An unusual place to stay to heal

Your zen moment is about to begin; you have just arrived at Serenity By the Sea in Galiano Island, British Columbia.  The setting is breathtaking. Perched high on its own wave-worn cyclopean rock, the structure appears as if it all might take its own well designed plunge as it brazenly carves out its own Shangri-la marvel. 

                       Once inside the welcoming reception area, your healing begins. 

                                                               

                                                      
The interior calms your senses in a cocoon of rustic beauty. Cedar beams blend with an assortment of colourful objects: interesting art, musical instruments and hand-made crafts  - each carrying its own magical significance; and despite the dramatic almost dangerous ocean vista in sight, you experience a feeling of safety and well

- being   Even the budgie bird sings continuously as it looks out to the sea. Perhaps it’s responding to it s owner Luannah Livermore - the guiding light behind this wonderful retreat.  She is here to help you find your healing path.

Ying and yang energies are at play here as they harmonize in mysterious ways. Like the setting that is outwardly bold, yet humble and safe inside, Serenity by the Sea inspires you to find your own inner balance and soul path.

Your Own Place of Peace

Serenity by the Sea offers three deluxe cottages - two with their own kitchens that are amply equipped for cooking. 
Sea View Haven is one such cottage. 
Inside or outside your haven is a healing paradise.

Nature has its own healing magic here

Grounds include ponds and nooks for relaxing

                                                                     


 



These ones are free-standing and separated from the main building. Whether you’re overlooking the sea (Sunset Room in the main building) or staying in one of these cottages nestled in the forest -  quietness and privacy is assured; each one is utterly  relaxing. Forget about turning on the TV; there isn’t one, but there is WiFi.
All rooms have wonderful views no matter where you set your hat.

I loved this unique bathtub

Bring on the Breakfast

Marcela, Luannah's assistant and a great cook too; Luannah cooking and healing us through food and more

Luannah's food makes us happy

Never have I enjoyed such a spread of homemade breakfast choices: scrambled eggs with zucchini, granola and honey yogurt, fresh fruit salad, and chicken sausages cut in small rondelles stuffed with spinach and feta. Luannah is a master baker - even had a business, selling her lemon bars, cookies, brownies, muffins and more goodies , so when she served her fresh-from the oven muffins made with roasted walnuts, pine nuts and carrots,  I was more than ready to taste one (which quickly turned into two).  Spiced with coriander and cinnamon, they were addictively tasty.






 One morning, she made strawberry crepes topped with a caramel sauce. 
I saw her making that sauce from scratch.  The crepe melted in my mouth, and the caramel was a divine addition.

Equally satisfying are her raspberry scones. Truth is everything she bakes is heavenly. She told me cooking is her passion; she puts her love into everything she creates in the kitchen. Her presentation and formal service at the table were impressive. 



In fact, she spent a year doing a practicum in a 5-star hotel in the Black Forest, learning the highest level of French Service.      



Juan Carlos her husband, made the most amazing barbecue chicken dinners The seasoning was brilliant. He’s from Peru which is internationally renowned for its cuisine. Perhaps that explains why the meal was superb, or could it be, he’s just a cooking genius like his wife!        
                  






             

Luannah... Serenity by the Sea's Hostess and Healer

Luannah

Amethyst crystal table inside her treatment studio

Gifted and giving, Luannah is trained in a multitude of applied therapies in Traditional Hawaiian Healing. Practising Massage and Healing for 25 years she has integrated her studies with a Kahuna elder  over a course of five years. She shares that when she connected with the Hawaiian Healing Practices and Principles. Integrating various aspects of healing, she now practices her own methodology.

What makes her stand outside the circle of healers is her approach. Her treatments involve a total fusion of the art, combining the many techniques she has learned with Temple style Lomi Lomi, which involves prayer, life coaching,  and singing in Hawaiian with awesome aloha (love), also energy healing and releasing and deep joint body massage. Her approach works with Body, Mind and Spirit. Luannah also works with sound and laser therapies, one which she states is proven  to broadcast 4000 scientifically proven frequencies that support our bodies innate capacity to heal. 

The Massage: An angel voice
with angel hands

Luannah guided me into deep breathing as my body lay atop a massage table of amethyst crystals that benefit healing.  
 Before starting the massage, she did a powerful Hawaiian Healing Chant asking for the highest healing and guidance. Her beautiful singing continued over a Hawaian CD that played in the background; she simultaneously sang along, knowing the melody and words by heart. I found that amazing.  I was astounded by her energy to incant, sing, massage and target trigger points without ever stopping the flow of her manual healing. Her hands traveled over every sinew, muscle and relieved the soreness in my body.
 I entered a zone of transcendence: I seemed to lose consciousness of myself. 
                                               


 

The three-hour massage sent me into a state of transformation both emotionally and physically. Luannah later told me when I cried, it was a release of sadness.

Suffering from a major mistake made during a back operation, I had unexpressed anger about what had happened to my leg and my inability to tame the pain and stop the foot drop along with other abnormalities that really affected my well-being. I had no idea what awaited me or what results, if any, I would experience.

             My massage Benefits – tiny miracles of relief

 I felt a surge of energy in my back after this intense treatment, and my leg felt less heavy; some of its stiffness had been relieved. Although I still had to use my cane for walking, my balance was sturdier, plus my heavy ankle seemed to move more fluidly. I began to cry when I saw this improvement, but this time it was not out of pain; it was from the joy of feeling hardly any pain. 

 The philosophy of healing: Luannah’s quintessential quotes

Luannah’s a keen learner; she’s read innumerable books on brain science, epigenetics (study of DNA) quantum physics, spirituality and more.

“Balancing science and spirit are equally important and equally valid for me. They actually affirm and complement each other when you look close enough.”
She then revealed this: ‘Embrace the Paradox’, a Hawaiian teaching principle

 She spoke eloquently about the duality of life and in ourselves, stating that as long as we are battling it, we suffer.

  “Duality is the nature of our world; that will never change. When we understand that fact we can create a way to use the friction created by the dualities we encounter to grow our understanding of our self and life more. With wisdom and knowledge we can create a better life for ourselves. When we can accept and allow both the shadow and the light to exist we create a path where we can learn and then heal. If we allow anger and sadness to overtake ourselves without balancing these emotions with what brings us joy, we then fall and get lost. We really need to connect to what brings us joy so we can use it to lift us up and grow through the challenges we all face at times.”

Interestingly, she said that positive thinking is actually useless.

 “It is most often used to cover up or avoid those nagging dark emotions and thoughts; whereas with affirmative thinking I am putting my attention and focus towards what is good in my life. This, in return activates my brain in a different way that increases the release of happy healing endorphins to counteract the stress.” 

                                                 
“Breath work, deep self-inquiry, re-framing and re-directing our focus, calming ourselves by learning to quiet the chatter within are ways that can bring us into greater congruity so we can reach our hopes and goals of happiness and well being.

Every thought we have instantly impacts our body chemistry."

She explained that when I perceive the outcome of my operation negatively, it creates agitation in my nervous system.  “This will release stress hormones and adrenaline which in turn increases inflammation. Our body listens to us.  We may not be able to always completely cure what ails us, but we can definitely improve our sense of well-being by raising our consciousness towards what is good, towards love.”
 I knew I had to be mindful and loving in sending my cells those good messages, and to this day I do. I no longer let shadows take control of healing emotional energy.

                 The Journey Ahead

“It’s definitely not easy. It takes a lot of commitment to want to change our relationship to ourselves and others and the world. The important thing is that it’s possible. In essence, we have a certain amount of authority over our body chemistry by choosing how we think and perceive.”

She summed it up in a Hawaiian principle called Makia-Focus:

Where my attention goes, energy flows and that is the reality that grows. 

            Luannah’s Personal Journey from Past to Present

Luannah’s remarkable adventures include traveling all over the world, living in Europe for over a decade. She is a self taught musician who has produced two healing cds. She started studying and practicing healing at the age of 21 which helped her heal from the many traumas she experienced in life. She travelled to Thailand and Nepal all alone at that age toting a small leather back pack which she made, and still has today. She spent part of   her youth, living as a punk the street..  She was a bartender, jewelry maker, dancer and musician. She performed playing her flute and singing  publically to Rumi’s poetry every week for three years at a local Vancouver restaurant to raise money for Children of War for World Vision. She speaks German and Italian.

Luannah ‘s life has had its share of immersive difficulties and challenges  overcoming trauma, so she relates to those who also face similar challenges. In her own quest for a happy soul, she’s journeyed far and wide, and along the way, she’s figured out a lot about love and happiness. She shares what she has learned with those who seek to find their own happiness.

 “As a healer, I merely provide the environment, frequency and support for your own innate light and intelligence to be activated and emerge to heal yourself. Our body is wired to heal. It just needs to do what it was made to do.”  

I learned so much from Luannah about love in all its forms . Luannah  gave me hope and  spiritual guidance about dealing with my own shadows. She willingly gave me immeasurable love and care.

Yes, I live with chronic pain, but now I no longer panic or despair. I have worked out a way to calm it down and if you will – send out good healing vibes.

The author pondering it all

 Note: Juan Carlos whose caring matches Luannah’s counsels men.

Publication date will soon be announced for her book, Resilience, Grace and the Art of Showing Up - A Spiritual Journey of Empowerment Against All Odds (Tom Bird, Publish Now) Visit: www.serenitybythesea.com Email: info@serenitybythesea.com Comment box below: scroll down

EXPERIENCE ALL-ROUND COMFORT AND HAPPINESS AT LAUREL’S COTTAGE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND

It’s rare are to find a B and B whose hosts open up their heritage home to you in a casually warm way; you’d be hard pressed to find its comparable, including its unbeatable location.  Perfectly situated in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Laurel’s  Cottage is a lovely nook is a short walk from Qualicum Beach’s colourful shops all quietly competing for your attention alongside a cluster of eateries scenically bordered by a gentle shoreline blessed with a six-kilometre-long public bay that is municipally protected.  Is it any wonder royalty came here! The Crown Mansion Hotel just near Laurel’s Cottage hosted the King of Siam, and many celebrities who came to golf and enjoy ocean-side pleasures that to this day boast zero-level pollution. Go beachcombing! Relax, picnic, search for shells and sand dollars while enjoying the warmest sea water in Canada 

Vancouver Island is a mecca for writers and artists. In fact, Laurel’s Cottage is a stone’s throw away from the Old School House Arts Centre, a century-old school at one time. Watch artists paint and sculpt year-round in this inspiring landmark.  

Hosts with the Most

Laurel and Réal

               Their convivial personalities put you at ease every moment of your stay.


Laurel’s sparkle is matched by her intellect. She's a part-time sociology professor at a nearby college, and knows so much about Vancouver Island history, highlighting poignant pieces of information most visitors don’t know about; and is happy to share it with guests. A Vancouver transplant, she and Real turned the 1983 home into their own B and B almost three years ago. She genuinely wants to guide you as you explore the island and its sites.  For several years, Laurel led educational tours and fact finding missions in Guatemala, so helping others is second nature to her. Real moved from St. Jean, Quebec. A colourful character with a great sense of humour, Real is unique.  I mean how many of us can meet a motorcycle dude who also cooks, is a highly skilled handyman (take a look at the outdoor pergola and the front fountain he built. And he gives great hugs that make you feel welcome.  

 Easy conversation, excellent hospitality and sweet rooms

Your B and B pleasure begins when the couple greets you, then opens doors to your cozy room upstairs.  If you want your own private bathroom, ask for the biggest room.

Downstairs, pleasurable places of rest await you: a big living room area for reading, TV watching or garden gazing by a bay window that also offers a peek-a-boo view of the ocean.

                                                                      Interior Charm 

 

                                                              


                                                                 Bedrooms are upstairs

 

 

                                      Yummy breakfasts served right at your seat

Réal serves up brilliant breakfasts that alternate between crepes with home-made wild black berry jam; Real picks the berries himself. 

Every day offered a  tantalizing array of eggs, bacon, toast with ham, cheese and fruit arrives on your plate. 

                                           Servings were presented with meticulous care

 



Sometimes, he makes a croissant filled with ham, bacon, cheese with fruit on the side. While I was there had gotten up very early to prepare their on-the-road box breakfasts two fishermen had to get up real early to embark on a guided trip. Laurel and Real had their box breakfasts hot and ready to go

Sweet greetings and goodbyes and everything in between make for  delightful memories at Laurel’s Cottage.

For reservations, email: laurelscottage@telus.net
  Call (604) 761-7067

Out and About: sites that dazzle your senses

Only twenty minutes away past Qualicum Beach’s trendy boutiques lies the Island’s greatest natural tree treasure. Cathedral Grove covers 301 hectares of land within Macmillan Provincial Park, and it’s bursting in beauty with a humongous amount of towering trees, specifically the Douglas Fir. One is 800 years old, and others average the 300-year-old mark.  Red cedar and cedar also grow here. Amazing moss covered branches and giant tree trunks mesmerize the visitor who are dwarfed by the size of Douglas firs. Cathedral Grove is actually the remnant of a forest fire that ravaged ancient Douglas firs over 350 years ago. What stands today is a incredible canopy forming at every turn, a cathedral of glorious trees. And you are standing admits it.


 

                                         
                                                                               
                                                                                     Cameron Lake
 


On the way to Cathedral Grove, you’ll pass Cameron Lake. Its vast shoreline holds its own mystery. No one is able to measure the lake’s depth. There’s a cozy serene place to stop and simply gaze out into lake and forest rising above it. Picnic here and swim.  Cameron lake became the burial place of a train that ran off the track. To date, the train has never been found – a lake with its own black hole?

                                                                

                                       The Pièce de la Résistance: Tofino

Driving past Sproat Lake, the rain forest scenery becomes more and more majestic with rushing waterfalls, gorgeous trees, thickets of green towering over rivers and rapids. It’ll take a good two hours to reach Tofino – a surfer’s paradise. It’s part of the Pacific Rim Park Reserve. Tofino town itself sits at the tip of the island’s peninsula. When the waves recede during the tide, an enormous beach of smooth sand is revealed on Long Beach, the most popular of three.  Here, Incineration Rock juts up out of the sea. Like a proud beacon, it beckons daring folks to climb up to get an unparalled view of miles and miles of ocean and the brave surfers who form a spectacle in their own right.

                    

   Parksville

Only eight kilometers away from Qualicum Beach is the growing town of Parksville. Head for Rathtrevor Beach and Little Qualicum Falls. Enjoy their natural astounding beauty.

                                                                   Rathtrevor Park


 

 

Little Qualicum Falls