Thank You for being part of Our Journey!

Wow!  What an amazing day to Celebrate!  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather for our Client Appreciation and Grand Opening- bright, clear blue skies, warm sunshine and a gentle breeze.

I feel so blessed and fortunate to share our space and transformations with so many of you in attendance.  There were about 100 energetic guests who went home nourished, uplifted and inspired.  Following the ribbon cutting, Mary Anne shared two beautiful poems and there was an impromptu labyrinth walk to the centre where cello (Allanah), guitar (Thommas) and drum beats (Brendan) shared their gifts.  It was a truly magical experience for me!  Sharmaine challenged our guests with a light-hearted, lively and fun quiz about "Outrageous Vitality" tips.  Then Dr Norm shared a personal, heart-felt account of his introduction to Nanaimo, our process of buying the house and the vision and transformation of the space.

As Dr Norm spoke earlier today, "I feel like Royalty".  You, the Lifehouse Community, our friends, family and neighbours certainly treat us very well.  Thank you so much for all your generosity with contributions to our growing, blooming garden, cards, gifts, well-wishes and kind words.  They all mean so much to Alita, Dr Norm and myself.

Special thanks to:
Cory Anderson for assisting with the ribbon cutting, Mary Anne Moore's poetry reading, Sharmaine Henophy's enthusiastic 'Miss Plum Bloom' clowning, Delaney Madisen for supporting Ms. Plum Bloom and creating poster, Missy Nobels for her energy and support, David Seath for his creative photography work, Bart Long for leading powerful "Lion Walk" experiences, musical talents of Allannah Dow, Thommas Michaud and Brendan Holm, Alita Madisen for assisting in preparing nourishing, healthy snacks.

And to all of you who joined in our celebrations ~ Thank you for being part of our very special day!  It was a very enjoyable, lively day because of you.

Shine bright!
In gratitude for such a special Lifehouse Community within Nanaimo and with Much Love,

Heather & the Lifehouse Crew

The Three R's

We are well into our renovations at the upcoming new Lifehouse space and I am having a blast.  One of the most amazing unfoldings and learnings for me is in the power of the three R’s.  Over the last decade the cultural drive towards green movements have never been stronger, burning into all of our long term memories the slogan of the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  In my life I have strived to follow the 3 R’s but never before have I seen firsthand just how crucial they are.  

We had three large concrete pads in the back yard which needed to be broken up, so we did.  The industry standards would have been to take the broken pieces to the dump and then purchase expensive slate or limestone to build our new walkway…Stop, wait… those broken pieces would make a great walkway, lets reuse them.   The current lawn was a mess:  old, dead and full of weeds.  Again the standards would have been to cut them into pieces with a turf cutter and take it to the dump… Stop, wait… I think that will make great fill for the raised garden beds.   We have also been busy recycling our old goods on Craig’s list, and also buying and even finding lots of free stuff there as well.  What a riot!

 Along the way I can see the light bulbs go off in our contractors’ heads too, hey these ideas are smart!  They see their work load simplify as well.  It’s amazing how far just a little common sense will go. This got me thinking about the value of the 3 R’s when it comes to our health.  Enjoy!

Reduce.

Most people in our population have bodies that are out of alignment.  Heads held way forward, (with many people their heads are 1 to 2 inches forward, holding a 10-15 lb head up in this position) and their shoulders and hips askew.  This takes a tremendous amount of energy to just hold in place, fighting gravity all day long.  A properly aligned spine will hold the body upright in space with the muscles hardly working at all.  Check in when you are standing, are your neck muscles tight, are the muscles in your low back tight, these are all signs that you are wasting a lot of energy.

Reuse.    
The tools that we teach here at The Lifehouse are all resources.  The more you use them the more they will work for you.  Practice, practice practice.  Imagine what it would be like to live in a healthy body and that became a habit, a lifestyle.  In our glitzy world we are tantalized by hyper-experiences, new ideas, quick fixes.  Over time this is not only more expensive but rarely will it get to the core of what is really going on.

Recycle.  

Turning wounds into gifts is the power of transformational healing.  One of the goals here at The Lifehouse is to help you reorganize the energy in your body so you can work with it better.  Many kinds of healing modalities want to take that energy away, take the pain away.  Wait, don’t get rid of it, that energy is your fuel, it is the fuel that once you open to it, bring some breath, some touch and a different perspective to it will become your gift.  I see this time and time again on the tables; those who connect, feel and heal, not only liberate their pain but through the process they also grow as a person, they get stronger, more confident, and more compassionate.  Through the process they really grow as an individual.

In the long run not only is it healthier for you, your body and mother earth to follow the 3 R’s but it will also most certainly save you in time, money and energy.  This week stop and ask yourself, am I implementing the 3 R’s into my life, how can I implement them into my health as well?

On that note you are welcome to follow the changes that are happening at our new Lifehouse as Heather has uploaded a number of pictures to our blog.  We are also open to contributions of plants, tree’s, herbs, rocks, crystals, and soil for the new space; if you have some of these items that you would like to recycle we would love to receive.

Working together for a greener you,

Dr. Norm