The Space to Heal is Here

“We have the internal space to heal. We only need to be willing to let go of some of the discordant clutter and noise of our minds. ”

Healing requires space. As we plow through day to day life, we dream about finding a time when there will be space to heal, rejuvenate and refuel. Some of us are holding off until the weekend, while for others the breaks are fewer and farther in between. When we can’t find that space in time, we fall sick.Then we are forced to have some bed rest, some space, some time to heal. Sometimes it is just a few days we are in bed, sometimes it is much longer than that.  

We think of space as if it were a far off destination or something we create. But really, space is ever present and everywhere. A room crammed full of stuff doesn’t have less space than an empty room, It just has more stuff in it. We are not creating space when we take stuff out, the space is already there. There is nothing but space.  

Inside us is space as well. Like our external space, our internal space can become crowded with stuff that might impede our ability to move around and do things efficiently. Our internal space becomes more and more crowded with thoughts, beliefs and judgments that keep us from healing, movement and growth. Much like a hoarder who crowds his life with material things because he fears he may someday need them for survival and well-being, we hoard and crowd ourselves with unnecessary beliefs and judgments.

“Should” thoughts and “can’t” thoughts and “have to” thoughts and “never/ always” thoughts are dis-empowering and create impossible conditions for our healing, depleting us of our energy. Thoughts like “I will never have enough time, space or resources to fulfill my needs.” Or thoughts like “the only way to feel better is to have or do x, y and z” set us up for failure time and again. These thoughts crowd our internal space and become externalized in the form of judgments of others and the world.

We have the internal space to heal. We only need to be willing to let go of some of the discordant clutter and noise of our minds. We need to trust and accept ourselves enough to let go of the stockpile of unnecessary thought weapons and defenses that are weighing us down every day, every moment. This acceptance in and of itself creates space and expansion. A spacious and trusting internal world can positively affect both internal and external environments in subtle and miraculous ways. De-clutter some outdated thoughts right now. Replace them with: I have the space to heal, I have the capacity to heal, this very moment.

In Health and Community,

You are Infinitely More than You Think

“It is time to pay some attention to what is Sacred inside your own self. Everything else, comes and goes.”

— Mooji

For my 45th birthday, I gifted myself a pilgrimage to Andalusia Portugal, known as “the place where nothing happens,” for a silent retreat with a spiritual teacher whose teachings have been close to my heart. Known affectionately as Mooji Baba, he points to what he calls the true Self or pure Awareness in which we all unknowingly reside. This in contrast to the personal ego that most of us identify with and experience our lives through. Eight years ago I stumbled upon him on YouTube while researching another dear spiritual leader, Ramana Maharshi. From the first time I heard Mooji, I was captivated by his mixture of direct, no-nonsense teaching and surprising humor. Laughter and Truth have always been my saving graces.

At the start of the retreat, Mooji led us through a meditation asking us to leave behind everything that we think we are--our stories, our thoughts, our roles, our doubts, our judgments, our attachments, our aversions, our opinions--and to sit with what remained, Presence--the only thing impossible to leave behind. That Presence, he said, is You. Presence is Eternal. It is Divine. It is Love. And that, is You. The personality that you filter and create your life experience through is not only narrow, but is unreal. It is only real because you believe it and hold on to it.

 From the first pointing, I was stunned by the radical truth of what Mooji was saying. Everything inside me acknowledged its truth, but I felt a paralysis inside. The implications of this truth shook my universe to its core. How could this be true? For the next few days, I held steadfast to Mooji’s words. I went for long walks and asked, is this true? Is it true that I am Eternal? Is it true that there’s nothing to fear? Is it true that we are One? Is it true that all is Love? Is it true that Joy is everpresent? Is it true all those things the Holy Books speak of, the drunken mystics and their flights of poetry and dance, the eternal wisdom of the sages? Is it true true? And as my heart melted over the course of the days, all around me answered yes.

One warm afternoon, filled with profound peace and stillness, I looked into the vast blue sky. I watched the shape shifting clouds above me and and followed the occasional crane caressing the sky with its open wingspan like an inviting embrace. All around me, everything was alive. The leaves in the trees rustled yes and the birds called out yes and the wind whispered yes and the sun radiated yes and the silence said, Yes Yes Yes.

That night, walking down the dirt path back to my cabin, I stood mesmerized by the eternity of stars in the night sky. After staring for awhile into the endless darkness, I closed my eyes. Inside myself I also found an endless darkness of eternity. And suddenly, the truth flashed through me. The only thing interrupting eternity out there, and eternity in here is me. And with that my insistent questioning stopped and I heard my own heart say Yes. And everything fell quiet.

Love, Truth, and Laughter, 

June Practitioner Spotlight: Jenna Frisch

“Chinese medicine is not just theory but a way of paying attention. It is poetry and a life philosophy and provides a context for recognizing our nature.”

Like many healing art practitioners, I found my way to my practice through my own healing. What I sought at the beginning of my process was a medicine concerned with all of me - the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical - and practitioners that could accompany me on my search to know myself, to feel alive, rather than prescribe an antidote to my very human experience.

I discovered an interest in massage therapy via a yoga training that I took in order to be part of a nurturing, healing community. My teacher was studying myofascial release at the time and walked us through a couple mini partner massage sessions. Connecting to a person in that way, being held in that way, was a life changing experience. There was a tenderness in the touch that welcomed release, as if layers of myself were shed - the pieces I didn’t choose so much as learned to wear - and I knew instantly that I wanted to pursue a hands-on approach to healing.

I fell in love with Chinese medicine at McKinnon Body Therapy Center where I first learned about the meridians, the Five Elements, and how this medicine is alive within each of us. Chinese medicine is not just theory but a way of paying attention. It is poetry and a life philosophy and provides a context for recognizing our nature. It carefully, and without bias, honors our whole experience. As a practitioner, I appreciate having this context when talking with my clients about the interconnectedness of all things, from what we feel to how we think to the way we move in the world. Through the meridians and acupressure points, I can touch and hold the experience of my client as I am guided by the body to offer the greatest benefit in the moment.

Part of my passion for being a massage therapist comes from accompanying others along their healing journey, and part comes from sharing what I have learned. Recently, I began teaching Acupressure and Shiatsu at McKinnon which offers a chance to deepen my relationship to Chinese medicine while inviting others to begin their own. This medicine has helped me deepen my relationship to myself most of all, which is where all healing begins.