Let's be honest about anxiety. My clients tend to think that I am a very calm person. My sweet hubby and children may tell a different tale! The reality is I struggle with anxiety.

Emotions impact our bodies in different regions. When I experience anxiety it really throttles my heart center. If I let it have its way with me, I may even begin to feel like it is hard to breathe. So how do I reign in the crazy train?

Scripture teaches that we can discipline our thoughts and that for sure is an important start. Whether you memorize a verse or repeat an affirmation. Our thoughts have a powerful impact on our reality. We need to ensure we are building ourselves up. But for me, and maybe some of you, sometimes my feelings and physical symptoms need a stronger intervention.

That stronger intervention for me is Reiki. The meditation and ritual for tuning into Reiki energy completely calms my system. Spending time steeped in the pure energy of life provides a divine reset.  All of the physical symptoms that are triggered from anxiety, like tightness in the chest, are soothed. Mind chatter, that can be incessant, subsides. I also like to support a fragile energy center with a crystal.  Crystals have different energy frequencies so they can be helpful in balancing energy within the body. Pink rose quartz and green aventurine are both excellent for bolstering energy at the heart. 

Pink Rose Quartz: Rose Quartz shares the frequency of compassion and unconditional love. So it helps enhance love of all kinds, including kindness for yourself, loved ones, and all living things. The Rose Quartz stone uses the energy of unconditional love to bring your consciousness to a higher level. Its high frequency will help you forgive by opening and activating the heart chakra, the Rose Quartz stone can also help you recognize your capacity for compassion. The emotional healing of Rose Quartz can help you to release fear-based energy and emotions that can lodge themselves in the body, causing dis-ease or discomfort.

Green Aventurine: Aventurine specifically supports the lungs and heart.  Its energetic properties help to dissipate negative thoughts and emotions, such as those associated with anxiety or loss. Aventurine fosters sentiments of gratitude and abundance, supporting life and new growth.  Known as the "Stone of Opportunity,” Aventurine is known as one of the luckiest stones, which makes it a must-have for inviting wellness and prosperity into your life. It renews feelings of optimism and  gratitude for all that you've received in your life. Utilize Aventurine to open the heart chakra to nurture and accept yourself just as you are, and invite in personal growth.

I like to seal my meditation by singing a crystal bowl. My green singing bowl is tuned to the key of F, the frequency that resonates with the heart.
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One of the highlights of our summer is volunteering at Sunrise Daisy Retreat for cancer survivors.  A cancer diagnosis and treatment can be such a blow.  Recovering takes courage.  A process that is familiar to us since our Co-Founder, Patty Craig, is a childhood cancer survivor.  Sunrise Daisy Retreat provides a nurturing space for cancer survivors to come together in community and receive holistic services like massage therapy and acupuncture to begin the healing process.   This year, Patty was honored to give the key note address.  It was a moving message.  One we wanted to share with you here.​

​It was 1984 and I was nine years old. I was playing in an intense game of kickball in PE. My best friend Donna was on the opposing team. (What could be worse, right?) But then Donna and I ended up head to head, going for the ball, and she kicked me… And like the tough little nine-year-old I wasn’t, I cried and cried.  Our friendship quickly recovered on the sidelines, as she comforted me.  But my leg, for some strange reason, did not. Later that week in another heated match-up with my sister, I got tackled on my parents’ bed. Again, I cried and cried that my leg hurt.  Perhaps for reasonable cause, my sister declared that I was a baby! But strangely, my leg continued hurting and I began limping. 

On Valentine’s Day of that year, my mother took me to the doctor. The doctor measured my swollen leg and ordered an X-ray. We went across town for an x-ray and when we returned to the doctor’s office, I was asked to wait in the waiting room so he could speak to my mom alone.  My femur resembled swiss cheese, and the doctor broke the sobering news to my mom that I had cancer.  We were immediately referred to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and we met with doctors there that same night.

I didn’t understand the gravity of this news.  I remember feeling excited to call my best friend Donna and tell her I had to go to the hospital.  I had the gift of childlike faith and was sure the doctors would just give me medicine and I would get better.  But stuff got a little more real when they told me the medicine was going to cause me to lose my hair.

To ease this blow my mom took me to be fitted for a wig.  After just one round of chemo, my hair swiftly began filling the bathtub drain.  And I know now, my mom wanted to shave the remaining sickly wisps.  But she didn’t. Eventually, I had to admit to being bald and I broke down and wore the itchy, scratchy wig.  The wig was chocolaty brown with fluffy, short “hair”.  My first outing with it was to church.  I assure you I learned absolutely nothing from that mass except that wigs, at least in 1984, were terribly uncomfortable.  But apparently, the wig was convincing.  After church, I was playing handball with my friend Nadja. She didn’t know I was bald.  After playing a while and getting sweaty, I couldn’t take it any longer.   I whipped off the wig.  She was shocked, to say the least!  We giggled and laughed at her surprise and then got back to our game.

My doctor assured my parents that I would become curious and begin asking questions about my treatment. The plan was, they would wait until then to explain that it would be necessary to amputate my leg.  Osteogenic sarcoma metastasizes to the lungs, a risk my doctors were aiming to eliminate.  The only problem with their plan; however, was I never started asking questions.  So finally, one day during a check-up, while I was sitting on my dad’s lap, Dr. Wolf filled me in on the treatment plan.  With calm and care, he explained that they needed to amputate my leg to make sure the cancer wouldn’t spread.  He then explained that I would be fitted for a prosthesis so I would still be able to walk.  My dad and I both cried like babies that day. Then, I finally had a question for Dr. Wolf. “Will I be able to run?”  I was not pleased with his response.

My dad let me skip the rest of school that day.  We drove up to Bonneville Dam and distracted ourselves from our deep sorrow by watching salmon swim.  On our way back home though, I told my dad, “I guess I can be a pirate for Halloween!” We chuckled at the thought of that. Sure enough, the awesome staff at Shriners made me a custom fit peg-leg and I was one very sweet pirate on Halloween. 

​My treatments finally ended with one final in-patient round of Methotrexate.  And before being discharged once and for all, the staff surprised me with a NO MO CHEMO party! The nurses brought a chocolate cake with maraschino cherries on top.  After puking up every food under the sun, though, I was an extremely picky eater. Those cherries about pushed me over the edge, so I did not partake.  My poor nurses!

With Osteogenic sarcoma, after five years of no recurrence, the cancer is considered cured.  I had check-ups every six months and also every time I developed a cough to be sure the cancer hadn’t spread to my lungs.  It did not.  And in the spring of 1989, my parents could finally breathe a sigh of great relief.

Fast forward nearly 18 years to 2002.  I was all grown up.  Married and teaching English as a Second Language. Because of all of the harsh chemicals used to rid me of cancer, my doctor’s were not sure I would ever be able to have children.  But “Thing One”, Lucas Troy Klindt was born a little earlier than expected on June 11th of that year.   “Thing Two”, Ethan Daniel Klindt followed along two years later.
After the boys got a bit bigger, their dad gave me a bike for Christmas.  I hadn’t ridden since losing my leg. I had been in touch with an amputee that was a competitive mountain biker who had his right leg.  He sent me his spare left pedal, so I would be able to click in and be able to pull and push to ride.  On New Year’s day, we went to the track at Barlow High School, and at the age of 30, I relearned to ride a bike. Soon after, I found myself riding on the Springwater Trail, with the boys tagging along on their little blue and red bikes by my side… We were very near my old neighborhood where I used to play and ride bikes before losing my leg.  The miracle of that moment took my breath away…
Later that year, I competed in my first sprint triathlon.  To celebrate 20 years of being cancer-free, I used it as a fundraiser for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.  I swam, biked and RAN on my crutches - defying what my doctor had previously declared impossible.  After my race, I got to deliver a great big check, to Dr. Wolf, my doctor who was still at Doernbecher caring for kids with cancer.  

After many life changes and a complicated foot surgery in 2014, I left my career as a teacher and I began my Reiki practice.  My hubby, Dr. Bradley Craig and I, Co-Founded Your Sanctuary For Healing.  Later, after a lot more healing and strengthening, I returned to school for massage therapy to add to my ability to care for others.  Reiki and massage therapy have been pivotal in my own healing and now to be able to hold space for, and nurture others with Reiki and massage therapy also feels miraculous.
It is a gift to be standing before you today.  It is a gift to be here to provide support to others doing the courageous work of healing.  The hardships I have endured have taught me to care for myself.  And they have also prepared me to care for others.  My hope for you today is that you feel loved and well cared for. ​

Within each of us are seven major chakras. If you missed the first four chakras click to learn how to balance the root chakra, how to balance the sacral chakra, how to balance the solar plexus chakra and how to balance the heart chakra. The fifth chakra, Vishuddha is your throat chakra, located in the center of the throat. Vishuddha holds the energy related to honesty, integrity, truth and communication. Your throat chakra can become blocked by fear of losing someone or something and lies, especially the ones we say to ourselves. Increase your ability to express yourself and mediate the crossroads between your heart and head by balancing your throat chakra. Learn 3 easy ways to balance your throat chakra below. 
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3 Easy Tips to Balance Your Throat Chakra

1. Positive Affirmations. Boosting your self-awareness is helpful in promoting positive energy associated with the throat chakra. Practice positive affirmations such as “I will speak my truth” and “My fears will not prevent me from speaking truthfully” as part of your daily routine.
   
   
2. Visualize Blue. Meditate to the thought of a blue glow filling your chest, healing you from the inside out. Vishuddha, the throat chakra is the color blue.
   
   
3. Reset with Reiki. Reiki helps balance the flow of energy in the body and can be utilized to release energy that is blocking or weakening the throat chakra. Reiki energy is soothing, opens the flow of energy in the body and restores balance.

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Reiki provides deep relaxation and healing by balancing the flow of energy in the body and can be utilized to release the blocked energy of your throat chakra. At Your Sanctuary For Healing we have ​a passion for holistic health to share with you. Click to learn more about our Reiki Services.
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Within each of us are seven major chakras. If you missed the first three chakras click to learn how to balance the root chakra, how to balance the sacral chakra, and how to balance the solar plexus chakra. The fourth chakra, Anahata is your heart chakra, located in the center of the chest. Anahata holds the energy related to love, respect, compassion, joy and the sense of belonging and it can become blocked by feelings of grief, loneliness or a general lack of self-love.  A balanced heart chakra empowers you with love, balance, and connection. Signs that your fourth chakra is weak or blocked include an inability to trust oneself or others or being excessively needing or clingy in relationships. Learn 3 easy ways to balance your heart chakra below.

3 Easy Tips to Balance Your Heart Chakra

1. Positive Affirmations. Boosting your self-esteem is helpful in promoting positive energy associated with the heart chakra. Practice positive affirmations such as “I forgive myself” and “I completely love and accept myself” as part of your daily routine.
   
   
2. Visualize Green. Meditate to the thought of a green glow filling your chest, healing you from the inside out. Anahata, the heart chakra is the color green.
   
   
3. Reset with Reiki. Reiki helps balance the flow of energy in the body and can be utilized to release energy that is blocking or weakening the heart chakra. Reiki energy is soothing, opens the flow of energy in the body and restores balance.
   
   

Start the new year with a new you! Reiki is a great way to reset your mind and body. Reiki is a gentle technique that promotes healing through deep relaxation, stress reduction, and opening and enriching the flow of energy through the body.

The body’s energy can become depleted or blocked from the everyday stresses of life or trauma. When this occurs, we typically experience sensations of tightness and discomfort in specific regions of the body. If this blockage of energy persists, disease may develop. Through the infusion of calming Reiki energy, the body's ability to heal is enhanced. Release the stresses of 2018 and give your self a fresh start in 2019 with the help of Reiki.

Here are the top three questions (and answers) people have about Reiki:

Q. How is a Reiki treatment given?

A. In a standard treatment, Reiki energy flows from the practitioner’s hands into the client. The client is usually laying on a massage table but treatments can also be given while the client is seated or even standing. The client remains fully clothed. The practitioner places her/his hands on or near the client’s body in a series of hand positions. These include positions around the head and shoulders, the stomach, and feet. Other, more specific positions may be used based on the client’s needs. Each position is held for three to ten minutes depending on how much Reiki the client needs at each position. The full treatment session usually lasts between 45 and 90 minutes.

Q. What does a Reiki treatment feel like?

A. What one experiences during a Reiki treatment varies somewhat from person to person. However, feelings of deep relaxation are usually felt by all. In addition, many feel a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through them and surrounds them. As the Reiki energy encourages one to let go of all tension, anxiety, fear, or other negative feelings, a state of peace and well-being is experienced. Some drift off to sleep or report floating outside their bodies or have visions or other mystical experiences. At the end of the treatment, one feels refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.

Q. What can be treated with Reiki?

A. Reiki has had a positive affect on all forms of illness and negative conditions. This includes minor things like head or stomach aches, bee stings, colds, flu, tension and anxiety, as well as serious illness like heart disease, cancer, leukemia, etc. The side effects of regular medical treatments are often reduced or eliminated with the introduction of a Reiki treatment. Reiki can effectively treat the negative effects of chemotherapy, post-operative pain, and depression. It can also improve the rate of healing and reduce the length of a patient's hospital stay. Reiki at the very least helps alleviate the symptoms and discomfort associated with certain health conditions or disorders. In some cases, patients have experienced complete healing following Reiki treatment. These findings have been confirmed by medical tests before and after the Reiki treatments. However, while some patients have experienced miracles, the same results cannot be guaranteed for everyone. Stress reduction with some improvement in one’s physical and psychological condition are what most experience.

SRC: Click to read more: Reiki, Questions & Answers from The International Center for Reiki Training.

 Hello there, Patty Craig here, from Your Sanctuary for Healing.  Before co-founding Your Sanctuary For Healing, I taught middle school in the Gresham Barlow School District. I remember winter break was the perfect time to relax, recharge and refocus. Massage with Reiki can help with all three. For a limited time, educators save $20 on an hour and a half massage with Reiki!

In 2014, the writing was on the wall and due to health concerns, major life changes and feeling led in a different direction, I left my teaching position. I began practicing Reiki - a gentle therapeutic technique that is deeply relaxing and balances energy. In 2015, my hubby and I co-founded Your Sanctuary For Healing, my new professional home. After regaining my health, I returned to school. Only this time, it was to complete requirements for massage therapy.

I have walked through my share of fires. Reiki and massage therapy have helped me:

Manage pain
Handle loss and change
Recover from surgery
Relieve stress 
Parent from a higher perspective
Achieve fitness goals
Balance and boost energy

Now, I get to share the healing gifts of Reiki and massage therapy with others!

Educators give so much, day-in and day-out! There is not a more worthy cause. Although the rewards may be great, there is often a cost. Maintaining wellness is crucial for the service you provide our community. If you are making your way through a challenging time, massage and Reiki can help. Or maybe you are rockin' your A-game this year! Self-care can help keep it that way.  Either way, I would be honored to care for you.

Schedule online or call us (503)492-5606 today
to save $20 on a 90 minute massage with Reiki.

In Gratitude, Patty Craig  M.Ed.  L.M.T.  Reiki Master & Teacher - OBMT #23868

Injuries and emotional trauma are not always immediately recognized after a car accident. Most times it is common for these accidents to result in a minor fender bender or some other type of minor auto damage. Even these minor accidents can have negative health consequences when not tended too. Sometimes it takes multiple days for the symptoms to show, but there will be aches and pains if not taken care of.

What are the benefits of an adjustment after an accident?

1. Pain Relief Without the Use of Drugs
After an accident, people often take pills to subside the pain. These pain pills only mask the pain from these symptoms. Taking pain pills also allows for you to fall victim to addiction. Getting a chiropractic adjustment will offer pain relief without the use of pills or addictive medication. An adjustment will address the injury at the source. This will heal the actual injury instead of masking the pain.

2. Restores Range of Motion
After an accident, it is common to walk away with a neck or back injury. According to Arrow Head Clinic, this will cause inflammation to spread throughout the body. Inflammation in these areas will substantially decrease the range of motion you have. A chiropractic adjustment will realign the spine, which will in turn restore proper motion in your body.

3. Diagnosing of Non-Obvious Injuries
Accidents don’t always yield an obvious injury. In major accidents people could get broken bones, lacerations, or bruises. When it comes to a smaller accident, the injuries aren’t always obvious. Sometimes it could take several days before you feel the effects of a whiplash injury. The symptoms could range from headaches, dizziness, and pain in your back. The best way to deal with an injury such as this would be to see a chiropractor. A chiropractor will pinpoint where the injury is, and allow for a faster recovery time. It is suggested to schedule a chiropractic adjustment before you start feeling the pain.

Receiving a chiropractic adjustment after an auto accident is one of the best decisions you can make. It will help take care of the injury instead of masking the pain, and it is also quite cost effective when compared to other forms of medical care.

Click to learn more about our Chiropractic Care & Car Accident Care.

At Your Sanctuary for Healing, we have a holistic approach to improving health and promoting personal wellness. We have decades of experience with Chiropractic Care and Auto Injuries. Call us today to schedule a chiropractic adjustment. Get the pain relief you need before it really hits.

Almost everyone experiences negative health symptoms such as back pain, neck pain, or headaches. Most people learn to live with these constant pains, but there are actual many different health benefits for getting a chiropractic adjustment. According to Very Well Health, A chiropractic adjustment is a type of manual therapy that helps to realign joint subluxations. Once these joint subluxations are realigned, it is then that these common aches and pains that we endure will start to disappear.

What are the health benefits of getting a chiropractic adjustment?

1. Back and Neck Pain Relief
These types of pains plague 80% of all Americans. An adjustment from a chiropractor can dramatically reduce these pains. Not only does a chiropractor help get rid of these pains, it is also cheaper than other methods of pain relief.

2. Headache Relief
According to USA Today, both tension and migraine headaches can be caused from spinal issues. Misalignment of the spine can trigger these headaches. Getting an adjustment from a chiropractor will align the spine and help prevent headaches from occurring.

3. Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation is a major reason why we acquire the aches and pains we have. Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to reduce inflammation in these problematic areas. Relieving inflammation can also help to prevent other diseases from spreading throughout your body.
Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to give a multitude of health benefits. Click to learn more about our Chiropractic Care & Car Accident Care. Learn more about these adjustments and the pains that they can relieve. Give us a call now to schedule your first chiropractic adjustment.

Within each of us are seven major chakras. If you missed the first two chakras click to learn how to balance Muladhara the root chakra, and how to balance Svadhishthana the sacral chakra. The third chakra, Manipura is your solar plexus chakra, located between your navel and the base of your stomach AKA your solar plexus. This chakra affects your creativity, personality, intellect and ego. Manipura holds the energy related to your self-confidence, identity and personal power and can become blocked by a lack of affection, criticism, rejection, and being ignored or unappreciated. A balanced sacral chakra empowers you to follow your true path. Signs your third chakra is weak or blocked include fatigue, low self-esteem, or poor willpower. Learn 3 easy ways to balance your solar plexus chakra below.

Within each of us are seven major chakras. If you missed the first chakra click to learn how to balance Muladhara the root chakra. The second chakra, Svadhishthana is your sacral chakra, located along your spine just 2 inches below your naval. This chakra affects your self-worth, creativity, relationships, pleasure and sexuality. Svadhishthana holds the energy related to your emotions, intimacy, and creativity and can become blocked by guilt and self-criticism. A balanced sacral chakra provides energy, compassion, grounded intuition, and emotional stability. Signs your second chakra is weak or blocked include experiencing attachment issues, guilt, timidity, emotional volatility, and hypersensitivity. Learn 3 easy ways to balance your sacral chakra below.