Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND - Author, Beyond the Label & The Essential Diet

04/23/2025

bingo baby.

Repair is so important in relationships. The parenting philosophy I grew up with was "just put a period and move forward".

What bothers me about that is there is no acknowledgement of the hurt, the transgression, no apology, no discussion of how it felt to be treated "that" way, etc. And for context, I am talking about being deemed a "black sheep" because of my mental health challenges. Look, I can read the room. I feel your daggers. I know in my mind, body and spirit and can feel your vibe towards me. In some cases, no words are needed. Silence speaks loudly. Many left. Key "family" members that are "supposed" to stay - like a parent, sibling, aunt or cousin.

Yes, I can forgive.

AND three simple words are nice to hear: "I am sorry". Not hard. Not complicated. Just an acknowledgment is all. Is that too much to ask? I guess so.

As a student of "A Course in Miracles" - only what you are not giving in any situation is what is lacking - and the entire course is about forgiveness. It is one thing to study the principles, it is another to apply them in daily life. I am getting there one lesson at a time. Sometimes the sting 🐝 is still there…

04/22/2025

As Canadians head to the polls on Monday, I encourage you to watch the Netflix documentary: Join or Die

it talks about the importance of community and connectedness, and the relationship to a functional democracy and society.

I’d love to know your comments if you’ve seen it. It reminds me of this article that I wrote on loneliness - see link in comments below

04/22/2025

As Canadians head to the polls on Monday, I encourage you to watch the Netflix documentary: Join or Die

it talks about the importance of community and connectedness, and the relationship to a functional democracy and society.

I’d love to know your comments if you’ve seen it. It reminds me of this article that I wrote on loneliness - see link in comments below

Send a message to learn more

04/22/2025

Who will you choose? Many of us are busy caring for everyone else - we are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, cousins, colleagues, etc - and we are often last on the list of who we look after.

Remember the oxygen mask theory. You have to factor YOU into your own equation.

So what will you choose for you today?

04/22/2025

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04/21/2025

"When you don't have the answer you live the question" ~ Rilke - Letters to a Young Poet. This is a famous quote by the poet Rilke – which is derived from a letter to his protégé - 19-year-old cadet and budding poet Franz Xaver Kappus – in 1903. Rilke writes:
“I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

To me, living the question is all about embodying our intuition – living from a state of curiosity, wonder and humility as we navigate the complexities of being human. How about you? What does this quote mean to you? Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear your input.

04/18/2025

You’re doing everything you can, and haven't been able to get pregnant.
This summit was made for you!

I’m speaking at the Cultivate Seeds of Fertility Summit, a free 3-day online event from April
23–25 during National Infertility Awareness Week.
It brings together 20+ experts in fertility including; doctors, healers, and humans who get it. Plus,
this summit will feature keynote speaker, Marianne Williamson - a favorite teacher of Dr. Chris. ND's!
We are VERY excited to have her on the summit!
Register at the link in my bio. I hope you’ll join me. You can save your spot here👉 https://www.cultivate-fertility.com/april-2025?am_id=christina7561 💛

04/18/2025

Today I consider that there might be another way.

We were all indoctrinated into a disenchanted world, and we’ve sacrificed a lot in order to live here. The world isn’t better off for having forfeited its tenderness. The meanness and cynicism of our age, the reflexive sarcasm that passes for intelligent reflection, the suspicion and judgment of everyone and everything – such are toxic by-products of a disenchanted worldview.

Many of us want off that wheel of suffering. We don’t want to accept that what is is what has to be. We want to pierce the veil of illusion that separates us from a world of infinite possibility. We want another kind of life for ourselves and for the world. We are considering that there might be another way – a door to miraculous realms simply waiting to be opened.

Today I consider that there might be another way. - transform with Marianne Williamson

04/16/2025

Did you know that until 1948 7-Up was called “7-Up lithiated lemon soda” 🥤 because it contained small quantities of naturally occurring lithium (mood enhancer) found in underwater springs.

the drink was named because lithium’s molecular weight is 6.941 so they named the drink 7 up because lithium helps you feel a little bit better

check out the ingredients on this vintage bottle my husband bought from eBay for me

to be clear, I’m not suggesting to drink pop. Absolutely not. just sharing this because it’s a fun fact 😊

04/16/2025

I always experienced pain before the breakthrough.

Do I wish it wasn't a part of the process? Sure.

Am I okay now that I am on the other side of that pain? Yes.

Was it easy? No.

Am I grateful now with the benefit of hindsight? Yes.....(although I do occasionally wonder where I would be if I had stayed at HSBC.....)

04/15/2025

Healing happens one step at a time.

What’s one thing you can change today to support your health for tomorrow?

Because here’s the thing if you want to improve yourself you can’t show up the same way tomorrow as you did today.

Change one thing. And then once that habit is cemented in place change another thing.

04/15/2025

Remember - you are a human BE-ing - first and foremost.
We always ask "what do you want to do when you grow up" vs "what kind of person do you want to BE?"

Yes, I get it, the doing is part of it. I am simply suggesting we weave more of the BE-ing into the DO-ing.

Send a message to learn more

04/15/2025

When all is said and done
what it really comes down to
is how we treat each other.
After all the fancy spiritual and philosophical words and concepts.
After all the lectures and books and workshops and insights and self-help practices.
What it really comes down to
is how we treat each other.
When things aren’t going well for us.
And when things are.
When we think we are right.
And when we think we are wrong.
How we treat ourselves, too.
How we treat our own minds and bodies.
And how we treat our pets.
Our partners. Our friends.
Our family.
Clients. Students.
Strangers on the street.
People we sit next to on the number 36 bus, or in a restaurant, or in a doctor’s waiting room.
I don’t care if you’re a spiritual guru or a president or a homeless person on the street.
I don’t care how awakened or enlightened or woke you think you are.
How we treat each other matters.
How we treat people with more than us, and how we treat people with less.
How we treat the vulnerable.
It’s the only thing that really matters,
when you think about it.
What else is there,
except how we connect.
How we listen.
How we love.
How we forgive.
How we treat each other.
- Jeff Foster (www.lifewithoutacentre.com)

When all is said and done
what it really comes down to
is how we treat each other.

After all the fancy spiritual and philosophical words and concepts.
After all the lectures and books and workshops and insights and self-help practices.

What it really comes down to
is how we treat each other.

When things aren’t going well for us.
And when things are.

When we think we are right.
And when we think we are wrong.

How we treat ourselves, too.
How we treat our own minds and bodies.
And how we treat our pets.
Our partners. Our friends.
Our family.
Clients. Students.
Strangers on the street.
People we sit next to on the number 36 bus, or in a restaurant, or in a doctor’s waiting room.

I don’t care if you’re a spiritual guru or a president or a homeless person on the street.

I don’t care how awakened or enlightened or woke you think you are.

How we treat each other matters.

How we treat people with more than us, and how we treat people with less.

How we treat the vulnerable.

It’s the only thing that really matters,
when you think about it.

What else is there,
except how we connect.
How we listen.
How we love.
How we forgive.

How we treat each other.

- Jeff Foster

04/14/2025

"Resist & Struggle or Surrender through stillness." - Dr. Chris, ND.
For many years the voice of my inner critic ruled my mind with an iron fist.👊

Sure, at times, this motivated me to do better or try harder.💪

But eventually, I was worn out from constantly being put down by this internal negative voice.😓

Eventually, I was taught that not only do I not have to believe the thoughts I think, I can also create space between the thoughts. Once I learned how to settle into stillness by using nature & breathing as my guides, I was able to proactively step into the next moment with a thought that supported me.💁‍♀️ Learning to manage my mind so that I was no longer at it’s mercy was a key step in my healing journey.

You can start learning today by downloading the 4 R tool to managing you mind 👉https://www.drbjorndal.com/4R

04/13/2025

According to ancient Asian philosophy, life is not a straight line but a spiral. Every life lesson that has ever been presented to me (which means everything I have ever been through) will come back again, in some form, until I learn it. And the stakes each time will be higher. Whatever I’ve learned will bear greater fruit. Whatever I’ve failed to learn will bear harsher consequences.

Whatever didn’t work in my life before this point was a reflection of my failure to integrate the different parts of myself. Where I didn’t yet accept myself, I attracted a lack of acceptance in others. Where I hadn’t yet dealt with my shadows, I manifest shadowy situations. Broken parts of me encountered broken parts of others. But now I know! That was then and this is now.

What I suffered through, I learned from. What I’ve atoned for, became a path to self-improvement. All that I have lived through has taught me what it means to live at all.

Dear God,
May I learn from what I’ve suffered through,
that my suffering might end.
Amen

What I suffered through, I have learned from. ~ transform with Marianne Williamson

04/11/2025

Trying to get pregnant can feel like you’re doing everything right and still standing still. If that’s where you are — you’re not alone.

I’m honored to be speaking during National Infertility Awareness Week at the Cultivate Seeds
of Fertility Summit — a free 3-day event (April 23–25) created for people just like you: trying,
hoping, grieving, and still believing.

This summit brings together 20+ fertility experts — including OB-GYNs, trauma therapists, clean
living coaches, astrologers, and more — to share real strategies for improving egg and s***m
quality, healing hormone imbalances, and reconnecting with your body and spirit.
✨ I’ll be speaking about egg and s***m quality, and I hope you’ll join me.
🌟 Our keynote speaker is Marianne Williamson - a favorite teacher of Dr. Chris, ND!
We are VERY excited to have her on the summit!
💛 Let’s walk this path together - you are not alone and help is on the way.

Registration is free and you can save your spot at the link in my bio!🔗








Trying to get pregnant can feel like you’re doing everything right and still standing still. If that’s where you are — you’re not alone.

I’m honored to be speaking during National Infertility Awareness Week at the Cultivate Seeds
of Fertility Summit — a free 3-day event (April 23–25) created for people just like you: trying,
hoping, grieving, and still believing.

This summit brings together 20+ fertility experts — including OB-GYNs, trauma therapists, clean
living coaches, astrologers, and more — to share real strategies for improving egg and s***m
quality, healing hormone imbalances, and reconnecting with your body and spirit.
✨ I’ll be speaking about egg and s***m quality, and I hope you’ll join me.
🌟 Our keynote speaker is Marianne Williamson - a favorite teacher of Dr. Chris, ND!
We are VERY excited to have her on the summit!
💛 Let’s walk this path together - you are not alone and help is on the way.

Registration is free and you can save your spot here👉 https://www.cultivate-fertility.com/april-2025?am_id=christina7561

04/09/2025

"Healing happens in the space between.
When we settle into stillness ultimately allowing
compassion to emerge." ~ Dr. Chris.ND. To prepare for
my interview on The Gifts of Trauma” podcast - which
is a podcast that shares stories of transformation and
healing through Compassionate Inquiry - I reflected on
my training in Compassionate inquiry.
At the start of our training, my cohort leader
encouraged us to bring a trigger to each class. At first,
my thought was "Oh my, that will be difficult", but I
quickly realized that I couldn't wait to get to class
because I was aware of how many times I was
activated during a week - LOL! All kidding aside, CI
taught me to pay attention to what was going on with
my patient AND also what was going on within me
while I was with my patient. Up until that point, I had
been taught at naturopathic medical school to keep all
eyes on the patient. This attention shift was pivotal to
my internal spiritual growth and healing. It is said
"where there is tension we must pay attention". As we
know by the work of others in the trauma space: the
body keeps the score.
I found the training invaluable, not only to my personal
growth but to my professional capacity to deepen into
compassion with my patients. As we heal ourselves,
the opportunity to expand our empathic presence is
available to us. It is in this expansion - the capacity to
hold the space between two hearts - that healing
happens. It has been a gift to me to learn this process
and to deepen and extend my ability to be loving in the
moment with others. Fundamentally, I believe, love IS
medicine.
Check out the podcast interview -https://compassionateinquiry.com/podcast/how-thinking-impacts-health-with-dr-christina-bjorndal-nd/

"Healing happens in the space between.
When we settle into stillness ultimately allowing
compassion to emerge." ~ Dr. Chris.ND. To prepare for
my interview on The Gifts of Trauma” podcast - which
is a podcast that shares stories of transformation and
healing through Compassionate Inquiry - I reflected on
my training in Compassionate inquiry.

At the start of our training, my cohort leader
encouraged us to bring a trigger to each class. At first,
my thought was "Oh my, that will be difficult", but I
quickly realized that I couldn't wait to get to class
because I was aware of how many times I was
activated during a week - LOL! All kidding aside, CI
taught me to pay attention to what was going on with
my patient AND also what was going on within me
while I was with my patient. Up until that point, I had
been taught at naturopathic medical school to keep all
eyes on the patient. This attention shift was pivotal to
my internal spiritual growth and healing. It is said
"where there is tension we must pay attention". As we
know by the work of others in the trauma space: the
body keeps the score.

I found the training invaluable, not only to my personal
growth but to my professional capacity to deepen into
compassion with my patients. As we heal ourselves,
the opportunity to expand our empathic presence is
available to us. It is in this expansion - the capacity to
hold the space between two hearts - that healing
happens. It has been a gift to me to learn this process
and to deepen and extend my ability to be loving in the
moment with others. Fundamentally, I believe, love IS
medicine.

Check out the podcast interview - link in bio 🔗

04/09/2025

Whether it is the financial markets that are turbulent or your thoughts or your emotions - understand that you are the ocean.

And as the ocean you can hold the emotion or thought wave as it rises and falls back into you. Thoughts and emotions come and go - but you are the ground, you are the root, you are the birth place- of pure potential and creativity. Every moment is an opportunity to rest in the vastness that is you.

Send a message to learn more