Literacy is a foundational life skill, but did you know it also offers other benefits beyond comprehension and engagement with written texts? Developing literacy skills enables us to function in society, achieve our goals, and develop our abilities. It has been shown that adult literacy levels benefit not only individuals but also society in general.

Rising rates of obesity and related chronic disease tell us that getting kids active should be a top priority for parents, schools, and all Canadians. Here are some tips on how you can help your family become more active, eat nutritiously, and build stronger bonds.

We’ve all heard that practicing yoga can help you find balance — and we’re not just talking about standing on one foot. Yoga can help you restore your energy levels, find peace, and build overall emotional resilience during this tough, stressful time. And moving through life with more ease and less stress means more energy for the things you love! So we asked Emilie Wong, a yoga and meditation teacher, to share how yoga can help support your mental health.

What can you do to stay calm and optimistic when life starts to take its toll? Well, yoga! Instructor Emilie is here with an easy exercise you can do right now, from the comfort and safety of your home, to help boost your emotional resilience and feel a little more positive.

We’re all doing our best to adapt to this new normal, but it’s tough. We asked yoga instructor Emilie to share some techniques for building emotional resilience, or the strength we need to handle challenging situations (like the one we’re in right now!) calmly. Here’s her simple step-by-step guide to meditation that will leave you feeling a little more zen.

Our YMCA Camps team has some experience that could help you protect your mental health. Try the super-simple, soothing activity they usually do during out-trips: soloing.

February is a great month to talk about mental health, as in some places across Canada and around the world, the second week of February is dedicated to honouring Children’s Mental Health. If you’d like to do similar honouring in your practice for that week, or ongoing with the children in your lives, mindfulness is a great place to start. Why? Mindfulness is key to helping children manage stress and anxiety, and it helps foster the growth of a child’s self-regulation, positive emotions, and self-compassion. If you need suggestions as to where to start with Mindfulness, BigLifeJournal’s 5 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Kids has got you covered.

Everyone experiences anxiety, stress and low mood at some point. Throughout the pandemic, many have been reporting elevated stress levels and poorer mental health, so it’s never been more important to ensure we are adequately coping with life’s challenges.

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of tools and resources available that can help. Keeping your mental wellbeing top of mind and taking small steps toward self-care can go a long way in helping to relieve stress and persevering through periods of anxiety. Take a look at some of our recommendations below for mental wellness and mindfulness books, podcasts, apps and more!

We spend approximately a third of our lives at work. That’s about 90,000 hours. It’s countless lunches and coffee breaks. And -- increasingly – it's where we meet and make lasting friendships, that carry on even if roles or jobs change.

In honour of International Self-Care Day, I want to talk about carving out a little more “green space” in our lives. The pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of our well-being, as highlighted in our recent community survey.