Living at YES! Success Stories Archive

YES! stands for You Embracing Spirit!
In the LOGO, notice the symbol for the "Y" is a heart.
When you embrace Spirit - your heart is opened!

"I really wasn't sure what I had just done-but knew my 'Aha' moment had arrived!" -- Regina Rivers

In addition to many other dreams and passions that have been fulfilled, Regina Rivers (known to her Harrisburg, PA friends as Nina Opilo), finally fulfilled her lifelong wish of being Queen of the Hill! Regina (whose name literally means queen), and her husband of 14 years, Philip, recently relocated to Allison Park, PA, just twenty minutes north of Pittsburgh in a home that sits at the very top of a steep hill. Her sense of humor is evident the moment you meet her, along with her zest for life. In addition to her blended family of five wonderful grown children and seven terrific grandchildren ranging from five to 17 years in age, Regina has enriched the lives of many.

Regina has a degree in Sociology and has been facilitating energy work and private counseling/coaching off and for years. Her "aha" moment came to her almost 25 years ago while on a family beach vacation. "My children and I were on vacation at Virginia Beach where I visited the Edgar Cayce Center, The Association for Research and Enlightenment. I bought a book from their store about Polarity, a hands-on healing technique, and began to flip through it. It made sense to me and seemed simple enough. The next morning, in a restroom at the campgrounds where we were staying, a woman entered and told her friend a wasp had just stung her. Out of my mouth, before I could stop myself, I heard the words, "Maybe I can help you with that." She looked at me, only hesitated for a moment, probably wondering who the heck I was and what I was planning to do to her, and then, to my amazement, said, "Okay."

Well, the cat was now way out of the bag and all I could do was remember what little I had read in the book so far and had seen in the pictures. I rubbed my hands together, placed one above and the other below her hand that was quite red and swollen, and then... I prayed that I wouldn't make a total fool of myself! To my wildest imaginings, within five minutes of sending a very strong intention of working a miracle on this completely trusting stranger, the swelling and redness had all but disappeared and she told me, with a startled look on her face, that the pain was gone! She was, however, much less surprised than I was! Afterwards, I could hardly speak in reply to her, "Thank you so very much! What did you do?" At that time, I really wasn't sure what I had just done!"

And so the healing seed was planted, and Regina made a shift that would change her life as well as the lives of so many around her. "From that experience, I began to work on my daughters and friends for practice. I decided not to read anything else about the hands-on healing arts because I didn't want to stymie what was happening to me on its own. Since then, I have come to rely on my inner guidance as far as any healing work I do.

Counseling and life coaching naturally came hand-in-hand with my energy work. My clients and I simply sit and talk both before and after a session for understanding of the process and the outcome. Over the years I've been blessed with other gifts such as channeling, mediumship, core shamanic practices, and most recently I was part of an intensive on death midwifery, the art of creating sacred space and ceremony for those in the dying process and for their families. This wonderful process can be used for both humans and animal friends who are in the death transition. I feel extremely honored to be able to offer this particular form of healing work to others."

Regina met Sharon in 1991 on a weekend retreat where the two roomed together. A relationship of mutual admiration soon followed, and continues today. "Sharon has always been here for me over the years as both personal friend and professional coach. She is so capable of instantly moving into her professional realm when called upon to do so. When I need solid, no nonsense, advice on any subject, Sharon is the person I call without fail. I know that what she says is both from her heart and based on her amazing ability to tune into the spiritual ethers. I am always impressed with the clarity she brings to any situation. It's as if she has a direct phone line to all the sages both living and dead.

Over the years, Sharon has kept me from meandering too far from my true path. She will perhaps see me slowly sliding sideways and, in her expert way, gently guide me back into my truth by simply asking me what's going on. For example, right now, I am in the process of establishing myself here in the Pittsburgh area. Sharon simply listens to me ramble on about what I think I need to do to obtain my right work. Once I'm done talking, she always has something important to say. She recently told me that it would be beneficial to me to sit with any past inhibitions or challenges I've had about obtaining work and to come to terms with them. She was spot on! I sat and thought about situations from many years ago that caused me to feel less than adequate. Once allowing those thoughts to float up, be recognized, then move through and out of my system, I was able to start fresh on my job quest with renewed vigor.

Sharon has this amazing ability to float above whatever I am saying. She moves out of the word-by-word process and into the overall feeling of a situation. From that vantage point, she is able to tune into the gist of my challenge and relay that to me in meaningful words that cause me to make the appropriate changes in my life that bring about inner peace. With Sharon as both friend and mentor, my life flows much more gently. I'm so glad that I have her to call when I need her. With her friendship and guidance, I am able to move through challenges knowing that I have someone behind me who really cares about me and wants me to be successful."

Regina's thoughts on anyone who might be hesitant about whether or not to seek Sharon's advice when they are feeling "stuck?" "Sitting on the fence is not going to give you the answers you need nor the life you want. Jump off, dial Sharon's number, tell her what's going on, listen for a response, take it in, try it out, and from there, just watch what unfolds in your life! I can't be any clearer about it than that!"

Regina's website, www.rivershealingarts.com, is currently under construction and will be posted in the near future. She encourages those who want to learn more about her business, Rivers Healing Arts, its services, or to be placed on a list to be notified when the site is up and running, to email her at rrivers49@verizon.net. You may also call her at 412.486.3880 or on her cell phone at 724.459.4936. She is always willing to be of service and, yes, she is taking new clients.

What is your personal "Living at YES!" success story?
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