About Us
The roots of HeartFlower originate several months after Canada legalized cannabis for adult use in 2018. Entrepreneurs Lisa Chan and Paula Cast started leading empowerment seminars for middle aged moms and discovered that the event was much more effective when participants mindfully consumed cannabis.
They wanted to take their events to a larger audience and approached John Ince, author, lawyer, and entrepreneur (www.johnince.net).
Over the course of several years, the trio developed a new approach to cannabis, as a tool for personal development, very different from the Usual Way (recreational) or medical use.
John saw that this mindful, disciplined New Way to use the plant powerfully enhanced the personal development practices he had been exploring for over forty years, including yoga (he was one of the first Western students of BKS Iyengar in India), vipassana meditation, breathwork, collaborative communication, and the science-based techniques for growing happier described in his 2015 book Joyshift: the journey to primal happiness.
Lisa, Paula, and John developed the Sessions approach to integrate self-improvement practices with the mindful use of the psychoactive plant, and then tested the Sessions in small groups online and in-person. John’s experience co-owning and leading seminars for the sex education and products business The Art of Loving proved valuable in building the infrastructure to launch Heart Flower and bring the Sessions to the public.
For more background on Heart Flower, including how it came to be and the wonderful rewards it offers, read John’s book Cannabis The New Way: how I found a powerful tool for a happier life and planet.
