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Practitioner Retreat in Costa Rica
A couple of years ago, at a conference in Malibu, I sat outside late with a group of friends drinking wine and talking. Every once and awhile one of us would declare ‘no more kinesiology-talk’, but it never lasted long; the conversation returning again and again to the work/research/politics of this fascinating modality. Some of these were people I had never met in person before, but we all felt deeply bonded by our shared experience with this work. Later, talking with one of these friends, he expressed some sadness that there had been so few opportunities to actually work on each other at the conference. Sure, there was a ‘Balance…
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Balancing the World, from the Heart
I was actually a little nervous yesterday in that ‘what if you throw a party and no-one comes?’ kind of way. Yesterday (September 29) was World Heart Day, and so all over social media I could see posts and memes warning about heart disease, about diet, about the statistical likelihood that your heart stopping is the reason for your death. As an international community of holistic health practitioners, the IKC (International Kinesiology College) decided to do something quite different. We hosted a ‘Balancathon’. In the Chinese meridian system, every two hours of the 24-hour daily cycle, the meridian that is in charge or at its’ peak of energy changes. 11am-1:00pm…
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Touch for Health Instructor Training – Some thoughts.
John Thie’s original vision for Touch for Health involved having people on every street helping their families, friends and neighbours achieve health and balance in a gentle and holistic way. This is the legacy we find ourselves entrusted with nearly 50 years later. Great strides have been made – you can now attend a TFH class almost anywhere in the world, but TFH on every street? We are a long ways from that still! If we want this dream to be a reality, we need to create more instructors who can go forth and share what they know with more people. This is the reason why I began the process…
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Touch for Health Testimonial
What’s it like to take a Touch for Health Intensive in Costa Rica? After teaching my first one here in August I wrote this blog post called The Power of One (which you can read here) about the experience from my perspective and what I learned in the process. Today I received an email from a student with her thoughts about the experience, which I am so touched to receive and honored to share with you: “I was so fortunate to experience a Touch for Health Intensive (levels 1-4) in Costa Rica with Alexis Costello. I had the option to take the courses in my home town, however, I am…
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Quiet/Noisy Life
This life is full of contradictions. The one that I am thinking of today has to do with noise and what that means to us. Because it is never quiet here: the river rushes steadily below us, the cicadas sing in the rainforest, the rain cascades unrelentingly through the leaves. The birds are calling, and every shift in the sky or weather is greeted enthusiastically by my over-zealous rooster. All this, plus a 4 year old with a personality many sizes too large for him who doesn’t stop talking even in his sleep. And yet, despite the constant noise that surrounds me, I appreciate the quiet of this life. That…
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Brush with a Hurricane
When I was little, I loved the book “I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Solew” by Dr Seuss. If you’re not familiar with it: there is a wonderful land, Solla Sollew, on the banks of the beautiful River Wah-Hoo where they never have troubles, at least, very few. But of course, the journey is weird and Seussian and generally not what it’s cracked up to be. This is how I felt this week. I arrived in San Jose Tuesday evening after a 12 hour flight from Switzerland. My poor brain was jet-lagged and scattered, I had a reservation at a nearby hotel and plans to travel on one of…
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The Power of One
Teaching a Touch for Health Retreat for One Student and What I Have Learned I didn’t want to come here to teach this class with one student. Not just because it’s financially ridiculous (which it is); but because I was concerned about the student’s experience. How would it work? Would she really ‘get it’ without having a variety of people (and their associated issues) to work on? Here’s what I learned form teaching a Touch for Health Intensive (all four levels over eight days) with just one student here for a retreat. A reminder of how well this stuff works. While this was an extremely challenging week for me in…
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Food Obsessed Homesteading
It is impossible to homestead in any way without becoming kind of obsessive about food. Though I have always been a self-proclaimed nutrition-geek and chef, my day now revolves around food as never before. First thing in the morning, before I even put on the coffee (now that’s love!) there are animals to be fed and watered. And in the evening, everyone needs to be fed again. The scraps go into the compost which the chickens are happily picking through and some tasty morsels get saved out for the goats who daintily nibble the best bits before dropping the rest on the ground and peeing on it. The plants need…
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Homesteading in Costa Rica, 2017
2017 Homesteading Goals Normally, I subscribe to the ‘don’t tell people your goals’ school of thought. Due to my introverted nature, I prefer to work quietly behind the scenes and then appear magically with finished projects no-one saw coming. But this whole homesteading/self-sufficiency thing is new to me and I am genuinely curious as to what my family will manage to accomplish this year and what other families are planning on doing in the same vein. So please, include your homesteading goals for this year in the comments below and let’s see how we can grow our Permaculture community (no pun intended)! Here are three areas where I see big…
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How to Make Tamales – Tico Traditions
Tamales are traditional Costa Rican cuisine. While the ingredients are simple, they are time consuming to make. They remind me of my Ukrainian family making perogies, women working together in an assembly line to make hundreds for a special event or holiday. Last Friday we were invited to join a Tico family to make tamales and, while it was great to learn how to make this local staple, the best part was that feeling of community. A kitchen full of people talking, laughing and working together. I have seen recipes for tamales online and in books, but learning from a matriarch is different. Family recipes are passed down in approximations.…
