Zoom Magazine: The Healing Path

Healing. Peace. Inspiration. There’s no one who doesn’t need a little (a lot, usually) of these in our anxious, distracted, careworn times. The Sunshine Coast has long been a draw for those seeking themselves: path and purpose, innate health, and the divine. The Self Realization Meditation Healing Centre has been in Halfmoon Bay since 2003 (and before that in Gibsons since 1995), with the objective of helping others achieve essential healing and peace regardless of belief, background, race, or income. It is one of five non-profit centres around the world established by Mata Yogananda.

The centre provides counselling and help with healing as well as ongoing courses in pure meditation, natural spiritual healing, animal healing, and weekly transformation Hatha yoga classes. It also aims to help those in the caring professions maintain their health and balance by providing workshops. The centre regularly adds courses and offerings to meet the changing needs of their clients. Popular with locals are the meditation gatherings available to drop-ins every evening. People who live on the Coast also take “staycations” or personal retreats to recharge and contemplate without having to travel. Silent retreats are offered throughout the year for those who wish to deepen their spiritual practice with the surprising and powerful practice of quiet.

Kathseva and Andrew Fentiman run the centre in Halfmoon Bay and warmly welcome visitors from all over. They are seeing more and more people from Vancouver and western Canada who are booking short stays to recharge and regroup. Kathseva says that many clients are expressing feelings of being overwhelmed by work, technology, noise, long hours, little nature, and financial stresses.

It’s easy for Coasters to forget how increasingly rare and wonderful our natural setting is. It is also easy to forget that living here can make us more fun, more serene, better hosts. Kathseva elaborates:

“The Sunshine Coast’s natural beauty and slower pace have a very calming effect on people. We notice that after the first day of their stay, guests are looking and feeling more relaxed and often tell us that they are ‘feeling more themselves,’ more connected to nature, more aware of their surroundings, and they notice the quiet and darkness of the night sky due to the absence of city lights. Guests also comment on how friendly people on the Coast are: ‘strangers’ offering them rides, the kindness of the bus drivers and shopkeepers, and the smiles they receive from people they see out on their walks. The Sunshine Coast does attract people who are seeking a slower-paced lifestyle, one more in harmony with their environment and their community—this comes through to those who visit.”