By Martha Uniacke Breen
Whether it’s a weekend of self-pampering and relaxation, strengthening the mind-body-spirit connection through martial arts or meditation, or just taking time to take better care of ourselves, there are ways to counteract the misery we’ve all been feeling over the last couple of years.
There are a wide range of professionals, all of them right here in Muskoka, whose passion centres on helping to restore our mental and emotional health. We met with a few of them and asked their advice on what we can do for ourselves, right now, to feel better.
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Jennifer Kavanagh
The Soul Institute
Severn Bridge
soulinstitute.ca
When Jennifer Kavanagh and her husband Josh originally moved to the Severn Bridge area and bought the property that became the Soul Institute, their intention was to build a space where guests could decompress for a few days, enjoy the natural surroundings, and perhaps do a little yoga. It evolved quickly into much more: a setting where families and individuals can put away their devices, reconnect with each other, and gain a renewed sense of emotional self-awareness and peace in the healing atmosphere of nature.
“In the last two years I’ve really noticed that families have become dependent on external tools,” Jennifer notes: everything from the family car, to various media, to even objects like mirrors, which are banned from the Institute’s yoga studio. “You don’t walk through the world looking in a mirror; it’s more important to listen to your body and what it’s telling you.”
The Gratitude Equation
The principle of focusing on gratitude for what we have, rather than longing for what we have not, is so basic it almost seems trite. But developing a regular daily habit of quantifying what you are grateful for is both effective, and essential. “It doesn’t have to be competitive or materialistic,” says Jennifer. “Truly think about what really gives you joy: it may be something as simple as cuddling a child or a pet, or planting seeds in a garden. No matter what it is, if it makes you feel happy, that counts.”
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Sonja den Elzen
Cedar Healing Arts
Gravenhurst
cedarhealingarts.com
At Cedar Healing Arts, proprietor Sonja den Elzen hosts personal wellness retreats in a one-on-one or group setting, as well as day clients for individual treatments such as acupuncture, shiatsu, and other services. Whether for an overnight stay or a wellness vacation of a few nights, patrons receive organic vegan/vegetarian meals, yoga, shiatsu treatments, guided meditation and other options to create your own tailored wellness program.
“In life we are not taught how to manage emotions like anxiety,” den Elzen observes. But merely slowing down and being present is a great place to start. “Being in nature helps bring our energy into a calmer resonance,” and a regular meditation practice, she says, is also an excellent way to keep the mind and body centred.
Calming Breaths and Meditation
“If you feel challenged by meditation because your mind is racing,” she continues, “it can be helpful to follow along to a guided meditation,” such as a teacher or an app. Don’t be discouraged if you can only concentrate for a few seconds at a time before your mind wanders; simply keep patiently returning to your breath, and “eventually it will become a habit that you will enjoy and feel nourished by.”
One calming breath exercise den Elzen recommends is to count to six while inhaling slowly into your belly, then count to eight as you exhale. (Some people say this triggers your chi, or inner spirit, to send calming signals throughout your body; others say it massages and calms the vagus nerve, which runs from your brain to your abdomen.)
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Sifu Valerie Houston-Peel and Sigung John Oliver Peel
Temple Knights Martial Arts Academy
Near Baysville, Lake of Bays
templeknights.com
Sigung (Grand Master) John Oliver Peel has been practicing martial arts for well over 50 years; his wife and partner, Sifu (teacher) Valerie Houston-Peel, was one of his earliest students when he first opened his Toronto school in 1982.
Along with teaching a variety of traditional martial arts classes, like Tai Chi Chuan, the Academy also hosts retreats, seminars and camps. In the warmer seasons, classes are often held outdoors on their 170-acre property, with its expansive dragonfly pond. A classical martial arts temple, close to completion, will allow them to hold year-round classes with beautiful panoramic views.
Sensory Perception, and Freshening the Mind and Body
Sigung John teaches a simple practice that helps to bring you out of yourself and reconnect with the present moment. “Stop and simply look closely around you,” he says. “Observe the colours and shapes that you see. Listen to the sounds: birds singing, wind in the trees. Focus on the air you are breathing: does it have a taste or smell? Is it warm or cold? Expand your awareness to everything and everyone around you.”
Sifu Valerie adds a breathing exercise that is even simpler, but has an instantly soothing and cleansing effect. “It’s called ‘Washing your body with loving energy from heaven,’” she says. “Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at sides. As you inhale deeply through the nose, slowly lift your arms out to the sides and up over your head; then slowly lower them down in front as you exhale through the mouth and gently bend your knees.”
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Elke Scholz, M.A.
Registered Psychotherapist, Certified EMDR Therapist, Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator, Author, Loving Your Life And Anxiety Warrior Series
elkescholz.com
Registered psychotherapist, educator and author Elke Scholz’s wide-ranging, highly
creative approach may encompass the arts, innovative therapies such as EMDR and cognitive behavioural therapy, stimulating the senses through soothing music and scents, and even drama and poetry-writing.
Her work in the field of expressive arts synced with a very personal interest: a battle with depression and anxiety in her own life, and years of research into the nature of anxiety itself. “I became curious about what it is; why it comes, why it can either last a long time or go away, and how does it manifest?” The result was her book Anxiety Warrior (and the accompanying website, anxietywarrior.ca), which details eleven distinct layers of anxiety, and offers keys to understanding and ultimately learning to control its power over your life.
You Are What You Think
“We have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts a day, so you can choose where to put your focus,” Scholz says. Just as healthy food is important for our bodies, being mindful of what you allow into your mind has a direct effect on wellbeing. Learning to minimize toxic thinking can be as simple as, for example, reducing how much daily news you consume. Social media can be equally harmful. “The key is to listen critically: how is this making me feel? Is that an accurate picture?
“It’s not about seeing the world with rose-coloured glasses, but about seeing more than one track. It’s the same world we live in every day; the difference is how you enter into it.”
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Shawna Leigh Clark
Life and Wellness Coach
shawnaleighclark.com
Life and wellness coach Shawna Leigh Clark spent the first 30 years of her career as a naturopath. “But over the years, I discovered that patients wanted not just to improve their health, but to feel better [in their lives],” she says.
The human stress response, Clark explains, is a primitive response to ancient dangers such as being chased by a sabre-toothed tiger, giving us an extra burst of adrenaline, cortisol and other hormones to help us scramble up a tree and out of danger. It was designed to only last for the few minutes we needed that push, and to subside as soon as we were safe. But for some of us in the modern world, we never really make it up that tree to safety – the stress-response signal is never really turned off, and that can lead to serious problems, ranging from panic attacks to heart disease and even cancer.
Many of the most effective solutions, Clark says, are surprisingly easy and worthwhile to adopt as daily habits. Often, it boils down to placing a higher priority on self-care. “It’s not selfish to take care of your own needs before you take care of others,” she says; in fact it’s imperative – for the same reason flight attendants tell you to put your own oxygen mask on before you put it on your child.
Put Yourself First
Self-care can take many forms, but includes ensuring you eat healthy foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and limiting sugar and caffeine; getting enough sleep – insufficient sleep is a chronic and under-appreciated problem today; and spending at least a few minutes outside in nature – or at the very least, taking the time to be active, such as going for a walk, exercising or even just doing daily stretches.
“Also, learn to increase your awareness of your own emotional health. Are you feeling joyful, or stressed? Check in at least once a day to sit with your feelings; it’s hard to change when you aren’t even aware of how you really feel.”
