That Day in June, we had a conversation in the van. “I think we should probably throw in the towel,” Husband Jamie said, “it’s been a long while and nothing’s happened. And I’m turning 40 soon. I don’t think I want to start a whole fertility process.” “It’s been almost five years,” I agreed, nodding, “and I don’t want to start a fertility process, either.” We weren’t officially “trying”. We hadn’t wanted to put a…
Pain and tightness suffered post mastectomy/ lumpectomy can limit one’s life drastically. Myofascial Release can help create vast changes by softening dense scars and fibrosed fascia that remain unchanged with traditional therapy and stretching. Traumatized tissue can have a cascading effect on the body. Locally, tightened and fibrous fascia can restrict blood flow and lymphatic flow resulting in lymphedema. Auxiliary cording can also occur, causing a significant loss of range of motion in the shoulder, leading to a loss of function. Pain and weakness…
Win with #ChangeOneThing! September is often a month of reinvention. We are back to school, back to work, back to “normal” life, and it’s right about now that everyone realizes they slacked off too much this summer/ate too much this summer/drank too much this summer/didn’t get organized enough this summer. And then what happens? We look at our lives (which are about to get really busy between now and Christmas), and we panic a little…
Husband Jamie and I took the kids wilderness camping at Algonquin Park a few weekends ago; it was their first time, and they loved it. When camping, one has a singular purpose: to survive. There’s no luxury to camping in the wilderness, save for a decadent square of dark chocolate at the end of the evening, or a luxuriously dry pair of socks when your body is damp to the bone. We pushed on, canoed…
Got my red belt in karate this weekend. My first coloured belt; I’m no longer the lowest on the totem pole! My gi has pizzazz now: and I’m proud fit to burst. So often, in the dojo and out in the world, I see people brushing off their achievements. “Yeah, I just ran a 10k, but it’s not like it’s a marathon or anything.” “I did just work for 5 years to lose that weight, but…
I’m on a mission to “create space” in my head. That was part of my homework when I had my nutritional consult with Karen, and I’ve been searching for it ever since. Meditation is the obvious choice for opening the mind, but meditation, it should be said, is like stabbing myself in the eye with a fork is not really my thing. I can’t picture myself sitting cross-legged doing nothing but contemplating for any length…
I’m standing naked in front of my full-length mirror. This is my exercise in exiting my comfort zone today, and boy, is it ever working. Having grown up in a rather liberated household, I’ve always been comfortable disrobing in front of others in a change-room, or around family. Disrobing in front of myself for the purpose of affirmation, however, seems terrifying by comparison. During yoga training this weekend, we spoke a lot about our comfort…
My first experience witnessing our body’s natural ability to move freely, unwind, and heal from our past was in Chicago over 4 years ago. The course I was taking was offered by John F Barnes, a Physiotherapist known all over the world for his work in Myofascial Release. Seven years earlier I had read about Barnes during Massage school; now I was finally learning from him. On our first day, as I watched a fellow…
This diet thing isn’t working. It’s making me miserable, in fact. Not in the overt, I’m-so-hungry-shoot-me-now way that it did last time. This time it’s a slow and subtle road to miserable. I’m munchy, not hungry, all the time. I don’t feel like my body is crazily burning fuel like before. It sucks. In some ways I have more discipline than last time: when there are sweets and treats around, I seldom want any and…
Thai Massage is an ancient modality used by Buddhists to stay healthy during their travels. They believed that through the combination of Yoga and Massage, one could heal from almost anything. It is done in a relaxed setting, on the floor (with mats) and fully clothed. Each treatment is tailored to your needs, putting you through a variety of stretches combined with massage techniques. The foundation of Thai Massage is that the whole body needs to…