Harnessing energy for healing

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/12/2021 (456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Author and wellness facilitator Erika Goodman has released a new book she hopes will help readers find a place of calm within their own body and mind.

The Energy Song book is Goodman’s 30-page guide to harnessing mindfulness through meditation.

“It’s for all ages, but it’s kind of geared towards kids,” the 46-year-old said. “I’m really excited about this book because I think it’s ground-breaking. I think it will open up the readers to the fact they are—first and foremost—an energetic being.”  

The Energy Song book invites readers to follow along with a set of motions, such as rubbing your palms together or breathing deeply. The physical prompts are accompanied by suggestions to get the reader in a relaxed head space.

“Any time they’re feeling bad, anxious, afraid or angry, they can use that energy to help relax and find peace,” Goodman said. “There’s so much stress, chaos and fear in the world right now, so just to have a simple little technique you can use to remind yourself that the inside world is just as important—if not more so—than the inside world is so important.”

The book concludes with sheet music for The Energy Song — a bilingual tune that incorporates the read’s teachings. Translating the practice into verse and rhyme will help young ones internalize the lessons, Goodman explained.

The book’s illustrations were done by illustrators Maja Larson and Samantha Don. The main figure is a loose representation of Goodman.

Goodman is the proprietor of Body and Sole Wellness, a studio in Crestview where she offers sessions in energy healing, reflexology, meditation and ear candling. The room that appears throughout the book is a near-replica of Goodman’s studio space, with its chakra banner, reflexology chart and acoustic guitar.

Goodman’s connection to healing by way of reflexology stretches back decades to her time as a child growing up in Manitoba’s Interlake. Both of Goodman’s grandmothers were reflexologists. Goodman’s great-grandmother on her father’s side was believed to be the first non-Indigenous midwife in Hecla, Man.

“She would always just go out into the bush to pick various things, so I knew health was ready for us out in our backyard if we just learned to listen to Mother Earth,” Goodman said.

Goodman remembers the first time she saw a reflexology map as a 10-year-old.

“I thought it was an absolute necessity for everyone to have a reflexologist in their family so they could look after each others’ health,” Goodman said.

This type of chart, which dates back to ancient China, illustrates the bottoms of two human feet. Different quadrants on the map are said to represent pressure points, which reportedly connect to certain organs, muscles and bodily systems.

Goodman followed in her grandmothers’ footsteps and continued studying herbal supplements and reflexology (she is certified by the Reflexology Association of Canada)and expanded her repertoire to include yoga, pranic and reiki healing.

Goodman is offering her classes online for the time being. More information about where to purchase The Energy Song book and Goodman’s services can be found on her website at www.erikagoodman.ca

A video of The Energy Song book launch can be viewed online from now until the end of January.