for the spiritual entrepreneur

learn more

welcome friends!

Tulā - Community, a 'business' lead by the heart, created for spiritual and creative entrepreneurs

this space is just as much as it is for you as it is for us

what we're doin':

That's me! Whitney
(I created Tulā with love + connection in mind)

podcasting

photography

makin' you smile

Why + how we do it

The Latest + greatest

Subscribe to our substack for more stories, photos, Shares, spiritual practice, personal reflections, + heart led business.

+ the inspiration to keep going in life.

New posts weekly

Substack

Tulā - Community Podcast

Latest episode

Hunter Bergen

on following your curiosities

Learn more + listen!

Follow along

In honouring Satya or truth — It doesn’t come easy to me to make reels + create this way, but I want to share in a way that challenges me, gets my voice out there, + forces growth.

I felt it was important to share where my path has been + where it’s taken me. Especially with all of the talk of “imposter syndrome”

If I believed it existed, I’d be the ultimate imposter. But I’m not. I’m a human. Living + experiencing. So are you. You are no imposter on this earth. You are on this earth. Try it all.

An appreciation for the journey we’ve been on together. Thank you.

You, and I

Are held with the lands

Not by,

∞

As your heart is held by your chest

As your bone is held by your tendons, ligaments, and muscle

As your mind is held by your belief

There is no separation

∞

The globe, has no disconnect

The cosmos,  
have no disconnect

○

Your life is made up of small moments

When I say small moments — I mean the mundane. Things so regular to you, you wouldn’t even notice them. But I believe it’s in the boring, the ‘have-to’s’, the regular, that your true peace of mind is found.

Try to do everything with a half-smile. Even during the taxing moments.

Your life is primarily made up of:

washing the dishes
cooking
showering
working
driving
cleaning
planning
thinking
tending-to

If you can make these activities joyful, honour them with respect, appreciation, and gratitude, your mindset, and the rest of your life, is decided.

How you do anything, is how you do everything.

blessings, always,
Whitney

Last year was a total shift + rebirth of myself + so far this year doesn’t quite feel like ‘my year’

What it does feel is pretty tame, it feels grounded, + it feels like all of the things I was working on have been cultivated, harvested, + here to be enjoyed, tasted, + witnessed

I feel grounded in energy + less likely to be on the hustle this summer

Mindful + present energy sweeps through me

—

One of my favourite parts about life is not knowing what you’re going to get. You don’t know what’s going to happen or who you’ll meet. What book you’ll stumble upon, what cool clothing you’ll find at the thrift. It’s such a gift to walk the path of your life

I was gifted a book from my friend Alex, The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh

At some point in the book he shares with us being present while washing the dishes. Not washing them to finish the task + get it over with but washing to wash. To live in that moment, with that action, honouring the food we have just nourished ourselves with, off of these plates

“While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes”

Sharing that washing dishes mindfully, shouldn’t be considered a burden, but as an opportunity for you to connect with presence. It reminds me of how your life is mainly made up of these little moments, not the big shifts you see people sharing on their highlight reels. If you can make the inescapable everyday moments joyful, how much more peace would you find? I smile all the time at a small moment such as cutting vegetables or seeing someone get excited over a pastry at the bakery

I don’t feel as scared of the unknown as I have been in the past

Many people know that actually on the inside of getting to know me I do have areas of fear, of anxiety, of panic

But it’s lessened — I know that when a ‘problem’ arises that at some moment it’ll be a thing of the past

The way other problems have been before. It’s all fleeting, passing, + everything has a solution

The year coming up feels like a year of washing the dishes, to me.

Photos I took of @lolartcruthu

the stronger the roots, the higher you rise
how foundation is the root, of every-thing.

From substack:

Something featured at One Yoga in Vancouver is an art piece that reads: the deeper you go the higher you get. The quote is attributed to one of my teachers, Peter Elmas.

A reminder to you today that your foundation is at the core of all things in your world.

This isn’t for those who follow a path of spirituality, only. This is for all beings, to recognize and practice gratitude for the foundational areas of your life that are working, are in alignment, and allow you to do what you want to do in your life.

If you woke up today in a bed, warm, and dry — please be grateful.

The foundation of your home, shelter, hygiene, and nourishment will all determine how the more negotiable parts of your life are built.
And remember the foundation of your spiritual self. Your root chakra must be flowing and open before you can work on the others. You must heal this foundational energy centre if it needs healing, first. You cannot go very far with a blocked, or over active root energy centre.

Muladhara is the foundation of the body.

In Sanskrit: “mula” means “root”

and “adhara” means “base” or “support”

What an over or under active root chakra needs to hear to find equanimity:
I am safe
I am protected
I am secure
I am grounded

—

Find the rest of this piece on our substack publication ‘the warmth of the sun’
Linked in bio

Bless,
Whitney

Optics, frames, light, + bending reality

Can you view it as new? Every-thing as new

Can you view the world around you — without the veil of your previous experiences, your understanding as you know it, + allow it to be nameless?

+ in the areas of darkness can you see see the light?

Can you witness the stars + know there’s something in the space between them?

—
This is something I’ve been working with over the past months. A witnessing of the world — without my previous perceptions placed all over it.

As if it’s the first time I saw a ’tree’
As if I didn’t know the names of the beings on and in the trees
As if I didn’t know the names of the colours I’m seeing

Allow it to be nameless, allow it to be fresh, allow yourself to witness it all through childlike eyes.

The world is much less static + predictable when you remove the names you’ve come to learn. When you take away the stories of the times you’ve climbed trees, leaned against them, or the ones you’ve walked by time + time again.

When you let go of the upset because that used to be a previous partners favourite bird, your late mother’s favourite flower, or your unwell sister’s colour of choice. Approaching with neutrality, + not grasping on the stories you’ve been told. Or the ones you tell yourself. + if you can’t find neutrality, can you find love + solace in it, instead of sadness?

Can this time be the first time you’ve walked by the tree? For it is. As it’s growing, too.

+ it twists + turns. Sheds + gains.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
Heraclitus

—

Remember the unseen

Remember that your eyes only catch certain light

Not all is able to be optically witnessed.
Some is felt
Some is heard
Some is internal
Some is received in ways you can’t describe.

Blessings,
Whit

photos I took of @sacredlysomatic on Vancouver Island

Hello my wonderful friends! 🎙🏔

Welcome to this latest episode that was formed extremely organically between Hunter + I. We didn’t have a big conversation about it — we were out taking photos + having a work meeting + she mentioned how she has always wanted to be on a podcast. I thought well, WAIT a minute! We have one, + she’s part of the team here at Tulā, so we should record one so everyone can learn more about her + so she can achieve that dream of hers!

Hunter is many things, but for lack of a better term she’s my support here, or ‘assistant’ she helps me with all things behind the scenes + works remotely on our digital spaces so we can continue to grow. I think it’s great that her and I were able to sit down + chat.

She stopped into Vancouver for a few weeks after returning from Australia, + in that time we got some in person work done together, photos, videos, + a snowy trip to Bowen to help me do some work at Nectar Yoga.

She’s since returned to her travels in Australia + I can’t wait to see her next winter when I fly in later this year.

TW: This episode has mentions of suicide

Find the episode on all streaming platforms linked in bio 🔗

About Hunter:

“How does one describe themselves, when they are but a collection of countless past experiences, and endless desires? Ultimately, I am an individual seeking direction in life, with a never-ending bucket list, and not enough time to check them all off in this one lifetime.

I am a photographer, a writer, an environmentalist, a mental health advocate, a seeker of type-2 fun, and a forever student/lover of life.”

Gratitude for you + your support over all these years. I am thankful that we do what we do here, + that I have people like Hunter in my corner to continue building this dream of mine.

Blessings,
Whitney

Something I’ve appreciated about being on substack is the friendships built, the lack of restraint, the freedom to write a piece any length, any style, sharing whatever you want.

This is from my weekly share titled sun-day ceremony. I record the audio transcription for my paid subscribers only. It’s a nice touch, the audio. Especially when read by the author. Something I’ve always appreciated in audiobooks. I feel much more inclined to listen to the book when the author does the transcription. I guess it’s just another layer of getting into their mind + hearing the way, they would tell it, or state it.

I have my substack linked in my bio if you’d like to read or listen. This one was titled ‘balancing the scales’ written about our emotional states.

Blessings,
Whitney

photo by @lexabergen

#substack #balance #writer #humannature

Pt 2.

I just didn’t think that the heart would heal. I shared this in my stories the other day but I remember looking at the date last year + praying + praying that the time would just pass + that it would be a year from now so I could just feel alright + it wouldn’t matter as much

I realized I made it + I was grateful. I looked at my room, my bed, the sheets I chose, the lack of argument over what I wanted, because I just did what I wanted + felt contentment in my heart

I felt peace again.

In episode #864 of the Rich Roll podcast, Alex Honnold talks about being miserable + angsty, using it as a motivator but he learned through his wife to still be happy through it all. You don’t need to be angsty to achieve your goals. You can do what you’re doing + still be happy while doing it.

It’s as though,
angst is fuelling you
being the tortured artist
the suffering is the fuel

+ this is not to say I’m always angry, or upset, this is to say that as you mature you’ll realize that on average, especially at the beginning of the journey, art comes from the upset. It comes from the break, from the anger, from the trauma, + when love is lost.

but,
I owed myself more than that
I owed my mother more
my father
my brother
my friends
my community
+ my inner peace + heart

My 80 year old self, deserved more than that. My liver, my kidneys, my intestinal system, my mind, deserved more.

I realized I still had the pain of my brother to work with, for life. A constant unraveling, + coming to terms with the layered experience of his life.

My brother was the only person in my entire life who ever said to me:

‘Yoga isn’t about the body right? It’s about the mind?’
Truly I was blown away when he said this. I remember looking at him and saying ‘ya!’ with a face of wonder. After all the years of people thinking of fitness, exercise, the body, the external, the flat stomach. For the first time in my life, my brother, knew it was about the mind. Crazy. I wish I asked him more about how he knew that. Though he was very intelligent, so it’s no surprise.

It’s a new type of rising, a new year awaits us on spring equinox.

Through the long year, I’ve gone through, not around, the fire.

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By Whitney Tfankedjian

for the spiritual entrepreneur

learn more

welcome friends!

Tulā - Community, a 'business' lead by the heart, created for spiritual and creative entrepreneurs this space is just as much as it is for you as it is for us

what we're doin':

That's me! Whitney (I created Tulā with love + connection in mind)

podcasting photography

makin' you smile

The Latest + greatest

Subscribe to our substack for more stories, photos, Shares, spiritual practice, personal reflections, + heart led business. + the inspiration to keep going in life.

New posts weekly

Tulā - Community Podcast

Latest episode

​

Hunter Bergen

on following your curiosities

Follow along

​

Tulā - Community, a 'business' lead by the heart, created for spiritual and creative entrepreneurs

this space is just as much as it is for you as it is for us

That's me! Whitney
(I created Tulā with love + connection in mind)

podcasting

photography

Subscribe to our substack for more stories, photos, Shares, spiritual practice, personal reflections, + heart led business.

+ the inspiration to keep going in life.