Annemieke's Adventures
Rather than walk a common path through life, I’ve chosen to follow my heart. This has allowed for much excitement, as I never know where I’ll end up!
This beautiful journey led me through a four-year degree in herbal medicine, natural diet, and massage therapy. This knowledge brought me a flourishing practice and provided the means for me to go to India. It was there that I met my beloved husband, who gave me two beautiful children, along with four more children as a gift, creating our large blended family.
Allowing my heart to guide my life journey brought me to three silent retreats with Zen Master, poet, and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh.
Later, when massage therapy overworked my body, craniosacral therapy fell into my lap. This trained me to listen more deeply to the language of the body and connect to its self-healing power. Once I grasped this, it was no longer me ‘doing’ the treatment, but the body’s intelligence guiding me where to work.
Life also allowed me the privilege of offering end-of-life care for loved ones.
More recently, I undertook a three-month mindfulness training in Europe .
When my heart’s journey brought me to Canada’s northern wilderness many years ago, it was like stepping back in time; the nearest village is an hour’s drive away. Settling into this remote, rural area, I savor the hours spent walking through pristine forests and along lake shores, collecting the abundant gifts of wild medicinal herbs that Mother Nature offers. Processing them into homemade arnica massage oil, face cream, herbal teas, and tinctures has brought me great joy.
It is here, in this tranquil setting, that the idea of awareness hikes with goats was first conceived. This has led me to exchange 25 years of indoor practice for an outdoor practice, supported and embedded in the healing power of Mother Nature.
