I had been hearing about an impressive tai chi teacher named Gregory Fong since moving to Portland in 1997. It was about five years later that I convinced Briana to… Read More
Relationships & Forgiveness
A Free Pile of Presents Just for You
During a particularly hard break-up in my 20s, a friend advised me, “The more present you are during this process, the bigger the present you’ll get out of it.” And… Read More
Meeting the Part of Yourself That Wants to Be Out of Control
Last week I discussed our tendency to get attached to a single point of view, and how this often keeps us stuck. When we recognize the validity of other perspectives… Read More
The Truth is Simple. Start Feeling Better.
When a patient comes in to see me, I get a brief opportunity to facilitate a shift toward the positive. I might overhaul their diet, give them exercises, insert acupuncture… Read More
Focus on the Good
I believe we need about 364 more celebrations of Thanksgiving in a year, and not because we need more reasons to overeat and watch football. Giving thanks is good for… Read More
The Drama Fast: A Tough but Rewarding Cleanse
(This is an “oldie but goodie” that went out in the Dragontree newsletter 15 years ago.) Part of The Dragontree’s mission statement is, “To seed our community with centered, peaceful,… Read More
Our Curious Urge to Dominate Each Other
At a party some years ago I noticed a guy across the room with a big personality. Like a strong double-ended magnet, he appeared to either attract or repel everyone… Read More
Suspending Judgment
One of the greatest sources of pain I’ve witnessed during the pandemic is the perception of restricted freedom. There have been some measurable restrictions on our freedoms, like the freedom… Read More
The Heart of Summer
This article was original published one year ago, and it’s one of our all-time favorites about summer and the fire element. Enjoy, and Happy Solstice! A few days ago I… Read More
Go Deep for the Holidays
I was jogging on the mesa behind our house and my thoughts went to the upcoming holidays and my cycles of introversion and extroversion. For me, social gatherings inevitably spur… Read More
What is “Holding Space”?
Later this week Briana and I will be hosting the Illuminator Training – part of Dragontree Life Coaching Program – and we’ll spend four days in a very special space…. Read More
The Heart of Summer
A few days ago I was out in the sun in a beekeeping suit for hours, lifting frames of comb that were heavy and dripping with honey. We had to… Read More
Ditch the Dogma, Keep the Spirituality
As a teenager I spent a lot of time in the tunnels of Boston’s subway system. They were brightly tiled in red, blue, green, and orange, and there was a… Read More
How to Receive Mothering While Freeing Your Mother
While some cultures have longstanding traditions to celebrate their mothers, ours didn’t begin until about 1911 when all the states adopted Mother’s Day. It was the culmination of a campaign… Read More
More Ways to Make a Clean Space Within Yourself
In the past two weeks, I wrote about what I consider to be the basic principles of a cleanse. This week I’ll discuss a few additional practices that can further… Read More