My coaching mentor of 19 years and counting, finally had his first proper Māori healing bodywork session from me.

He’d been struggling with some back pain after a work out left him tweaked. He went to acupuncture and massage; used jacuzzis and ice packs, but it still remained. He’d also been dealing with a lot in his personal life.

So when he phoned, asking to see me the next day, I said of course.

Everyone has modalities they utilize to help find their way with life. This is the evolution of what I’ve used to help me find my way through it all.

How I got to where I am now came serendipitously, and it started with becoming a Chiropractor.

Have you been feeling anxious, down, and not very inspired or motivated? You’re not alone, and it’s more common than you might think.

These aren’t very inspiring times, so stop thinking that something is wrong with you.

As a coach and healer, it’s vital to know what we can heal and change, and what we cannot. This share is about something that I can never change, other than my relationship with it. Maybe you can relate.

We’re just into the New Year, and I can feel the familiar “not enough” noise that I’m no stranger to.

K@vid and the associated shut down turned out to be good for many things that it did not intend.

It illuminated how much our media is not about dispensing the truth, but rather marketing a narrative that benefits the bottom line for those in power.

Now more than ever I’m happily finding people’s increasing desire to connect with & excavate unwanted stuck energies, traumas & emotions held deep within their bodies.

A trigger point is any mental, emotional or physical spot on a person that contains some kind of sensitivity, reactivity, pain, inflammation, dysfunction, shame, or fear.

I’ve never underestimated the power of an adjustment to change the trajectory of my health and life. ⁣⁣

I’ve personally relied on receiving and providing all kinds of adjustments as a major fixture in my life. ⁣

As I sit down to write this holiday newsletter, we’re culminating the celebration of Chanukah. It has me thinking how the two relate; but first allow me a quick moment to share the highlights of what Chanukah is.

Chanukah is a holiday in the celebration of a miracle: the miracle of light.

I grew up fortunate to have both sets of grandparents in my life.

My father's parents were Holocaust survivors from Poland and Romania. My mother's parents were from Tunisia; my mother was raised in France and didn’t know she was Jewish until she was 12 years old. 

I grew up living close to my father's parents, and as a kid I noticed the tattoos on my grandparent's forearms ... the kind they didn’t choose. 

It’s common sense to me how our life as a whole, can and does affect our health, whether we realize it or not.

From the career we have, to the spouse we choose; from the environment we live in to those we surround ourselves with; everything in our life affects our physical and emotional health.

In a previous post, I wrote about the possibility that it is us that betray our bodies, rather than the converse.

Having said that, I want to bring that premise home by drawing your attention to a very powerful documentary called Ordinary Men: The “Forgotten Holocaust” on Netflix.

There’s a specific example in the film where the betrayal of our bodies is very evident.

Over the years I’ve heard people mentioning how their bodies have betrayed them for one reason or another.

⁣⁣For some, it’s chronic back pain, stomach issues, weight gain, cancer, the list goes on, but they’ve all felt betrayed. ⁣⁣

And although I can understand most of their feelings, I’ve often felt that it’s not our bodies that have betrayed us…

For those who don’t know, the Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. A few of them are my teachers in the therapeutic style of bodywork that we do.

Interpreting & understanding why our bodies are having to deal with the issues within is not easy.

I never realized the first year of marriage was a big deal until my mentor reminded me of it. ⁣

He said most marriages fail in the first year because the honeymoon phase wears off & you start to see who you really have as a partner. You’ll also start to see all the issues you should have included together in your vows (most people don’t learn this during their courting phase & certainly not their engagement process).⁣

For those of you who saw my last post about my Maori teacher coming to LA with some of her fellow healers, here’s more info.

These sessions are for men & women. Also, my teacher, Ata has developed a specialization in working with women who struggle with a myriad of female issues, including past trauma & fertility, although her practice & those joining her is not limited to this.

For those who don’t know, Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. A few of them are my teachers in the therapeutic style of bodywork that we do.

Interpreting and understanding why our bodies are having to deal with the issues within is not easy. If the body is a communication center that harnesses all kinds of messages for us to connect with, this bodywork is the vehicle to help us make that connection easier.

Hope might be good to have in one’s life, although, it’s not powerful to utilize as a strategy to accomplish things.

Anytime I hear myself or someone say, “I HOPE … happens,” I’ve been trained to be suspicious about it.

It signifies fear and doubt that something won’t happen, and the person is being passive in their approach.

Trauma is not something we should try to get rid of, but something we must learn to alchemize & turn into our greatest gift. It’s quite common for people to want to erase or forget painful memories, experiences, and traumas of their past. But what we soon find out, is that the harder we work to erase something from our psyche, the more securely the memory will stay in place.

Science has never proven this, however through my own observation and personal experience, having a child-like spirit within us is a powerful contributor/elixir to good health.

Don’t ask me to test this hypothesis or back it up with references. It just seems evident.