Sanctuary Blog
Latest Sanctuary Post
Donkey Talk: Affirmation and Affection
Need a break from all the hard questions? Ronnie the donkey’s got you covered.
Sanctuary Posts
Yoga for Members!!! Hip & Groin Poses
Here is the next video in our Yoga for Members series, brought to you by Rosslyn Kemerer, in-house yogi and Sanctuary contributer. This sequence hones in on the Hip & Groin region. Enjoy!!
A Trophic Cascade in Yellowstone…and At Your House?
Over 40 million people have watched this 4-minute video. We invite you to take this story as a poignant example of how making one small change can produce profound, wide-spread and lasting change. Organically, and systemically.
fears & vulnerability
Accepting vulnerability and admitting our fears … Asking for help … Letting someone hold us in our darkest moments … Stefan Weiner's song, Fearful Lullaby, speaks of these human needs. What does it mean to embrace vulnerability?
To the Voice in Your Head that Says Otherwise
Self-Care has been on my mind, not just because it's an important focus here for Allies in Recovery families. But also because I tend to push Self-Care to the bottom of my to-do list. Which basically translates to: I'm too busy to take care of me. Brodie Welch (who knows a few things about the subject) has whipped up a very important document that we should ALL take a minute to ponder.
Yoga for Members!!! Chest, Heart and Back poses
Welcome to a new series of videos created just for You! Here guest contributer and yoga teacher Rosslyn Kemerer introduces the series and begins with some helpful poses for the chest, heart and back. Enjoy!
How to Start a Meditation Practice
Oops. Western culture has things a bit backwards. Meditation is NOT a fix for stress and busyness. But steady practice and awareness can help us to UN-learn the habits that are contributing to mindlessness. Meet Rosslyn Kemerer, who will be making offerings in the realms of yoga, meditation and self-care through the Allies Sanctuary.
Will You Hug Me?
Watch this young Arab-American opera singer offer his prayer and vulnerability to total strangers and see what happens. A "community of caring" just might exist, even where we least expect to find it.
k.d. lang performs “the valley”
Freshly inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, k.d. lang weaves her magic over a hushed crowd at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan with this haunting performance of Jane Siberry's "The Valley."
Can You Become a Model of Change?
The Authors of Beyond Addiction remind us: "Be yourself, but be as willing to change as you want your loved one to be." Have you experienced a ripple effect with your Loved One? Have you seen relief and change in the family dynamic when you have shifted your focus away from their problems and towards improving your own self-care? We'd love to hear from members on this topic.
Seaside Meditation
There is something healing about the place where the ocean meets the sand. In this short video, I encourage you to put down what is heavy, even if just for a few moments. Come stand at the edge of the sea …
Time to Dance!
Sending more live music your way. This Cesoria Evora concert is here to uplift your spirits – Get Up and Dance!
My AA Story
Growing up as an only child in an alcoholic family was the perfect incubator for an isolated, selfish, self-centered life. My father shared his alcoholism with his mother, and with many family members before her…
Try, by Mandy Harvey
Sometimes a performance is about so much more than the actual piece being played. Watch this woman's soul shine through as she performs an original song, Try, and shares her story with the world.
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
I was never told about the sorrow/
How can you mend a broken heart? /
How can you stop the rain from falling down? /
Please help me mend my broken heart /
And let me live again
Does Worrying Prove I Love You?
What’s the antidote to worry and where does it show up in your body? How is it connected to love? Can worry ever be helpful? When does worrying cross the line and become destructive, or self-destructive? What does Allies in Recovery have to offer when worrying about your loved one is taking over your thoughts?
Up the Mountain
X-factor judges praised Brandie Love, a 21-year-old orthodontist assistant, for her sincerity, and the way she allowed the music to "set her free". Incidentally, her voice isn't bad to listen to either!
They Opened Their Hearts & Their Home
They opened their home to dozens of young people. Then he learned he could give one more thing: A kidney.
Does Worrying Prove I Love You?
What's the antidote to worry? Where does it show up in your body? How is it connected to love? Can worry ever be helpful? When does worrying cross the line and become destructive, or self-destructive? What does Allies in Recovery have to offer when worrying about your Loved One is taking over your thoughts?
Create a Clearing in the Dense Forest of Your Life
Postlewaite's poem urges us to create a clearing in the "dense forest" of our lives, then "wait there patiently" … I see a real parallel with the work our members do as you are going through our program and integrating the principles of CRAFT into your daily lives.
Jumpin’ Jive!
Fred Astaire said this was "‘the greatest dancing he had ever seen on film". We hope you'll find this to be 5 uplifting minutes of joyful entertainment. Take a tiny break from the heavy stuff and let the joie de vivre of these performers carry you.