I had always been a curious girl, dabbling in the esoteric world, meditating, talking to spirit guides, but I wanted to dive deeper. I had been hearing about Reiki and assumed that it was only reserved for the monks that spend 40 days meditating in a cave, or for someone who wanted to dedicate their life to hands-on healing…I didn’t really fit those profiles…
Then, five years ago, I had had enough of the city life. I moved to Argentina for a year, where I spent six months traversing through Patagonia, alone, on both the Chilean and Argentine sides. I bought a tent from their equivalent of Walmart, and with a loaf of bread in one hand, and a jar of PB & J in another, I set out among the mountains. So many lessons were gleaned being alone in nature, but one major awareness I had, in the stillness of the mountainside, and the pristine fresh air and water, is that we are surrounded by life-force energy. It was so prevalent in Patagonia, that you could see the haze of energy permeating every tree, every bird and every turquoise body of water. That was the healthiest I had ever been. I didn’t wear a drop of makeup, yet my skin was glowing and all the dudes wanted me. I was vibrant because I was breathing, living, surrounded by life-force energy.
Oh, the green monster. Inevitably, in your life, you may have had the pleasure, or the displeasure, of meeting this guy.
In small doses, and in moderation, this can actually be a very advantageous threesome in your relationship. It can show your partner that you care, and don’t want to lose him/her. However, when this little bugger spirals out of control into a green avalanche, gaining speed by the minute, it becomes damaging and creates a whole new dynamic…
You see, every interaction in your relationship has the capacity to be damaging, or building and loving. Often times, most things (sex, money, time, etc) have the ability to play both sides of the card–depending on if they are balanced, or cross that border, and jealousy is no exception. (more…) read more →
Lately, I have been doing a lot of reflection of my life AD (after death and disorder). I say death, because, as a young girl, teen, and young women, I was not living my life. I was walking around in a haze of fog, straddling life, with one foot in the door of the living, and one foot in the door of the dead. I was trapped in a hellacious prison that involved no self-esteem and a debilitating eating disorder. When I think back to that girl, who I knew just a mere 5 years ago, I barely even recognize her as being a younger version of the woman I am today. Sure I have my insecurities these days, but I’m never having to talk myself off the ledge, and a whole gallon of ice-cream to ‘sooth’, is now reduced to a cookie. The negative self-talk recently is pretty limited to “You look/act/seem silly right now” instead of “I wish I had a chainsaw to cut your fat-ass off with and oh, by the way, your tits, nose and sense of humor suck too”.
Recently, my gal pal, and fellow contributor, Ali Leipzig and I launched a new web series geared towards self-love. That, in addition to wrapping up my schooling as a health coach at IIN,I have really has caused me to really think back at this time in my life, which is almost
What is the quickest way to be young again? Fancy creams? Dance like a maniac? Actually, you just need to go home. An amazing phenomenon happens when you go to the house where you grew up, or to where your parents and siblings are…you revert to a 14 year old tween, or maybe even a toddler. I know, because I was just home for the holidays! You might be a 40-year old professional…maybe you even have your own children, but the roles never change. Most of us vacillate between playing the baby and the mommy–neither of which is really true. Some of this is good–isn’t it nice to let your mom cook for you? How comforting it is to wear grey sweatpants with a grease stain on them in front of family and not have to impress them. Other behaviours, such as tantrums, or feeling responsible for their health and well-being, are not so healthy.
Don’t worry, nearly everybody enters a time machine when they step through the doors of the rents’ household. It is important to mentally and spiritually prepare for this, however, or you can dread visits home. Ultimately, we get life force energy when we connect with the ones who gave us life, so it is important to create an environment where it is conducive to doing this–otherwise, you might avoid the fam like the plague and it becomes a life-draining experience instead of life-giving. (more…) read more →
Everything! One of the main principles of Family Constellation Therapy (FCT) is the need for everyone to belong…if we don’t belong to a particular tribe or group, we are screwed, because who is going to have our back, and ultimately, on a biological level, save our life, otherwise? Another principle is that, like them or not, we get a lot of beliefs from our parents, including political. I am fairly political, and I can directly correlate that to my mother. We grew up watching Phil Donahue together (remember him? In my young girl head, I thought he was a chubby Mr. Rogers, but who talked about totally different things). Children look for ways to “belong” to their family and tribe and politics is one way we achieve this. The older I get, them more like my mom I become (sound familiar?). On a soul level, one of the ways that I bond with my mom, and feel closer to her, is through her political views. So, as the champions were running, debates being debated, and votes being counted, I was a cheerleader for my “team”, but on a deeper level, I was bonding with my mother. Through the elections, I was feeling more united with the woman who gave me life and deepening our connection, which was even more of a reason to celebrate. (more…) read more →