December 15th, and 22nd at Seaton Village Massage, 12-3pm 
please RSVP or you may book an alternate time for pickup.

Check out my handcrafted goodies at Wildrose Magnolia.

Integrative Therapies in Hospital: 
Wether you or your loved one are in hospital for the short or longterm, integrating the healing modalities of Reiki, Massage Therapy, Essential Oil Therapy, modified Yoga and Meditation can augment traditional Western medicine to aid in the healing process. My wish is to bring these proven methods of stress and anxiety reduction to your bedside to enhance your wellbeing. This service is sliding scale, and offered to a limited number of patients. Please feel free to inquire. 
*The inspiration for this service comes from the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy initiative. The program is used in several medical centres in the US to alleviate P.A.N.I.C (pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia and constipation) in recovering cancer patients. Currently I am reaching out to R.M.T.’s, Yoga practitioners, Nutritionists and others in the healthcare field with a similar interest. 

Hey YOU, go take a HIKE!
Well who doesn’t feel better after some time spent drinking in country air, touching the papery bark of a birch tree, listening to the murmuring of a cool creek, surrounded by wildflowers, rocks and even, I don’t know, a bunny hopping along…..mmm, so peaceful….can you imagine it?
Maybe it’s time to circle a date in the calendar to take such an excursion, let’s see, I think I have a free weekend in what …six weeks?
 
For us downtown dwellers, finding such stress-relieving tranquility can seem difficult in this speedy and crowded environment. Yet here’s the thing, our city is built on a network of rivers and ravines and they aren’t kidding when parks & rec refer to it as ‘A City Within A Park’.  Not only are our residential areas green and lush (when I moved back after years in NYC I felt like TO was Amazonian!), there are a plethora of great hiking paths that cross right through downtown.
 
The Cedarvale Ravine and Beltline is a favorite of mine, I walk it several times a week with my dog and for the time I am surrounded by nature, complete with tall trees, wildflowers, trickling water, rocks and even wildlife. I treat this time as (what I call) a ‘Silent Retreat in the Big City’, often I listen to meditative music or guided meditations or just pay attention to the birds and surrounding sounds as I clear my mind and soak in the thriving abundance of the natural world.
 
Some folks make these experiences the exception and if lucky might even take a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to some remote part of the world. However we have a similar opportunity right here under our nose that’s free, always available and even life changing, a pilgrimage at your doorstep so to speak. No flights, no packing, no expense, no scheduling and open 24/7.
 
So, what are you waiting for?
 
http://www.torontohiking.com/tohi/walks/urban-walks.html
 

*Above photo is from the Beltline Trail
*Below are from Leslie Street Spit Trail

Every now and again the stars are aligned and a bucket list travel opportunity happens. This was the case when it was recommended that my husbands band head to Iceland this winter to do some recording at Sundlaugin; a recording studio built inside a converted swimming pool (just imagine the acoustics!). The inspiration was to mix things up and bring in new creative energies to their upcoming album. So being the thoughtful guy that he is, my husband insisted that our girls and I come for an extended family vacation.

Uh, OK let me think about it.. ha, the decision was a no brainer! I flew solo with our girls on an overnight flight traveling in Icelandic Air's newest plane the Hekkla Aurora. Who knew planes could possibly be so charming? Wondrous Icelandic poems adorned the pillows and blankets while a simulated Northern Light display on the cabin ceiling gently lulled us to sleep. Well kinda, unfortunately my Magnolia gets severely motion sick….I won’t say anymore…well only that my girl is a trooper.
 
Once in Iceland we embarked in the most exhilarating experience of our lives! Our initial reaction was that we had somehow landed on the moon. The extraordinary landscape is truly otherworldly. It seemed each time you turned your head the view changed dramatically and the weather to match. We felt a beckoning call leading us in the direction of new adventures. Oh, we were game!

First up was a visit to the renowned wonder of the world the Blue Lagoon. Driving up to the location we all started cheering and flapping when we caught a glimpse of the unbelievable blueness of the water. The lagoon is mother-natures own geothermal spa, a giant lake-sized hot tub if you will. Folks travel from around the globe to bathe outside in these healing waters soothing a variety of itchy, irritable skin conditions. Once submerged in the water we slathered mineral rich mud all over our faces and basked in the warmth of the sun with a tropical drink in our hands. Wait, did we just jump out of our story and into the caribbean ocean? Nope this is pure North.  Horizontal hail pelted our heads the whole time.

 Each time our family travels, we set our sights on horseback riding trails. Iceland was absolutely a one of a kind experience as they have only their very own breed of horse on the island. These look like horses from the Hobbit or Game of Thrones, well actually these are them. One of our hard working horses moonlights as a cast member of the latter popular TV show. The horse farm we visited is called Laxnes, run by a jovial Icelandic equivalent of Zach Galifianakis. Photos hang on the stable walls with the likes of John C. Reilly and Ben Stiller yukking it up with the owners letting you know you’re in for a really good time! We rode through the breathtaking mountains feeling like empowered Walter Mitty, Viking badasses.
 
 My biggest hope for this trip was to see the Northern Lights. At the beginning of 2015 I was declaring this to be the year of ‘light and color’, I’ve been gradually bringing Chakra work into my massage therapy practice and have found increasing resonance with color. I could only image how awe inspiring it would be to see essentially the earths aura on full display. We were disappointed that a night at the lovely Northern Lights Inn did not render a glimpse. Instead though, one early morning in our Reykjavic air bnb apartment I was feeling lucky and yanked open the blinds at just the right moment to catch the lively colourful Aurora Borealis painting the sky. Pure magic! Mostly emerald green swirls, splotches and wisps pulsed across the sky. I fell back to sleep with a feeling of alignment with all that is and my Chakras fully cleansed…Om.
     
 The Icelandic people are beautiful. Their features and their hearts radiate an enduringly kind yet mischievous, subtleness and elegance. These are brave souls. The harsh winters do not keep them from frolicking outside in the elements. Icelanders are regularly outdoors half-naked in swimsuits during the winter season. They delight in their homeland hot springs while many of us western snowbirds flee, as if insulted, to southern climates. The dramatic landscape is always warm and welcoming deep down at its core- this land is the energy centre of the world for goodness sake!
 
Volcanic activity and geothermal energy is a way of life here. Heat? They’re practically giving it away! Incredibly the magnificent heat producing volcanos on this tiny island may offer renewable energy solutions in further places such as England. Even just hiking around the lava fields is like being a flea on a tea kettle. If not careful you may literally be scalded by steam spraying from the mountain rocks!

There may also be an entirely different species living amongst the rocks and caves. According to the back of the seat in front of me on Iceland Air, fifty-four percent of the islanders believe in Elves and Trolls and at times go so far as to have land examined before construction begins. This coming from a majority of critical thinkers of which thirty-four percent of the population hold university degrees. I’m sorry to say though that we did not meet any Elves on this trip.
 
Iceland you are a treasure and my family thanks you for the awesome adventure.