Becoming Present - Chantal Garneau

04/15/2026

There are so many times throughout the day when I hold my breath…tighten…constrict…and disconnect.

I pull away from the moment because I don’t feel safe.

Over time this can build up. And I can end up stuck “in my head”.

When I’m stuck in my head I don’t notice cues like being hungry or thirsty, sleep can be disturbed and I’m more irritable and distant from those I love.

What’s beautiful is that whenever I notice my breath is shallow, my jaw is tight, and I’m off in lalaland I can gently smile to myself and find my breath.

By noticing the flow of my inhale and exhale, and choosing long slow nourishing breath I can begin to soothe my system. My shoulders drop. My jaw softens. And I feel like I’m landing in the moment.

Breath is my friend. And can help me find my way back to myself whenever I’m lost.

03/24/2026

I’ll be hosting a gentle guided practice this Saturday at 10am.

A space to slow down, breathe, and reconnect.

You’re very welcome to join.

www.becomingpresent.earth/practicecircle

03/03/2026

This Sunday I’m speaking at the International Women’s Day Celebration Brunch in Milton.

My talk is called Strength in Connection.

I’ll be speaking to the narrative that glorifies being a “strong independent woman” — the pressure to carry everything alone and to be capable without needing anyone.

And the strength required to move beyond that paradigm. To orient toward community. To ask for and receive help.

I’m grateful to be part of this event hosted by Sara Hodge and the Halton Women Networking Group, raising funds for Halton Women's Place.

Tickets must be reserved by Wednesday evening.

To reserve your seat, please send an e-transfer of $39.55 per guest to:

accounting@miltonbanquets.com

Include your full name and email address in the transfer details.

Event details are in the comments.

I hope you’ll join us.

01/23/2026

Have you ever noticed that when something is on your mind, you suddenly see it everywhere?

You start thinking about buying a red car and suddenly the streets are full of red cars.

You read a book about birds and now your backyard feels alive with them.

You notice one messy corner of the kitchen and suddenly the whole house looks disorganized.

It makes me wonder…

Were those things always there?

Did your attention simply start tuning in to them?

What might be in my life that I don’t see yet?

There’s a classic experiment called the “gorilla attention experiment” that shows just how much we miss when our focus is elsewhere.

It’s such a humbling reminder that attention shapes our reality more than we think.

I’ll share it below. I’m curious what you notice.

(If you’ve done it before give the one in the comments a try - it’s a variation).

01/19/2026

A gentle return.

My first in-person meditation retreat since before COVID.
Becoming Present Together
January 24 • Georgetown, ON

You’re warmly welcome.
Link in comments.

01/16/2026

Finding our breath and sensing it move through us,

Gently softening our bodies,

and even slightly opening our hearts

is an act of care for ourselves

and each other.

09/05/2023

Do you ever get the feeling that something isn’t quite right?

Life flows best for me when I slow down and remove pressure to act until that feeling shifts.

Sometimes there was more to the situation than I thought and slowing down allowed other pieces to come into the picture.

Sometimes it became clear to me that it wasn’t something I wanted to do at all.

Sometimes I didn’t need to act at all and the situation evolved on its own or sorted itself out.

And sometimes I feel pressure to ignore that inner knowingness and act anyways. Almost always this doesn’t flow well for me and I end up regretting not listening to myself.

Today I am feeling thankful for my meditation practice. Over the years I’ve been able to shift from mostly ignoring my inner voice to mostly listening to it.

It’s still a practice and I often find myself caught up in the pressure to override my inner awareness.

Noticing is half the battle. Once I notice I am caught up I can choose to take long slow deep breaths, relaxing my body, releasing the pressure and remembering how important it is to honour and value myself.

Once I’m in that relaxed and centred space I sometimes ask “what if there was no pressure, what would I do?”

And then I listen.

❤️

08/07/2023

An invitation: pause right now, take a deep breath and think of three people/experiences/things etc you are grateful for.

Continue to breathe long, slow, deep breaths and imagine smiling to each of them and that your exhales carry your love and appreciation their way.

If you notice any tension in your body you can invite it to relax on your exhale.

When you’re ready you can turn your awareness to yourself and smile, sending love and appreciation your way.

When I feel blah this is a practice I do to come back to myself.

❤️🙏🏻💫

07/31/2023

Have you seen the new Barbie movie?

When I heard Lawyer Barbie say the following I wanted to give her a high five!

“This makes me emotional, and I'm expressing it. I have no difficulty holding both logic and feeling at the same time, and it does not diminish my powers. It expands them."

Logic + Feeling = Super power

07/29/2023

“Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.”

- Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom of No Escape: How to Love Yourself and Your World

Photo: my garden, August 2022

07/28/2023

It’s been a long time since I posted on this page. That stretch of time feels like a wall of resistance.

“It’s been too long”, “it feels weird now”, “I should just not do it”.

This resistance is familiar. It shows up sometimes when I’ve forgotten to email someone back, or I haven’t spoken to a friend in a while, or I stopped going for walks on my favourite path or I have something to do for an important project, or I have a closet that or corener of my house that needs cleaning.

When I feel that resistance my instinct is to turn away. To give up. Or to push it off for another day.

And sometimes that turns out to be the right thing for me. The resistance can sometimes be my intuition saying “not yet”.

But sometimes, like right now, I know I have to push through the resistance, take some deep breaths, feel the discomfort and do the thing.

And when I’m on the other side of doing I usually feel lighter and grateful for my effort.

The biggest example of this is when I was pregnant. My doula told me there would be a point in the birth process where I would want to give up and run away and that it was a good sign that I was really close to my son being born.

Did I ever feel that. I remember this wave of “nope! I changed my mind” and I wanted to run out of the delivery room. But I couldn’t. I had to push through.

Pushing through brought me my son. The most beautiful gift I have ever received.

Afterwards people were asking how I was feeling and I was exhilarated. I had never tried that hard before in my life.

Usually when that feeling of “nope. I changed my mind” popped up I would listen to it.

I later found out the term for that time in the birth process is transition.

Huh.

It was the transition from me as “me” to me as “mom”.

I reflected on all the times when I had felt that feeling and they were potential transition times too.

So now, when I remember, I see those walls of resistance like doors. Doors I have to push open to get to the other side. And I offer myself compassion because it can feel scary to not know what life is like on the other side.

I ask myself “am I feeling this resistance because it’s not the right time, or because it’s a transition and I need to push through?”

This morning I am pushing through and sharing these thoughts with you.

I invite you to reflect on walls of resistance in your life and what they may be asking you to do, or not do.

Much love ❤️

03/23/2023

Forest Meditation this Sunday, 10am at Silvercreek Conservation area near Glen Williams.

I hope you can join us ❤️🌲🌳

Forest Meditation is a unique experience that blends forest bathing, mindfulness, and a philosophy of interconnectedness. All are welcome.