingston for her winter term at Queen’s University. And, my sister boarded her plane back to Thunder Bay. It’s back to just me and Ollie, my 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m fine on my own. However, I do feel a little down after the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the welcoming home of loved ones. Now the Christmas decorations have come down and everything feels a little stark and well, lonely. And to top it off, my birthday is early January and that means another year has come and gone.

Then out of the blue, Christina Hearns popped up in Messenger and generously offered to do a card pull for me on my birthday. And wouldn’t you know it, the card she pulled from her Self-Care deck was Comfy Day. Just what I need right now.

Check out Christina Hearns’ card decks on Ottawa Artisans

So, I’ll take a pj’s day and let myself feel the sadness. After that, I know it’s time to get up off the couch, get dressed, and create some new connections. Thankfully, I had the foresight to organize the first COKANNA Virtual Coffee Shop of 2023 to be an in-person get together. It’s an Empowering Meditation for the New Year with Christine Klerian on Saturday, January 14th, at 11:00 am.

Christine is an energy therapist, yoga instructor, and meditation guide. She will lead us through an empowering meditation, using our 5 senses, to remind ourselves that we all have what we need to live a calmer, more centred life any time of the year.

Here’s her bio: Christine was born and raised in Mexico City, and has also lived in Beijing, Vancouver, and Ottawa. With a background in journalism and education, she recently found her spiritual calling in the middle of a career crisis—don’t we all? She has complemented her graduate studies in Human Development with different energy healing modalities (Integrated Energy Therapy level 3, Reiki level 2, and Theta healing level 1) and is also a 200-hour certified yoga instructor.

Christine Klerian at MountainGoat Yoga

Christine leads yoga and meditation classes & workshops at MountainGoat Yoga. She has also been leading online meditation groups since the beginning of the pandemic and has supported the well-being of COKANNA Virtual Coffee Shop members on several occasions.

This in-person coffee shop will take place in a beautiful stone heritage building called the Richardson House which is my condo community’s clubhouse.

Richardson House

The address is 185 Boundstone Way in Kanata. We needed a minimum of 8 people for this event to run in-person. And, I’m happy to report that we have 9 people officially registered so far. I would love to connect with more of you at this free event. We can comfortably accommodate up to 20 participants. Here’s the link to register:

Count me in

If you’re feeling even the tiniest bit of the January blues, then please join me this Saturday and bring your journal, a pen, and a blanket. We’ll let Christine guide us to a more calm, centred, and optimistic place.

Until next time,

~ Colleen

I’m a recovering Chartered Accountant and Breast Cancer Champion turned Fashion Designer. My COKANNA Canadian-made bamboo clothing is all about comfort and style. Giving back to the community is important to me so I support local breast cancer organizations who treat the whole person and not just the disease.