“The healing of ourselves as healers has to take place first. Bringing ourselves to wholeness, we become more sensitive to other people. In the change of consciousness that happens within us, we bring about change of consciousness in those around us and in the planet itself.”
- Marion Woodman
Hello friends,
I hope this finds you cozy inside. Maybe there’s some music playing, maybe someone is cooking (maybe it’s you and you’re embracing the simple joy that can be) or maybe you’re laying on the couch and ordering in and taking the night completely off.
Currently, I’m sitting at my kitchen table as my children play downstairs (inexplicably with their shirts off) wrestling and also playing a ukulele, yelling things at each other in gibberish, while my husband is concocting a seafood pasta and Diana Krall is playing in the background. He is doing this for me as an act of love, as I’m coming off of a very intense week of work and life and family dynamics, and as an act of love back to him, I’m receiving it:)
Wherever and however this finds you, I hope that love has also been a part of your day. In these times where the energy of the world at large and individually is being shaken up on the deepest levels and being reorganized so that we can come out the other side of it all with what I hope will be greater peace, greater light, and greater health as a collective, for now we need all the love internally and externally that we can get to carry us through.
This week I had the great privilege to teach the first in a 3-week Self-Care Yin Yoga series at my friend’s home with an intimate group of diverse, and incredible women. This first session was about the heart, about cultivating love from that very sacred space within, so that we can then carry it out into the world. The class was a great reminder to me that when you do work that you truly love, it does not feel like work. So much so that I felt so grateful to be given the honour and trust of the women that I was leading through the practice, that it almost felt wrong to be receiving money from them for my time (but then I reminded myself that this is an old pattern I need to release, and that money is just an exchange of energy…so, more healing to be done in that area!!!)
Which brings me to my invitation in this short(er) and sweet love note to you for this month as February comes to a close and we inch closer and closer to spring:
As many of you know, I’m currently training to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I’m deeply passionate about helping people feel their best—body, mind, and soul. I see this part of my education as a continuation of the work that I’ve been doing over the last decade to help support and guide people inward to become the masters of their own healing and growth. This journey of mine as a guide and coach really began 10 years ago with my training in therapeutic writing, which then went on to include movement and breathwork through my yoga and meditation certifications (including some work with channeling and oracle decks because those are my personal favourite woo-woo tools to work with) and now, it is all culminating in this health coach training. My intention once I come out of this learning and healing period for myself is to offer a complete service for healing that reflects all the modalities I wholeheartedly believe in and have been practicing myself for over 25 years.
As part of my IIN training, I’m now able to offer free introductory health coaching sessions to those who are looking for support in their wellness journey. This is a chance to reflect on where you are with your health from a holistic perspective, looking at all areas of your life, and then together determining where you want to be, and how small, sustainable changes can make a big impact.
Today I would like to invite you on this leg of my journey with me. If working with me speaks to you in any way—not out of a sense of obligation (although you would be doing me a great favour in supporting my learning and training if that speaks to you) but rather out of a sense of curiosity and genuine interest—I would like to invite you to complete a Health History Form. I am required to work with at least 6 prospective clients for my graduation requirement, and this is the first step. It’s a simple, judgment-free way for me to understand your unique goals and challenges so I can offer personalized guidance and support. There’s no commitment required—just a heartfelt opportunity for connection and insight. After completing the form, we would have a follow up conversation that is also free, where we can chat and explore what you detailed in the form, and then from there determine if you would like to work with me once I’m ready to take on clients. I would be honoured to hold space for you if this feels like it might be right for you. If you’re interested in taking the first step in completing a Health History, or if you have any questions, please email me about any and all at allison.mcdonald.ace@gmail.com and we can go from there!
Either way, I just want to say truly and deeply that I’m so grateful for the community I have here that has supported me and shown interest in learning about my journey, my own self-healing, and the work I am evolving into to put out into the world through my monthly musings. I know that it may seem one-sided, because I’m the one doing all the “talking”, but I feel the energy of receiving my words on the other end of this exchange, and—just like my husband doing the cooking for me, and me receiving it—I see this as an exchange of great love. So thank you.
Until next time, be so very well.
Allison