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What’s Your Underlying Belief?

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I continue to benefit from the insights of Dr. Gabor Maté, both personally and professionally, and am immensely grateful for the opportunity to study and teach with him. One of the areas in my own life that I currently bring awareness to are the mostly unconscious beliefs that show up when I feel self-pity or want to blame others. Both of these states cause internal discomfort. Here's a recent example. I was in Utah last week on a family vacation, touring around in my son's new-to-him 1992 Volkswagon camper van, hiking in gorgeous national parks and tenting at night, enjoying being together with my grown children, son-in-law and husband. On a particular long uphill hike to a natural hot springs not far from Salt Lake City, I found myself well behind the …

Beyond Addiction at Sun Door Yoga on Hornby Island

I felt inspired to host a Beyond Addiction Program at Sun Door Yoga following my participation in the Vancouver 2014 program with Sat Dharam Kaur. I knew then that the most important personal work we can do is to uncover our trauma and negative thought patterns. Left unhealed, this trauma manipulates and habituates us to act and behave from a place of great pain, which leaves us far from standing in and acting from our authenticity. I have intimately known substance abuse, co-dependency, socially accepted addictions, and other addictions to be over-arching shadows in my life. Hosting this beneficial and radical program has been a way to honour and spread its efficacy to those in need. Addictions are so prevalent in our society, and they arise in part due to …

From Defeat to Victory

The Gladstone theatre was filled to the brim with 250 people from every corner of the city. Each one was prepared to partake in a life-changing performance by one of Ottawa, Canada’s, latest rising stars. I was particularly excited to be a part of this evening’s performance, because the rising star was a dear friend of mine. I sat in the first row, proud and eager to show my support. It was strange, but all my enthusiasm leading up to the event quickly drained after the lights went out and I saw her up on stage. They were quickly replaced by feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. Why? Well, you see, about two years before the event took place, the star and I spent many hours dreaming of bright futures. She spoke of …

On Gratitude and Forgiveness

“May you be here now in gratitude. As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.” -  Siddhartha Gautama Last night, en route to teach a Beyond Addiction workshop in New Mexico, summer storms made flying unsafe and I had to sleep in the Dallas Airport. In the face of this “first world problem” I was grateful for the teachings of Kundalini Yoga and the principles of the Beyond Addiction program. When my flight was cancelled, I observed my own drive to have things go “my” way and my desire to impose my will on others to have them behave as I wish. I then softened into acceptance. As Gabor Maté says, “I am here now in this.” There’s nothing any of us …