Get Merry

This episode is Part 1 of our 10-part Yoga philosophy series where we dip our toes into the Yogic philosophies, starting with the Yamas and Niyamas. You'll realise that Yoga is so much more than just a downward-facing dog. Learn more about our Yoga Teacher Training program over here.This is what we spoke about during the episodeYamas are the first limb of Yoga. Nishala Joy Devi, an amazing author and Yoga Teacher, translates the Yamas as practices that uncover our true nature.Yamas are often described as the "don'ts".Ahimsa, the first Yama, is often translated as non-violence. How can you show up with more love, with more kindness, not only for others, but also for yourself?Nishala Joy Devi translates Ahimsa as embracing, revenance, and love for all. We experience oneness. With love and kindness, we then experience a connection.Listen to our Chakra series: 353: Joy, Pleasure and the Sacral Chakra, 354: Confidence, self-esteem and the Solar Plexus Chakra, 355: Kindness, love, compassion and the Heart Chakra, 356: Communication, truth-telling and the Throat Chakra, 357: Intuition, making decisions and the Third Eye Chakra, 358: Your higher power, something bigger and the Crown ChakraIf you loved this episode or have more questions about this, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

This is a special episode, we share our 108 Affirmation Meditation from the MerryBody App.Meditation welcomes mindfulness and focus, and this creates an ideal state for positive affirmation. Affirmations are positive statements that shift negative thoughts. You can use them to help reinforce your desired beliefs.Meditation and affirmations form a powerful duo for personal growth and wellbeing. Together, they amplify each other's effects, helping to rewire the brain for positivity and resilience. When combined, meditation calms the mind and cultivates focus, while affirmation welcomes self-confidence and motivation. Our MerryBody Members are loving this meditation, hear what some of them are saying about it.“I just completed the Feel Good Yoga class and finished off with the 108 affirmations, so good” - Jo “This morning my body still felt quite tired, normally I would have chosen a Yin class, but instead I pressed play on Nadi Shodhana pranayama and then the new meditation in the MB app, 108 affirmations (amazing! I highly recommend it).” - Allie “I just did the 108 Affirmations meditation. I feel so good now, your voice is so calming” - Irene “I just did 108 affirmations meditation too! How empowering is it?! So uplifting.” - Tiina This is what we spoke about during the episodeWe spoke about the power of Positive affirmations during last week's episode 408: Do positive affirmations work?Find a seat, or tune in while you're walking and experience a amazing shift in your thoughts. Join us for our upcoming 14 Day Challenge on the 20th of May, inside the MerryBody app. We will combine, Movement, Meditation and Affirmation. Download the app and start your 7 day free trial to take part.If you loved this episode or have more questions about this, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

In this episode, we chat about positive affirmations and their power to shift your mindset. They are very much part of our business journey. When we started our business (11 years ago now) we had them pinned up on all of our walls everywhere.This is what we spoke about during the episodeWe came to a point where we stopped believing in the power of positive affirmations but listening to the Founders Podcast reminded us of the importance of positive affirmations and a positive mindset.Positive affirmations are essential in shifting mindsets, especially in a stress-laden environment like managing a business.It's important to look at our thoughts and the words that are on repeat in our mind.Positive affirmations are not just woo-woo or whimsical magical teachings. Carla shares her hypnobirthing journey, where positive affirmations are practised, to let go of the stress and anxiety of giving birth.Positive affirmations can help regulate our emotions. If we shift our thoughts, our thoughts create the feelings.It might feel weird when you first welcome in positive affirmations about yourself but you must persist. Over time, the resistance starts to fade.The magic comes when you link it to a regular practice of your life such as yoga, Pilates, and meditation. If you want to feel the power of affirmation combined with movement and meditation, join our upcoming 14 Day Challenge on the 20th of May, inside the MerryBody app. Download the app and start your 7 day free trial.If you loved this episode or have more questions about this, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Right now we have over 600 Yoga, Pilates, Yin, Barre and meditation MerryBody classes inside our App. One of our amazing Yoga teacher trainees asked us about the inspiration and decisions that go into the creation of these classes. Thanks for the question Sharon, this was such a fun conversation. This is what we spoke about during the episodeHow we first designed our first in-person Yoga and Pilates classes compared to now. We began filming 4 classes a day, now we are filming 10. You have to start somewhere, reflect, learn and then make it better.When you are organised and have a system, it creates the perfect environment for creativity to thrive.If you haven't tried our classes, sign up to our FREE Pilates class called Daily Dose Pilates or try our FREE Yoga class called Desk Worker Upper Yoga.If you're interested in joining the 2025 MerryBody Yoga Teacher Training, sign up for the waitlist.If you loved this episode or have more questions about this, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

In this episode, we chat about everyday anxious thought loopholes that so many of us experience, and how we can better manage these.This is what we spoke about during the episodeWhat is the mind-body connection and how does it impact our physical and mental health?Your thoughts impact your feelings, and how you feel impact the actions you take.Exercise and movement release feel good hormones. If you are sedentary, it can lead to lower feelings and depression.Strengthen your mind-body connection and don't wait for the anxious thought to come. Do the breathwork, hit play on the yoga class and meditate.Meditation increases self-awareness and helps in managing your thoughts and reactions.Check in with the tools you're using for managing anxiety and hold on to the ones that work for you.Keep practising meditation despite initial discomfort and feel the benefits.How do you move through your anxious thoughts?If you loved this episode, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Listen to this episode for a quick burst of motivation to open up your study books (or program). As we start week 1 of our 2024 MerryBody Yoga Teacher Training. We chat about learning as adults and the challenges that come with it. And how do we approach learning and make sure we enjoy it? And get it done!This is what we spoke about during the episodeLearning is so accessible nowadays, it's easier to sign up for a course, but also easier to fail and not do it.It's balancing discipline, structure, flexibility, and joy in the learning process.When you learn something new, it's going to take time.Don't just focus on getting the results and forget the whole point of the learning.As we get older, it's really easy to just stop learning and just think that we know enough.What lights you up and what makes you feel excited? Learn about that!Some things can get in the way and derail our plans, so it's important to embrace flexibility and self-compassion.Release expectations and detach yourself from how the journey should look.If you loved this episode, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

It's been a crazy start to the year! We've been super inconsistent with the podcast, but here we are! In this episode, we chat about Carla's pregnancy and how we're preparing to balance nurturing a growing business and the arrival of a new life.This is what we spoke about during the episodeCarla is 22 weeks pregnant and well over the halfway mark. She has had no morning sickness and feels amazing!Emma thought the baby grew inside the placenta, inside the womb. Yes. Serious. Carla's baby bump has popped but she's struggled most with her boobs growing bigger. Her self-acceptance practice (from MerryBody) is so strong and this is helping her a lot. We are feeling confident (yet realistic) about balancing baby and business. We are officially starting our second cohort of the MerryBody Teacher Training on the 17th of March. We already have 27 cohort trainees. We are so excited!If you haven't signed up yet, now is the perfect time to join. It's going to be 16 weeks of potential life-transforming magic.It's been an amazing start to the year and we're ready for the coming months! Bring it on!If you loved this episode, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Check out all the Get Merry Podcast episodes on iTunes and Overcast and Stitcher for Androids. Plus we are on Spotify over HERE! If you loved this episode, if you love this podcast, we would appreciate you leaving us a review on whatever podcast app you're listening to.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

It's time for part 2! Emma shares more of her Roman adventure! This episode is more about the places to visit in this wonderful city, and we're not just talking about the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. Think, majestic medieval towns that are just a short drive from Rome. If you're a foodie, go back to Part 1 of this episode where we talked all about food in Rome.If you prefer to read, check out this epic blog post with lots of advice on what to do and where to eat in Rome!This is what we spoke about during the episodeTivoli is a small town on the mountain tops and a just a 40-minute drive away from Rome. Throughout history, noble people went to Tivoli for their summers to escape the Roman heat in summer. The Villa d'Este is an ancient Renaissance site with beautiful interiors and mind-blowing gardens.Caprarola is a small town in Lazio region, where Rome is also a part of. The Palazzo Farnese is a Renaissance mansion in Caprarola known for its pentagonal design and amazing frescoes or plaster wall paintings.The Rocca Calascio is a medieval castle on top of the Apennine mountains in Abruzzo.The Castello Orsini Odescalchi is a 15th century castle in the Bracciano region. Here you'll find a massive collection of weapons used during the war and spectacular views. Calcata is a little medieval village on top of a cliff that has a very Bohemian artistic feel with lots of arts and crafts. If you visit Tuscany, it must be an overnight trip to see the beautiful sites such as Volterra.When you go to Orvieto, a small town in Umbria, you can visit the Cathedral. Just book a little train trip from Rome and you're there.The Via Appia is one of the earliest and most important Roman roads of the ancient Republic.Trastevere is a historic neighbourhood known for its narrow cobblestone streets. You can go here for dinner or drinks.Ostia Antica is a massive archaeological site outside the main city. If you are a lover of history, you have to go here.The Aventine Keyhole is a beautiful view where you look through the keyhole and you will see perfectly framed St Peter's Basilica.There's just so much to see in Rome and six weeks were not enough. You could walk around the city centre every day and you'll see something new. I also really recommend going at different times of the day. When you travel to Rome. Ahhh, Roma! When you travel to Rome you experience so much, you learn so much about yourself, about the history and culture. You come back a different person.If you loved this episode, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.

Hear Emma talk about her recent 6 week experience in Rome, Italy. This episode is all about food, from how to eat healthily in Italy to how to avoid tourist traps. Check out this page for all the extra links and more details. Daje!Also, my 6 weeks in Rome did not improve my Italian or pronunciation. Scusa! Piano piano. I also skipped so many things, I got overwhelmed! Ahhh well!This is what we spoke about during the episodeDon't go stressing about putting on weight in Italy. Time is too precious and there's too much fun and deliciousness to experience! Besides, in my opinion, the Italian typical diet is probably far healthier than the standard Australian or American diet. I talk about why I believe this. There's a huge focus on really fresh produce. There's a love and passion for food in general.If you're usually gluten-free (but not highly allergic or celiac) I invite you to consider trying the gluten in Italy. Eat the pasta and the pizza, and just see how you feel. Carla asks: How did you overcome the guilt and anxiety around food? Have a routine and something that gets you present and feeling positive about your body.Book restaurants later in the evening to experience authentic culture and avoid tourist traps. Don't eat dinner at 5:30pm (hahaha)If you want to maintain your budget, you can buy fresh produce from delis and markets to create meals at home.Pizza Nader is an amazing pizza place where you buy pizza al taglio made with ancient grains.Must-try foods in Rome: carbonara, cacio e pepe, alla gricia, all'amatriciana, artichokes, suppli, pizza Romana, puntarelleSweet treats in Rome: maritozzo, oh and of course cornetto.Pasta broth with broccoli was one of the most delicious pastas I've ever had.  Italian food culture has played such an important role in healing my relationship with food. It has guided me from a past tainted by bulimia, body image issues and an obsession with dieting, to a present where I feel excitement, love and joy that food can bring.In the next week's episode, Emma chats about the places she visited in and outside of Rome.We'd love to hear it! If you loved this episode, we would love to hear from you, send us an email to carla@themerrymakersisters.com or emma@themerrymakersisters.com or message us on our Facebook and Instagram accounts @themerrymakersisters.Always merrymaking,Emma + CarlaP.s if you ever need further help or guidance please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue. Asking for help is pure courage.