I have always wholeheartedly believed in the connection of mind, body, and spirit since as far back as I can remember. I was reminded about this connection at a very low point in my life which is what began my road to healing from emotional trauma, autoimmune conditions, and spiritual stagnancy. Once I began this path to healing, I learned so much that helped me in ways I never expected. I felt so strongly about all I learned that I wanted to share it with the world! As such, Bridge To Balance, LLC was born in the spring of 2019. I did every Reiki session for free for all of 2019 so that I could feel good about charging people for a quality session with an experienced practitioner starting in January of 2020. I also began making Malas because they helped me to meditate like nothing else I had ever tried before and they have been one of the biggest parts of my healing experience. The first week of March 2020, I moved my practice from my home to an office space with the intention to hold Reiki classes, sessions and shares, and Mala-making workshops. I was invited to participate in school wellness fairs, and was so looking forward to reaching more kids and families this way.
The second week of March, COVID shut everything down. I closed my office and brought everything back home. Life has taught me over and over that when circumstances we have no control over cause a drastic shift in our lives and plans, it becomes necessary to make new plans and evolve with the changes. I decided to use the time that everything shut down to continue on my path of self-healing, while also being accountable to Bridge To Balance completely through social media to help others as much as I could through this trying time. Doing this brought unexpected benefits to both myself and my children, and hopefully to many of you through my posts.
One of those unexpected benefits has been how much I’ve been healing physically, emotionally and spiritually, that the energy that had been sapped over the years began to return. I was reminded about a goal I had beginning around 2015 to go back to college for my Master’s degree. Because of my health issues and my children being so young, I put that dream off feeling like I wouldn’t have the energy to see it to fruition. My children were still very young and without a support system for them and being the primary support to my ailing mother, I not only put this dream on hold, but pretty much had given up on it altogether.
With my children growing older and becoming more independent, and with all the tools I have learned to keep myself healthy, I realized that this dream still has a chance! As it turns out, Bridge To Balance, LLC has been a stepping stone in my own healing. It made me accountable to all of you, which made me more accountable to myself since I can’t in good conscience try to inspire others with practices that I haven’t incorporated completely into my own life. I also began to realize that the services that I offer with my business would only be available to those who can afford it or who are specifically seeking out these types of healing modalities. I would like to reach people who can’t afford it, and who might not even know these things exist, and still be able to pay my bills and support my little family. I also realized that when trying to help people heal in different ways, you have to be so very careful and take a lot into consideration- things like, what types of traumas has this person experienced? What would be most helpful to them? What should I not say or do that could be triggering? This all reinforced my original dream of going back to school. I have so much more to learn to be able to help people the way I truly am called to do, and that means pursuing my Master’s degree in Social Work.
I’ve learned what I need to do to keep myself healthy, and that means listening to my body and prioritizing where I put my time and energy. As an only parent and beginning school full time for a very demanding program, I’ve had to make the difficult decision to let go of some things in order to set myself up for success with my two biggest priorities: my children, and getting the education I need for a fulfilling career helping others. For several years, I lead a peer-based grief support group for widowed people in our local area through an organization called Soaring Spirits International. This was a tough one for me to let go of, but I’m grateful to have been able to pass the torch to two very capable ladies, and the group is still thriving. Even though I’m not leading this group anymore, I will always be a willing resource for widowed people as I have for the past twelve years since the loss of my husband.
Another very difficult choice I had to make is to let go of what I had originally planned for Bridge To Balance, LLC. Though I will not have an office, provide sessions or classes, and am significantly limiting my online presence through social media both personally and professionally, I will continue to happily create Malas because this has become a big part of my self-care routine, and I will be offering them at a much more discounted rate since I won’t be depending on them to help sustain an income. You can still find me, my inspirational posts, and my handmade Malas through my site at www.andrearow.com. My first class in the Master’s program begins this Tuesday, and I’ll be immersed full-time with classes and internships beginning in August!
I am so very grateful to those who have supported my little business during this extremely challenging time in our world, and thankful for the trust you’ve put in me to inspire you all on your healing journey!
