When The Sun Shines Through

Dr Sara’s Office News - June 2026 Edition

Featured Article: 

When The Sun Shines Through

This month's article is a blog post I wrote in 2024.
  
I often feel like there are two versions of myself. The loving, compassionate, inspired, and at peace me who is connected to and is, in fact, the energy of all things in human form, navigating around this world, having adventures. Then there is a duller, more tense, slightly or a lot anxious, perhaps snippy version of myself that I become when I'm preoccupied with thoughts and thinking.
 
There is a place in each of us that is already and actually always is thriving. And happy, content, and peaceful. It's there in the midst of anxious thinking, preoccupation, fear or pain. It's there alongside all of that, all the time. It never goes anywhere.
 
We go somewhere, though. We go to the pain (understandable – it hurts!), and we go to the tension-filled thinking. We go to the past or the future to justify why we are fearful or why we are convinced something is a problem and won't work.
 
This version of myself, while so familiar and practised, can feel like a zombie wandering around without any actual animating force.
 
I came across this quote from Mavis Karn in her book, It's That Simple: A User's Manual for Human Beings:
 
In order to return to the truth of us, we need only sense the clenched feeling of having left our true self and wandered back into a habit of thought. It's that simple.
 
Be still. Let all the mental noise recede, settle down, and dissipate. That's the door back home. That's when you remember who you are and where you can experience the oneness with all things that people who have reclaimed their wisdom have been pointing to forever.
 
Many people, I was one of them, think that in order to relax and be at peace, they need to resolve the tension, anxiety, or pain first. They need to solve all the problems. There is an urgency in anxiety. There is an immediacy in pain. Anxiety and fear are so urgent-seeming that we don't look at anything else while constantly trying to tamp them down or make them stop. When the not fear or not anxiety becomes more interesting to us than the stranglehold of the negative emotion, it starts to break apart and loosen. It dissipates, given enough time.

One way of leaving it alone long enough to dissipate is not to make it a problem. If having a negative experience like pain or anxiety was entirely ok and neutral, then it gets a little boring, and our attention actually wanders from the pain, looking elsewhere for entertainment. It's very much ok to not be ok. However, the more ok you are with your experience, no matter what it happens to be in the moment, the more you default into your own peace and relaxed state.

The real key is to find that space within yourself where you are already thriving. It's the you who is still and calm while walking in nature or walking your dog. It's the you who is suddenly quiet, swimming in the lake. It's the you who is stunned by the beauty of your newborn grandchild. It’s the you that kicks out of your busy mind in a moment of surprise or emergency.

When I was in California for a seminar, I pulled or overstretched or ‘somethinged’ my left lower back and side. I realized it at lunch at a restaurant where I just couldn't sit without considerable pain. It was very much in my face, front and centre. I started getting worried. "I won't be able to stay here. I need a different chair. I won't be able to eat. What will others think?"  And on and on and on. This wasn't helping. The pain was ratcheting up from all my busy thinking. There was no "solving" this pain in that moment. It would take some time.
 
As soon as I noticed all this, I was back to myself. It occurred to me to change seats with my husband. It occurred to me to shift how I was sitting. It occurred to me to tell him how much pain I was in. And then it occurred to me to put my attention on the thriving or on the peace or on the energy in my body, my aliveness.
 
I still had pain, but it went down considerably and was sort of just there in the background. By shifting your focus to yourself, your thriving self, ideas and wisdom begin to come in. You can just follow step by step.
 
Sometimes, I ask myself, "What if this weren't a problem?" and see what comes from there. It feels like letting your thriving self emerge through the zombie self. Like the sun shining out through the clouds.  Look at the sun and not the clouds. The sun is always shining.
 
We ended up having a relaxed and most delicious lunch. I highly recommend Trejo’s Tacos in Santa Monica.

If you'd like to receive more articles like this and haven't already, you can subscribe to my blog here

With love,
Dr Sara

Updates and Upcoming Events

Office Hours:
The office will be closed from Wednesday, June 17 to Monday, June 22. Email and voicemail will be monitored during this time.

Events:
Immersion Retreat- Save the Date! 
We will hold our annual Immersion Retreat on Saturday, September 19, 2026, in Guelph, ON
This is a day to fully immerse yourself in the peace, joy, and aliveness already within you. Contact Nancy for information at frontdesk@drsaraoneill.com

Recipe of the Month

This month's recipe is a tasty nut and seed cracker. Easy to make, healthy, and so yummy, you can enjoy them however you choose. (Nancy just ate them as a snack instead of chips or cookies!) And you can make them your own by swapping in your favourite nuts and seeds.

Nut and Seed Crackers
Recipe courtesy of Rosemary Thorpe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup slivered almonds

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup chia seeds

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

• Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

• Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

• Cool completely.

• Cut into squares or break into clusters.

Enjoy!

Aliveness and Free for You!

Dr Sara’s Office News - May 2026 Edition

Featured Article: 
Aliveness and Free for You!

 
"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive."  - Howard Thurman
 
What is aliveness?
 
It's a word used by many teachers, writers, spiritual seekers, and others to indicate the expansive felt feeling of simply being alive. It usually has an element of a life lived fully and feeling it all.
 
My inspiration behind all of what I do, since I started doing anything, really, is the incredible potential we all have within us. When we connect with that space of possibility within, we are fully alive, and conversely, when we live fully alive, we are living our potential.
 
"Aliveness is the daily choice to show up fully—in my life, in my own skin, in the present moment, and with my authentic voice." - Laurie Buchanan
 
To me, aliveness is an electric feeling of life running through me that, when I tap into it, takes care of me, the day, my energy. It's the intuitive guidance and wisdom we all have. It's the love and connection between people. It's always there quietly running the show behind the scenes.
 
When we see it, notice it, and give it importance in our lives, it blossoms and shows up even more. Your body relaxes. Stress evaporates. No matter what happens to be going on in your life.
 
The miraculous takes over.
 
In both my transformative coaching practice and my chiropractic practice, I have often wished that the people I work with knew the power of their aliveness and how to reliably access it for themselves. So, I made a video series that is exactly that: what I have always wished everybody knew already.
 
The results when people do tap into their power inside are insanely effective. And permanently sustainable.
 
In all areas, life improves. There is much less for any type of practitioner to do. Your nervous system self-regulates. The conversation or work then becomes about what you would like for your life and what you would love to create. Which can have as much depth and width as you want, as there is literally no end to it. Life is now a playground of possibility.
 
When my transformative coaching clients reorient around tapping into their own aliveness and the power within, magic always begins to happen. Some clients create and start their own businesses, make art, write books, and their bodies start to heal what was previously not possible. Any form of bodywork is limited in its scope of impact because the body is not the causative factor for most things, and you aren't the one seeing it fresh for yourself.
 
When I first really saw how humans work from the inside out, my body relaxed naturally, and old patterns started to undo on their own. My brain injury pretty much vanished. I wanted to reorganize my shoulder and hip mobility so I could compete better in weightlifting. I no longer needed to manage pain or stress, so it was then about what more could happen?  What do I want in relation to my body? Then the exercise, chiropractic, massage and physio were all so much more effective. I competed again just this last weekend after two years of reorganizing my biomechanics so that I could.
 

When it no longer looked like stress and pressure were needed to achieve or get work done, it became about how much fun can I have? And what else would be amazing to create? What do I want in relation to my productivity? I started a podcast, "A World That Listens: Experiences in Deep Listening" I began writing a lot more and much more effortlessly, all of a sudden, I had much more time (it's amazing how much time "pressure" takes up), even though I was doing far more. It's common to do "twice the work in half the time" from this understanding of life.
 
I have seen clients walk away from all sorts of physical problems, past abuse, nervous system triggers, and take performance to new, exciting levels. Whether you want more of something or less of something, this is designed for you.
 
"Wholeness arises when you get out of your own way to come fully alive." - Dr Alex Lovell

With that in mind, I created a free foundational video course that is the essentials of "what I wish everyone I'd ever worked with already knew". It's actually called Alive from the Inside Out.
 
I made it with all of you in mind.
 
It's free because I know that it can make a big difference for a lot of people.
 
You can find it here on my newly redesigned website http://www.liveyouralivelive.com on the home page (scroll down), and if you know of anyone, anywhere, who you think could benefit from being more alive within themselves, regardless of pain or circumstances, please forward it to them.
 
One of my favourite quotes is from Joseph Campbell, who wrote the now famous book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which was the inspiration behind George Lucas's Star Wars movies, is:
 
"I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell

Also on the topic of "what I wish everyone knew" is so much about the nervous system and how it functions to create our experience of stress, regulation, feeling calm, safe and grounded. 

I have created a new appointment type that can be put through your health benefits for chiropractic. It's a 30-minute mind-body session. It's about allowing your system to function how it's designed to optimally. It's easy to align with our natural flow when you know how. No techniques or exercises are necessary; simply awareness of what your system is doing. Transformative conversation is a particular art with your transformation as the outcome. If you would like more joy, more real safety and freedom, this is for you.

This can be booked through Nancy and done either online or in person.

With love,
Dr Sara

Updates and Upcoming Events

Office Hours:

The office is closed on the following dates:

- Monday, May 18 - Victoria Day
- From Thursday, May 21 to Tuesday, May 26 - Dr Sara away (email and voicemail will be monitored during this time)


Events

Immersion Retreat - Save the Date! We will hold our annual Immersion Retreat on Saturday, September 19, 2026. This is a day to fully immerse yourself in the peace, joy, and aliveness already within you. Details coming soon!

The Listening World Summit - At The Listening World Summit (May 23–25, 2026), voices from around the world come together to explore the power of deep listening - in our relationships, our communities, and within ourselves. We would love for you to be part of this global listening community ❤️ I'm presenting again this year!

Join us online from anywhere FREE: https://thelisteningworld.com/2026-en/onlineregistration/
Or join us in-person in Prague: https://thelisteningworld.com/
 

Recipe of the Month

I got this recipe off of someone I follow on Instagram, and I can't believe how good it is. It really tastes like chocolate pudding with a whipped topping - but healthy! I hope you enjoy it.  Love, Nancy

Chocolate Blended Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
½ cup chia seeds
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 tbsp chocolate PB Fit
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Maple syrup (or any sweetener of choice)

Toppings:
Vanilla Greek yogurt and raspberries

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender.

2. Blend until is starts to thicken into a pudding-like texture. This may take some time!

3. Evenly distribute into in 3 glass jars and top with yogurt and berries.

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Seriously

Dr Sara’s Office News - April 2026 Edition

Featured Article: Seriously

We have a quote of the week in the office - outside on the sandwich board. This week's quote was from the developer of chiropractic, BJ Palmer, about being serious.
 
"Don't take yourself too damn seriously."
BJ Palmer's Rule #9
Law of Life
 
This got me reflecting on seriousness and what I've seen with clients and their health when you take yourself or life seriously. When you make something mean a lot.
 
Those who know me know that I find life in general to be funny. I find it hard to take things seriously. I've gotten in trouble for not being "serious enough". Ha!
 
I remembered a quote from somewhere about seriousness being the worst sickness there was. I can't find the quote. But the sentiment has truth in it.
 
In over twenty years of working with people, I find that things we take seriously in life show up in the body and the spine as tension and a locked-up stiffness. If seriousness becomes a habit, more of a lens or perspective on life, then we mirror this in the way we hold our bodies. Over time, our bodies won't be able to repair as easily, and it starts to break down. We have pain. Maybe a diagnosis.
 
For us to feel the feeling of taking something seriously, we have to tighten up in our bodies. Otherwise, we wouldn't feel it.
 
I've also noticed that people who tend to take life more lightly have more fluidity through their bodies and spine. Their bodies just work better. They are holding less. They are more relaxed. You might perceive them as light-hearted about things. They can be appropriate to a situation without it having to be heavy.
 
We even describe seriousness with words like heavy because that's how the body literally creates that feeling.

I have found that the Network Spinal entrainments intervene at the level of the nerve system and disrupt the message to "be serious". It allows the body to reassess and lightens you up. You relax, and your body unwinds.

 
You just feel lighter and more energized with less tightness. Less pain.
 
I looked up some other quotes on seriousness and came across this one by spiritual teacher Alan Watts.
 
"This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play."
 
Our health and our bodies enjoy it when we are fully engaged with something, and so it feels like play. It doesn't have to be heavy.
When we hold something in life lightly, our body is light. When we take it seriously, our body is serious and tight.
 
And to be clear, when I say "taking something seriously", I don't mean responsibly or appropriate to the situation. We can give something the needed focus and attention (like a child engrossed in playing) without making it "serious".
 
There's a massive difference to the body. A light-hearted approach will speed healing along so much faster than intensity of seriousness.
 
So, maybe you notice that you are making a habit of seriousness, and you're all tense and sore. Probably exhausted. "What do I do?" you say.
 
"Just wait. Relax. Stay still. Wait until the wisdom talks to you, as it will.” – Syd Banks
 
Once you notice, take a minute. Breathe. Wait.
 
Ask yourself, "Do I want to lighten up about this some?" If yes, then simply by recognizing that, you will begin to relax and then come in for an entrainment to deepen the lightening up for your body.
 
I'll leave you with another seriousness quote from Investor Naval Ravikant, "Don't take yourself so seriously. You're just a monkey with a plan."
 
Happy exploring, stay curious and see what comes next!

With love,
Dr. Sara
 

 Updates and Upcoming Events

Office Hours
We are open on Easter Monday, April 6, from 10:30 am to 11:30 am

All other office hours for the month are our usual hours.

You can always find our hours here: https://www.drsaraoneill.com/hours

Upcoming Events

The Listening World Summit  
At The Listening World Summit (May 23–25, 2026), voices from around the world come together to explore the power of deep listening - in our relationships, our communities, and within ourselves. We would love for you to be part of this global listening community ❤️ I'm presenting again this year!

Join us online from anywhere (FREE!): https://thelisteningworld.com/2026-en/onlineregistration/

Or join us in-person in Prague: https://thelisteningworld.com/
 

 Recipe of the Month - Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes

We thought this would make a great Easter breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (113g) whole milk greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)

• ½ cup (120g) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or dairy free milk of choice)

• 1 egg

• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

• 1 ¼ cup (119g) old fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free if desired

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• Optional mix-ins

• Blueberries or chocolate chips

• Butter or olive oil, for cooking

Instructions

- Add all of the ingredients (except optional mix-ins) to a blender and blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let the batter sit in your blender for 10 minutes; this is important to allow the batter to thicken up properly, so please do not skip!

- After 10 minutes, lightly coat a griddle with butter or olive oil and place over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add approximately 1/4 cup of the batter to the griddle for each pancake. Immediately add 5-6 blueberries or chocolate chips per pancake and cook for 2-4 minutes until pancakes slightly puff up and you see a few bubbles along the edges.

- Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside. If you find that pancakes are browning too quickly then you need to lower the heat. I normally start on medium heat, then decrease to medium low later so that my pancakes don't burn. If at any point your griddle starts smoking or if your pancakes are quickly burning, it means your pan is too hot.

- Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more oil and remaining batter.

Makes 6 pancakes total. Serves 2, 3 pancakes each.

Note: It's important to use a greek yogurt with some fat content in it to ensure the pancakes don't get gummy. Feel free to use any flavour you'd like!

Author: Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Spring Clean Your Life

Dr Sara’s Office News - March 2026 Edition

Featured Article: Spring Clean Your Life

There are two approaches to dealing with anything in life:  restore or reorganize. In healthcare, we mostly look at the restoration option. When we are sick, we want to go back to not being sick. When we break our arm, we put a cast on it so it can heal up again.  Rarely do we look at what needs to be reorganized in our lives so we can grow beyond the level we have been living at.  For example, perhaps you were running late and rushing in from the parking lot to an appointment when you fell on some ice outside and broke your arm.
 
Most people would curse their bad luck and carry on doing things the way they have always done.  Some people would tell themselves not to rush when it's icy outside in the future.  Few people, however, would choose to reorganize: take a good look at how they manage time in their life and radically change how they do things so that they are not chronically rushing from one thing to the next all day long. 
 
At this time of year, many people are undertaking some spring cleaning. This usually involves some level of reorganization.  We all probably have a room or closet in our house that has gotten out of control. You open the closet door, and things tumble down on top of you.  For months, you just grab the items and stuff them back in, quickly slamming the door shut again. This is the restore approach. You start to avoid opening the closet. You start to see this part of your house negatively in your mind. You learn to live without it.  
 
Then there comes a time when the pain of ignoring it becomes bigger than the pain of cleaning it out and dealing with it. So you say I'm going to reorganize that closet!  You open the door with trepidation, nervous about what you will find within. As you start to clean it out, you find lots of things that you forgot you had. Your old baseball glove! The mitts that you thought you'd lost!

You find some yucky bits, too. A half-eaten sandwich! Who stuffed that in there? You'll find all sorts of things that you'll never use again and don't need.  As the garbage bags start to mount up, you feel better about the closet. It's no longer that bad closet to be avoided, but a part of your house that's newly available to store valuable things. (Like your newly found baseball glove.)

We all have parts of our bodies that need some spring cleaning, like this closet.   When we have pain or stiffness in our body, we start to ignore that part of our body, just like the closet. The situation gets more and more entrenched. Before we know it, things are falling on us every time we open it up. "If I pay attention to my back, it hurts and locks up when I stand up". We start to speak about that body part negatively, "That's just my bad back", "My bum knee is acting up".   We might go to the doctor and try to restore the health of the body part by taking medications or stretching it more. This is similar to just picking up the pieces and stuffing them back into the already full closet. Eventually, the pain of having this sore and ignored body part outweighs the bother of having to deal with it. So we look for help. What we need to do is reorganize! Network Spinal Analysis allows you to spring clean your body!
 
First, you need to look at and let go of all the tension your body has stored up from the past. Get rid of all those old, half-eaten sandwiches cluttering things up. You will find some great things in there as well: your ability to sleep well or a neck that feels great can be re-found. Then, as you progress through the different parts of Network Care, you can learn how to not use that part of your body as a dump for all the stress in your life.  Rather, whole new resources open up, and you can consciously reorganize the parts of your life that need changing so you don't have the situation repeating itself over again. 
 
Do you need to spring clean your life? Do you know someone who could use a good spring cleaning? This time of year is the best time to make changes in your life and start new things. It's a lot easier to stick with new resolutions when the weather is warmer, rather than in January when we all try. 

With love,

Dr Sara

Updates and Upcoming Events

Reminder: Tax Receipts

Don't forget that you can submit any chiropractic expenses not covered by your extended health benefits as part of your medical claims when filing your income tax. If you need a statement/receipt, please let Nancy know as soon as possible!  Annual statements can be emailed or printed.

Upcoming Events

Save the Date! Immersion Retreat 2026
We are hosting the Immersion Retreat again at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.

Recipe of the Month

Whether you're spring cleaning your diet or celebrating St. Patrick's Day, this Green Smoothie will hit the spot! 

The Green Smoothie
1 large orange, peeled and segmented
1/2 of a large banana, cut into chunks
6 large strawberries
2 cups spinach
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup ice
 
Mix well in a blender. Enjoy!

Snow Shovelling Success: Tips and Tricks

Dr Sara’s Office News - February 2026 Edition

Featured Article: Snow Shovelling Success: Tips and Tricks

Winter is half over, everyone!
 
However, I suspect there is more snow and cold on the way still. I find myself talking a lot these days about common-sense tips and tricks for snow shovelling that never go out of style.
 
Here is some wisdom from an Ontario Chiropractic Association newsletter from a few years back:
 
When you consider that a shovelful of snow weighs five to seven pounds, you realize how much weight you have to lift to clear your sidewalk or driveway - on average, several hundred pounds. Shovelling snow can be a pain in more ways than one. These tips will help
keep your back in top shape:
 
Don’t let the snow pile up: If the weather report calls for several days of snow, frequent shovelling will allow you to move smaller amounts of snow at once. It’s far less strenuous in the long run.
 
Warm up: Before tackling any strenuous activity, take the time to warm up with some overall conditioning (a 10- to 15- minute walk, even on the spot, should do it), followed by some simple stretching.
 

Pick the right shovel: Use a lightweight pusher-type shovel. If you are using a metal shovel, spray it with Teflon first, so snow won’t stick to it.
 
Push, don’t throw: Always push the snow to the side rather than throw it. That way, you avoid lifting heavy shovelfuls of snow and sudden twisting or turning movements.
 
Bend your knees: If you find you have to lift a shovelful of snow, as with lifting any heavy object, you need to use your knees and your leg and arm muscles to do the pushing and lifting, while keeping your back straight.
 
Take a break: If you feel tired or short of breath, stop and take a rest. Shake out your arms and legs. Stop shovelling immediately if you feel chest pain or back pain. If you have back pain that is severe or that persists for more than a day after shovelling, come see Dr Sara. If you have severe chest pain, see a medical doctor immediately. Not resting enough during snow shovelling is an overlooked cause of heart attacks.
 
Keep fit this winter!

With love, 

Sara Joy
 

Updates and Upcoming Events

Reminder

Did your extended health benefits renew in January? If so, now is a great time to book an appointment and start taking care of your health again. Chiropractic, massage, naturopath...whatever you want! They are for your benefit, so don't let them go to waste.

Upcoming Events

Save the Date! Immersion Retreat 2026
We are hosting the Immersion Retreat again at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.
 

Great Recipe
Cranberry Lemon Muffins

These muffins are gluten & dairy-free.
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup grapeseed oil*
3 eggs
½ cup agave nectar*
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Method
1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and cranberries
2. In a smaller bowl, stir together oil, eggs, agave, and lemon zest
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ones
4. Spoon batter into a paper-lined muffin pan
5. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes
6. Cool and serve

*Can substitute any neutral flavoured oil for the grapeseed oil and honey or maple syrup for the agave nectar.

What Do Thoughts Have to Do with It?

Dr. Sara’s Office News - January 2026 Edition

Featured Article: What Do Thoughts Have to Do with It?

Other than stealing a song title from the 1980s, thoughts have a lot to do with it.

Our habits of thought and what I call "unrecognized thought" are likely the number one reason a person's body holds tension and feels tight. If that situation goes on long enough, you start to get breakdown of the cellular structures and then, eventually, we can put labels on the breakdown, and you have a diagnosis.
 
As the third and last installment in our three T’s series, I invite you to go back and read the first two if you haven’t already where we look at physical and chemical things affecting the body.
 
The third aspect of life that affects the body is Thought, or as D. D. Palmer coined it, “Thots”.
 
Simply put, overthinking has an extremely negative effect on the body.
 
So much so, that it led me to become an advanced certified transformative coach and start a whole new business that addresses just that. And also, everything else in someone's life. Check it out at liveyouralivelife.com with a lot more on this and related topics.
 
It's strange to me that most people find the connection between how we run our thinking and our health to be strange and mysterious. It's in direct proportion. If you overthink habitually, your health will be worse than if you didn't.
 
Our brain and body don’t know what is going on outside of us. Our perceptions rely heavily on our filters of thinking.
 
People (myself included) who have had brain injuries and can't form what's called executive functions of thinking also can't perceive the environment around them. The raw perceptual data has no preconstructed thought to hang itself on. Interestingly, many people in this situation report feelings of bliss and contentment and body relaxation even though they are severely injured.
 
We are designed to think thoughts as needed in the moment and then let them dissolve away. We don't live in a feeling of outside circumstances or stresses. We live purely in a feeling of our thinking in the current moment. 

We become conditioned to think that our feeling of our own thinking is actually the feeling of what's happening outside of ourselves. We innocently misattribute our sensation or feeling to something out there. Maybe our boss, our workload, our schedule, etc.
 
What I call unrecognized thought is simply this: We have a thought (usually a habitual one), and then we feel a sensation, perhaps tension or stress. We don't recognize this feeling as thought from us, and so it can't float on by and dissolve. We hang onto it because we think it's something we need to fix.
 
Once someone sees that it's all coming from them, they begin to allow themselves to flow.
 
Our bodies take their direction from our thoughts and thinking.
 
It's how we bring our thinking to life.
 
Our system assumes we know how it works and assumes that if we are thinking scary thoughts (Oh no! What if that bad thing happens tomorrow?!?), it is something real. Except we don't know, and it isn't.
 
Still with me? Ok, what do we do?
 
Slow down. Internally.
 
Realize that you can find a quiet space and slow the internal spin, as it were. Don't worry, you'll get better at it once you do it a few times. Realize that your stress, your happiness, your internal state doesn't come from anything outside of you. No, not even that.
 
You'll know you've got it when you feel your body relax. That's the space we are designed to live from.
 
Up for an experiment? See how many thoughts in your day you actually don't need. Wonder to yourself throughout the day, "Do I need to think about that?" or "Do I need to think that?".
 
Have fun and happy experimenting!

Updates and Upcoming Events

Office Hours
Our office will be closed from January 14 to January 19, 2026
For regular office hours, please click here

Reminder
Do your extended health benefits renew in January? If so, now is a great time to book an appointment and start taking care of your health again. Chiropractic, massage, naturopath...whatever you want! They are for your benefit, so don't let them go to waste.
 

2026 Fee Increase
Starting January 1, 2026, the fee for all entrainments increases by $1.00. This applies to Monthly Service Agreement rates as well.
 
Upcoming Events

Save the Date! Immersion Retreat 2026
We are hosting the Immersion Retreat again at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.

Chemical Stress and The Body

Dr Sara’s Office News - December Edition

Featured Article: Chemical Stress and The Body

 As promised, the second aspect of life that affects the body is chemical things. Or as the founder of chiropractic termed it, as part of the three T's, Toxins. Now, back in the day, D. D. Palmer wrote and spoke a lot about alcohol as a chemical strain on the body. Overuse of alcohol in the 1890s was rampant, and people were generally unaware that drinking too much was hard on the body.

Nowadays, we have a lot more chemicals to deal with in our environment, food, medicines, products, etc. I’m not condemning the use of any chemical product per se; I'm simply pointing out that anything chemically created interacts with our bodies in a way that’s very different from, say, a food or a natural herb. It takes a lot more energy for our bodies to process chemicals through the liver and to eliminate them. Some chemicals get stored in our fatty tissues because the body can’t process them, so it shoves them into storage.

The mitigation and processing of chemicals through the body causes the spine to tighten up in specific ways and generally harden, losing fluidity. The less fluidity your spine has, the less freedom of healthy function your whole body has.
  
Entrainments find where you have lost fluidity and get things flowing again. They also help your body’s natural elimination processes to kick in better, so you can move out what needs to be moved out.
 
What can you do on your own?
 
There are a lot of good liver support supplements that help your liver to do its job in filtering out and eliminating chemicals. Any brand is okay.
 
Drink lots of water with some electrolytes in it. Sea salt works well.
 
Limit the chemicals you take in. Switch to natural brands or organic foods.
 
Enjoy your toxins of choice moderately. :)
 
I’ve been liking fulvic acid supplements recently as an aid to clearing things out of my system.
 
Listen to your body.
 
When you are full, stop eating. When you are thirsty, drink. When you are tired, rest.
 
Radical advice, I know.

Holiday Message

We wish all of you a happy, peaceful, and joyous holiday season. May you have time to relax and enjoy friends, family, and other loved ones (two or four-legged!) over the next few weeks.

Happy holidays from Dr. Sara and Nancy

Updates and Reminders

Office Holiday Hours:
Our office will be closed from December 22 to 26, 2025 and January 1, 2026
For regular office hours, please click here

Reminder
Don't let your extended health benefits go to waste! If your benefits go by calendar year, there's still time to use them before the end of December. Get that massage, come in for an extra entrainment, set up a physio appointment. Whatever you want! They are for your benefit.

2026 Fee Increase
Starting January 1, 2026, all entrainments will increase by $1.00. This applies to Monthly Service Agreement rates as well.
 

Upcoming Events

Save the Date! Immersion Retreat Day 2026 September 19, 2026
We are hosting Immersion Retreat Day again at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.
 

2025 FEARLESS World Summit Online Holiday Celebration!
Thursday, December 4th
11 am until 3 pm EST
I'm so excited to be speaking at this event about how all people already have the peace we seek and how to access this naturally with ease. And it’s FREE!
One Woman Fearless unites thousands of women around the world who are letting go of fear to create the life of their dreams. Join us for our special holiday celebration filled with inspiring speakers, meaningful connections, gifts, prizes and holiday cheer!

Visit https://onewoman.ca/fearless-womens-summit-world-summit-holiday-celebration-2025/ for more information and to register for the event. 

Great Recipes

Gingerbread Granola 
This is Nancy's favourite granola recipe. It's easy, delicious, and way healthier than store-bought options. Just wait until you smell it baking! Makes a great gift, too.
https://easyrecipegang.com.au/gingerbread-granola/
 

Mystery Solved! What Affects The Body

Dr. Sara’s Office News - November Edition

Featured Article: Mystery Solved! What Affects The Body

As we head into snow-shovelling season, while still deep in the midst of leaf-raking season and leaving gardening season behind, I got to thinking about things that affect our bodies in general.
 
I am fond of saying there are only ever three things that can affect our bodies. Except, everything one might ever do, say, or think under the sun can fit into one of these three categories.
 
What mysterious three things are these Dr. Sara, that can affect ease or dis-ease in the body?
 
Pretty much everything can be broken down into physical, chemical, and mental categories.
 
Each one affects our bodies differently, and different actions might be taken in relation to each one. So, I thought I would write a 3-part series about what the founder of chiropractic, Dr. Daniel D. Palmer, called the three T's: Trauma (Physical), Toxins, and Thots (Mental).
 
Now, back in the day (1890s), Dr. Palmer wrote a lot about the spinal effects of things like having fallen off your horse, malnutrition, and hopelessness. While some of the specifics of these things have changed in modern times (less malnutrition, fewer horse falls, but more social media, more chemicals), the overall categories of what affects the body haven't changed in one hundred and fifty years.
 
Let's begin with the things we would consider physical.
 
To me, in chiropractic practice, physical things can be repetitive strain activities like raking leaves and snow shovelling or physical injuries such as a whiplash from a car accident or tearing a ligament at the gym. I would also put an overly sedentary lifestyle into the physical category for how it remodels your body to be more efficient at being sedentary. You lose muscle and diminish heart and lung capacity, for example, in order to conserve energy. Our body doesn't judge; it simply remodels itself based on the input we give it, either building up or breaking down.

Clients are often surprised by how I can tell the physical demands on their bodies from a cursory glance or a quick assessment. They show up in the spine.

This is because our spine is an informational switching station. We take in information via perceptions that include every single joint in our bodies, and each of the 33 vertebrae has 4 joints. I've seen estimates that 90% of our perceptual information comes up to the brain from the spine. Each spinal level sends information about "life" as that vertebra up to the brain.
 
Is C4 moving well in all its little joints? What are the muscles at L3 doing? Are the nerve impulses at T9 flowing appropriately (not too much or too little)? Our brain takes all this information in and directs the appropriate response. Let go and relax here and strengthen over there. Whups, we're too tight on the left, so send some pain down there so they won't move too much while we replace some of the muscle cells.

It's an intricate dance of information running up and down and up again through the spine.
 
Always reorganizing as needed.
 
The spinal entrainments I use highlight areas for the brain to pay attention to. This allows your spinal system to function at its best.
 
There are a lot of reasons why your spine/body/brain may get stuck in these informational maintenance and healing processes.
 
The more aligned and fluid you are overall, the quicker your system can heal from physical issues, and you can enjoy life fully.
 
Things that are always good to do physically are stretching and exercise. Take it slow and work up to it. Go for a walk.
 
Injuries that are physical only tend to have a bell curve recovery period. It hurts more at first until it hits a peak and then comes back down. If recovery plateaus or pain and symptoms go back up, you may be reinjuring yourself without realizing it.
 
Stay tuned next month when we will look at the chemical aspects that affect the body and some things you can do in that category to help your body stay well.

Updates and Upcoming Events

Update - Office Hours:
Our office will be closed from November 12 to 17, 2025

Upcoming Events

Listening to Ignite the Human Spirit - Starting on November 6, 2025
The 6-month online masterclass program for everyone ready to spark the human spirit within themselves and others. This online series combines group mastermind explorations with monthly experts in the field. Led by advanced transformative coaches Sara Joy O'Neill, Katerina Fiserova and Bryan Smyers, learn how to navigate life from a space of listening to a deeper part of ourselves to increase productivity, let go of habits, and live with more joy and ease.
For more information and to register: https://thelisteningworld.com/online-program/ Use SARA25 to receive a registration discount.

2025 FEARLESS World Summit Online Holiday Celebration!
Thursday, December 4th
11 am until 3 pm EST
I'm so excited to be speaking at this event about how all people already have the peace we seek and how to access this naturally with ease. And it’s FREE!
One Woman Fearless unites thousands of women around the world who are letting go of fear to create the life of their dreams. Join us for our special holiday celebration filled with inspiring speakers, meaningful connections, gifts, prizes and holiday cheer!
About One Woman:
The Fearless Women’s Summits create a platform for women to shine, to stand in their truth, and inspire others to live FEARLESSLY!
Our events and speaker spaces support global projects to empower every woman and girl to be able to live the life of her dreams.
We know the power of every woman’s voice. When we share our gifts and stories with others, we give another woman the confidence to do the same.
One Woman Can Change The World!
Visit https://onewoman.ca/fearless-womens-summit-world-summit-holiday-celebration-2025/ for more information and to register for the event. 

How Do Entrainments Actually Work?

Dr. Sara’s Office News - October Edition

Featured Article: How Do Entrainments Actually Work?

I am often asked, "What do the entrainments (gentle treatments given by Dr. Sara) do?" and "How do the entrainments work?"
 
Entrainment is a word from systems biology. There is a principle of entrainment in nature. Flocks of birds move together seamlessly. Schools of fish react as one without conscious thought. Our brain and nervous systems are designed to fire groups of nerves together in coordinated patterns. One of these built-in systems throughout our spine is designed to build up tension when needed and to release and unwind it when it's no longer needed.
 
There are three broad categories of things that build tension in the body. Physical - like a car accident or hours of gardening; Chemical - like smoking or pesticides; Mental - habits of thought that tell your body it needs to build tension.
 
Entrainments are a way to get your brain to self-reflect and "see" the tension your body is holding, either on purpose in the moment or from habit.
 
The light touches along your spine are specific to locations where the sensory nerves are more highly receptive to input.
 
In a way, I'm negotiating with your brain and body. Asking, "Do you still need this tension?" "Did you forget it was here?" "How about we unwind it?".
 
Our bodies and nerve systems are always looking to return to a calm and relaxed state. If there's tension, it's because some aspect of us thinks we need it.
 
Your brain, body, and I enter into a conversation about letting go. How about here? How about now? What about over here? It works faster and more smoothly if I physically and energetically model deep, relaxed presence for your system to copy. Our natural state as human beings is a clear, relaxed readiness. Anything else shows up in our nerve system as interference, a distortion in the system. Either a tightness through the muscles, ligaments, vertebrae, and nerves or a postural misalignment. As we work together, your system starts to unwind.
 
Another universal question I get asked is "What can I do to help my body and nerve system unwind or let go? To return to that natural calm readiness?".
 
Great question!
 
Physical things you can do are usually pretty common sense. Things like stretching, exercise, rest, and water. What does it feel like your body wants? You know. If you take a minute toget quiet and listen, you'll hear what your body needs or wantsright now. It's usually very simple.Trust it.
 
Chemical things are also pretty obvious. Most people know if they have this area of stress on the body. Often, this might not be something easily changed, for example, a prescription medication with side effects. Again, eating healthy and drinking lots of water helps.
 
Mental habits are also simple to change; however, most people don't know how. We generally do the opposite of what works in this area and end up hanging onto habits a lot longer than we would like. I write quite often about this in my blog onhttp://www.liveyouralivelife.com. Thoughts literally dissolve when we ignore them and take our attention elsewhere. It often can feel like habits of thought are stored in the body. They aren't. It just feels that way. We just get good at repeating old favourites, like a black and white movie that we don't enjoy anymore. Once we see these patterns for what they are, they dissolve on their own, and our body relaxes and unwinds on its own.
 
If you are interested in exploring this area of mental habits in more depth, there are a number of upcoming opportunities to do just that.

1)Join me for an online, 6-month Deep Listening Masterclass series. Check out the Upcoming Events section below for details on the series, which I have been part of coordinating. It's called Listening to Ignite the Human Spirit, and I am very excited about all the great speakers we have lined up!

2)Make sure you're receiving the blog where I focus on these topics. Be sure to check your spam folder! They go out weekly, usually on a Tuesday. If you aren't receiving them, you can sign up for the blog by emailing Nancy at frontdesk@drsaraoneill.com or visiting https://www.drsaraoneill.com/. The space to subscribe to the blog is on the right-hand side, about halfway down the page. (The subscribe section on my other website is currently under development.)
 
3)Explore Private Transformative Coaching- To work one-on-one with me, please visit https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/work-with-sara-joy  or email Nancy.
 

Upcoming Events and Updates

Listening to Ignite the Human Spirit- Online 6-month Deep Listening Masterclass series
This online 6-month series combines group mastermind explorations with monthly experts in the field. Led by advanced transformative coaches Sara Joy O'Neill, Katerina Fiserova, and Bryan Smyers, learn how to navigate life from a space of listening to a deeper part of ourselves to increase productivity, let go of habits, and live with more joy and ease.
Registration: https://thelisteningworld.com/online-program/

Thanksgiving Office Hours- We will be closed on Monday, October 13, for Thanksgiving. We wish everyone a restful weekend to reflect on gratitude for all that we have, whether big or small.

Happy September!

Dr. Sara’s Office News - September Edition

Featured Article - Happy September!

Hello Everyone, and Happy September! 

I'm really excited and pleased to announce some events we have coming up in the next few months and to talk about why these are especially close to my heart. 

On September 20th, we are holding our yearly Immersion Retreat Day. I really love the space they have out in the fields at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph. It's truly a beautiful setting in a beautiful building. In September, the light across the gardens and the fields glows with gold. The energy of the space is gorgeous, and it's the perfect opportunity to soak up the essence at the heart of life with others. It's a very transformational day. 

In the last 25 years of working with thousands of people and their nervous systems, I've found that what makes the biggest change for someone's body and their life as a whole is if they know and have a felt sense of peace at the core of their being. This is available for everyone on a daily basis and isn't all that hard. Many people feel that at our core is something negative or something that needs to be controlled. Or they've really never thought about it before. This misunderstanding is the root of a massive amount of what we call stress and why the body might carry tension, which over time creates breakdown and pain.

When a person comes from a foundation of peace, everything in their body changes. The cells literally can relax and start renewing. We heal effortlessly. We can tap into our knowing and trust ourselves fully. We can effortlessly navigate through our day. Life becomes something you fall in love with. Without trying to. What would your life look like on a day-to-day basis if you were in love with life? Would it be much different? Deeper? 

The retreat day is a wonderful opportunity to experience both mind and body resets, as it were, and to be able to go forward creating our lives fresh. Would you like to join us?We have 4 spots left! 

We also have the wonderful live and ethereal music of Zac Perry. He feels the energy in the room during the bodywork and creates live, expansive, relaxing music in the moment! It's a beautiful and healing soundscape. Truly one of a kind.

Here is a short video about why I love retreat days and why they are so transformational:

https://youtu.be/fWu8iN7Izb0

Then in December, I'm speaking at the Fearless Women's Online Summit on Dec 4th about my fearless story, From Brain Injury to Bliss and Back Again: How We Are All Enlightened and Don't Know It. It's a free online event with women from around the world telling their amazing "fearless" stories. This is definitely not to be missed. More details to come.
 

Upcoming Events and Updates

Immersion Retreat Day: Saturday, September 20, 2025, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm *Only 4 spots left!
St. Brigid’s Villa, Ignatius Jesuit Centre, Guelph, ON
The Immersion Retreat is a rare opportunity to pause, reconnect, and awaken to the beauty of your own existence. As Joseph Campbell said, "What we're all seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences resonate within our innermost being." This day is designed to help you feel that rapture of being alive, with effects that ripple through your life long after the retreat ends. 
New! Online option available
Details at https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/retreat-day

Scent Allergies- This is a friendly reminder that Dr. Sara and many people coming into the office areverysensitive to scents like perfume, cologne, hair spray, body spray, strong-smelling deodorants, etc.Please do not use these products on the day of your appointment.We understand that you want to smell good. We do too! Unfortunately, many scents can trigger headaches or other respiratory reactions in people who are sensitive or allergic to these products.

Office Closure- We will be closed September 23rd to 30th while Dr. Sara is in London, England, for the Awakeners Program. Voicemail and email will be monitored during this time, so feel free to reach out to Nancy. We will reopen on Wednesday, October 1st, at 10:00 am.