The Rooted Heart / Denise Schenk, MA, LPC, LLC

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KIND MIND, OPEN HEART, CALM BODY
The Rooted Heart Healing Center offers holistic blend of psychotherapy services for individuals and couples, supporting emotional and relational well-being.

.Accountability isn’t just about what you do…
it’s about how honestly you’re willing to meet yourself. Will you choose c...
04/19/2026

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Accountability isn’t just about what you do…
it’s about how honestly you’re willing to meet yourself.

Will you choose compassion, presence and integrity?

There are two currents at play:
External accountability: the structures, commitments, & people who help hold you to your word.

The coach, the partner, the deadline, the container.

This support matters. It helps you stay oriented when motivation fades & gives your intentions a place to land.

But if you only show up when someone else is holding you…
what happens when it’s just you, in the quiet moments of your life?

Internal accountability: the quieter, deeper layer.

The moment when no one is watching…
and you choose to stay with yourself.

Not from pressure,
but from devotion.
Not from force,
but from reverence for your own becoming.

It’s the voice within that asks:
•Am I aligned with what I said matters?
•Am I abandoning myself or showing up?

No applause.
No validation.
Just you, honoring you.

This is a relationship you cultivate over time
with the part of you that learns to build trust,
to hold integrity, to meet the fire within that remembers.

The part of you that, even when no one is watching…
still chooses to stay true.
Still chooses you.
Still walks yourself home.

External accountability can initiate and support change; but internal accountability is what sustains it. It’s where self-trust is built… quietly, steadily.

When these two come into harmony, something shifts…
You’re no longer performing growth…
you’re embodying it.

🔹Create containers that support you
🔹sit with yourself in honest presence
🔹Return, again and again, to the wisdom within

Because the most powerful trust you build…
is the trust you have with yourself.





.Dark moon in Ariesthe sacred void, before the spark : listening deeply : face the wound, the shadow : reclaim personal ...
04/18/2026

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Dark moon in Aries
the sacred void, before the spark : listening deeply : face the wound, the shadow : reclaim personal power : presence of Chiron : potent closures & endings :

dark moon energies in Aries
unprocessed anger, rejection, invisibility : lean into your spiritual warrior : leave the past behind : let old identities soften : boundaries through truth :

carve our time for
sharing your voice, a declaration : journal : breath work with sound : regulate your nervous system : slow intuitive movement : honor the fire within : blessing what ready to release :

journal prompts:
🔥What is one bold step I feel scared—but excited—to take?

🔥Where am I overextending or abandoning myself?

🔥Who am I becoming when I stop seeking permission?

🔥Who am I when I stop overthinking?

🔥Where did I learn it wasn’t safe to be me?





.An elder Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. ”It is a te...
04/16/2026

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An elder Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. ”It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?”

The elder simply replied, “If you feed them right, they both win. You see, if I only choose to feed the white wolf, the black one will be hiding around every corner waiting for me to become distracted or weak and jump to get the attention he craves. He will always be angry and always fighting the white wolf. But if I acknowledge him, he is happy and the white wolf is happy and we all win. For the black wolf has many qualities – tenacity, courage, fearlessness, strong-willed and great strategic thinking – that I have need of at times and that the white wolf lacks. But the white wolf has compassion, caring, strength and the ability to recognize what is in the best interest of all.

“You see, son, the white wolf needs the black wolf at his side. To feed only one would starve the other and they will become uncontrollable. To feed and care for both means they will serve you well and do nothing that is not a part of something greater, something good, something of life. Feed them both and there will be no more internal struggle for your attention. And when there is no battle inside, you can listen to the voices of deeper knowing that will guide you in choosing what is right in every circumstance. Peace, my son, is the Cherokee mission in life. A man or a woman who has peace inside has everything. A man or a woman who is pulled apart by the war inside him or her has nothing. “How you choose to interact with the opposing forces within you will determine your life. Starve one or the other or guide them both.”

–Cherokee Story

.“If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be har...
04/16/2026

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“If there is light in the soul,
there will be beauty in the person.

If there is beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house,
there will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world”. 

-Chinese proverb

A gentle reminder that the state of our inner world ripples outward…into our relationships, our homes, and beyond.
Harmony doesn’t begin “out there.”

It begins in the quiet moments of turning inward…
softening the heart, tending to what’s unresolved, and choosing presence over reactivity.

What we cultivate within becomes the atmosphere we live in.
And from that place, peace is no longer something we seek…
it’s something we embody.





.Anxiety is not just a mental loop—
it’s a nervous system response asking for support.When your system is activated, you...
04/16/2026

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Anxiety is not just a mental loop—
it’s a nervous system response asking for support.

When your system is activated, your body shifts into protection. Your breath becomes shallow, heart rate increases, thoughts speed up. Trying to “figure it out” in this state often keeps the cycle going.

What actually helps is creating coherence between the heart and mind; where the body feels safe enough for the mind to settle.

Try this gentle reset:
• Breathe rhythmically
Inhale through the nose for 4–5
Exhale slowly for 6–7

• Bring your awareness to your heart space
Hand on chest, soften your focus inward

• Feel into something steady
A memory, a person, a moment of gratitude

• Let your body register the present
Notice your surroundings
Let yourself land here

*Grounding through your senses is another great tool.

This isn’t about forcing calm,
it’s about signaling safety.

Over time, your system learns:
it doesn’t have to stay in survival mode.

And from here… clarity returns.





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04/12/2026

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.Speak from the Heart. Listen with Compassion.Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a life-changing tool for healing relatio...
04/12/2026

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Speak from the Heart. Listen with Compassion.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a life-changing tool for healing relationships, building empathy, and fostering deeper understanding. Whether with loved ones, colleagues, or yourself, NVC helps you turn conflict into connection.

What is non violent communication?

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), created by Marshall Rosenberg, is more than words—it’s a path to deeper understanding and connection.

At its heart, NVC teaches us to express ourselves authentically while staying connected to others with compassion. It has been described as the language of connection.

4 Components of non-violent communication

1. Observations : what actually happened? (Just the facts)
2. Feelings : How do I feel about it? (without judgement, when...I felt...hurt, scared, happy, excited, confused etc)
3. Needs : What need of mine is not getting met?
4. Requests : What specific action would support connection or resolution?

Why practice NVC?

✔Builds empathy and deepens understanding
✔ Transforms conflict into connection
✔ Helps us express our truth while hearing others with compassion

*It’s about moving from “who’s right?” to
“how can we meet each other’s needs?”

Ready to speak and listen from the heart?

Nonviolent Communication empowers you to communicate with more peace, presence, and authenticity.

🤍 Tag someone who needs this!

📥 Save this for your next heart-to-heart!

Share your thoughts below—what’s one way you can bring more compassionate communication into your relationships today?





.“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.”-Herman HesseYour breath is one...
04/12/2026

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“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.”

-Herman Hesse

Your breath is one of the most direct pathways to your nervous system.

When life feels fast, overwhelming, or dysregulated, the body often shifts into protection; tightening, bracing, speeding up.

But the breath can gently guide you back.

Slow, intentional breathing; especially longer exhales…signals safety to the body. It invites the nervous system to soften, the heart rate to slow, and the mind to settle.

Inhale… receive.
Exhale… release.

You don’t have to force calm.
You simply create the conditions for it to return.

Your breath is always here…
a quiet bridge back to balance, presence, and inner steadiness.





.“Like light in the sun
spilling out of the sun,
the spirit within 
beams its way
through all our cracks
till our most t...
04/03/2026

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“Like light in the sun
spilling out of the sun,
the spirit within 
beams its way
through all our cracks
till our most treasured
walls come down.

The coming down
of those walls is the
blessing we crave
and resist.

The coming down of
those walls—so the light
of the soul like the light
of the sun can help the
world grow—this is
the call of calls.”

—Mark Nepo, The Way Under the Way





.Dark moon in PiscesLast new moon of Winter : closing the astrological year with Pisces : potent closures & endings : as...
03/26/2026

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Dark moon in Pisces

Last new moon of Winter : closing the astrological year with Pisces : potent closures & endings : assists in processing the intensity eclipse season brought : trust in self and the unseen realms : renew your t r u s t in magic :

dark moon energies in Pisces
tune into your thoughts, emotions, and inner experiences : release inner barriers : trust yourself : greater intuition : expand consciousness : embrace your shadows : invite fluidity : compassion : renewal :

carve our time for
playing or soaking in the water element : dream journaling : creative endeavors : release through movement : connect with nature : begin to set goals into actions :

journal prompts:
💦How can I surrender to more trust and flow in my life?

💦What am I ready to burn away and transmute?

💦What is the biggest obstacle in trusting myself?

💦What goals and actions am I ready to set in motion?

💦How will commit to a spiritual regime to cultivate my intuition?




.Message from the Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/ “As you move through these c...
03/23/2026

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Message from the Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers
http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/

“As you move through these changing times... be easy on yourself & be easy on one another. You are at the beginning of something new. You are learning a new way of being. You will find that you are working less in the yang modes that you are used to.

You will stop working so hard at getting from point A to point B the way you have in the past, but instead, will spend more time experiencing yourself in the whole, & your place in it.

Instead of traveling to a goal out there, you will voyage deeper into yourself. Your mother’s grandmother knew how to do this. Your ancestors from long ago knew how to do this. They knew the power of the feminine principle... & because you carry their DNA in your body, this wisdom & this way of being is within you.

Call on it. Call it up. Invite your ancestors in. As the yang based habits & the decaying institutions on our planet begin to crumble, look up. A breeze is stirring. Feel the sun on your wings.”







Photo credit & wise soul unknown

.As the seasons begin to change, my internal compass begins to attune to the deeper more potent seeds that yearn to be t...
03/23/2026

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As the seasons begin to change, my internal compass begins to attune to the deeper more potent seeds that yearn to be tended + nurtured.

The warmer weather of early Spring hints of road trips, and high desert adventures. It’s that time of year where my soul recognizes the inner calling for a solo quest. A time to release + recharge + renew my vessel.

I welcome these opportunities as a time to escape from daily routines, responsibilities + old worn out patterning.

Like a mini retreat, with permission to unplug, and check out so to speak, yet with an intentional choice to turn my attention + energy towards the deeper realms of Self, an inner journey if you wish, through the Koshas.





Address

Durango, CO

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 6pm
Thursday 8:30am - 6pm
Friday 8:30am - 6pm

Telephone

+19707494049

Website

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