Dear Reader,
I was born in Edmonton, grew up in Ottawa, and have lived in Saskatoon, Brandon, Waterloo, Montreal, Toronto, Scranton, Halifax, Monkton, and Princeton. I am a classical pianist and cellist. I have also been music director for professional musical theatre, a sole practitioner lawyer, legal secretary, editor of legal publications, photographer of university convocations, Web developer in a major bank, freelance Web designer, and certified rock climbing instructor. In Toronto, I created, organized and performed in The Birthday Series, a series of chamber concerts honouring composers on their birthdays, and the Heliconian Choir and Orchestra for the Heliconian Club, an organization for professional women in the arts. Currently, I am the principal cellist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Orchestra and the pianist in the trio, Tre Gatte, and I play in eight other music groups. I have enjoyed racing keelboats, riding a Honda CB450T Hawk motorcycle, and lead climbing in the Shawangunks and Adirondacks, My husband, Bill, and I rode our bicycles over 7,200 kilometres across Canada. My hobbies include cycling, swimming, yoga, puzzles, and learning German, French, Ukrainian and Italian on Duolingo.
My mother was a registered nurse who also worked as a psychiatric nurse, and my father was a cancer survivor for over 30 years who helped people with holistic healing. My teaching experience includes one-on-one mentoring of piano and cello students, and teaching groups in undergraduate music classes at McGill University and in rock climbing classes for The Toronto Climbing Academy, Rock Oasis, and Equinox Adventures. I taught adult literacy and skills upgrading for the Avon Maitland District School Board for four years (2016 to 2019), and for the Thames Valley District School Board for four years (2020 to 2023). I completed a degree specializing in adult education at Brock University in 2022.
Purr Healing evolved from my love for my cat, Shura, who purrs beautifully and is sometimes called Shura Purra. I was very allergic to cats, and Shura was our first hypoallergenic Siberian Forest Cat. Born in Moscow, she worked until age six as a breeding mother in Florida and upstate New York. Shura loves all people, cats and dogs. As a mother, she fed and washed all the kittens, not just her own. In 2006, she retired and joined our family. In August 2011, we left Toronto for the countryside near Monkton, Ontario, envisioning a calm lifestyle with more animals. In our rural home, Shura showed me how to widen my love to respond with love to tragedies that brought more cats to us. Shura became a mediator of cat disputes, showing new arrivals how to live peacefully together.
In May 2012, a veterinary dentist whose X-rays revealed cancer in her head said Shura may have only a few days to live. My desire to help her and the greater love she inspired in me led me to energy healing. As I learned about and shared Reiki with my cats, Shura’s health and vitality noticeably improved. Shura lived and actively participated for 2 years and 4 months after the vet’s diagnosis. In 2014, during two very busy weeks for me when instead of her usual daily Reiki, Shura received no Reiki, her health declined very fast and she died. Shura showed me very clearly how much Reiki helped her. My Reiki practice and teaching are dedicated to dear Shura and our family of many cats who Shura inspired us to adopt.
Warmly,
Michelle Kyle