Like many of you, I am deeply disturbed by what is happening on our planet. The destruction of Nature, the exploitation of people and animals, and the rampant use of violence all weigh heavily on my heart. It pains me to see forests being slashed and children going hungry, especially when it is so obvious [...]
We live in a web of relationships. We have a relationship with the people in our lives, a relationship with ourselves, and relationships to the animals, sky, water, and land. What does it mean to be in relationship to another? Can we remain connected to ourselves as we connect to another? Mountain Pose is a [...]
We are relational beings, meaning we need to be in relationship with other beings to be healthy and happy. Our society, however, teaches us that the ultimate in personal development is to be independent, and not to need anyone. Don’t get me wrong—not all relationships are created equal. It is better to be alone than [...]
The good news of the last decade of brain research can be summed up in one word: “neuroplasticity.” “Neuro” refers to nerve cells that make up your brain and nervous system and “plasticity” refers to the fact that the connections between these cells can CHANGE and GROW. What determines whether they change and grow? Experience. [...]
As a child, counsellor Swarn Leung was always very interested in helping others. “I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher in Ethiopia. When I was fifteen I watched a movie about Gandhi that inspired me very deeply. I was amazed that an ordinary man could have such a profound impact in the world." [...]
“Get over it!” “Move on.” “Don’t look back.” These are some of the words of advice commonly heard by someone who is depressed, anxious, and/or suffering from trauma. Though well-intended, this advice is impossible to follow for someone who is in such a state. Why? Normally we process information from the bottom up: the sensations [...]
In May we honour and celebrate our mothers, the women who gave us life. To be a mother means to give unconditionally, and to do an infinite number of tasks that usually remain unacknowledged. So on Mother’s Day, we take time to appreciate the countless sacrifices our mothers made for us. Your relationship with your [...]
How do we develop a sense of self? There are three main ways that a child’s sense of self is “awakened” by the caregiver: through a loving eye gaze, a gentle voice, and a caring touch, all of which are attuned to the present needs of the child. The child receives the sensory perceptions in [...]
For the overwhelming majority of our evolutionary history, we have lived in semi-nomadic tribes. As the human nervous system evolved over tens of thousands of years, we lived in small, highly-bonded groups of approximately forty to one hundred people. For each child in the tribe, there were about sixteen adults available to provide them with [...]
One way to think about health and wellness is to consider the relationship between our minds and our bodies. Our bodies are constantly sensing our environment and sending messages to the brain in the form of sensations. Are we able to receive and act upon these messages? The body-- when we know how to interpret [...]
