Self-Care For The Soul

Earlier in the week one of our beautiful Sufi teachers, Kabir Helminski, shared the lyrics of the classic rock song Woodstock, written by Joni Mitchell and more famously sung by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.   "We are stardust, We are golden, We are billion-year-old carbon, And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden." From the time I read the post, the song continued to loop...

By now we know that uncomfortable emotions influence our food choices, eating habits, and ability to digest and absorb nutrients.  In this week's Meditation & Healing Circle, we will look specifically at how fear might be influencing our eating habits.    By fear I mean a disruption in your base chakra and belly energy centers that disturbs your primal sense of safety and securi...

As we close out the month of June and this series on Lessons and Blessings from Living with My Father, today we tap into compassionate listening with an inquiry into the questions: "Why have our souls traveled this earth together at this time? What are we here to learn from each other, to give and receive. to share?"  Listen to this episode to explore heart-centered connection with a dee...

We have a special treat today - a journey through the Blessings Fields with Ruha Cathy Delwiche, Holy Fire® Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher and incredible healer. Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) have just passed bringing their unique blend of energies. As we celebrate these times with our families and friends, remembering the sacred truth: even Father Sun on the long...

Life gets busy. When our aging loved ones are slowing down, it can be challenging to dial back our pace to be present with them. The same is true when a spouse or friend becomes ill, or with our children, and especially with our parents – the folks that were yelling at us to hurry up when we were younger. Our minds might not be able to grasp what is happening when their bodies and minds...

Do you wonder what keeps some people sharp, active, and happy into their elder years? When I first moved in with my dad (now 101), I was surprised at some of the habits he had developed that filled his time. But then as I observed how he was living his life, I realized how he had masterfully embraced what he was still physically and mentally able to do. He was aging gracefully in his own way,...

I've been living with my father for 7 years now. He is 101 years young, nearing 102. This has been the most special time of my life. I've received many blessings and learned many lessons that can help us in our relationships with our parents, honoring our elderly, and in our personal growth. In this episode, Part 1, we explore: Letting Go of our Attachment to Outcome, and Finding a...

If there’s anything you have been putting off or been on the fence about, now if the time. It's time for us to get into alignment and strengthen our commitments so we can leave a safe and healthy planet for our children.  Right now, we're on track to destroy the whole thing before the end of our average lifespan. We've got to make the changes to turn things around.   In th...

Today’s children and young adults are the future leaders and caretakers of the planet. As our planet’s environment and human consciousness are simultaneously rapidly evolving, our youth are coming in encoded with what they need to survive and thrive in an evolved world.  Our current leaders and most adults are set in the old ways which have been destroying our planet, and we like to pressure...

Inherent in every mother-child relationship is guilt. As a parent, we worry if we did what was needed to give our children the best chance at living a successful and fulfilling life. As a child, we wonder if we did enough to make our parents proud and give them fulfillment as parents. When I was 24 years old, my mother passed away from cancer. I was a gifted child with enormous potential, yet I ha...

Effective communications can make or break a relationship. This doesn't always mean effectively proving our points or being right or even perfect.  I'm talking about listening with an open compassionate heart and a desire to mend your relationships.  This authentically deepens the heart connection. It's more than a band-aid, it heals core wounds.   If we truly care about o...

How about a spa day for your heart? Gentle healing sounds to soften the heart, release the blocks and barriers, and rest into the beauty and peace deep inside.    In this week’s Meditation & Healing Circle, I’m going to share a sequence I did as a practicum when I was in Continuum Movement Teacher Training, and it got a high mark! It was very well received and people had de...

The traumas of life can disconnect us from our bodies. When we experience a shock, we rebound out. We live from our heads, or we retreat inward or hide behind ourselves. We have trouble being our authentic selves in relationships or expressing our thoughts clearly in work environments. Sound vibration is really helpful for breaking up stuck energies to release old patterning and blo...

In this Meditation & Healing Circle, we focus on releasing the effects of trauma from the body. We use Sacred Sounds to open the throat and reclaim the voice. We release constriction from the upper chest, throat, jaw, face, and head, returning us to our original knowing of ourselves as beings of light.   April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.&n...

What is our role on this planet in relation to other species? Answers are encoded within us, and Sacred Sound can awaken the inner knowledge. Humans are one of four main species, different from the others because we are caretakers of the planet. We are here to take care of this world and the other species that are also, like us, a part of this world.   Of course, we know this in our bone...

Embark on a journey of discovery and healing with Elizabeth Dare Andes—a Somatic Movement Therapist, Energy Healer, Educator and Founder of Evolutionary Somatics . As we delve into the depths of somatic movement therapy, energy healing, and the quantum field, Elizabeth shares her transformative odyssey, ignited in 1980 under the vibrant lights of New York City. Join us as we uncover the profound p...

Some people say that moving beyond old wounds before they are healed is a spiritual bypass. They believe you cannot move beyond until you have healed. Yet, the life journey is a continual process of healing. So how can you be your authentic self while you're in the process? We change our relationship to our past, our old wounds, and the pain they cause. Our movement is more of...

We carry layers and layers of subconscious self-talk and emotional wounding that feeds into our sense of "not enough." Not tall enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough, not enough training or education, not enough money, not enough time, not enough... not enough... enough of that!    These beliefs build a wall around us that keeps us from pursuing the passions we feel inside whic...

Does stress get your belly tied up in knots?  Your belly needs support to decompress just like any other part of you. In fact, it needs special attention because that's where we tend to store our most intense emotions - shame, guilt, worry, fear, anger, vulnerability - and then we disconnect from it so we don't have to deal with those unpleasantries.    In this Meditation &...

Fasting is the ultimate Gift of Slowing Down. It is not an action or a ritual, but a non-doing, a state of being that allows your presence to be one with your divine essence. In this state you find many truths and extraordinary healing. The Divine Design of your physical body gives it the intelligence to heal itself. Our role is to choose the wisdom that gives it the necessary conditions and the s...

Do you ever wonder why when we're feeling stressed, we want to eat foods and do things that end up making us feel even worse? What if we could remember that our bodies are vessels of light that just need a little support on this day and give our body the nurturing and nourishment that it truly needs?  In every Meditation & Healing Circle, I follow guidance. I don't always know where...

How do we evolve in our changing world? In this age of multiple crises that are accelerating and converging, it's very challenging to not fall back into old patterns stemming from unprocessed trauma. How do we move through these patterns so that we can create consciously and thrive?   As it happens, one of the best models for regeneration is found in nature. Like all organic life, our bodies...

Would you like to have deeper intimacy in your relationships? The secret to deepening intimacy is presence – being deeply present and attentive to one another.  It begins by being present in your own being and allowing your heart to open to the heart of another – without losing yourself. To have sacred intimacy means to invoke the Divine Essence, to see through the lens of the holiness within...

One of my exes used to treat me as a human dumping ground. I get it, he had a lot of stress he needed to release… but no matter how understanding and loving you are, it gets old. After a while, I was done with it and decided it needed to change.   I talked with a friend who helped me realize it wasn’t about me, it was just that I was the safe space he needed to be able to let everything go.&n...

Do you find yourself angry, frustrated, barking at people for things that are outside of your control and even out of their control?  What if you could find a way to peacefully express yourself and bring about a desirable resolution without raising your blood pressure or hurting people around you?   The truth is, most of our responses are learned behaviors. They might be patterns we...