Balance Point Energetics

A Pain in the Neck (and shoulders)

Sally — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:31:29 +0000

So the news is full of reports of the Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis. As many of the ancients predicted big earth changes are happening with greater force and frequency than ever before. As the earth shifts, our bodies shift, as we are part of the earth and the earth is part of us…you really can’t separate them…you can try but you usually run into trouble in the way of chronic illness, disease or death.

As I have been communicating with clients, other practitioners and shamanically minded people many of them are reporting deep neck and shoulder pain that is disrupting their daily life and sleep. If I look at this from a Jin Shin Jyutsu® perspective the neck and shoulders comprise for the most part Safety Energy Lock #s 4, 12, 11 & 3 – so let’s have a closer look at them and the shifting earth.

Safety Energy Lock #4 is known as the Window, the Measurer of Intelligence, the General Manager, and the Weaving Princess. Right now with many of our old limiting belief systems being stripped away and our consciousness shifting to new enlightened forms these Safety Energy Locks are very busy and can get overloaded. By holding them and letting them open and reset you are helping your general manager to make sense of everything and to open your mind windows wide and let in a fresh breeze to air everything out.
Safety Energy Lock # 12 is known as the Universal Will, Conscious Immortality instigator and the Overseer of all. By opening these locks you are assisting yourself to LET GO, surrender and begin flowing with your destiny, getting onto your individual path and moving forward on it. Keeping these safety energy locks open also assists one to understand that there is a beautiful and unique purpose for everyone and that happiness and contentment comes from connecting with that purpose and fulfilling it.
Safety Energy Lock # 11 is known as the Janitor where excess baggage (physical toxins, mental or emotional congestion) is unloaded and the hub where transitions are assisted and justice (right action) is understood. Opening these will help you to get and stay “cleaned out” so that you can stay clear, see your path and make good choices for yourself.
Safety Energy Lock # 3 is known as the Door to Sacred Intelligence and the Respiratory Specialist (being able to breathe life in and out). These Energy Locks help you to connect with and remember ancient wisdom, leave wounds of the past behind and understand how the pieces of life’s puzzle fit together.

If you are experiencing a pain in the neck and/or shoulders consider using gentle pressure with your fingertips on these Safety Energy Locks – hold them and listen for your pulses to arise in them and then synchronize (beat together) with each other. Breathe deeply while you do this and let your energy and awareness shift to help you find your way in the newly forming world. A quickie flow for the neck and shoulder area can be found here: http://www.flowsforlife.com/jin-shin-jyutsu/shoulder-pain/

Jin Shin Jyutsu® translated into English reads “Divine Expression of a Compassionate Aware Human” – you can help yourself to relieve your pain and become more aware of who you are in the process – good medicine I say!

Winter Help

Sally — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 16:46:35 +0000

Wiarton Willie, Punxsutawney Phil, Staten Island Chuck and other famous groundhogs http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/groundhog_day/celebrity_groundhogs_and_past_predictions.shtml did not see their shadows on February 2 of this year, and since it is unanimous among these celebrities spring is definitely on its way. As I look out my window at the mounds of snow the vernal equinox still seems far away. I am grateful for the crisp cold air that revitalizes me and the snow that squeaks underfoot as I walk about my community, and today for the bright sunshine that bounces off of the snow cover and blasts my pineal gland open to clean out the cobwebs of old beliefs and limiting ways. The recent dramatic earth shift energies have left me feeling like I am turning inside out and I am grateful for the connection and support of my highly sensitive peers who walk this journey with me. I am grateful to be alive at this very interesting time on earth as we watch Egypt’s people work together to make things better for themselves and to demonstrate the power of working together for a common goal. Synergy rules!

In the midst of February not everyone feels lucky to be alive. The long stretches without much sunshine, the propensity for colds and flus, the natural tendency for the body to go into hibernation mode, the continuing unemployment rates and future uncertainties can all make for a challenging time for many. We are so accustomed to distracting ourselves from our pain with all sorts of behaviours and ways so that we don’t have to feel. Elder teachers and wise people understand that the voice and wisdom of our pain will lead us forward on our individual paths, so if you can learn to be with it all (sooooo easy to say) you will find your way. Gather good people around you who will help you to do this. Working with meditation, mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, Jin Shin Jyutsu®, shamanism and other ways that assist you to connect to the energies within and around you can remind you that nothing is permanent and that energy (you) are always transforming and growing.

At the core of Jin Shin Jyutsu® is remembering the ability to just BE with whatever is. If you want to incorporate some of this ancient harmonizing power in your life try out the Main Central Vertical Daily Harmonizing Exercise that I wrote about at the beginning of this year:

http://www.jsjinc.net/pagedetails.php?id=maincentral-flow and remember that it is consistent daily use that will yield results – maybe you can challenge a few friends or family members to practice this together wherever they are and you can cheerlead each other on until this becomes a daily habit. Keep in mind that because we are all connected energetically you are not only helping yourself, you are helping your community and the energy of the planet at large (I know you can’t see it happening so it is sometimes hard to believe, but what have you got to lose in trying it out???)

If you happen to be feeling stuck in any part of your life reach out and hold your Safety Energy Lock 1’s, on the inside of each of your knees http://mysite.verizon.net/ron26/art2.html , for 20 minutes a day to really get things moving or for 5 minutes at least 3 times a day to loosen things a bit.

The Spleen Flow is a very simple and very nurturing flow to use this or any time of year. If you are feeling dark from the lack of all kinds of light in your life this is the flow to use, and again it is consistent use and the cumulative effect that will help you to understand its power. This flow is a total body regulator that is known for harmonizing all of the organs, assisting with energy depletion and Vitamin D absorption – its nickname is the Solar Energy Flow! Here is a link to an excellent article written several years ago by Mitzi Adams

http://www.merrynjose.com/artman/publish/article_48.shtml and here are the very simple four steps of the spleen flow:

Spleen Flow

Hold each step for at least 5 minutes

STEP ONE: Place Right hand on inside of right ankle below the bone in the hollow

Place left hand on the tailbone (coccyx)

STEP TWO: Left hand remains on the tailbone (coccyx)

Right hand moves to just below left front centre ribcage

STEP THREE: Right hand remains just below your left front centre ribcage

Move Left hand to right centre breast

STEP FOUR: Right hand remains just below left front centre ribcage

Left hand moves to just under left centre collarbone

Nurture yourself and share these possibilities with others, someday you might even enjoy winter!

Conscious Grumbling

Sally — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:03:32 +0000

The long nights and gathering energies that winter brings set a perfect backdrop for getting to know the shadow aspects of ourselves. Many people find ways to distract themselves from the opportunities for growth that this time of year brings because it is simply easier to avoid the darkness than it is to dive into it an explore, feel and heal.

What is the shadow? This is another of those instances when words just don’t cut it to convey full multi-dimensional meaning, but here it goes. Our shadow is those parts of ourselves that usually stay lurking just beneath our conscious awareness. Some aspects are also buried much deeper within. If we can imagine ourselves as marionette puppets, the shadow would be the strings and marionette that control our movements. These movements are usually preceded by beliefs and thoughts also emanating from the marionette. Sometimes we are quite content with this arrangement and how we operate in the world. At other times we struggle to break free from some of the constraints of this arrangement so that we can make positive changes in our lives. The season of winter with its quiet, dark, internal and shadowy energies present a perfect opportunity to call up our skills of introspection and look to see who or what the marionette is made of and how it pulls our strings. The quietness of the natural world around us whispers to us to slow down and go within to listen to the rumblings and grumblings of our soul.

If you want to learn more about yourself and your unseen operating systems you can involve yourself in the practice of what I call “conscious grumbling”. Allow yourself to fall into your well of darkness and shadow. Feel it, its heaviness, secretiveness, elusiveness and often negative and hopeless nature. And when it starts to get very uncomfortable try to stay in it, don’t distract yourself from it by jumping back out of it to eat, drink, watch the latest movie or play the newest video game. Say with it and become the seeker looking for the images that your soul wants you to see, and listen for the sounds need to be expressed and the words to be heard and spoken. Let all of this come to the surface and go ahead and grumble and grouch away to the ethers, your imaginary audience or with pen in hand write them down. Which ever method is most natural for you express these energies and let them surface for the awareness spotlight to shine on them. Speak some of these grumblings out loud into the wind so they can be carried away and heard by unseen ears. Some of these expressions are simply day to day irritations, molehills. Treat the grumblings that are louder and more intense with respect. Take the time to acknowledge them and write them down – get them out of your being and onto paper in front of you, then look at them and listen to them and let them be your teachers. Ask them what they can teach you and apply the Serenity Prayer filter to them – sort them into the “To Be Worked On” and the “To Be Accepted” columns. Use the prayer as a request for assistance if you need it. Sometimes this sorting takes days, weeks and even years, and that is all okay, your schedule is yours and yours alone. Take your “To Be Worked On” list and own it. Be responsible for it and your part in it, it came from you, it is yours. Now that you are conscious of those things that have been itching at your soul, you are less likely to project them onto others. With clear and honest intent ask for the inspiration, motivation and guidance to begin working on them, and most importantly ask to be aware when all of that is being given to you because it usually comes in unexpected ways and from unexpected sources.

This is not easy work, but it is good work. Within the shadow we not only find difficult and unhealed parts of ourselves, we also find skilled and gifted parts that have been long forgotten. My journeys into this work have provided me with gifts and stories that are more than nine generations old, and they continue to provide me with new perspectives and understandings of myself. Journey on!

An Excerpt from the Serenity Prayer

Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Balance Your Way Into the New Year

Sally — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 22:06:28 +0000

We have made it through a very challenging year. Pat yourself on the back for this, even if you are feeling bruised and used up. Here in Canada in these winter months, as we approach the end of the Gregorian calendar year, and in a few more weeks, the end of the Chinese Year of the Wood Tiger, we can choose to focus our energies inward to receive nourishment from the stillness and power of the quiet season. When you least feel like loving and giving to yourself is when you most need to. Here is a simple exercise to help you to connect with healing energies within and around you and allow them to do their work in your body, mind and spirit.

The Main Central Vertical Daily Harmonizing Exercise

(open link below)

http://www.jsjinc.net/pagedetails.php?id=maincentral-flow

I did not invent this exercise – in fact it has been around quite a while. “According to ancient written records, which remain in the Archives of the Imperial Palace in Japan, Jin Shin Jyutsu® was widely known before the birth of Gautama (Buddha, India), before the birth of Moses (recorded in the Bible), and before the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Things – Japan, A.D. 712). Jin Shin Jyutsu is an innate part of man’s wisdom – simplifying the complexities of existence – and is truly an Art of Living.” http://www.jsjinc.net/pagedetails.php?id=jsj

Jin Shin Jyutsu® is still around and is experiencing a global rebirth because it is simple to practice and it works, but as I say to many of my clients, “It doesn’t work if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to experience it“. Sometimes you will experience a “quick fix” response from it for superficial tensions i.e. holiday hurrying and overwhelm, but more often it is a gradual rebalancing affect that people experience. Jin Shin Jyutsu® is a cumulative healing art – the more that you engage with it, the more that you receive from it. Maybe it is time to give a gift to yourself.

A Radical New Perspective

Sally — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:47:44 +0000

Many of you who read articles and blogs such as this one are searching for something. Perhaps you are questing to seek new information or to have your personal beliefs affirmed. Many of us do not like to spend time or energy reading information that contradicts our belief systems or perspectives – it just seems counterproductive, and it rubs us the wrong way. I regularly seek the “warm fuzzy” experiences to bring balance to some of the harshness of the realities of life, but I have realized that the most powerful healing and growing experiences I have ever had have come from the school of hard knocks. The most difficult life experiences are usually our best teachers.

As the end of 2010 begins to draw near and 2011 prepares to unfold another grand opportunity to leave the pain of our past behind us is here. I am sure that you have heard the “it’s all in the past, just leave it there”, or “move on – get a life” speeches that tend to do nothing for you but add notches to your anger and frustration quotient. You may also get the sincere and empathic “I am sorry for your pain” acknowledgement from others, and while this may support you momentarily it tends to enable you to remain a victim so that you can regularly solicit this kind of attention. The two aforementioned experiences are the black and white ends of the spectrum, there are many grey areas in between.

The year of the wooden tiger is coming to an end. It can be a powerful year full of destruction. Not all destruction is negative. You may have lost many things this year, and in time, if you allow yourself to see the benefit of it all, you will. Every twelve years the year of the tiger roams around to do some planetary housecleaning – decluttering – so that we have the energy, resources and room to make way for new ways and means. When things are being taken away we tend to only see it as loss, not as a preparation for the next phases of our lives. So if you have any personal housecleaning left to do, do it now. This is a great time to let go of old ways of thinking, acting, believing and living to let new healthier ones take root in our lives. Breathe deeply and let go of what you thought was your life plan if it is unravelling in front of you…let the new plan show itself to you. This is definitely a time to find that courage buried deep inside of you to move toward opportunities that make your knees knock and your heart sing. Gather your own team of personal cheerleaders to support you as you rubber leg it into your new life. Avoid Negative Nates and Nasty Nellies and ask for help when you need it – many people do want to help others succeed.

Attitude adjustments are powerful assistants in times like these. So if you are feeling rooted in victim mode and unable to climb out of the pain that a very difficult early life has brought to you I want you to consider a radical shift in perspective. This shift has a few basic beliefs at work. The first one is that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience in a human body. Most of our lives we have been taught and cultured to understand that the human part is most important and the spirit just comes along with it. This shift reverses the priority. The second basic belief is that we are all born into this life with a unique and important purpose. Okay if you can agree to consider this for now we can get to the biggest shift in attitude that may assist you to find healing and a new way to experience yourself. So if we are spirits in human bodies and we experienced very difficult life circumstances – we were victims of other humans, can you find your way to forgiveness by thinking about the kind of sacrifice that the abusive spirits in human bodies made to be born into a toxic and abusive human personality. Perhaps they agreed to live an entire life as an unhealed human to give you the opportunity to become wounded and backed into a corner of despair so that your survival instincts would kick in and help you find your way to wholeness. I know this is a giant leap in perspective for many of you to take, but if you ask yourself if this is an appropriate one for you, you will receive an answer.

Pumpkins are Edible

Sally — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:53:03 +0000

Pumpkins are Edible

As I was out walking on this beautiful November day to gather power and inspiration I noticed yet more uncarved small pumpkins being thrown out with the trash. AHHHHHH my mind responds when I see this – pumpkins are food! Please share with your friends and neighbours that pumpkins can be baked, roasted, boiled, mashed, pied, muffined, cookied, pancaked…. and eaten. They are high in beta carotene – that bright orange colour, vitamin C and E, loaded with fibre and if you eat the seeds
you get the gift of zinc. And if you are not going to eat them please give them to someone who will or at least compost them. Give some LOVE to pumpkins!

Living Well with Chaos

Sally — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:53:14 +0000

As each day passes we come closer to the end of the period that the ancient Q’ero people, the Inkas, have called the End of Time. The last date of the current Mayan calendar is December 21, 2012. Some fear this date, others welcome it and yet others ignore it or are completely oblivious to it. I am aware that many of the Mayan predictions of this time are quite accurate – the rising frequency of natural disasters, the crumbling of hierarchical financial systems, increasing labour strife, the increasing awareness of the folly of our earth conquering ways. It seems that something is at work. The Q’ero understand that chaos and upheaval are forces that will continue to grow exponentially until time turns over and the world will be right side up once again.

Yes we have been living in an upside down world for more than 500 years. Previous to this upside down time we lived harmoniously with the earth and its resources and we knew that we were an interrelated part of this planet’s living systems. After time turned over we fell into fearful ways which caused us to believe that we were separate from and superior to these same systems, and that we needed to become conquerors of the land to survive. The earth is turning right side up again and the changes that you have experienced in your own life and that you have witnessed around you are a necessary part of the turning over.

I am writing about chaos today to help you understand it and hopefully reduce your fear of it. Chaos can be uncomfortable and stressful, but it is a force for positive change. If we learn to say centered and grounded and work with it, it can propel us forward and beyond the perceived limitations that we believe exist within us. If we resist it, white knuckle holding onto all of our material things and ways, we may find ourselves exhausted, joyless and missing out on opportunities for growth and positive change. If we spend a lot of time not being grounded in our bodies chaos can blow us around like fallen leaves on a windy fall day.

Several years ago a wise woman friend of mine told me a story about one of her friends. She shared that this other wise woman had experienced many tragedies and hardships in life and yet she remained soft hearted and happy to be alive. She explained that her friend had let her adventurous spirit shine through and decided to learn how to “ride the wild horse of chaos”. That phrase came deep into my belly when I first heard it and it remains a part of the wise counsel that I carry for myself. It has been itching for me to share it with you, and now you have it too.

So how do you ride the wild horse of chaos? You can jump on, close your eyes, hold on for dear life and pray, but the horse will most certainly throw you off because your fear will spook the horse further. Maybe you could approach the horse with gratitude, a healthy dose of respect and a willingness to try and enjoy the ride – you know that feeling that you have just as you board a roller coaster? – and you may find yourself screaming with both fear and delight. And when that ride is over you are grateful that you are still alive and you feel a bit lighter because you left some fear and tension behind you as they escaped with your screams. Maybe chaos is knocking at your door to bring you a new adventure. You might be able to jump in the saddle, merge with the horse, flow and let go of some old rigid ways that are not serving you in a positive way, and find a new way to ride. How will you ride?

These are all nice analogies, but what does it all mean in day to day terms. My suggestions for coping with the dynamic times that we are living in are:

breathe deeply and often – this helps to ground and centre ourselves in our bodies, and when grounded we are like a rooted tree that can flex and bend in the worst of storms but still remain standing
if you don’t already have one, develop a good sense of humour and learn to laugh at yourself
slow down and leave room for yourself and others – don’t make important decisions in the spur of the moment, sleep on them at least one night, and if anyone is pressuring you to make them, walk away until you are ready, and let others make their decisions in their own time. There is a lot going on right now and we all need time to assess and integrate all of the information in and around us and this takes time. If you are impulsive by nature watch yourself extra carefully or ask a respected friend or family member to watch out for you. This bit of information also applies to your driving style. I have witnessed quite a few erratic drivers and tailgaters lately and know they are accidents just waiting to happen. If you don’t slow down and leave room, an accident will force you to.
Cut back or completely eliminate stimulating foods and beverages. There is enough stimulating energy of change about – how are you sleeping lately??? – don’t push your luck and burn out your endocrine system by overtaxing it. If you are addicted to sugar and caffeine or other mood upping substances get help to leave them behind and breakthrough into a new life. If you can’t function without these things it is definitely time for positive change, and the doorways for that change are open now.
Get clear about the intentions for your life, write them down and think of them often. They act as guideposts along the way when you are clouded by confusion.
Prioritize the aspects of your life. Let things low on your list go and give more attention to the ones at the top.
Be efficient with your time and energy. Take some time to assess where you are wasting either of these resources, and make good changes to increase your efficiency. You are an amazing human being and we need you to share your amazingness. Life force is precious, if you waste it some of it will be taken away. If you don’t believe me check out Stephen Hawking’s life story.

Go easy on yourself. You are human, accept it, make mistakes, forgive yourself, learn from them and then get on with life.

Why “Women Heal?”

Sally — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:12:18 +0000

Those if you who follow my work in the community are aware that I am offering new “Women Heal” events. I want to take some time in this column to explain how and why these events came about. A few months ago I spent a few days alone in nature listening to the wind and lying on the ground for guidance directly from the earth. I kept hearing “women heal”, “women heal” over and over again. I have felt the urgency of this need for quite some time now and it is getting stronger and stronger in me. The earth destructive events that have been occurring with increasing frequency are probably propelling me forward. Maybe I am reading this wrong and simply need to focus on myself, but I know in my bones that I am not a separate being, and that when many work together with healing intentions great power is available for that healing. So I have stepped forward to act as a guide for women who want to gather and heal together, and as we heal the earth has opportunities to heal too. What we are experiencing is what the earth is experiencing. What the earth is experiencing is what we are experiencing.

Did you know that tears can be a way to our power? Did you know that letting tears flow down your cheeks without brushing them away is a powerful act of healing? I am not going to wait for the scientists to catch up to this one and prove that it is true, I have experienced it and been witness to it many times. Even without those references I just know that it is true.

As a species human beings have been around for about 4 million years. We have changed and evolved since that time. Who we are today is indeed affected by what has happened in the past. Our ancestors have passed a myriad of experiences, hereditary patterns and traits to us. Some of these gifts are easier to live with than others. Intense traumatic events of the past tend to become etched in our nervous system and can play a part in our present day experience as feelings of depression, unexplained fear, panic and anxiety. We wear them like invisible heavy burdens, often thinking there is something inherently wrong with us that prevents us from experiencing joy and balance in life. There are masses of unexpressed emotions waiting to be released and healed.

Here is what the Irish Poet William Butler Yeats had to say about it many years ago:
“Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”

Today, after the ages of industrialization and information, we are entering the age of healing. Energetic opportunities, not available before, exist for us to access our ancient lineage, let go of burdens and old traumas, and remember who we truly are. Ancient wounds are bubbling up to the surface in everyone to be healed, but many do not understand what is happening and head for pharmaceutical bandaids, hyperactive schedules, or self medicating addictions to keep the voice of the pain subdued and suppressed. Ancient healing arts are also resurfacing as the need for soul work expands.

This past summer the extreme heat and transformative energies propelled me to develop even deeper relationships with the elements of nature and resources close to home. I spent many hours lying on the ground receiving nurturing earth energy, listening to the wind to download my latest awareness updates, and consuming and listening to some of the healing plants growing right in my backyard. Now I am being pushed from within to create experiences to help others find their ways to healing and wholeness. And as a result of more than 25 years of questing and recent new awarenesses I have co-created these one day healing experiences for women. “Women Heal” is an opportunity for women to gather together to experience ancient and contemporary healing ways. Using drums, sacred healing plants, storytelling, burden releases, empowered prayers and other ways of power, ancient wounds can be shed allowing for clarity and direction to shine through. We are all being called to our truths and our power so that we can invent new ways to live cooperatively and harmoniously on this planet. The time for healing time is here.

For more information about “Women Heal” opportunities see this link: http://www.facebook.com/sally.joyce3?v=app_2344061033

Youth Wisdom

Sally — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:50:36 +0000

It seems to me that more and more people are becoming aware of their need for big and deep healing. I don’t believe that the world is ending in 2010, but I do believe that our ability to continue living the way we have, for at least the last 500 years, is ending. We have lived disconnected from the basic elements of nature and have followed a path of the conquistador or conqueror, trying to make nature succumb to our needs and wants instead of learning how to live sustainably and in harmony with all that we have been given. This way has created the world situation that we are now experiencing. I am privileged to have many young people in my midst and they are deeply questioning how they can become a part of the adult world and the way that it is functioning now. Many of them are having difficulty with the idea of giving up their basic values and living in ways that are untrue to them to simply make ends meet and put food in their bellies and a roof over their heads. They are feeling defeated before they have even begun, so many of them just give up and abandon any sense of hope. When I have the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with some of these beautiful kids I explain to them that they were born for the next way of living and that they have to be patient for that way to evolve, and in the meantime they can get very clear about what their priorities and values are and create a way to make a living in the world that allows them to live truthfully.

I know that may of you reading this will simply think “those kids just need to grow up, suck it up, and do what we did, suppress our knowings and needs, find a job and get on with life.” I don’t agree with this. I think we all need to become supporters, cheerleaders and positive mentors for these wise ones. They may not have the confidence, life experience or networks of resources that more mature earthwalkers have, but they are born with built in understanding and tools to live in current times, just as we were. We need to keep our ears open to listen to their fresh ideas, consider what they are sharing with us and offer to help them find their way. They are the ones that we have been waiting for

Focusing on School Daze

Sally — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:36:19 +0000

Well it has been a month since most children have returned to their school life routine, and I am wondering how it is going in those classrooms. Are the children eager to learn, stimulated in a balanced way and recognized for their individual ways of learning?

There are some fabulous classrooms out there who have teachers at the helm that are fulfilling their life purpose spending most of their days with children. There are other classrooms that have room for improvement. Just so you know where I am coming from I want you to know that I would like to see a complete overhaul of the current curriculum.

Increasing rates of childhood anxiety levels, growing difficulties with attention spans and focusing abilities, and high secondary school drop out rates are all symptoms pointing to the need for change. Many factors other than the curriculum do play a part in these symptoms, but I do want you to think about a Dalai Lama style of education.
If you take a peek into the lives and training of the Dalai Lamas you will discover that as children their education was delivered to them one subject at a time for two hours a day.

Those two hours of intentional learning were divided into one hour time slots, one uninterrupted hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. The one subject was studied until it was determined by the elder teachers that it had been mastered by the students, and then they would move on to a new subject. In between class time the young Dalai Lamas were allowed to play and explore their natural environment. What a difference this is from our current system of focusing on several subject areas within one day for extended periods of time with quite a few interruptions and distractions cropping up. Does this have anything to do with children’s and adult’s abilities to focus their attention today? How much time do our bussed or driven-to-school children actually spend in natural settings to allow them to develop a better understanding of the world around them? (kudos to those of you who are walking!) The running, walking, bicycling and playing also offers children brain balancing activity which helps them to absorb and integrate the lessons that they have been exposed to during the day.

Obviously we do not have a single subject at a time curriculum now, so what can parents do to help bring balance to children’s lives until we stop rushing and overwhelming them? Get them outside and slow down and simplify things! Work out ways that they can walk to school in the morning and walk home in the afternoon – don’t just roll your eyes here and say it is impossible – that is limited thinking. Have a look at what these schools are doing: http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/featuredschool.asp How important is it for children to spend time outside in nature?

If you really want to know the answer to this go to the local library, check out and read Richard Luov’s “Last Child in the Woods” http://richardlouv.com I have to agree with him, in my opinion nature deficit disorder is the root of many other contemporary disorders. I also think that rushing our children to future success is harmful. Dr. David Elkind agrees with me on this one. In his book “The Hurried Child” http://www.amazon.com/Hurried-Child-Growing-Fast-Soon/dp/0738204412 he explains that he believes we are doing our children harm by exposing them to many experiences and genius teaching tools to help ensure that they will be successful adults. Even the Berenstain Bears knew this, check out their “Too Much Pressure” book www.berenstainbearstreehouse.com/bookstoomuch.php
I spend some of my professional time tutoring children.

These children come from all different backgrounds, I tutor them because their parents have asked me to, the children do not pick up the phone and call me! For the most part I am bringing a reduced pace and simplicity to the lessons that they are being exposed to at school. I also try to find a way to make the learning fun and to tie it to their personal interests and passions. Deepak Chopra agrees with me on this one.

In his “The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents: Guiding Your Children to Success and Fulfillment” http://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Spiritual-Laws-Parents-Fulfillment/dp/1400097851/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286390328&sr=1-18 he explains that parents and caregivers should help their children to spend more time doing what they love to do and what they are good at doing, not more time trying to strengthen the skills that do not come easily to them. Honour their uniqueness and the gifts that they bring to this world by giving them the most attention. Psssst! Here’s a secret – we weren‘t all born to be accountants or great novelists, so if the reading and writing and arithmetic skills aren’t developing as fast as you want, take a deep breath, sit back and observe what your child chooses to do when they are given a choice (if your answer is play video games…well there are job opportunities there, but that‘s a topic for another column…).
So wrapping it all up – get outside, slow down and do what you love to do!