"Health is not just the absence of illness.  It is the energetic balance of mind, emotions, body and spirit.  Healing is walking hand in hand with our heart’s longing for a deep connectiveness to all that it means to be fully alive."

The Stepping Stones approach is based on the following principles and practices:

Mindfulness

One of the cornerstones of Buddhism is Mindfulness; paying attention, without judgment to whatever is going on in this moment. Rather than fighting our difficult challenges, such as pain or medical symptoms, we become calm observers of ourselves. While taking in a breath, we give our issues some ‘space’, to let them be what they are. Gently letting go of our breath, we open to new possibilities and solutions.

By giving ourselves the same unconditional love that we would a small child, we come to a deeper appreciation of who we are. Ironically, the more we accept who we are, the more we open to change.

Medicine Wheel

We draw from the holistic perspective of the Medicine Wheel of the Aboriginal Peoples. It is a powerful tool for finding personal strengths and resources to meet difficult challenges.

We begin an exploration of how to gently access your core beliefs and emotions through breathwork and gentle body movement, combined with art, writing and visualizations. With awareness of who you truly are, you can gain insight into meeting realistic goals that can be brought into the light of everyday life.

For those who are interested, there are opportunities to explore your spiritual connections to life. Within our circle, each person’s individual beliefs are always treated with honour and respect.

Energy

Chronic levels of stress often accompany life changes, illness and pain. Feeling worn down, we have difficulty getting through each day.

Using techniques from meditation, qigong (the Chinese practice of cultivating life energy) and gentle yoga stretches that anyone can do, we can awaken our energy to live up to our full potential. We focus on enhancing what we have, rather than on dwelling on what we have lost.

Balance

Contemporary life is too often akin to walking a tightrope high above a three-ring circus. It’s only a matter of time before we crash!

The ancient holistic health systems, such as those from China, India, Thailand and the Aboriginal People teach that the secret to vibrant health is living a fully enriched life within balance. Modern Western research into overcoming illness and stress is now coming to the same realization.

We offer an experience to explore the important elements within your life, with effective tools to place them in a balanced order.

Creativity

Every step we take in life is an expression of self. In our time spent together, you will have ample opportunity to explore various creative forms of expression. From body movement to inner breathwork, from playing with art to journaling, your left and right brain can join in a dance of life.

Serious Fun

We take your life issues seriously within an enjoyable and sensitive environment. There are chances to share your despair and hopes, your tears and joy. Sometimes we will honour you with a moment of shared silence. At other times, laughter is the best medicine.

One Step at a Time

We all have dreams. If we try to attain our goals in leaps and bounds, we sometimes fall flat on our faces. After having fallen a few times too many, do we not sometimes give up?

At Stepping Stones, we respect your dreams. And we offer you something more. As our name implies, we will work with you to develop a plan with small realizable steps, and then encouraging you to achieve your goals….one step at a time!