So this week has been a little gross emotionally for me. I shed some epic tears, raged to my family and sister (one was more productive/healthier than the other), and sat with all the FEELS trying to add a little DOSE of intention and compassion. It was hard, and the shame, anger, frustration, fear, exhaustion, and general "ick” of it all kind of shook me to the core. Thankfully, however, my people get me and still love me, despite the ruptures, and no one tried to fix it or tell me to get over it (well, almost no one).  Magically (or not so magically as this is what I teach, day in and ..read more

12 years ago today I became a mama.  For the 9 months leading up to it, I obsessed and learned everything I could learn about creating a human. Folic acid, check! Fully organic, SPF50 baby carrier, check! I didn’t worry about what would happen after as I’d been a camp counsellor, a babysitter, an older cousin, a high school teacher, a Sunday school teacher, mental health therapist and, wait for it, an outdoor program coordinator with a feminist geography degree and art education minor. I had this. Heck, I was told at the ripe age of 12 that I was meant to birth babies because of my "chi ..read more

This has been a whirlwind of a week. What started as a casual conversation about providing parents in Old Ottawa South with information to help them make a tough decision about going back to school, turned into a brilliant panel discussion with experts in the field of epidemiology, medicine, mental health and education - all of whom were Hopewell Ave. Public School Parents!  Dr. Keegan Barker, Dr. Doug Manuel, Dr. Paul Peters, Daphne Dumbrille and myself were the organizers of the event. My beloved husband, Marc-André Roy was the moderator.  Our panelists included:  Dr. Doug ..read more

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52899/forget-screen-time-rules-lean-in-to-parenting-your-wired-child-author-says I like what this article has to offer when it comes to discussion. In the end, I believe that one of our jobs is to teach kids to relate to the world in healthy, functional ways. Screens are very much a part of the world.  I'm also not a fan of abstinence only education when it comes to sex and food, so opening my mind to embrace screens in moderation and with intention feels right to me. Put differently, it's a question of who, when, where and why:  Kids at the dinner ta ..read more

Everyone and their dog is telling us to breathe, be mindful and start meditating? Why? Because the evidence tells us that it works (see below)! The very practice of sitting in stillness or moving with our breath has the potential to change the way our brain experiences suffering, stress and adversity. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a rigorously studied approach to teaching secular Mindfulness. Over an 8 week period, we explore the basics of meditation and mindful movements. We also dive into your stresses and triggers, and then though mindful inquiry, identify strategies to a ..read more

Every year, I think about strategies to bring a little more compassion and gentleness into our family.  At bedtime, we practice our daily "rose, thorn, & bud" exercise, have a gratitude jar and have family meetings. We also practice our family mantras, "choose kindness" and "kindness wins” in moments of frustration or sometimes, just because!  While it’s all slowly getting there, I feel a little exasperated when the holidays come around, and my children are writing these lovely holiday wish lists for more stuff as they live in a home filled with (often unplayed with) toys, so mu ..read more

Getting excited to bring a little more mindfulness to the world at the end of September!  Want to know more about the hype?  Feeling a little overwhelmed at work or at home or with family? The MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) course has been around for almost 40 years. It’s evidenced based and has been found to be highly effective at helping you change the way you respond to stress, suffering and BIG emotions.  http://bebravebekind.ca/store/p1/MBSRprogram4parents  Any services that I provide may be covered under you extended health insurance (social ..read more

Sign up for either the8 week course or 2 week course, and   enter to win a Zafu (meditation cushion)!   I use these meditation cushions every day in my family practice and have some to share with participants of my workshops! However, if you're really interested in setting up a mindfulness  practice in your home, having the right tools can make all the difference!  The draw will take place May 3 at 4pm ..read more

Spring is in the air!  Why not join me and learn more about mindfulness and meditation in the season of new beginnings!  I’m offering three workshops this Spring, each is unique and caters to different parts of our mindful spirit.  The first is my Winedfulness course. This course introduces you to the practice of mindful eating (and drinking). We will explore 6 wines that are “off the beaten track” and taste different small plates after. I will introduce mindful meditations as well as provide you with suggestions on how to bring mindfulness into your daily life. This is a gr ..read more

bkp_mbsr_information_sheet_may_2018.pdf File Size: 7937 kb File Type: pdf Download File intake_form_updated_mbsr_2018.pdf File Size: 107 kb File Type: pdf Download File ..read more