shamanic journey.

day 11. for those of you who know me well, you will enjoy this story! A shaman has many definitions. Of the many I have come across, the one I like most is: "one who sees in the dark"...

Today we went on a shamanic journey, led by a retired gastroenterologist. Sage was burned, the essence is suppose to clear the space. We all laid on our backs with a light cloth covering our eyes to truly create darkness. We began our journey while listening to the rhythmic beats of the drum, which is suppose to aid in shifting our awareness. The intention of our journey was to retrieve our power animal. The belief is that everyone has a power animal, an animal spirit that resides in us giving both power and protection against illness.

I'll share a few details of my journey to give you an idea. I began in the lush jungles of some place I imagine was South America. I moved through pushing the lush greenery to the side and then fell down a hole. I landed in darkness, but could feel the earth under my feet. The first animal I saw was a chimpanzee. Absolutely beautiful and endearing. As much as I love chimps, I just knew I had found my power animal. But within moments, the chimpanzee left. I wanted it to come back and stay. I next saw an elephant and thought this would be a lovely power animal, so strong and powerful. But the elephant too quickly left. I next saw a tiger who only stayed for a brief moment and then to my surprise I saw a cobra! Yes a snake and it didn't leave. I had some trouble breathing initially, but then when I realized the snake was indeed my power animal, I embraced it and we went on a journey together. The irony is that I am petrified of snakes. The mere thought gives me palpitations and anxiety. The fear is so profound that I avoid hiking because of the possibility of encountering a snake. I dream and fear of snakes all the time. It's almost unbelievable, but then not really that the snake is my power animal. Do you get it? It's amazing to me. The snake symbolizes transformation and healing. So after my experience, I do have less fear of snakes and actually hold reverence for the animal...I suppose time will tell if my fear has truly vanished...what an experience!

sweat lodge.

preparing the lodge. can you believe 20 of us were in here sweating together?

dropping off what no longer serves us.

about to enter the lodge...little did I know
how difficult this was going to be.

day 9. yesterday was a day packed with many experiences. I started the day with a vigorous vinyasa yoga class. It was the perfect way to begin the day...I felt focused and grounded. The morning was spent learning about breast health and the role of thermal imaging. Before yesterday, I had only vaguely heard of thermal imaging. I will say it has tweaked an interest and may be a great tool in the line of prevention though I do still want to read a few articles before I solidfy my opionion. Stay tuned all my lady friends :)

The afternoon was spent at the home of a retired Gastroenterologist who practices energy medicine. His home was absolutely beautiful, called 'the land of dreams'. He had a labyrinth meditation and a view like no other. We experienced and practiced energy medicine ourselves. It was very neat, I'm still processing.

In the evening, we went to a sweat lodge, which is a purification ceremony celebrated by many Native Americans. The purpose is to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit through the use of hot stones, water, and sacred space. The ceremony takes place in a hut with an infrastructure made from sticks covered with fabric. Stones are heated in an external fire and then placed in a central pit in the ground of the lodge. Everyone who participates helps with the preparation of the lodge and altar. We made prayer ties symbolizing our inner prayers in physical form by placing a pinch of tobacco in the center of a colored cloth representing our prayer and tied it to a string. White = Compassion. Black = Courage. Red = Strength. Yellow = Intuition/Guidance. The ceremony lasted until 1 am! I have never experienced anything like this before. The ceremony was intense. I was drenched with sweat and could hardly breathe from the steam that was created from the water. It was the most uncomfortable feeling. I was fighting with my claustrophobia, but somehow I made it through the experience and it felt incredible...I felt free.

energy extravaganza!

day 8. We learned about energy and the various forms of energy healing: qi gong, rolfing, shiatsu, craniosacral therapy, reiki, zero balance, bio touch, reflexology to name a few and then experienced them for ourselves from local practioners :) what a day! I'm still trying to take it all in...

I'll leave you with something I learned from all my experiences today...the interaction between two people starts long before you physically meet. With this in mind, be aware of what you bring to that interaction...what could our lives be like if we lived with this kind intention?

photos from tucson-week 1.

mi casa in tucson.

the view looking to the right from my front door, just lovely.

such a cute stove...it has buttons you push for the heat, totally old school :)

view from a stop light. i love that all of tucson is surrounded by mountains, it's absolutely beautiful. imagine a view like this any direction you gaze...

finds from the gem show...who knows what will be created from these!

my first weekend in tucson.

day 6&7. It's hard to believe that a week has already passed by. In some ways, it feels like time is moving rather fast, but at the same time it also feels like all I have is time :) I spent my Saturday afternoon learning about teas from a Chinese scholar, which was very insightful and has ultimately tweaked a new interest to learn more perhaps on a deeper level so that I might can add this to my 'toolbox' of healing. I had a much needed massage followed by an exploration of the gem show that is a yearly gathering in Tucson. I'm not sure I understand the purpose of it, but it's great fun to see all the colorful stones & gems. To give you an idea, vendors from all over set up house at hotels throughout Tucson. It's the oddest thing, they convert hotel rooms into show rooms. It can be an extremely overwhelming experience because of the magnitude of items displayed, but still worth the experience. I ended the evening enjoying a delightful & healthy meal made by a new, dear friend with the company of the lady she is living with. It was wonderful and the conversation was superb. We watched 'forks over knives' (thanks @ ravi), which you should definitely watch if you haven't already!

Today, I am going to spend my Sunday experiencing a community energy healing session followed by a return to the gem show with friends and then reading/researching about all the interesting things I am learning (I'm so excited!) with whatever time I have left of the day. Stay tuned for a photo re-cap of the week later today!

the most perfect day.

day 4. Our day began with a "clearing" chi qong exercise followed by the healing meditation. I wonder what life would be like if we started every day this way. We all felt so relaxed and centered. We had an interesting lecture on personal wellness and did a brillant exercise I want to share. We were asked the question "what would you do just for yourself if you had": a) < 5 min, b) < 30 min, c) < 1 hr, d) < 2hr, e) half a day, and f) a whole day? The point that was trying to be made was that you can create a "vacation" anytime you want. We all shared what we would do with that time, mine include: < 5 min = make cha; < 30 min = call a friend/family member; < 1hr = cook a meal; < 2 hr = go to a yoga class; half a day = diy project; a whole day = have a gathering with friends. Then to our suprise our teacher informed us that there was no "next" lecture and that we had 2 hours off to do anything we wanted, like a vacation. Wow. I was blown away. Brillant exercise, right? I thought so. Two of the many incredibly amazing people I have met, spent that time getting manicures/pedicures while sipping on fresh carrot juice :) followed by a yoga class. It was perfect. Again, just when I thought the day could get no better, it did. We all met at a friend's place to gather before dinner. He lives in a traditional adobe style home...when you walk in the front door, it's what I imagine walking into heaven must be like. It's breathtakingly beautiful. There's greenery everywhere and the house is so well connected to the outdoors it gives me chills. I will certainly take pictures my next visit so you can get a glimpse, it really is amazing. We ended the evening eating tapas from a lovely spanish restaurant...this has been a mind-blowingly awesome experience and it's only day 4 :)

tuscon = best kept secret.

day 3. We began our morning with a chi gong exercise, toe tapping, while listening to the sounds of drums...what a unique start to our day.
It was followed by a healing meditation and then yoga, which made me smile (and I haven't stopped since). I absolutely love yoga and all the benefits that come from it. I was reminded of a simple truth today, "without the breath, there is no yoga". The breath is everything.

Just when I thought the day could not get any better we began a discussion on medical intuition. Really? I can hardly contain my excitement! Everything I am learning is so in line with my thinking it seems unreal. I have always felt "different" for my perspectives when amongst my colleagues, but now I feel like I have been united with a community of similar views. See, I have a vision for my integrative practice and it's the type of vision they are promoting here...it's incredible!

We talked about the unique relationship between a physician and a patient. I can't tell you how hard my heart has become over the past 7 years of my medical training. It's a result of many things, one I believe is from time constraints and being told repeatedly that I'm too sensitive. Here they encourage authenticity and really connecting with patients, born from a wholistic mindset. It reminds me of why I choose to pursue medicine...everyday I get the feeling of "chills", it's awesome. Lastly, we talked about using nutrition to bring the body back to a state of health...a topic I find absolutely fascinating and will certainly return to.

I'll leave you with this, each moment brings an opportunity for something new...what new experience will you have today?