Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Reopening July 27th!
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
— Arundhati Roy
Dearest Heart & Hands Community; current and future BCST enthusiasts
My online schedule will be available once again as of Monday July 27th. I have missed working with you and I very much look forward to returning to holding space for the ever inspiring transformations that unfold as I witness each of you come into a deeper relationship with your health.
I have been spending quality time in my medicine garden during this growing season. Sometimes I just go to sit with the plants to take a few deep breaths and to tune into what is worrying me, like COVID-19, or what is hurting my heart, like missing my family, or simply to honour the grief and concern I hold for beloved Black, Indiginous and People of Colour in my chosen family and wider community.
Our systems simply cannot sustain constant worry and vigilance and we often have a lot of it going on under the surface. Have you ever noticed you have been holding your breath? Maybe while watching a suspenseful movie, or during a stressful encounter or while waiting or anticipating news? Unconsciously holding our breath is just one of the ways that we can undermine the on-going and involuntary nature of breathing, that which our intrinsic health relies on.
Taking a moment to notice our thoughts and feelings is a valuable practice of harm reduction, though as simple as it sounds we all know it’s not easy to sit with discomfort. When I sit in my medicine garden sometimes I just sit and stare at the sky or at the intricate petals of the flowers in bloom or at the curious cloud patterns and allow my thoughts to arise and blow off into the wind. Sometimes I sway and sing songs that open my heart or give me hope or connect me to my ancestors. Sometimes I cry and let my tears water the soil beneath my feet. I tend to wander over to be with my plants in the early mornings or after dinner, times of day that I feel most settled.
These times have been isolating for many of us, though some have appreciated the break from expectations and the essential halt to business as usual. Many of us have recognized the deep need for cultural and systemic change, for community and connection, for touch, for wellness practices and tools to support our capacity to carry on during difficult times.
Resmaa Menakem, in his brilliant book, My Grandmother’s Hands, discusses the essential work for each of us to embody anti-racist work and offers several practices for the purpose of helping us stay present and heal trauma: humming an entire song to ourselves, mindfully rubbing our bellies, slowly and intentionally massaging lotion into our hands, taking a moment to really feel our feet on the ground, noticing what we taste, smell, see, hear and feel in the present moment. To resource ourselves it is helpful to focus on the aspects of our sense experiences that are nourishing or neutral. This helps us rebalance and connect with our inner resilience and capacity to stay with what is hard and most importantly to learn to listen and pause so that we do not harm others.
I am so grateful to be returning to my work at the clinic for many reasons, one being that the work of holding space for your systems to unfold and come into deeper relationship with your health, is also nourishing for my system. In order to be present for you, I must be present first for myself, which keeps me accountable.
As you probably can imagine, things will be a little different with my new Health and Safety Protocols in place to keep all of us as safe as possible in this time of COVID-19.
I trust the information below will help you to decide whether you feel it’s the right time for you to return to your BCST care, how to prepare for your session, and what to expect.
Before you make an appointment
If you have any symptoms, (fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat) or have been in any contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please do not come to the clinic.
My cancellation fees will be waived during this time, so if you are not feeling well please reschedule for another time.
If you have been out of province please wait two weeks before booking in.
On arrival
Risks
It’s important to acknowledge the risks still present associated with COVID-19. Due to the nature of BCST, any treatment does have some risk of transmission of COVID-19. I have implemented the above protocols to mitigate this risk, but I cannot guarantee that this risk can be completely reduced. By consenting to receive treatment, you are consenting to the risk entailed.
Please feel free to contact me if there are any needs you have that have not been addressed here that would help you feel safer to access the care you need. I am available to discuss any of these new health and safety policies over the phone 250-896-7139 or via email avivacraniosacral@gmail.com
