Sara and I were invited to present at Svalja Whole-being’s Community Conference in Duluth. We are so excited to explore “body as place”. We will experiment with what makes you feel at home and safe in your body.
The conference starts Friday 5/29 from 6:00-9:00pm and continues 5/30 from 8:00-6:00.
Flourish is an invitation to ground ourselves in the wisdom of this place while leaning into the possibilities of what we can create together. From a soulful Friday night of live music and poetry at SOLCA to a Saturday filled with movement, guided storytelling, and deep reflection, this gathering is designed to nourish your nervous system and spark your creative spirit.
Throughout the weekend, experience a curated Art and Poetry Exhibit coordinated by Savannah Ottillia, offering a visual and written landscape of our shared journey.
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:
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!
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.
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.
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.
During these difficult times, I’m often asked “how are you dealing with this”.
My answer is “it’s not easy!”
Here are some things that I have been practicing:
Stay informed but limit the time that I’m taking in (digesting) information/news. I’m listening to a trusted news source (for me it’s MPR) in the morning and evening for 30 minutes.
Allowing myself to feel the emotions that arise (not pushing them away). Anger, sadness, fear, all of it.
Prioritizing self care and nervous system regulation. It’s important for me to stay grounded in the practices that support me. I focus on grounding practices such as such as extended exhale breathing, using weighted lap blanket, and focus on pressing into the earth.
Find glimmers in daily life. Glimmers are moments of ventral vagal connection. They can be things like noticing the lake shimmering on a sunny day, feeling the freedom of skiing down a wodded hill, or burying my face in my dog’s curly fur.
Find and spread hope. Notice when you see people acting kindly and showing compassion. In return, I will create opportunities in my day to give back and connect with others.
Spring equinox to me has always meant the height or middle of spring. I consider February 1st to be the beginning of the end of winter and the returning of the sun in preparation of spring. I think this helps me mentally make it through a rough winter. The sun is returning and there is hope for warmer days ahead. This is also a time when seeds are chosen to be planted for the summer growing season and fall harvest. What a great opportunity to clean our outer and inner spaces.
What do you want to grow this year?
Community, Self-love, compassion, strength? Stand or sit in a window facing East in the morning and soak in the morning light to help the body reset the Circadian Rhythm. Decide which idea/seed you want to nurture on this day/week/year and breathe the morning light into it as you sip your tea or coffee. Have hope! Soon there will be flowers to smell and all of the ice in Minnesota will be gone.
Kimberlee is available for private Individual and Group Sound baths every other Saturday!
For those that would prefer an individual sound bath on a massage table instead of on our futons, get in touch and we can find a time that works with your schedule.
After joining Robin for their Tea Talk – Nervous System Regulation for the Holidays as well as their Art of Wintering Well classes, Sara is bringing her experience and knowledge in-house!
Sara Sheppard
(She/her)
Occupational Therapist since 2008
Craniosacral Therapist since 2010
Services offered:
45 minute Pediatric Therapy
60 minute Individual Therapy
Nervous System Education – 8 Session Series
Therapy style:
An individualized, holistic occupational therapy approach blending nervous system regulation, sensory processing, and gentle craniosacral and fascial techniques to foster balance and ease in everyday life.
More about occupational therapy:
The aim of occupational therapy is to support meaningful daily living by providing education to understand your nervous system regulation and sensory processing, and build skills that creat greater ease in everyday life. Sessions are rooted in a holistic, client-centered apporach that blends nervous system education, sensory processing, somatic awareness, and home programming to support both body and mind. They may include craniosacral and myofascial techniques, gentle somatic-based manual therapy, practical strategies for regulation, and personalized supports to help move toward your goals with clarity and confidence and foster resilience, balance, and sustainable well-being.
