Presence Matters

April 24, 2012

April 17th in the Washington Post Health and Science section there was an article about how eating things that are housed in certain plastics means that we are ingesting that plastic to some degree along with our food. Below is the link to the article – well written and worth the few minutes it will take you to read it. So Click this Link and learn a little more. We are becoming more and more aware every day about how the things we put on our skin and ingest unknowingly with our food effect our over all health and well being. Important information for us to have for informed environmental decision making.

April 23, 2012

I have just completed the 2012 Beyond the Dura conference in Jupiter Beach, FL and I am leaving with a feeling of deep love, connection, gratitude and inspiration that was shared by many throughout the conference.

The deep love was what we felt for this incredible work we do every day; work that does so much for the healing of our clients and patients as well as the planet; and deep love for the man who brought this to us all, Dr. John Upledger.

The connection we felt between all of us and on out into the All – Great Mystery, God, the Field. Whatever you call it, we felt it – like never before. This conference has always been a friendly forum for sharing, but this year surpassed them all. From the multiple talks from long time therapists about the essential nature of Dr. John and his work, to the joyful exuberance of dancing on Saturday night, to the huge international presence and sharing of what is happening all over the world with CST, we felt the web between us all growing exponentially.

The gratitude ran deep for who Dr. John has been to all of us, and how his work has changed our lives. It was like an aquifer, feeding us all as multiple people shared their experiences with him and reminded us of who he was, as a man, a teacher, a writer, and an incredible facilitator of the healing process – like no other.

The inspiration throughout the conference presentations was amazing. From research already being done with different populations, (and how we can all help jump start a bigger effort with very little effort!) to glial cell function and how to enhance it, to learning how to live and treat more deeply from the navigational system of your entire body – it was fabulous. All the exciting people and presenters and topics will soon be online for those that want to have the next best thing to being there, or want to catch breakout sessions you could not attend.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to John Matthew Upledger and the entire staff at the Upledger Institute for creating and supporting this extraordinary conference to mark Dr. John’s 80^th year, his life and his work – you did it and it was magnificent!

April 21, 2012

Angela Stevens is my guest blogger today – speaking about her experiences here at Beyond the Dura.

“I feel so jazzed by the whole conference this year – there is an exciting new vitality coming from the breadth of the vision that is unfolding for CranioSacral therapy. As it moves forward, there is such deeper understanding of the magic of what we do as CST therapists, as well the concrete grounding of the specificity of information. There is an immediacy that is palpable in the ‘calls to action’ we have heard from every corner of our profession here at the conference. There is an excitement in the air. It as though we are reaching a critical mass – and are about the ride a surge of energy into the future of CST. There has also been such a deep honoring of Dr. John’s vision that has been spoken about again and again, by speaker after speaker. I feel tremendous gratitude to have the opportunity to be here now.”

April 20, 2012

I have just spent the day listening to my colleagues speak and share exciting information about the history –  and then future – of CranioSacral therapy. What a fabulous day. We have been inspired by Chas Perry on the Essence of Dr. Upledger’s work, listened to research on all aspects of  CST including migraine headaches, and then were roused in a strong call to action for case studies and research. We got to hear from Rebecca Ridge about her CST work in China with special needs children, and then deep wisdom from the womb, by my friend and colleague Carol McLellan as she described the new curriculum on CST for Conception, Pregnancy and Birth. It was truly an amazing day! Wish you all were here with us so you could be filled with the inspiration that is permeating the room. The excitement is palpable.

April 19, 2012

The Ethics in Action workshop was a wonderful success today – it went better than I could possibly have imagined. The ethics issues for CST therapists are different from other bodyworkers in certain aspects, so we had rich discussions that could only have happened in a room of peers.

Then we went directly to the opening reception of the Beyond the Dura conference and there were so many old friends and colleagues to be hugged and greeted. This conference is going to be an exciting place to connect with so many of my peers – really the only place that this happens for me. So I am glad to be home, professionally speaking. These are exciting times to be a CST therapist and this weekend is an exciting time to celebrate that!

April 18, 2012

I am so excited to be rolling out this brand new workshop Ethics in Action as a pre-conference event before the Beyond the Dura conference. This day was the brainchild of many people in my close circles who have been asking me for years to create a course where they could get ethics CEUs and have the time spent be interesting and healing. SO, after brainstorming with all my instructors (thank you all!), Amelia Mitchell (thank you Amelia!) and I sat down late last spring, and put this fabulous day together. And, it is being born tomorrow! It will take place at the Upledger Institute, so come on down and join us – I understand there are about 5 spaces left. Click on this link for all the information and get registered today!

April 17, 2012

On my travel day to Florida for the upcoming Beyond the Dura conference, I leave you all with a fabulous TED.com talk by Lissa Rankin, MD.(thank you once again, Gene Miller for bringing this to my attention!)  Lissa is so articulate about the very thing Healing From the Core and Full Body Presence is all about – she even uses the term “healing from the core” and “healing to the core” in her talk. It is a 20 minutes well spent, so take the time and let me know what you think!

April 16, 2012

Close up on the Heart Tree

I call this tree the heart tree. It has exquisite purple blossoms early in the spring and then these even more exquisite deep red heart shaped leaves emerge. There are no words for how this delicate tree touches my heart as I drink in it’s beauty visually. I don’t even know the name of this tree – can anyone help me out on this one?

A Look at the Whole Tree

April 14, 2012

My colleague Tamara Blossic just sent me another great TED.com talk by one of my favorite anatomy authors, Alexander Tsiaris. I was able to see an exhibit of his early work at Walter Reed a number of years ago and it was tremendously helpful in my understanding of our inner workings (as in physical anatomy: organs, fluid systems, bones and how interconnected they all are.) In this TED.com talk he has done a magnificent job of uncovering – in living technicolor – how life itself starts in the womb and then miraculously unfolds from there. It is only 10 minutes long and beautiful to see.

One of the things that strikes me – as I watch scientists like Tsiaris unfold the inner workings of life itself in exquisite book illustrations and video footage – is that it corroborates the magic I can feel under my hands as someone’s healing process is happening. What we could only imagine before now, is being confirmed by some of the most left-brained of methodologies that science can offer.

When I release a restriction in someone’s mid-section and their neck pain and/or their lower back pain dissolves, it feels like magic to them. When their endocrine function starts to rebalance itself and they feel more energized, they are doubly amazed. What we know about this, as CranioSacral therapists, is that the inner workings of the body are all intimately connected and that when you successfully release one part of the body, all the other systems respond in kind. And, when we release impediments to the body’s own self-healing mechanisms, then the cellular intelligence seems to kick back into gear, allowing all kinds of “magic” to occur “spontaneously.” And, science is now bearing us out on this. This miraculous unfolding of life and our capacity for healing and regeneration continues to leave me in awe. So, take a little break and catch this video – and, enjoy!

Aril 13, 2012

As many of you know I am a big advocate of regularly getting a good night’s sleep. I have written about it in articles, I teach it in my workshops, and I practice it myself (getting a good night’s sleep, that is!) So when I found this piece by Dr. Mark Hyman, I was really impressed with the breadth of what he covers here in one short article. Please take the short time to read it – for yourself or for someone close to you. He has done a wonderful synopsis of the issues and what the solutions are for this epidemic level issue in America today.

I found some reminders that I had forgotten about for how to prepare your mind and body for sleep. He has 19 tips to increase your sleep all of which are time tested and excellent – not all of them are for everyone, but you will be able to find a good number of them that will work for you individually. For instance, some of the herbal remedies work for some people and not others. Some people can eat later and still sleep well, etc. As you read his list, you begin to realize the issues that could be contributing to your lack of good sleep. Then, you are able to ask yourself (or discuss with your healthcare provider) the right questions for your individual needs. In my experience, most people do not even know half the things on this list – so read it and begin your own journey back to a good night’s sleep. And, enjoy!