halcyon house

a worker owned cooperative holistic wellness center

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  • Article about Halcyon House from MCCD

    Article about Halcyon House from MCCD

    Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers wrote a nice article about Halcyon House recently. MCCD has been a great resource for all things cooperative related and advise cooperatives in urban and rural areas throughout Minnesota. Fun fact: Minnesota leads the rest of the country in cooperative formation.

    If you’re interested in reading a little more about our formation and development as a cooperative, check it out!

    Read the Article

    Parking Downtown Duluth

    Following up from my topic from last month regarding the parking changes downtown, we’ve let the Duluth Parking Commission know how the changes have affected us and are advocating for improved accessibility downtown and longer maximum limits for on-street parking. If anybody would like to give them a call and voice your opinion as well… 😉😉 For those of you who usually opt for 90 or 120 minute sessions, we’re recommending the Muffler Clinic lot located on Michigan St. or the Tech Village lot behind Pizza Luce.  Scan the QR code on their sign to set up your parking. We wish their online payment system was better. We’re happy to help you with it!

    Muffler Clinic Lot

    Josh Jones
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  • Opening Reception – Artist Paul LaJeunesse

    Opening Reception – Artist Paul LaJeunesse

    May 9th at 5:30PM

    Paul LaJeunesse creates large-scale, site-specific murals that reflect the historic, identities, communities and locations. His work is rooted in research, collaboration and storytelling. Through his process he transforms public spaces into a shared narrative.

    “My research revolves around the concept of place and how places are assimilated with personal values to create meaning for our lives.”

    Join us to welcome this talented artist into the Halcyon House gallery. Meet Paul, drink some tea, have fun, look at inspiring art.

    Bio:

    Paul LaJeunesse received his Master of Fine Arts in painting from Bowling Green State University in 2006. He is an Elizabeth Greenshields grant recipient, and a 2007 Fulbright fellow where he created a body of landscape paintings in Iceland. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, with solo exhibitions in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota and Iceland and group exhibitions in Saitama and Tokyo Japan, and numerous states in the United States. Paul is a public artist with 7 murals and multiple community murals. He has taught at Western Oregon University, Georgia State University, The College of St. Scholastica, Anderson Ranch Studio and The Grand Marais Art Colony, and currently at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. His artwork investigates the relationship among individual memories of time, space, and place as a way in which we assign meaning to experiences and construct our sense of identity.

    More about Paul
    Events
    Josh Jones
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  • Updated Website

    Updated Website

    We’re migrating our website for easier updates and adding blog posts. Some of you my recognize some of them from our monthly newsletter. The updated website will allow us to share information quicker, flesh out our FAQ page, and add more about us and our events!

    Let us know if you have any issues with the updated website. We’ll be adding more as we go.

    Visit our Posts
    Kobi
  • Downtown Parking Update

    Downtown Parking Update

    It has happened – the city of Duluth has removed the parking meters on Michigan Street. I had made a social media post with the same information as follows, and what do you know? It was our most viewed post to date. Parking is a hot-button topic in Duluth! We do love to talk about urban planning, but this is more for informational purposes only.

    This update has a few ramifications for our clients.

    1. There were a few “free spaces” where parking meters were missing that will no longer be free. It is now using zones only instead of space numbers. Sorry! We’re sad to see those go, but they often were filled with Minnesota Power employees who started their day early in the morning.
    2. Luckily, it looks like the maximum time limit is still 2 hours as it was before. However, for those who schedule 120 minute massages, we don’t have the ability to add time past the 2 hour limit. If you do schedule 120 minute massages, we suggest parking in either the Muffler Clinic lot which is along Michigan Street or the Tech Village lot with the entrance on 1st Street.

    We plan to get in touch with parking services to advocate for clearer signage, posting the enforcement hours, clearly mark parking spaces, and find out if they intend to install a kiosk on Michigan Street.

    Josh Jones
  • What are fight or flight muscles?

    What are fight or flight muscles?

    These are muscles that activate when we are in a sympathetic reaction (fight or flight). This can be in reaction to something in our environment that doesn’t feel safe, something happening internally (a physical stressor) or in our mind (stress).

    One of these muscles is the Psoas. This muscle does several actions that support us in fight or flight. It helps lift our knees up to run (flight) or defends our core (fight). If these muscles activate and then turn off again, we might not feel any consequences. It’s when these muscles turn on and stay on that we will notice symptoms. These could include hip pain, back pain, restricted breathing, fatigue and nervous system dysregulation (anxiousness, depression).

    The tightness of the psoas muscle will also be increased with prolonged sitting.

    The Halcyon House staff have many practices/treatments that will support you in releasing tension in the psoas:

    • Acupuncture
    • Massage
    • Craniosacral therapy
    • Somatic based movement/yoga
    Robin Davidson
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  • Our bodies are truly amazing

    Our bodies are truly amazing

    Ready for some massage education?

    Every time I do a deep dive into a system I thought I knew well, I am reminded of the subtleties of how everything works together in a beautiful symphony. This is especially true of the pericardium. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is sometimes referred to as the Heart Protector and indeed it does that job well.

    Recently, when Jakki needled my PC-6 acupuncture point, I felt a surge of energy shoot out of my middle finger, right where the meridian is mapped in the acupuncture charts. 

    But my practice is all about the fascia, so I started studying more about how the pericardium works, and how it is designed.

    The pericardium is:

    • a ball of dense fascia,
    • a thin layer of fluid,
    • and a soft inner ball with the heart suspended inside the soft inner ball.

    The outer ball has a facial connection into the top of the diaphragm. Both the diaphragm and the pericardium are innervated with vagus nerve attachments, further pointing to their importance in nervous system regulation. 

    Visualize:

    Every inhale is by design tugging on pericardium and pulling it gently downward. Every exhale releases it back to its neutral position. When we bypass primary diaphragmatic breathing for secondary thoracic breathing, we are stalling this natural rhythmic pulsing of the fluid surrounding the heart. If this function was not very important, the pericardium would not be connected to the diaphragm, as there are plenty of other anchor points available inside of the rib cage. 

    I have been imagining my pericardium is a jellyfish, with every downward movement of my diaphragm on the inhale gently tugging the jellyfish downward. Each exhale releases the diaphragm and allows the jellyfish to float upwards. Every breath soft and gentle moves my imaginary jellyfish up and down in my internal ocean. Just a few minutes of this breath imagery can really calm my spirit. 

    The more I learn about the body, the better I understand the systems within, and the better I can provide massage education to my clients or anyone who will listen!

    More Physiology Posts
    Jennifer Montgomery
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  • 24 Springtime TCM Recipes

    24 Springtime TCM Recipes

    When focusing on whole-body health in my acupuncture practice, this time of year (especially in Duluth) calls for some beneficial spring TCM recipes to give us a boost during the change of seasons. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is associated with the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder. Like a tree that grows upward and outward, Liver qi rises and spreads throughout the body. When this energy flows freely, we feel motivated, adaptable, and ready to embrace new opportunities. The muscles and tendons remain flexible, supporting smooth and comfortable movement.

    However, when Liver qi becomes restricted, the body’s natural detoxification and circulation processes can slow down, leading to a general sense of sluggishness. This imbalance may also affect the eyes, muscles, and tendons. Emotionally, it can show up as stress, irritability, impatience, or anger.

    One of the key strengths of TCM is its focus on prevention—addressing imbalances before symptoms arise. Eating in alignment with the seasons is one of the ways this balance can be maintained.

    Get the recipes here

    More TCM Posts
    Jakki Overby
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  • Did you know your body has a balance system?

    Did you know your body has a balance system?

    What is our balance system?

    One of our eight senses is the vestibular system — our inner sense of balance and movement. It helps us know where we are in space, keeps us upright, and supports coordination, focus, and emotional regulation.

    Here in the Northland, April is all about the thaw, the gentle ending of our winter reset. Ice loosens, snow melts, and the ground shifts beneath our feet. Wind moves through bare trees. The weather is unsteady and unpredictable — and sometimes we feel that way too. When we intentionally notice gentle movement — slow walks on uneven ground, swaying branches, rocking, stretching, or simply lifting your face to the sunshine and feeling the ground beneath your feet, we give our balance system a chance to recalibrate and reconnect after winter’s stillness.

    This month, move with awareness. Your nervous system is waking up with the season — and steady, intentional movement can help you find your footing again.

    More Occupational Therapy Posts
    Sara Sheppard
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  • Wellness Access Initiative

    The Halcyon House Wellness Access Initiative is a community funded program to help offset the costs of our services for the people who need them the most. Selection for the program is based on financial need, physical need, treatment goals, and recommended individualised treatment plan from our staff. We believe that the wellness services we provide are beneficial and even a potentially necessary part of healing and well-being. It is our hope that this wellness subsidy initiative will provide an avenue for access to our services for people who would otherwise not have the resources to afford them.

    Selection Process

    Applicants will fill out an online application to collect information about financial need, physical limitations/impairments and how their individual situation interferes with daily life.  They will also have at least one session or consultation with one (or more) of the Halcyon Wellness Team, who will report on their need for services, create a treatment plan that includes goals, frequency, services, and duration. This de-identified information will be provided to the selection committee for final approval. 

    Would you like to be involved in the selection committee? Apply here.

    If you would like to support the Wellness Access Initiative, donations can be made at the front desk or online.

    Robin Davidson
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  • The dreaded doom-scroll

    The dreaded doom-scroll

    Why do I doom scroll?!

    I’ve got to admit… sometimes I can’t stop doom scrolling. The other day I was like ‘Why is my wrist feeling so sore?’

    Yeah, holding my phone too long flipping through a sea of yuck had tension building through my hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder, neck, etc.

    I had to take a breather and get some movement!

    Thankfully, COGGS volunteers have been doing their best to keep our trails in as good of condition as could be hoped for. Getting bounced along over the icy terrain may have also been rough on my wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck, but I feel a lot better afterwards!

    I may need to get on the schedule this week to loosen up some of these tight muscles though!

    If you are having trouble with your mental health and emotional processing, Sara Sheppard is amazing at helping us through it.

    Josh Jones
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