I recently heard Michael Pollan's interview on CBC's The Current on Feb 24, 2026, where he introduced the concept of "consciousness hygiene." I really love what this evokes in me, and want to encourage others to reflect on this as well, and to explore what consciousness hygiene practice can look like. Pollan notes that we need [...]
In this blog, I'm pleased to share one of my all-time favourite articles about the benefits and ways to stimulate the longest cranial nerve in the body -- the vagus nerve -- which carries signals between your brain, heart and digestive system. The autonomic nervous system has two divisions: sympathetic (arousing) and parasympathetic (calming). While your [...]
I've been fascinated recently to learn more about the relationship between our diet and our mental health. Apparently, glucose spikes and dips can cause issues like brain fog, mood swings, anxiety, etc, according to French biochemist Jessie Inchauspé (also better known as the Glucose Goddess, and author of Glucose Revolution: The life-changing power of balancing your [...]
I had the pleasure of meeting the late Dr. Jane Goodall personally 20+ years ago, while supporting her Roots & Shoots youth program. I recall that one of her key messages is that every action, no matter how small, counts, and can help to make the world a better place. Last week, I was very touched, [...]
Clients in couples therapy who progress well are those who are able to get out of the "I'm right. You're wrong" mindset, and who take accountability for their respective part in the dynamic. One of my favourite books for Couples work is Couple Skills by Matthew McKay, as the chapters are easy to read and follow, [...]
My Tai Chi practice has taught me a thing or two about grounding. Our feet have to be rooted, and if the force is coming toward us, we are ready to change positions. Nothing is locked tightly i.e. jaws, shoulders, knees, so that the body can relax and feel supported by the solid grounding beneath us. [...]
One of the common themes in the therapy room is our reaction to fear and our preconceptions of what it means. We feel the discomfort and we want to run from it, or we project, i.e. blame, act out, all because we want to hold on to something to feel more secure. I like how Pema [...]
In Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, she notes that "rest must be practiced daily until it becomes our foundation." She adds that many of us have been programmed to be "productive," to be part of the "grind culture," subjecting our bodies and minds to work at a "machine-level pace," at the expense of our health. [...]
Recently, I came upon a reading from a small book I purchased years ago, entitled The Tao of Psychology: Synchronicity and the Self by Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD. One of my favourite chapters in the book is Chapter 8: The Tao as Path with Heart. The author writes about how we can be distracted by so [...]
I just read this beautiful article featured in the June 2023 newsletter by the International Focusing Institute, where the author Karen Carmeli shares the correlation of jazz music and focusing-oriented therapy (the journey of exploring the felt sense in the body), and offers specific song examples to explore this connection. It really makes me appreciate the [...]