This is my 3rd move in 3 years. I'd planned to keep the beautifully-crafted sturdy wooden doll house I'd ordered for my daughter as a "gift from Santa" when she was 2 years old. Maybe one day I'd gift it to my grandchildren. When I lifted the lid on the bin, it felt like one … Continue reading Feng Shui, A Doll House & Living Lightly
We think our demons have a hold of us. But what if we are holding onto them? What if we're comfortable in our pain or the stories we keep telling, grasping them tightly, even unaware we may be doing so? While practicing Qigong earlier this year with Grandmaster Mantak Chia, I was fascinated by something … Continue reading Free Your Demons, They Have Better Places to Be
There was a time when I enjoyed, craved even, elaborate visualizations and meditations. It felt rich and enlivening to envision colourful imagery and story dancing across my mind and focused into healing parts of my body or psyche! However, these past few years, whenever I find myself in guided meditation, tension arises. My mind and … Continue reading More Space, Please.
Decades ago, when I first trained as a Personal Trainer, weight loss and strength training were the main gaols of many. We were taught that to achieve these goals was a simple matter of math. Weight loss = use more calories than you eat. Muscle gain = lift weights and consume more protein and calories. … Continue reading Health is a Matter of Math
There is a practice in Buddhism called raising Bodhicitta. It may involve a particular mudra or hand posture. It may be done sitting or standing. Eyes open or closed. Raising Bodhicitta involves cultivating compassion and a desire to benefit all beings. It's a heart-felt intention often made at the beginning of meditation practice. The key … Continue reading Raising Bodhicitta
Last year, I was fortunate to learn the practice of Tibetan Sound Healing for Women from my Qigong teacher, Daisy Lee. She learned it many years ago from one of her teachers. Tibetan Sound Healing is a series of 6 sounds chanted one at a time, plus one 'silent sound'. Gentle movements accompany each sound. … Continue reading What Perfect Health Sounds Like
I remember sitting in the waiting room of the small clinic that provided biofeedback and psychology services for those with traumatic brain injury. They'd worked with Olympic athletes. I plucked one of the many pamphlets from the small table next to my chair. It read: "After brain injury, 90% of marriages end in divorce." Well, … Continue reading How TBIs affect your life is TBD
Over the course of a day or a week or a month or even a year—a lifetime?— we hear messages connecting dots. I like to gather up a few that appear to be the same colour or texture. These past few weeks have brought some new dots and returned some old ones. Themes of responsibility … Continue reading Finding my Process
I've been enjoying a wider qigong practice this past year. Often, during the practice, it is mentioned to scoop up Earth qi and offer it to the heavens and then scoop up Heaven qi and bring it down to Earth. This is done through the central channel of our body. I've been loving this practice: … Continue reading We are like trees
There are 12 signs in astrology. We can learn about our influences at birth by looking at which sign Chiron was in. Each sign defines an area of your life. Since we’ve learned a bit about Chiron and what he represents (The Wounded Healer), we can look at which sign he arrived in at your … Continue reading What does Chiron Return in Pisces mean?
Stephanie Hrehirchuk - Author 