Finding the Tide Within

Growing up on the coast, it was impossible to ignore the tides of the Atlantic Ocean.

They were part of me and I often took them for granted, only paying attention when they impacted my plans for swimming, clam diggging, or fishing. I never noticed the taste and smell of salt in th air until I found myself halfway across the country without them.

The stagnant heat of the Midwest made me uncomfortable and homesick. The gentle sway of cornstalks in the vast fields around the Air Force Base did little comfort me. I longed for the ebb and flow of the powerful ocean that lulled me to sleep most of my life prior to joining the military.

I found myself going through the motions of my life, looking for the missing piece, but not really knowing anything was missing. It wasn’t until I experienced Craniosacral Therapy (CST) as a patient, that I could articulate what I had been longing for - dynamic stillness. There is a point, for some people, during meditation, prayer, CST session, or other modalities that they will drop in to state of relaxation, rest, healing. The sensation of flow within my body gave me a feeling that I can only describe as alive.

Now, as a Craniosacral Therapist, I live in what we call the long tide. The expansion and contraction are so subtle it almost feels still, yet there is movement. My body craves that kind of stillness. As I sit with my clients, guiding them through body scans and finding their own stillness, I feel the push and pull of the tide. When I pay attention, I feel as though the ocean waxes and wanes from inside my being, connecting me the world beyond where I exist at any given moment. I was taught that it is within this dynamic stillness that the body has the capability to heal.

When I slow down from the hustle and bustle of modern life, my body, mind, and soul feel complete resting in the flow of the tide within me. It is my hope to help as many people as possible to find the tide within themselves.