My Eighth Annual Gifts of Gratitude starts Dec.1! Will you be joining me? During times of turmoil or challenge, it's easy to let the difficult times take over our lives. Difficult times are hard; good times are easy. By focusing on difficult times we allow them to...
According to the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine, in the Northern Hemisphere, we are in the Metal Element of Autumn. This is the season of cleansing and harvest–harvesting crops, garden produce, and ideas. Now we evaluate the seeds we planted in the spring to...
'Tis is the season of digestion! According to the Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine, in the Northern Hemisphere we are in the short season of Late-Summer and the associated Element of Earth. Mother Earth nourishes, supports, and nurtures all living things. The...
We're more than halfway through summer here in Alberta, Canada. What does the rest of August have in store for you? Or maybe I should ask, how do you wish to experience the month of August? In our private community, Energy in Motion, we have been talking a lot about...
Enjoy this re-purposed but always relevant blog! Stress and anxiety can be debilitating both physically and emotionally. I know people who feel like they can’t breathe or are having a heart attack when stress or anxiety peaks. For me, stress is more of a daily wave I...
Spring has arrived here in Athabasca, AB, Canada and the bird song is bursting forth with great exuberance! Below is a timely replay of my seasonal spring allergy blog (and includes a link to a free meditation). The onset of spring coincides with the onset of...
As May draws near, can you feel the energetic shift in the atmosphere? Those of us in the Northern hemisphere point our faces in the direction of the sun as we step outside. We pause. We smile as we feel warmth and light bathe our skin. As we unbutton our coats and...
Happy International Women's Day! And with the clarity of the full moon, today we celebrate the strength, resilience, and beauty of women all over the world. As we reflect on the many ways that women have shaped our world, I can't help but think about the seasons and...
Winter Solstice is an auspicious time. A perfect opportunity to pause for self-reflection and quiet celebration. Solstice is marked by the shortest day and the longest night of the last 364 days. We have reached a significant turning point where the light is now...
How are you experiencing joy? This week, those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere officially entered into summer. There has been lots of humidity over here at Sunset Beach, AB, Canada (=plenty of rain!), but it's summer none-the-less! As we enter into summer, the...
The energy is very powerful around this season of solstice. Summer has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter has arrived in the Southern Hemisphere. You may have noticed some challenges with this energy. What can you do to stay balanced during the summer...
Most of you know that positive thoughts tend to bring more positive things into your life and negative thoughts can bring more of what you don’t want. This is how energy works. Energy flows where your attention goes. But did you know that your thoughts can not only...
Happy Spring! Were you wondering if spring was ever going to arrive? I know I have been pretty quiet over here for the last few months. I have good reasons. Firstly, I was in Baja Mexico for a few weeks (9 to be exact). The sun, ocean, and snow-free environment was...
This week in class, I shared a Feng Shui tip to help you welcome in Spring energy as you clear out some stagnant energy of winter. When you welcome new energy into your home it helps your health, energy, mood and liver! As you know, what is happening outside in nature...
How is winter treating you so far (unless you are in the southern hemisphere, then how is summer treating you?)? As the Five Elements teach, we are in the Water Element of Winter. Traditionally this was a time of storage of crops, stillness, rest, conservation,...
I hope things are going well in your world. Here, at Sunset Beach, Alberta, Canada, we have experienced an unusually vibrant spring and an early heat-wave to kick off summer. Here, nothing seems normal. Nature is busy displaying its beauty and brilliance. I can’t...
Read on for a simple exercise to enhance your spirituality.It's been a challenging year for all of us but the light is coming and hope always accompanies light! In addition to the pandemic situation, for me this year has been one of healing from a broken knee and the...
I broke my leg in Mexico last week! I figured you could use a distraction today...amirite? It's true! Last Monday, as I was enjoying my work/play time in Baja, Mexico having just wrapped up my first Qigong by the Sea retreat, we headed out for a bike ride into the...
Happy 2020! I hope your year is going smoothly so far! Here in northern Alberta, Canada, we are shivering through -40°C temperatures without the wind-chill! Five days and counting! So while I'm hibernating and being serenaded by snoring (bored) dogs, I'm doing some...
I have some big news! My son Luke graduated! Whoop! Luke was my second –and final– child to graduate from high school. In these parts (Alberta, Canada), we make a big deal about this milestone. There was undoubtedly less-stress having a boy graduate than there was...
I sat down to write a post on self-care as it has been forefront on my mind lately. In doing my research, I found this post from a few years back, dusted it off, did some updating, and thought it would be good to share it with you. Years ago, when I first heard the...
As the holidays approach, the season of giving and receiving is upon us. This is also a time when our hearts are very open. I love traditions and certain pastimes are ingrained in me, and hopefully, my kids. For example, that they always get to open one present on...
I hope you are settling into fall and have been able to find patience for the Earth and the Elements. In Alberta, Canada, we have been getting snow and rain almost every day for a few weeks (well truthfully the snow started last week...but that's waaayy...
Did you know that medical science has proven that people with fewer breaths per minute tend to be healthier and live longer than those who breathe more rapidly? It’s true! I checked out the research myself (my science-brain is so happy right now)! In general, the...
Here is one of my favourite Qigong movements. Harmony of the Universe is a Spring Forest Qigong Movement (created by Master Chunyi Lin). This movement brings about a great sense of peace and balance within me. It is good for balancing the left and right...
I am an advocate for eating foods that naturally grow in the current season. I am also an advocate of eating locally grown foods where possible. This can limit one’s diet, though, living in the boreal forest! So. . . while aspen bark and rose hips may be very...
![[Almost] Killer Kale Salad](https://suecrites.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dreamstime_s_74582608-400x250.jpg)
This post is from a few year's back, but it's worth recycling! Especially in this season of spring when our liver energy is high and green foods such as kale are good support. Consider this recipe a special gift from me to you! I first tried this salad while visiting...
According to the Five Element Theory of Chinese Medicine, fear is the challenging emotion of winter. I am really trying to live without fear. When I feel my typical fear-based thoughts, I consciously push them aside and instead focus on a safe, secure, and...
Okay, I’m about to be brutally honest. I really don’t like Wellness Fairs. When I hear the words Wellness Fair; or Body, Mind, Spirit Expo; or Love Your Life and Become Super Awesome Trade Show, I cringe. Last weekend I was at a wellness fair and while I met some...
Would you like to heal your emotions and balance your energy with the season of fall? Depression, grief, and sadness can be challenging emotions during this season. Watch this two-minute video to learn a simple technique that can balance your energy, transform...
Is summer flowing by as fast for you as it is for me? We have moved down the road for the summer, living in our tiny lakefront cabin. Being here forces me to log off. To go with the flow. There is no internet (or running water) here and cell service is intermittent at...
Are you seeking a life of ease? With practice and concentration, I believe a life of ease is possible. After returning home from a month in a small village in Baja California Sur, Mexico, I am working on integrating ease into my life while living outside a small town...
The human experience is an opportunity to fully embrace life and all its challenges. We know it's not going to be easy, but there is a purpose to this experience. If we can find the light in the purpose, light in the day-to-day experience, light in ourselves, perhaps...
Happy Solstice! Today is the day with the most light; the day when yin and yang energies are in perfect (or close) balance. It is also the beginning of summer. During this significant transition, what are you doing in your life to achieve balance? I am working on...
In a recent post, I talked about how feelings of happiness and joy can lead to health and healing. Some questions I received related to how one can find happiness and feel it more often. When things are not going so great, it can be difficult to find moments of...
(This blog on happiness and joy was originally posted on The Huffington Post. Click here to read it over there with all the shiny lights!) Do you ever catch yourself wondering about the purpose of life, or if there even is a purpose? Not just your life, but life in...
By that I mean, what if you let yourself be led by inspiration? What if you followed a dream? What if you played with the idea of what could be? What would happen? It's so easy to get caught up in living our lives out of obligation. Sure there are things you are...
This blog was featured on Huffington Post. Click here if you'd like to see it over there, with all the shiny lights. If you enjoy it, please like and share (it helps me out!). In my part of the world (Alberta, Canada) the days are getting shorter and summer is winding...
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED! EMAIL ME TO GET NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT RETREAT SPRING 2016! A magical retreat for women who feel called. We will retreat to a cozy lodge in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Alberta, Canada. Breathe..... Breathe again, deeper..... Ah, that’s...
I haven’t been writing lately. I am not sure why. My last post in June was about a retreat I attended at Hollyhock. Here I am in November, and I find myself in another retreat. This one is different. As I mentioned in June, according to Wikipedia, a retreat is...
I have just come off a soul-healing retreat at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC. This is the first retreat I have attended. During my many years of holistic work, there have been multitudes of courses and workshops, but they all had the commonality of disseminating...
Last month I felt failure. Luke was diagnosed with an ear infection, a sinus infection, and—as if that wasn’t enough—pneumonia. I know now that I didn’t fail. But I felt like I had. We are hard on ourselves at times. It’s normal. My story touched some of you and...
I have failed. Luke is sick. As he sleeps bedside me in bed I send so much love into his beautiful 12 year old body. As he breathes through his mouth I notice blood on his teeth and braces from his dry cracked lips. His eyes are moving around under is delicate long...
Happy 2014! It’s January. If you know me, you know what that means: reflecting and goal-setting! Many folks are against goal-setting. I have to admit, goal-setting gets me worked up too, but I do it anyway. Critics say that goals are too binding, too blinding (you...
Winter is the season of love, nesting, sleep, indoor projects, crafting, connecting, love, introspection, spirituality, fires in fireplaces, snow, skis, inner quests, magic, giving, receiving, sparkly lights, and loving. We are naturally drawn to these things...
I have had a wonderful summer away from the keyboard living my newfound success. I am back and wanted to share with you how things are working. I have learned recently that my measure of success is not about how much money I make in a week, month, or year: it’s about...
If you have been following my blog life lately, you know that I am on a journey. . . as we all are. I have felt drawn to share my journey with you in hopes that it can help both of us. So. . . What’s the destination? Where am I going? How will I know if I am...
Meditation has brought many changes to my life. But the changes cannot be directly pinpointed: they aren’t strikingly obvious. The changes that meditation has brought into my life have happened slowly, with subtleness, but have culminated into grand outcomes over...
After months of asking around, testing out my limited hardware devices, and basically procrastinating due to fear, I have finally created a meditation video.....and as you will see, I have more to learn! I tend to use perfection as a roadblock to completing large...
Did you do your homework? Now it's time for some goal-setting! If we don’t have a plan, we are aimless, like wandering without a map to guide us. In my private practice, I often discuss goal-setting with my clients. Last month, after the year-in-review I did it with...
January holds so much promise. Here I am, in the wintery woods of the sunny boreal forest, in Alberta, Canada, smack-dab in the middle of our deep winter: this is January. The days are short (but get longer, longer, longer still), the snow is deep, and the air is...
I am still dealing with my bumper pumpkin crop. I have given dozens away, driving around with them rolling around in the back of my car, encouraging others to roast, cook, carve, and decorate! It's funny how such a crop can seem like a burden....I refuse to waste...
Gluten-free is a mighty popular term these days. I’m sure you’ve seen it on menus and at the grocery. Gluten is a protein composite found in foods made from wheat and other grains such as rye and barley. Gluten, meaning “glue,” gives elasticity to dough, giving the...
Fall is upon us! This time of year I scramble, trying to use up my precious garden veggies. In the boreal forest, where I proudly pitch my fork, at this time of year (or any time, really) there could be a sudden frost. As the calendar moves further into September,...
After many years of working with clients on various health issues, an underlying common theme is obvious: most women want to lose weight. But really, is this what they want? If we dig a little deeper, isn’t it true that we all just want to be happy? Recently, I...
Potatoes. They are a high-glycemic and inflammation-producing nightshade. So, what are you to eat in the summer when the new potatoes are ready? And right beside them, the dill and the sugar-snap peas? This is right about the time of year when the world seems poised...
Tomorrow I am starting a Qigong Practice Group in my small town in rural northern Alberta, where many voices are not like mine. What will I do if no one comes? Also, I am nervous about teaching something to others that resonates so deeply with me, but may not for...
Lately, the word “mindfulness” is tossed around as frequently as a beach ball at a rock concert (at least the rock concerts of the 80’s. I’m not sure if they still do that. . .). With all this common usage of mindfulness, are we practicing it more, or has it simply...
This is a great-tasting, healthier, and lower-fat version of guacamole. I brought this appetizer to a friend’s house this weekend and everyone wanted the recipe! The broccoli beefs up the vitamin quotient while the edamame beans increase the protein, making this a...
Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in the moment. When you consciously focus your awareness on life as it unfolds minute by minute, you are better able to savour each experience. By being mindful, you can experience life as it...
Not-so-pretty but pretty-good-tasting bean dip I have been reading about those sprouted beans lately, so recently bought a big bag of them. I purchased them at Costco: you know, the big store where you shop with big carts, buy big things in big amounts, stand in big...
We all know that exercise is an essential ingredient in both physical and mental health. So why is it always the first thing we drop when life gets busy? Exercise needs to be scheduled into our days and weeks. It needs to be as important as grocery shopping, as...
