Nadine McNeil has cemented her legacy as a mentor, mindfulness coach, and transformation teacher. Through her Universal Empress brand, she is on a forever mission to democratize yoga from its elitist perception and return the sacred practice to its humble roots.
McNeil lives in Jamaica and travels across the globe extensively for work. The central message of her Universal Empress movement is Consciousness Rising, which she describes as, “Stepping boldly into the fullest expression of self, thereby becoming a catalyst for collective change.” Her work has carried her to international conferences such as the BaliSpirit Festival and the Caribbean Yoga Conference. She also leads workshops within the corporate sector, and teaches yoga each year on the Welcome to JAMROCK Reggae Cruise. She has also worked with underprivileged communities across Jamaica, Haiti, and parts of Africa.
In helping those struggling to make the most of this year, McNeil is offering a program called 2023 Tune Up. Throughout a 50-minute one-on-one session, she will help participants reflect on 2022 and cement their intentions for 2023. Setting intentions, not resolutions, she says, is key to having a successful year.
Intentions vs Resolutions
McNeil highlights that intentions are the missing links between sticking to your plans or watching them collapse by the first week of February. “Intention is more powerful than resolution, and takes a different form,” she clarifies.
Resolutions are often vague, passive, and hopeful, McNeil explains further, while intentions possess a call to action. If you set a resolution to lose weight by the end of the year, how do you measure your progress? Converting that to an intention – I intend to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year – is more actionable, McNeil outlines. From there you can break your goal down into more manageable steps, such as: “I intend to work out five days a week,” or “I intend to do meal prep on Sundays before my work week.”
Smaller & More Digestible Goals
“These smaller, more digestible steps, allow us to build a rhythm,” McNeil notes. She explains that a lofty goal becomes something to chip away at every day. The intention keeps you in action and lights a fire under the resolution. Many fall off their resolutions because the progress isn’t as immediate as they’d like.
For example, losing weight or getting healthier by the end of the year can feel lofty and unattainable. Instead, you can break down the bigger goal into daily intentions like intending to take the steps every day instead of the elevator, or ordering a salad for lunch instead of something fried. Keeping the streak up for days, which turns into weeks, and then months, until your intention becomes second nature, is the best way to realize long term results, McNeil explains.
