"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose." ~Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

When was the last time you took the time to slow down... I mean really slow down? We are always so busy, rushing here and there, dropping the kids off at school, working, shopping, taking care of our home, car, yard, pool, and if we're lucky, we get to sneak in a quick workout!

Under stress, our capacity to connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain is diminished. The 'emotional' right hemisphere can't communicate with the 'logical' left hemisphere. So, the more primitive areas of our brain take over, connecting current stresses to other anxious moments in past memory. Our bodies then default into a state of 'hyper-awareness', where 'fight or flight' instincts take over. Our breathing becomes more rapid and shallow, heart rate increases and blood moves to our extremities in preparation for dealing with the threat - whether real or imagined.

When we share physical space, we blend and are influenced by others, which can activate our own nervous systems. In essence, our nervous systems are being overloaded by our activities and environment. Life can be exhausting!

In the mid-40s, Osteopathic Physician William Sutherland discovered principles that changed our approach to health and healing. He linked the fluid movement of our cranial bones to a self-generating source of healing that he called the Breath of Life, a 'dynamic stillness' that can be felt in the core of each person. In short, we all possess the innate knowledge and internal resources for wellness.

Dr. Sutherland spoke of the Breath of Life as a divine life force, the palpable, biodynamic tidal movement of the body's fluids that the therapist facilitates for the client's inner health. Cerebrospinal fluid is produced in the ventricles of the brain and flows to nourish the brain and spinal cord. The human body possesses an intrinsic, dynamic organization and intelligence that brings 'order' to our compressed fluids and tissues. A skilled therapist can assist our body's self-healing capabilities by using light touch palpation and being present and supportive in realizing each person's healing needs.

Whether you choose to do some quiet visualization, meditation or yoga, or schedule some time with a skilled therapist for massage or Craniosacral therapy, do yourself a favor,

'Cease striving, be still...' Psalm 46:10