Community Medicine

I wanted to share a bit of back story on Cedar and Sage and my commitment to community medicine. It is inspired by both my own personal experiences, but also by so many of the conversations that I have had in my private practice over the past 18 years. 

A little over four years ago, is when I decided to start an online ‘community wellness club’.  With the isolation of the pandemic and the mental and emotional toll that it took on so many of us, I knew that what I,  and what we needed, was more togetherness and connection.

I wanted to bring people together to share stories, struggles, to pause, to reflect, to connect and to practice opening ourselves to new people. While the specifics of our stories, stresses, and struggles are always different there seem to be a lot of overarching and unifying themes.

When we get overwhelmed, the majority of us tend to withdraw rather than lean in. Over time, that pattern of withdrawing can negatively impact our health and well-being. The energy of closing off is not usually just limited to one aspect of our life, but rather starts showing up in other areas as well. Just as love breeds more love and fear breeds more fear; withdrawing and isolating from others often leaves us feel more isolated and disconnected not just from others but also from ourselves. 

What if in the face of stress, busyness and overwhelm,  we came together instead?  What if we gathered not just with chosen friends and loved ones, but what if we came together with other members of our community? What if the invitation was to come together to slow down, catch our breath, look up, reflect within, hold space, share stories, open our hearts, honour our truths? What if we came together to change the way that we operate when our fight or flight response kicks in? What if instead of numbing out or shutting down, we took the time to connect and to feel it all more deeply? What if the medicine that we seek is deeper connection to our own heart and the hearts of those around us? What if instead of distracting, we started really paying attention? 

While there is a need for us to have time to ourselves, time to go inward, time to sit in solitude, time to connect the dots and make sense of all the pieces and moving parts; the truth is, it can be hard to carve out time for this practice.  It is even harder if we are unclear on the return on investment. What is the reward for slowing down? What do we gain from reflection on the past? Being intentional about our future? How often do we need to ‘check the map’, reroute, course correct? Why do we need this? How often do we need this? Who else is doing this? When do I do this? 

This is why I built Cedar and Sage. Connection is at the heart of all of our gatherings. I hold space and create opportunities for collective pause with the goal of deepening our connection to ourselves and to others. I recognize the healing potential of community and want to make this a more active part of our wellness practice. 

I know you are busy. I know you are stretched. I know you have a long list of to do’s. I know you don’t feel like you have time for this. I know you are used to isolating, distracting or numbing when life feels overwhelming. 

I know because this is how I coped with stress for decades of my life. I now know how good it feels to listen to my heart, speak my truth, feel my feelings, observe my thoughts, honour pause and the gift of presence. And I also know that when I do this in the presence of others, it magnifies the medicine, enhances the experience, creates safety in numbers, builds trust, compassion and courage.  This togetherness rooted in curiosity and loving kindness is medicine for my body, mind, heart and soul and I know there is medicine here for you too. 

Let’s connect. Let’s gather.