Natural Awakenings DC March 2013

H E A L T H Y

Premiere Issue

Peace in Action Ways to Bust Bully Behavior

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

FREE

It’s All About We! Co-Creating a Brighter Future

Food & Mood

Solutions for Emotional Eating

March 2013 | Washington, D.C. Edition | NaturalAwakeningsDC.com natural awakenings

March 2013

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contact us Publisher Robin Fillmore advertising sales Robin Fillmore Sharon Hadden editorial Linda Sechrist Robin Fillmore Sharon Hadden design & Production C. Michele Rose Stephen Blancett Irene Sankey multi-market advertising 239-449-8309 franchise sales John Voell 239-530-1377 Natural Awakenings of washington, d.c.

Phone: 202-505-4835 Fax: 202-827-7955 P.O. Box 2976, Washington, D.C. 20013 Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com NaturalAwakeningsDC.com ©2013 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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Washington, D.C.

elcome to the premiere issue of the Washington, D.C. edition of Natural Awakenings. The magazine publishes monthly in more than 85 communities nationwide and counts 3.6 million loyal readers. We are pleased to bring this vital resource to you, your family and our larger community.

My path to becoming a publisher began several years ago in a favorite whole-grain bagel spot in Northeast Pennsylvania, where my husband, John Sankey, and I are delighted to inhabit a small place on a lake. There I spotted the rack of free publications with the radiant face of a young woman beaming from the Natural Awakenings’ cover.

It spoke to me because our family has committed to embodying healthy and sustainable living and are always on the lookout for information. I combed through that first issue cover to cover and began eagerly picking up the latest issue each month when it arrived. I was hooked.

More recently, I began to feel the lure of doing something new and fresh in my career. I had been working with nonprofits on Capitol Hill, most recently advocating for the health and well-being of women and children. Despite the fact that I felt it a noble calling, it was draining my energy.

I began to play a mental game with myself: “What if I gave up my work on the Hill and started publishing Natural Awakenings here? How could my community benefit?”

Before long I made the change and never looked back. The ride has been joyous. In recent months, I’ve travelled throughout the D.C. area meeting integrative doctors, yoga teachers, enlightened shop owners, organic grocers and many others that immediately supported the project. Many expressed the need for a community resource that brings together the best our city offers in terms of green businesses and healing practitioners that support conscious eating, creative relaxation, fitness, meditation and all things good and green. There is much more about our area awaiting our mutual discovery as we pour over these monthly pages together.

I am excited about the news, articles and calendar of events and classes you will find in the current issue. I love the concept of Linda Sechrist’s feature, “It’s All about We,” which explores growing evidence of the power of connectedness and unity and how these bonds strengthen us all (page 16). The article captures my vision for this magazine, how the insights and experiences we share here can support us as individuals and as a collective body, positively influencing humanity and sometimes influencing national policy. In this first issue, we highlight one of our own, Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH), who continues to seek to bring a new level of mindfulness to the work of the U.S. Congress (see page 13).

Going forward, we will continue to bring you informative and practical thinking by local experts and nationally recognized voices. I look forward to having you join us in enhancing the quality of your life and helping to make our world a healthier and ever better place to be.

Be well!

Robin Fillmore, Publisher

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contents 6 newsbriefs

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9 community

spotlight

1 0 healthbriefs 1 2 globalbriefs

12 1 4 ecotip 1 4 inspiration 15 therapy

spotlight

22 healthykids

14 24 naturalpet 27 calendar 28 classifieds 30 resourceguide advertising & submissions how to advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 202-505-4835 or email Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month.

Editorial submissions Email articles, news items and ideas to: Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. Deadline for editorial: feature articles are due by the 5th of the month, news briefs and health briefs are due by the 10th. calendar submissions Submit Calendar Events online: NaturalAwakeningsDC.com within the advertising section.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month. regional markets Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

13 A Mindful Nation

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Congressman Tim Ryan Calls for a New Era of Healing

by Robin Fillmore

16 IT’S ALL ABOUT WE

Conscious Evolution: Why We’re Better Together

by Linda Sechrist

20 COURTING MARRIAGE SUCCESS

Relationship Expert Stephanie Coontz Shares Go-To Guidelines

by S. Alison Chabonais

21 FOOD & MOOD Solutions for Emotional Eating

by Judith Fertig

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22 BULLY BLUES

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BUSTERS

Positive Ways to

Promote Kindness

by Meredith Montgomery

24 RAW FOOD DIETS

FOR PETS

Weighing the Pros and Cons

by Sandra Murphy

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newsbriefs Experience a Fit Explosion

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orne Durham, owner of Durham Fitness Innovations, LLC, recently released a new fitness tool designed to minimize injuries: the AB Bed. A padded device with straps, an overhead bar and wheels for independent movement, the bed is designed for low-impact, total abdominal workouts.

The machine rapidly tones the core, while reducing the risk of stress or injury. Durham explains, “I had a back injury that prohibited me from getting around, let alone working out. I had to come up with a way to work my abdominal muscles without hurting my neck or back.”

Made in the U.S., the patented, user-friendly device supports natural body movements and offers a variety of exercise positions without changing or adjusting the machine—it can be used while lying on one’s back, side or face-down with little to no stress on the neck or back.

“I have a passion for fitness,” says Durham, noting that the machine can be used for lower and upper abdominal training in the home, gym or studio and is safe for users of any fitness level. “I want to assist individuals in being their best in mind and body.”

Lorne Durham is a National Sports Performance Institute certified personal trainer.

For more information, call 301-500-0531 or visit TheAbBed.com.

Goûter Brings Healthy Goodness to D.C.

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ine fitness and yoga studios and healthy cafés across the city now stock the nutritious treats, tonics and energy snacks created by local provider, Goûter. Determined to enhance the wellness of the community, Violaine Orban (known to all as “V”) and partner Stephen Mekoski began Goûter (pronounced goo-tay, French for “to taste”) in 2011 as a meal delivery service, handcrafting raw, vegan food, organic tonics, cleanses and energy snacks and delivering them to a growing list of clients throughout the district. As their client list grew, the partners developed a more comprehensive distribution system and plan to add more studios and cafés. Goûter also offers home delivery of its cleanse package.

Mekoski, a trained chef, creates the tonics with a base of alkaline water and a mixture of organic lemon and coconut nectar. The company carries six regular flavors, including Anti-Age, with goji berries and cinnamon; Stretch, with turmeric and cardamom; and Digest, with aloe, mint and ginger; as well as two seasonal specials. Their energy treats are bonbon-sized vegan delights with a base of nuts and coconut. Marc Caputo, the owner of ZenGo Fitness, in Bethesda, says Goûter’s products are bestsellers at his studio. “I sell out as soon as I get them in,” he advises.

To locate a Goûter distributor, visit Facebook.com/heygouter. See Community Resource Guide listing, page 31.

News to share?

Email details to: Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com Submittal deadline is the 10th of the month.

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International Women’s Day Honors Change Makers

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n March 8, thousands of International Women’s Day (IWD) events will celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women, while calling attention to the continued need for true equality. Organizations, governments, nonprofit groups, women’s groups, corporations and the media will honor the day with gatherings, educational events and networking sessions, with the intention of commemorating the role of women as change makers in society.

The determination and persistence of women’s rights groups throughout history has made significant progress in finding greater equality in the workplace, the home and in public life.

The celebratory day has been observed since the early 1900s, when the industrialized world was undergoing changes ranging from a booming population to new roles for women in work and society.

Today, women are still not equally represented in boardrooms or political spheres, their pay is not equal to men’s and violence against women is prevalent in many areas of the world. However, impressive global improvements have been made, and so the tone and nature of IWD has moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

For more information or to add a local event, visit International WomensDay.com.

National Cathedral Offers Tour of Earthquake Damage

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veryone that was in Washington, D.C., on August 23, 2011, has a story to tell of where they were at the moment the region was hit that day by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake. While for most the damage was minimal, many of the city’s beloved landmarks still bear the scars of the quake and workers are still repairing damaged buildings.

The National Cathedral is offering a close-up tour—Though the Earth Be Moved—throughout March, in which visitors will explore the damage incurred during the quake to the majestic Gothic stone edifice.

Location: 3101 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. For more information, call 202-5376200 or visit NationalCathedral.org.

Humane Society Now Offers a College Degree

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n exciting new pathway is now open for individuals that care about animals and want to help them: formal education and training in animal care and related subjects of humane concern. The field of human-animal studies is a burgeoning enterprise and a relatively new entity, Humane Society University (HSU), is leading the way by offering courses in subjects tied to animal protection.

The HSU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) confers undergraduate and master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates in animal studies, animal policy and advocacy and humane leadership. The School of Continuing Education (SCE) offers a range of non-credit online courses, specialist programs and onsite workshops in humane education, shelter management emergency animal response advocacy and animal care and behavior. It also hosts free monthly webinars dedicated to the human-animal bond.

As an institution affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States, HSU emerged from a growing appreciation of the need for professionally trained animal care and advocacy specialists as part of an expanding animal protection community that is working toward a better future for humans and animals alike.

Spring registration continues through March 7. For more information about the CAS, email Admissions@HumaneSocietyUniversity.org; to inquire about the SCE, email HSUOnline@HumaneSocietyUniversity.org. To register for spring classes, visit HumaneSocietyUniversity.org.

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estures, in love, are incomparably more attractive, effective and valuable than words. ~ Francois Rabelais

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newsbriefs New Center Features Classes, Meditation and Dharma

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he Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) recently opened the Center for Mindful Living, a space in the Washington, D.C., area dedicated to Buddhist teachings, the practice of meditation and the exploration of ways to bring deeper presence and awareness into our lives. The new center provides a sanctuary for stillness and inner exploration in the heart of the metropolitan area.

IMCW and affiliated mindfulness classes currently available or planned include daily meditation, now offered in the mornings but soon to include evenings and weekends; classes for experienced students; introduction to meditation; deepening dharma study and practice; weekly meditation; mindfulness-based stress reduction; and Sutta study.

The center will also offer mindful yoga classes and trainings and meetings on bringing mindfulness into schools, prisons and veterans’ groups in the area. Two spaces are available for individuals interested in offering a class or workshop. One room holds 35 to 40 people and the other accommodates 15 to 20. An office is also available for rent by the hour or day.

Location: 4708 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. For more information, visit imcw.org or email HughGByrne@yahoo.com. See Community Resource Guide listing, page 31.

Yoga Activist Group Seeks Volunteers

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he nonprofit organization, Yoga Activist, Inc., based in Washington, D.C., is seeking volunteers to assist with its Mat Program initiative, which accepts donations of new and gently used yoga mats and props and distributes them to yoga outreach programs across the country. Volunteers help clean and deliver the mats, typically commit to at least three hours a week and are eligible for free yoga at a local studio.

As an online community hub, Yoga Activist supports connectivity across the yoga outreach community and fosters yoga activism by developing and supporting sustainable outreach programs and helping yoga teachers reach out to communities in need through yoga. The organization believes that yoga’s proven holistic benefits can assist those in need as a practical tool of empowerment, self-healing and coping.

The Mat Program is one aspect of Yoga Activists’ outreach.

For more information, email Mats@YogaActivist.org or visit YogaActivist.org. See Community Resource Guide listing, page 31.

kudos In December 2012, Clean Currents, an independent green energy company headquartered in Silver Spring, won Green America’s People & Planet Award. The firm was one of three businesses to receive the $5,000 award, an honor they were given for their innovative Green Neighborhood Challenge (GNEC) program. Clean Currents will invest the award in cultivating community action for a cleaner future through the GNEC program.

Clean Currents is a certified green business and B-corporation that supplies both national and local Green-e Energy certified wind power to more than 12,000 residences and 1,500 businesses in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The GNEC program gives community and nonprofit groups an opportunity to raise funds for green projects while increasing support for clean energy.

Since beginning the initiative three years ago, the company has engaged 150 communities to switch to wind power and donated more than $20,000 to fund community gardens, recycling and compost bins, energy efficiency initiatives, tree plantings and environmental education programs.

For more information, visit CleanCurrents.org.

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communityspotlight

City Acupuncture Circle A Portal into Healing

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by Jessica Snow

ity Acupuncture therapy is removed from Circle is located in the equation, and clients the heart of one of can determine their own D.C.’s more affluent city level of transformation. By subdistricts, five floors allowing oneself to become above Lucky Bar, at the receptive and having a intersection of 18th and peaceful place for silent Connecticut. At the top of meditation, being present in a narrow, wooden stairway, the clinic attunes the body the five-bed office resonates and mind. Adherents say it with calm and serenity allows for the spontaneous punctuated only by gentle, healing of many conditions instrumental music. and illnesses.

JoseLo Gutierrez

Owner JoseLo Gutier Anecdotal testimonials rez, MAc, worked in spas as about the benefits of aligna licensed acupuncturist and massage ing one’s energy field abound online, therapist for almost 10 years in New offered by people that have found healYork. He says traditional spas have their ing for chronic pain, disease and other place—not all therapists have the space bodily imbalances. Insurance compato work with multiple clients at one nies continue to expand their contracts time, and many patients prefer private to include alternative healing therapies, consultations—but notes that individual and acupuncture was one of the first sessions, especially within a premier non-traditional treatments to be listed medical spa, can be very expensive. as a reimbursable modality.

“I couldn’t afford my own services; I

Gutierrez prefers to spend his time couldn’t sell my services to my friends… and energy outside the system, and I felt like a hypocrite,” Gutierrez says, has created a place to invest directly adding that community clinics offer an into the community. City Acupuncture appealing, affordable alternative.

Circle opened in July 2012 as part of

Traditionally, Chinese medicine a larger movement across the U.S., has always been practiced in a commu- Canada and United Kingdom that is nal setting, which is how Gutierrez got making affordable acupuncture availhis start. He began his practice in 1998, able to everyone. and his apprenticeship studies took him Since its opening, more than 900 through the fast-paced community clin- people have come in for sessions. ics of Taiwan, where he learned to treat Clients that are making the circle a more than 40 patients in a day. “People part of their regular routine enjoy the need acupuncture and people want practice for a number of reasons—from it. Most people give up because of the the affordable, sliding scale suggested exorbitant costs,” he advises. donation to the community aspect.

A community clinic provides a

Cat Lockman, an acupuncture vetsolution. Its space becomes a portal into eran who is new to City Acupuncture the world of sacred healing, in which Circle, is impressed with Gutierrez’s clients are allowed to do their own acupuncture technique and her experiwork towards wellness. “Some people ence in the community environment. want to talk,” Gutierrez says, and they “It combines the best pieces of comuse an hour-long private session as an munity practice and the five-element alternative medicine counseling appoint- approach, rolled into one,” she says. ment, with the added bonus of receiving “City Circle offers a more multi-techacupuncture. In a community clinic, talk nique approach than private sessions I

have had which cost twice as much.”

Gutierrez, who offers acupuncture six days a week, is adept at maintaining his own balance, noting that in a community environment, the treatment process becomes a form of meditation.

“Your ego dissolves and you have no time to think,” he explains. Instead of getting caught up in daily dramas, Gutierrez connects to the deeper energetic pathways that flow between people, placing the needles and aligning with the intention of healing. “You only have time to be intuitive,” he adds.

Location: 1221 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Ste. 5B. For more info, call 202-3008428, email Clinic@CityAcupuncture Circle.com or visit CityAcupuncture Circle.com. See ad, page 30.

Jessica Snow is a healing artist and D.C. native dedicated to helping people find affordable, holistic medicine within the community. Connect at Facebook.com/ dreamcityhealingco.

Local Community Acupuncture Clinics In addition to City Acupuncture Circle, several other community acupuncture clinics dot the D.C. metro region. All are members of the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture; for more information, visit PocaCoop.com.

Little Bird Community Acupuncture (not accepting patients at this time) 1640 Columbia Road Northwest, Washington, D.C.; 202-328-1804 LittleBirdDC.com OurSpace Acupuncture Farris Johnson, owner 809 Easley Street, Silver Spring, MD 301-388-8085 OurSpaceAcupuncture.org See ad in Community Resource Guide Revive Community Acupuncture Kim Deane, owner 3808 34th Street, Mt. Rainier, MD 301-864-1975 Revive-Acupuncture.com See ad in Community Resource Guide

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healthbriefs

Hot Peppers Help the Heart

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ebruary was Heart Health Month, and individuals that like hot peppers have another reason to continue their spicy habit, according to recent research. A study presented at the latest National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society focused on the benefits of capsaicin and its fiery-hot relatives, a piquant family of substances termed capsaicinoids, that give cayenne, jalapeños, habanero and other chili peppers their heat.

The research team discovered that these substances boost heart health in several ways: They block the action of a gene producing a substance that makes arteries contract and restrict the flow of blood to the heart and other organs; lower cholesterol by reducing its accumulation in the body and increasing its breakdown and excretion; decrease the size of cholesterol deposits already formed in blood vessels that narrow arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks or strokes; and reduce overall levels of so-called “bad” cholesterol while not affecting levels of “good” cholesterol.

Reading Helps Teens Beat the Blues

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ooks stimulate the mind in more ways than previously known, and may even help reduce the risk of depression in teenagers, according to a new study published in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report adolescents that spend more time reading books are less likely to experience a major depressive disorder than those listening to contemporary music.

Participants were called up to 60 times during five extended weekends over two months and asked if their attention was currently devoted to television, movies, music, video games, the Internet, magazines, newspapers or books. Teens that spent the most hours listening to music were 8.5 times more likely to be depressed than those that spent the least amount of time absorbed in tunes. In contrast, adolescents that read the most (primarily books) were one-tenth as likely to be depressed as those that read the least.

Major depression is thought to affect one in 12 teenagers, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Brian Primack, the assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics who led the study, remarks, “These findings may help clinicians and parents recognize links between media and depression. This is worth emphasizing because overall in the United States, reading books is decreasing, while nearly all other forms of media use are increasing.”

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Mindful Meditation Eases Loneliness

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eelings of loneliness, especially for the elderly, may pose an additional risk factor for health problems such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

A new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, offers fresh evidence that mindfulness meditation reduces negative thoughts about being alone in older adults and also improves their physical health. The ancient practice dates back to the time of Buddha and focuses on creating an attentive awareness of the present moment.

In the study, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pennsylvania, recruited 40 healthy adults between the ages of 55 and 85 that were interested in learning the technique.

Subjects were assessed at the beginning and end of the study using an established loneliness scale, and blood samples were collected. After eight weeks of meditation training, participants reported decreased feelings of loneliness, and new blood samples revealed reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression (manifestion of encoded information). Inflammation is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Lead researcher J. David Creswell reports, “Mindfulness meditation training is a promising intervention for improving the health of older adults.

It’s important to train your mind like you train your biceps in the gym.”

Peel-Good Energy

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onsumers do not need to buy overpriced, sugary sports drinks in order to replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes during or after exercise, say researchers at the Appalachian State University Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus, in Kannapolis. Instead, just grab a banana. The tasty fruit not only offers the same performance boost as sports drinks, but additional advantages, as well. Bananas provide antioxidants not found in the manmade beverages, plus a greater nutritional boost, including fiber, potassium and vitamin B6. Bananas also boast a healthier blend of natural sugars than sports drinks.

Red, White and True

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ag the guesswork of grocery shopping and let the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart-Check mark help identify healthy foods. The red-and-white icon, created in 1995 and now found on product packaging, is a solid first step in building a heart-friendly diet.

The AHA is now beginning to include foods with high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—the “good” fats—in the Heart-Check program. Updated requirements also covering sodium, sugar and fiber will take effect in 2014 to allow food manufacturers time to reformulate their products.

The Saltshaker Thief

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efore reaching for the saltshaker, consider that excessive dietary salt not only burdens the kidneys and increases the risk of hypertension; it may also deplete vital calcium. Research

by Canadian medical researchers at the University of Alberta recently discovered an important link between sodium and calcium, which appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body. When sodium intake becomes too high, the body excretes it via urine, taking calcium with it and creating a risk for developing kidney stones and osteoporosis. So, pass the pepper instead.

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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Cut Abuse

Government Steps In to Curb Greenwashing The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued updated green marketing guidelines intended to stop advertisers from making deceptive or unqualified claims about products being environmentally beneficial or eco-friendly, called “greenwashing”. The FTC said that few products deliver the far-reaching environmental benefits that consumers associate with such claims, and they are nearly impossible to substantiate.

The revision is the first since 1998, when phrases like “carbon footprint” and “renewable energy” were relatively new.

Using input from consumers and industry groups, new sections address the use of carbon offsets, “green” certifications and seals, and renewable energy and renewable materials claims. Marketers are warned not to make broad, unqualified assertions that their products are environmentally benign or eco-friendly.

Arthur Weissman, president and CEO of Green Seal Inc., a nonprofit environmental certification organization based in Washington, D.C., says, “We hope that there will be enforcement to help rid the marketplace of the many less-than-credible seals and greenwashing that exist.”

The new guidelines are not rules or regulations, but general principles that describe the types of environmental claims the FTC may find deceptive. They do not address use of the terms “sustainable”, “natural” and “organic”.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Shell Game

Turtles Facing Extinction Get Help The Turtle Survival Alliance Foundation (TSA) is opening a facility to house some of the world’s most endangered freshwater turtles and tortoises near Charleston, South Carolina. The 50-acre Turtle Survival Center will maintain living groups, or assurance colonies, of many species facing an uncertain future in the wild.

The center will house 20 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises ranked “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Nine are also on the Turtle Conservation Coalition list of the world’s most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles.

According to TSA President Rick Hudson, “No group of animals is under greater threat or faces a higher risk of extinction than freshwater turtles and tortoises.” The center will focus on species that have little chance of being recovered in nature because of habitat loss and intensive hunting pressures.

Some species have undergone such dramatic declines that without intervention, their extinction is imminent. It’s hoped that offspring born at the center will eventually repopulate their ancestral habitats.

Contribute to the TSA Turtle Survival Center capital campaign to help at TurtleSurvival.org.

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Safer Cells

Mobile Phones Becoming Less Toxic The Ecology Center, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in conjunction with technicians at IFixIt.com, has published a list of toxic chemicals found in 36 cell phones from a range of manufacturers. The good news is that companies are responding to consumer and regulatory pressure and these troublesome components are on the decline.

The Motorola Citrus, Apple iPhone 4S and LE Remarq were the least toxic cell phones in the analysis. Two of the bestselling models, the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III, ranked fifth and ninth, respectively. Among earlier models, the 2007 iPhone 2G was found to contain the most toxic materials.

Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center, concludes, “The takeaway is that mobile phones are chemically intensive and full of chemical hazards, but they’ve been getting a lot better.” The center reported that every phone sampled in the study contained lead, bromine, chlorine, mercury or cadmium.

Source: Tinyurl.com/MobileRisk

A Mindful Nation

Congressman Tim Ryan Calls for a New Era of Healing

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by Robin Fillmore

ongressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) has a differbeen shown to increase a child’s attention span ent sort of future in mind for our nation. The and evoke a greater sense of kindness. Groups six-term democrat representing northeast such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social Ohio, a region hard hit by the recent recession, is and Emotional Learning (CASEL), in Chicago, and looking beyond economic stimulus packages and experts like Dr. Linda Lantieri, director of the Inner unemployment benefit extensions to heal a district Resilience Program, highlight the benefits of social that has had more than its share of economic misand emotional learning, through which children fortune. Instead, Ryan supports healing through are taught to develop self-awareness, social skills mindfulness. He has recently written about his and responsible decision making. After testifying Congressman Tim Ryan before the House Appropriations Subcommittee personal journey in A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Imon Education at Ryan’s invitation, Lantieri received prove Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit, in funding to provide training for teachers in Ryan’s home district, which he offers a holistic prescription for our nation. and the results have exceeded expectations.

As a student, Ryan turned to yoga to deal with sports Ryan says that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2008 related injuries and recognized the benefits of connectmoved the nation in the right direction by placing more emphaing mind with body. Seeking similar relief after winning sis on preventive health measures, but adds that the ACA could his 2008 congressional race, Ryan attended a leadership have gone further by incorporating mindfulness. Stress reduction conference led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Center for is one of the primary benefits of mindfulness and if cultivated, Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society and the changes how the human body reacts to disease and injury. renowned Stress Reduction Clinic, both at the University of

Particularly in Washington, D.C., the adrenaline rush Massachusetts Medical School. Ryan left his two Blackberassociated with the pitch of political battle might be invigories at home and set out on a path of lifelong practice, seekrating in the short run, but Ryan suggests that the long-term ing a broader context to the problems facing our nation. consequences of stress can eventually extract a massive toll He had entered public service because he wanted to solve on our bodies. Citing Dr. Susan Bauer-Wu at the University problems, alleviate suffering and generate hope for those of Virginia, he notes that mindfulness can be used to “cool” who needed a voice in the political arena. He saw mindfulthe impact of inflammatory processes in the body, thereby ness as another avenue in which to serve his constituents. increasing the resiliency of our immune systems.

Through the lens of mindfulness, problems that seem

Attending to the health of our deploying and returntoo big to solve suddenly become part of a larger landscape ing soldiers is another of the congressman’s passions, and of experiences. In A Mindful Nation, Ryan writes of a conhe believes that some of the challenges faced by war-weary gressional delegation to Pakistan and India where memveterans can be successfully managed through the practice bers saw water and sewer systems running together in the of mindfulness. Ryan has been a strong advocate for prostreets. Despite the deplorable conditions, the children of grams such as the Mind Fitness Training Institute, led by Army the city sang and laughed just like children do everywhere. veteran Liz Stanley. The program is taught in eight weeks to Ryan writes, “They didn’t know how poor they were. service members that are deploying into battle. It enhances They were joyfully alive and in the moment. Mindfulness their ability to tolerate both outer and inner experiences practice can train us to be like that—to free ourselves from (including pain and fear) and helps them perform in highly mental burdens that we create out of our tendency to treat stressful situations, thereby enabling them to make effective our worries like solid, permanent realities.” decisions when lives hang in the balance.

Ryan is passionate about his practice, saying, “It has

In these realms of health care, education and veterans’ changed my life in many ways and could potentially be support, mindfulness is slowly becoming part of the disbeneficial to other members of Congress, too.” He has course around solutions. Leading this transformation is Ryan, worked to incorporate mindfulness into his daily life and with his vision of a quieter form of leadership on Capitol work in the hope of attracting more Hill. By digging deeper and paying converts within the halls of Congress. attention to each breath, he believes Specifically, the congressman has we can transcend that which divides focused on areas in which mindfulthis city so starkly into red and blue ness can have a profound impact, camps and discover higher ground including education, health care and upon which we all can find healing. military veteran support.

In regard to education, the conRobin Fillmore, Ph.D., is the publishgressman notes that mindfulness has er of Natural Awakenings DC. natural awakenings

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ecotip

inspiration The Gift of Empathy

How to Be a Healing Presence

by Margret Aldrich

W Creative Reuse New Life for Old Bedding Reusing, recycling or repurposing a wornout mattress is a far better solution than adding another to the 20 million or so that annually end up in landfills. Before discarding, first check with family members, friends or coworkers, or post a note on a community bulletin board or on the Internet (Freecycle.org) about the availability of a free, gently used mattress.

Next, offer to donate the mattress to The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries or a local consignment or thrift shop, church, shelter or disaster relief organization. Note that this option may require professional cleaning prior to donation.

Many nonprofit outlets provide free home pickup of items, which can be claimed as a charitable tax deduction.

Crafty individuals may want to disassemble the mattress and make use of buttons, tabs and fabric for sewing pillowcases, reupholstering indoor furniture, covering outdoor furniture or as stuffing for pillows. Check with local artist centers too, because one or more of their members may wish to use recyclable materials like the metal springs in their works.

The wooden frame of the mattress can be used to create a backyard compost pile with the wood slots becoming the compost bin’s architecture. In addition, the springs of an old bed can be utilized in a garden as they can make for a serviceable trellis to support growing plants.

Some recycling centers do not accept mattresses. Find local resources and policies at Earth911.com.

Sources: Home.HowStuffWorks.com, Tinyurl.com/RadicalRecyclingMattresses 14

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hen someone is suffering, it can be agonizing just to listen—we feel compelled to jump in with advice or stories of our own trials, filling any awkward space or moments of silent air with word upon word. The first rule of empathy, however, is listening in silence.

Miki Kashtan, writing for the Tikkun Daily interfaith blog, points out that giving our full presence is the most important step in practicing true empathy, and it doesn’t require us to utter a thing: “There is a high correlation between one person’s listening presence and the other person’s sense of not being alone, and this is communicated without words. We can be present with someone whose language we don’t understand, who speaks about circumstances we have never experienced or whose reactions are baffling to us. It’s a soul orientation and intentionality to simply be with another.”

When we achieve full presence, empathic understanding follows, Kashtan continues. “Full empathic presence includes the breaking open of our heart to take in another’s humanity. We listen to their words and their story, and allow ourselves to be affected by the experience of what it would be like.

“Then we understand. Empathic understanding is different from empathic presence.

We can have presence across any barrier, and it’s still a gift.

If we also understand, even without saying anything, I believe the other person’s sense of being heard increases, and they are even less alone with the weight of their experience.”

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There are signs that empathy might be on the decline, with narcissism elbowing it out of our modern lives. As reported in the Utne Reader, University of Michigan Psychologist Sara Konrath, Ph.D., found that empathy levels among college students measured on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index plummeted between 1979 and 2009. The greatest drops were in empathic concern and perspective-taking—the ability to imagine another person’s point of view.

But don’t yet lament the death of human compassion. According to scientific studies, empathy is built into us. In recent research at the University of Southern California, Professor Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, Ph.D., pinpointed where and how the brain generates empathy, regarding it as a naturally occurring emotion. “It appears that both the intuitive and rationalizing parts of the brain work in tandem to create the sensation of empathy,” Aziz-Zadeh told The Times of India. “People do it automatically.”

However we get to that utterly tuned-in, selfless state of empathy, providing a listening ear, giving our full presence and being moved by another can be gifts not only to the others, but to ourselves, as well. Concludes Kashtan, “Allowing into our heart the other person’s suffering doesn’t mean we suffer with them, because that means shifting the focus of our attention to our own experience.

Rather, it means that we recognize the experience as fully human, and behold the beauty of it in all its aspects, even when difficult.”

Margret Aldrich is a former associate editor of Utne Reader.

therapyspotlight

America’s Healthcare Paradox Integrative Medicine Offers a Solution

by Mikhail Kogan and John Pan

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he American healthcare system presents a paradox. As a nation, we spend the most per capita on health care in the world, yet U.S. health benchmarks are near or at the bottom of the 16 most developed countries. One thing that sets the U.S. apart from other nations has been its resistance to adopt integrative medical practices, despite significant attempts to do so.

In the 1970s, several progressive physician organizations attempted to establish primary care reform where interdisciplinary teams of health care providers would create a “whole person healing environment”. The pinnacle of this attempt was reached at a 1978 international meeting where a common definition for effective primary care practices based on the whole person healing model was established.

While this model was adopted in other countries, it was never successfully implemented in the U.S. Cultural norms, food, corporate and political interests and the medical establishment all contributed to this noble attempt’s failure.

At about the same time, a few forward-looking physicians, including Andrew Weil, M.D., of the University of Arizona, realized that providers of services such as acupuncture, Reiki and massage should be included in primary care medical teams, and that these therapies needed to be studied and their basic concepts taught to medical students. Weil coined the term, “integrative medicine”, and the new field was born. For the past 20 years, great strides have been made through the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine to further develop the field, educate future physicians and other healthcare providers and promote public awareness.

As a growing component of the U.S. medical landscape, integrative medicine is a system of care that regards the human body as a complex model with an innate capacity to heal under the right conditions. It attempts to incorporate the holistic philosophies and strategies of traditional methods with the modern, scientific approach of biomedicine, but not by simply combining surgery with acupuncture or substituting herbs for prescription drugs.

Despite the field’s growth and rising popularity, skeptics remain. However, the American Board of Integrative Medicine, under auspices of the American Board of Physician Subspecialties, will begin certifying eligible physicians in 2014, confirming that the field of integrative

medicine is established and will continue to grow.

What does integrative medicine has to do with the American healthcare paradox?

It very well could be the solution. Instead of prescribing expensive treatments for chronic medical problems, physicians can concentrate their efforts in helping people feel well and optimizing their health by modifying their lifestyles. This approach can save a lot of money. According to a 2007 report by the Milken Institute, incorporating basic principles of integrative medicine can save $1.1 trillion annually by the year 2023. This will not stop the rise of the health care costs, but it would slow it significantly and more importantly, likely improve national health measures.

Additionally, there are provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that support complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative healthcare. Under the ACA, insurance companies are prevented from discriminating against healthcare providers in regard to their participation and coverage in health plans. This provision encourages full utilization of healthcare providers and reduces the cost of patient care. The law also focuses on establishing community health teams to support patient-centered medical homes. These teams may include doctors of chiropractic and licensed CAM practitioners.

Whether this support for integrative medicine leads to the creation of a whole, personalized and cost-conscious healthcare system or not remains to be seen. The field is still too small to have a substantial voice, but the speed of its growth and political support is promising. As the model for treating the whole person becomes incorporated in treatment rooms across the country, there is hope that our current American paradox will shift into greater healing for all.

Mikhail Kogan, M.D., is the medical director of George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine (GW CIM) and an assistant professor of medicine at the university. John Pan, M.D., is the executive director of GW CIM. For more information about existing integrative medical home models, visit gwcim.com. See ad, page 2. natural awakenings

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It’s All About We Conscious Evolution: Why We’re Better Together

by Linda Sechrist

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fter decades of studying issues of environmental destruction, poverty and war, Malcolm Hollick, Ph.D., author of The Science of Oneness: A New Worldview for the Twenty-First Century, concluded in 2006 that a better future for humanity requires a more holistic worldview. It must be one that reflects the evidence of both new sciences and established spiritual traditions, all of which point to a deep unity, or Oneness, the grand reality underlying and often belying the superficial testimony of the senses.

Hollick concluded, “We become open to the experience of this unity only when we recognize at the deepest intuitive level that we do not exist as separate selves.” The founder of the Findhorn College Foundation, in

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Scotland, recognized that while the old worldview has disintegrated, the concrete of a new one has not yet set. He also observed how the acceleration of scientific findings—advancing knowledge and understanding of the universe, as well as the meaning and purpose of life—would continue to influence the general worldview.

Within a decade, of the publication of his book, hard scientific evidence across many disciplines—particularly physics and biology—as well as pioneering ideas and anecdotal evidence presented by leading philosophers and authors, affirmed the existence of a reality in which everything is connected and linked in a coherent whole.

Such thinking further revealed that evolution has equipped humans with genetic wiring for

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co-creation, cooperation and collaboration. Martin A. Nowak, a professor of biology and mathematics at Harvard University and co-author of Super Cooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed, explains that most great innovations of life have resulted not from competition, but cooperation, the real “master architect” of evolution. Nowak believes that figuring out how cooperation comes about and breaks down is the key to human survival as a species.

Books such as The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us, by Lynne McTaggart, a scientific researcher and award-winning journalist, and The Golden Motorcycle Gang: A Story of Transformation, co-authored by motivational speaker Jack Canfield, are helping individuals to see through the illusions of the old “survival of the fittest” and “I win, you lose” paradigms into one expressed in terms of connectedness and relationships. This new “Me-We” thinking and way of being has been spreading; it now informs everything from enlightened environmental stewardship to economics, as well as health and spiritual well-being.

How Community Works Canfield emphasizes the valuable lesson of collaboration and cooperation he learned while working for W. Clement Stone, a philanthropist and self-help author: When working together, focus on overlapping goals and interests, and not on differences.

In Chicago, Illinois, where the Eat Fresh Eat Local movement sparks successful collaborations, the focus is on food, rather than issues of race, sex or economic disparity. There, hundreds of people are growing food together in communal spaces on city-owned land, privately owned empty lots and rooftops, as well as in school gardens, food forests and urban farm sites.

“Self-reliant, community-operated urban farms and the food centers that retail the produce to residents in surrounding neighborhoods—some in the city’s most isolated and impoverished communities—are economic drivers that create jobs,” says Erika Allen, projects manager of Chicago’s Growing Power office. The daughter of national organization founder Will Allen notes that local workshops resemble a cross-section of the world. “Participants from different countries, cultures and economic levels come together for three meals a day, where we connect, share perspectives and learn from one another.”

Another successful initiative, Building a Healthier Chicago (BHC), brings together the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Office of the Regional Health Administrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Chicago Medical Society and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. The BHC agribusiness project develops and maintains a system of more accessible food supply, distribution and markets where people live, work, play, pray and learn.

Neighbors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, organized park cleanups with the long-range goal of replacing crime and litter with learning. Now, Riverside Park, once an area of urban blight, has

“We’re one humanity and we’re all in this together.” ~ Jack Canfield

“The transformation of our society, world and universe starts and ends with the transformation of ourselves… and in this way to co-create with others and Spirit a person, a community, a civilization, a planet and a cosmos that are whole and harmonious.” ~ Malcolm Hollick both a college-level field research station and grade school outdoor classroom, offering innovative school, adult and community programs operated by the Urban Ecology Center (UEC).

Programs serve 44 schools and have spawned two branches in Washington Park and Menomonee Valley to serve residents in those areas.

The UEC’s latest project, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, the River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee County Parks, private businesses and local landowners, is an arboretum that will protect and restore 40 acres of land for native species and wildlife habitat along the Milwaukee River. “With the creation of the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum, southeastern Wisconsin has a new, biologically diverse space for growing future environmental stewards,” says UEC Executive Director Ken Leinbach. He particularly likes creating spaces and resources that give people that wouldn’t normally connect a place to bump into one another.

Expanding Worldview College settings are similarly intended to encourage stimulating and expansive dialogue among diverse populations.

At Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, recent environmental study grads Dana Rubin and Hannah Blackmer met Frances Moore Lappé when she visited to share the message of her book EcoMind: Chang-

ng the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want. As a result, the pair embraced the need to shift their view of the world away from looming negatives to focus on creating positive connections and meaningful relationships that recognize life’s interdependence and fuel constructive change.

After more research, the duo built a simple website named Convenient Resilience.com and created a blog before commencing a coast-to-coast, 100-day, solutions-oriented journey last summer. They posted nearly 30 “webisodes” of heartfelt interactions with individuals and organizations with stories to tell, like the group at 2100 Lakeside Emergency Men’s Shelter, in Cleveland, Ohio, that is using small-scale, practical and cost-effective solutions to lessen their impact on the environment. “The personal stories we heard affirm what we learned from Frances—that it’s possible to locally solve global problems together,” advise the sojourners, who travel in a grease-powered car.

“Learn to think beyond negative thought traps that engender fear,” advises Lappé. “Thinking, ‘There isn’t enough to go around, so I have to grab what I can now,’ for instance, focuses on separateness and lack, which is precisely what got us into the state we are in.”

Starting Within A big-picture, more-whole-systems perspective forms naturally when individuals come together to explore the power of building intentional coherence. The Art of Hosting (and convening conversations that matter), World Café, Vistar Method for Circles and OpenSpace collaborations leverage technology for the practice of mindfulness to foster deeper connections, authentic conversations and outside-the-box ideas, all contributing to a more enlightened collective intelligence.

“We are facing a critical moment in the unfolding of our human story, and feel called to create pathways to a better future.” ~ Craig Hamilton natural awakenings

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One’s own new world perspective can even emerge as a result of a dark night of the soul, as Patricia Ariadne, Ph.D., author of Drinking the Dragon, has observed with clients that have undergone a personal metamorphosis as a result of the economic downturn.

“Often, the entire process of transformation indicates a spiritual initiation— a renewal or rebirth—that acts as an induction into a level of expanded consciousness and new relationship with Spirit,” remarks Ariadne. “True spiritual progress inevitably leads to a desire to be of greater service to others, to go from ‘Me to We,’ which I believe is our mandate for the 21st century.”

Living mindfully can literally change our brains, states Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., in the introduction to A Mindful Nation, by Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, which reports on the supporting science. “Mindfulness… can improve our capacity for perspective taking and decision making, and enhance our emotional intelligence and our ability to act with clarity and wisdom, alone and in concert with others.” Kabat-Zinn is the founding director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, in Worcester.

“A peaceful revolution is being led

Join the Conscious Evolution ArtOfHosting.org BarbaraMarxHubbard.com ConvenientResilience.com GrowingPower.org NewMomentumfhu.org SmallPlanet.org TheShiftNetwork.com TheWorldCafe.com VistarFoundation.org

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“My experience has convinced me that fixing the many problems that beset us requires nothing less than ripping up our rulebook and starting afresh, based on something other than every man for himself.” ~ Lynne McTaggart

by ordinary citizens across our nation,” confirms Ryan. “At the core of it is mindfulness—finding ways to slow the mind, pay attention to the present moment and see how you are connected to others and can work in a spirit of cooperation with get things done.”

The inner impulse to recognize the deeper unity of all life and sense the reality of Oneness is bubbling up within individuals, small groups and organizations, and finding expression in writings and teachings, according to Barbara Marx Hubbard, author of Birth 2012 and Beyond: Humanity’s Great Shift to the Age of Conscious Evolution. Individuals that feel compelled to join with others in expanding their consciousness to help foster systemic change and a culture of a higher order are invited to find a compatible group. Hubbard offers webcast training for Agents of Conscious Evolution (ACE), now 3,000 members strong; Craig Hamilton, founder of Integral Enlightenment, provides an online telecourse called Awakening to an Evolutionary Relationship to Life.

“Evolutionaries sense that we are facing a critical moment in the unfolding of our human story and feel called to create pathways to a better future,” says Hamilton. He notes that the 35,000 participants in his most recent introduction to his webcast were interested in where they could find a supportive community of kindred spirits committed to living life on the same level. He states, “We instinctively know that we can accomplish more together.”

A partnership with The Shift

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Network, which empowers a global movement of those intent on creating an evolutionary shift in consciousness, has enabled Hubbard, a featured sage in the documentary Awaken Soul to Soul, and her ACEs to launch a global initiative to mark the inauguration of a sustainable planetary civilization on December 22. Thousands of individuals are now working in collective hubs across the United States to prepare for the Planetary Birth Day celebration.

An initial concern for many individuals seeking to experience Oneness is, “What happens to my identity?” Christopher M. Bache, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Youngstown State University, in Ohio, reassures us that within the matrix of connectivity, individuality is not suffocated, but paradoxically liberated into deeper forms of self-expression.

“While opening to the collective fields that surround us melts the boundaries of the private ego, bringing about the ‘death of self’ noted in spiritual literature, as the ego dies, a deeper form of individuality is born—not an isolated individuality, but one that thrives in subtle give-and-take,” explains the author of The Living Classroom: Teaching and Collective Consciousness.

While the idea of a future in which American and other cultures reflect oneness can seem distant and idealistic, it is already present in South Africa’s Xhosa community in the form of Ubuntu, a worldview which means, “I am what I am because of who we all are.”

According to South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, Ubuntu iterates the essence of being human and speaks to the fact that it’s impossible to exist as human beings in isolation. We are people through other people.

“We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected, and what you do affects the whole world,” he observes. “When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. For more information and in-depth interviews on It’s All About We, visit ItsAllAboutWe.com.

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wisewords

Courting Marriage Success Relationship Expert Stephanie Coontz Shares Go-To Guidelines

by S. Alison Chabonais

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tephanie Coontz, professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington, shares her learned perspective in an intriguing oeuvre of books—Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage; The Way We Never Were; The Way We Really Are; and A Strange Stirring. She’s also co-chair and director of public education at the University of Miami’s research-based nonprofit Council on Contemporary Families. As a speaker, she shares good news on marriage, based on her extensive study and observations.

taller, more powerful and slightly scary, and some men still want an admiring, yielding woman, the trend favors valuing more individualized traits.

In a reversal from 40 years ago, men are much less interested in a partner’s cooking and housekeeping than in her intelligence, humor and accomplishments.

Women value a mate that shares household chores more than one that is a high earner. (See more results of a Pew Research Center survey at Tinyurl.com/PewTrends.)

Is marriage becoming passé?

Be truly interested in your partner’s ideas and activities; take pride in their achievements; use endearments or offer tactile affection without being asked; have a sense of humor about differences; and never let irritation or anger slide into contempt.

While marriage as an institution is less powerful than it used to be, people have higher expectations of marriage as a relationship. Precisely because most Americans no longer feel they have to marry, they are more specific about what they want from it. When a marital relationship works today, it is fairer, more intimate, more mutually beneficial and less prone to violence than ever before. Yet, individuals are less willing to stay in a relationship that doesn’t confer these benefits.

Which qualities do people most desire in a mate today?

The old model of married love held that opposites attract. Men wanted mates that were pliable and nurturing; women wanted men that were ambitious, powerful and protective. The new model is based on similarities of interests and talents. While some women are still attracted to men that are richer, 20

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What guidelines foster a rewarding marriage?

How can small, daily interactions contribute to intimacy?

We all have moments when we are irritated, angry or emotionally or intellectually unresponsive. A mate will tolerate these as long as he or she trusts you to be loving and attentive most of the time. It’s an emotional line of credit— each partner needs to keep replenishing the reserves of trust and good will, rather than drawing them down.

Psychologist and researcher John Gottman, Ph.D., suggests people need about five positive interactions for every negative one in an intimate relationship.

It’s less the occasional over-the-top gesture and more the regular, small deposits

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that count—a few words of appreciation, a loving touch, an expression of sexual attraction. If we have trouble remembering to regularly express appreciation, we may do better by asking, “What would have been harder about this day if my partner wasn’t in my life?”

Why do the new realities of marriage emphasize play over work?

Successful marriages used to depend upon specialization. Men and women couldn’t substitute for one another in accomplishing tasks. A typical woman couldn’t support herself financially; a typical man didn’t know how to feed himself, do laundry or manage childrearing. Even if couples didn’t share many mutual interests, the partners often took pleasure in being indispensable.

Now women can support themselves and men cook and clean. Thus, shared interests and leisure activities, rather than specialized work roles, increasingly serve as the glue of marriage. Play takes people off the work-centric treadmill and introduces novelty into the relationship. Spending leisure time with others also produces higher levels of happiness than cocooning, according to the GallupHealthways Well-Being Index. So make it a double-date night.

How do current and potential partners benefit from game changers—from cell phones to the Internet?

The Internet makes it easier to meet partners. Once in a partnership, technology can help daily tasks get accomplished efficiently, leaving more leisure time. It also allows us to check in with each other while apart.

But e-devices are no substitute for face time. The best way to nurture a relationship is to unplug from the grid and plug into real life. I see many couples reinvigorated by each other’s company after a few hours together engaged in a fun outdoor recreational activity.

For relevant articles and interviews, visit StephanieCoontz.com.

S. Alison Chabonais is the national editor of Natural Awakenings magazines.

consciouseating

the more we need the “high” they produce. Soon, increased amounts of foods like cheeseburgers, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies are necessary to help us feel good again.

Handling emotions without turning to food can be a knotty problem, health professionals agree, involving interweaving physical, emotional and spiritual strands.

Physical Signals

Food & Mood Solutions for Emotional Eating

by Judith Fertig

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stressful day might have us seeking solace in ice cream, pizza or potato chips. Other times, we may feel a second donut or another high-calorie treat is our reward for a task well done. Occasional food indulgences are one of life’s pleasures, but habitually eating in response to our emotions can cause weight gain and health problems.

Core Issues “Emotional hunger represents an appetite, craving or desire to eat in the absence of true physiological hunger cues,” explains Julie Simon, author of The Emotional Eater’s Repair Manual: A Practical Mind-Body-Spirit Guide for Putting an End to Overeating and Dieting. “Emotional hunger often feels the same as physical hunger,” she adds, yet it might represent an unconscious longing for pleasure, calm, comfort, excitement or distraction.

It can also have a physiological basis. A 2011 study from the University of Leuven, in Belgium, shows that stomachbased hormones can connect directly to the brain, setting up cravings for sugary and fatty foods, suggesting that we are hardwired to want the foods that provide the greatest number of calories in the smallest quantities.

Sugary, starchy, salty and fatty foods also push the brain’s “reward” button, prompting the production of more dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure and well-being.

Dr. Pam Peeke, Ph.D., author of The Hunger Fix: The ThreeStage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction, maintains that these foods also create a difficultto-break addiction cycle. According to Peeke, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore, the more high-calorie foods we eat,

One solution is to simply pay attention to what our body is saying. Are we truly feeling hunger pangs? “When we eat in the absence of hunger cues, regularly choose unhealthy comfort foods or continue eating when we’re already full, something is out of balance,” observes Simon at OvereatingRecovery.com.

Identifying “trigger” foods might also enlighten us, advises Peeke. “You’re out of control if you have a particular food in your hand and you can’t just enjoy it, walk away and say, ‘Ahh, that was wonderful.’ Life’s okay without that particular food.” The key is being smart about which foods we need to eliminate and which ones will help us feel good and enjoy an overall better quality of life.

“When you follow a plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods eating plan, your body chemistry becomes balanced and your biochemical signals (hunger, cravings and fullness) work well,” explains Simon. “Each time you eat, you feel satisfied and balanced, physically and emotionally.”

Emotional Underpinnings Once we understand the physical component of emotional hunger, we can address the feelings that cause it. Most famous for their Rescue Remedy herbal and floral drops that help soothe anxiety, Bach Flower Essences recently created an Emotional Eating Support Kit that includes homeopathic essences of crabapple, cherry plum and chestnut bud. They maintain that four daily doses can help us think clearly and calmly when we fear losing control, plus objectively observe mistakes and learn from them.

Some feelings, however, can’t be “gentled” away. “Soothe the small stuff, grieve the big stuff,” Simon advises. Experiencing abandonment, betrayal, domination or violation may require therapy. Lesser stressors can often be soothed by music, being outdoors, talking to a friend, taking a warm bath, walking, meditative yoga or pausing to pray—instead of eating.

“No matter how sophisticated or wise or enlightened you believe you are, how you eat tells all,” maintains Geneen Roth, author of Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything. “Your world is on your plate.”

Roth came to terms with her own food addictions and now leads retreats to help others do the same.

When we begin to understand what prompts us to use food to numb or distract ourselves, the process takes us deeper into realms of spirit and to the bright center of our lives, says Roth.

She urges us to be present in the moment and to use good food as a sort of meditation. Notice the beautiful greens in the salad and bless the farmer that grew them. It’s one path to realizing the essence of food that’s good for us is a blessing we deserve.

Award-winning cookbook author Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot.com. natural awakenings

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healthykids problem vary. Hughes says, “In my job, I spend a lot of time saying, ‘Just be kind.’ More positive results come from promoting kind behaviors and being ‘pro-hero’ than from simply discussing why bullying is hurtful.”

Calmly Taking Charge

BULLY BLUES BUSTERS

Positive Ways to Promote Kindness

by Meredith Montgomery

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he National Education Association estimates that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fears of being attacked or intimidated by other students. Bullying is more than a buzzword. According to StopBullying.gov, it’s defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-age children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.

Kelly Hughes, a school counselor at Bayside Academy, in Daphne, Alabama,

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has noticed a dramatic shift in bullying behaviors. She observes, “Kids are not hitting or punching or pushing each other as much as they used to. Rather, they are using in-person relational aggression such as hurtful words, glares, whispering and excluding individuals, exacerbated by social media and cell phones.”

While anti-bullying legislation exists in 49 states (Montana is the exception), approaches for addressing this

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Eric D. Dawson, president and cofounder of Boston-based Peace First (PeaceFirst.org), also believes in the power of positive language. “We need to move away from harsh language that focuses kids on what not to do and instead ignite their moral imagination—call on them to be problem solvers,” he says.

To counter bullying in society, Dawson suggests that we all need to be role models, and talk about and celebrate peacemaking. “We can’t expect our kids to listen to us when we tell them to be peaceful and share if they then see us aggressively cut in front of others on the road or in the checkout line. We can also ask kids how they were peacemakers during their day, in addition to what they learned.”

Founded in 1992 in response to the youth violence epidemic, Peace First provides programs and free online tools to help teach students peacemaking skills.

The nonprofit is based on the premise that children have a natural aptitude for it and peacemaking can be taught, just like other subjects; their curriculum teaches and reinforces core social/emotional skills in communication, creative conflict resolution, courage, cooperation, empathy and civic engagement.

A New York City student remarks,

“Peace First teaches that even if you don’t like someone, it shouldn’t affect how you work together to accomplish something... [putting] peace first makes my heart beat lovelier.”

Good for Us and Others The International Forgiveness Institute (IFI) (InternationalForgiveness.com), in Madison, Wisconsin, has added its support to the anti-bullying movement. Stemming from the research of IFI founder Robert Enright, Ph.D., and his colleagues, the institute works to forward forgiveness for personal, group and societal renewal. It attests that in forgiving a hurtful person, a personal transformation begins that can enhance self-esteem and hopefulness. Enright’s scientific studies further demonstrate that when children learn about forgiveness, feelings of anger, depression and anxiety are reduced.

“We believe that forgiveness is a choice,” explains Enright. “When you forgive, you may benefit the person you forgive, but you benefit yourself far more.”

Enright recalls his experiences working with incarcerated men that were serving life sentences. “The first thing the assigned therapists asked the group to do was to tell me their story; tell me about the hurts that had been perpetrated on them. One man began to cry, saying that no one had ever asked for his story.” The therapists listened to a tale of the cruel disciplinary measures he had endured at home as a child and recognized a correlation with the crime he had committed. “I’m not justifying his actions, but we can see that he was an extremely wounded man. Many bullies in school have a story, and we need to take the time to hear their story.

“Because those that engage in bullying are often filled with rage from having been bullied themselves, they get to a point that they don’t care about the consequences of their actions, including detention,” Enright continues.

Instead of focusing on the prevention of unwanted behaviors, he says, “Our program is meant to take the anger out of the heart of those that bully, so they bully no more.”

An elementary school-age participant in the Forgiveness Program concludes, “Sometimes it is hard to forgive someone straight away if they really hurt

Peace First’s partner schools experience an average reduction of 60 percent in incidences of violence and 50 percent fewer weapons brought to school, plus a 70 to 80 percent increase in observed student peacemaking.

your feelings. It might take longer to see their worth and show them real forgiveness… but it is worth it in the end.”

Meredith Montgomery is the publisher of Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com).

Peace in Action When a first-grader returned to class shaken up after being accosted by a fourth-grader in the restroom, his teacher stepped back to see how the class would use Peace First principles. The boy was immediately embraced by his classmates, who quickly concluded that it was every student’s right, not a luxury, to feel safe, and thereafter implemented a restroom buddy system.

The offending fourth-grader was then invited into their classroom to hear how each of the first-graders felt personally affected by the incident.

He was also required to spend recess with the first-graders for the next two weeks. It became a transformative experience for everyone involved.

The older student was recast from victimizer to a responsible, caring individual. He has continued to display improved behavior, volunteering to help in the classroom and foregoing lunch periods with friends to support the first-graders and their teacher.

“There’s a misconception that peacemaking is holding hands and singing songs,” says Peace First President Eric D. Dawson. “It’s more a set of skills that’s nurturing human development. It’s working together to solve a problem.” natural awakenings

March 2013

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naturalpet

rapidly rehydrates to four times its original weight by adding warm water. A meatless variety allows owners to add their choice of raw meat, meaty bones or cooked meat and can be suitable for sensitive dogs, raw feeders and dogs that need a unique protein source.

“Dehydrated foods are also a good way for a squeamish owner to start a raw diet for their dog,” remarks Dr. Laurie Coger, an associate veterinarian at the Bloomingrove Veterinary Hospital, in Rensselaer, New York, who also offers consultations through TheHonestKitchen.com. Coger suggests, “First, determine what a dog or cat needs in his diet, then transition gradually from kibble to a cooked or raw diet. Cats may resist change, while dogs can be more flexible.”

by Sandra Murphy

Pet food maker Steve’s Real Food is another option as it s with their own food, dog and cat owners are readdoes not use lamb, pork or venison. Each poses a greater risk ing pet food labels more closely these of carrying toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease days to evaluate ingredients and their that can be passed on to pets, especially cats.

“You can spend sources. American pet food companies may “If you decide to incorporate raw foods, find money on vet visits a wholesale meat supplier so you can buy in outsource to foreign manufacturers, sometimes with disastrous results. Various brands You’ll need a freezer to take full advanor on better food.” bulk. of dry dog food (kibble) and treats have been tage,” suggests Coger. “Feeding raw is not an recalled for melamine contamination or ~ Veterinarian Laurie Coger all-or-nothing proposition, so mix and match. other problems—even brands manufactured Cook when you have time, feed raw several here have been recalled for salmonella contamination. days a week and use high-quality dehydrated or dry food

To ensure that what we’re serving our dogs contains a when traveling.” proper balance of protein, vitamins and minerals for overall

Dr. Cathy Alinovi, owner of Hoof Stock Veterinary Serhealth, the Dog Food Advisor rates dog foods and treats by vice, in Pine Village, Indiana, found that switching to a raw brand name, explains the ingredients, including byproducts diet solved an itching problem with her mixed-breed dog. not fit for human consumption, and recommends the best opShe reports that, “Eighty percent of the reasons my clients tions. Owners can sign up for emails about recalls and other bring their pets to me are cured by changing to better food.” alerts at DogFoodAdvisor.com.

Alinovi points out two drawbacks of serving raw food:

Other reasons to read labels include potential allergic “You can’t leave it out all day and it can be a challenge to reactions to foods, especially chicken and corn, common transport home on a hot day.” But she’s found that the benefits ingredients in kibble. The educational website notes, “Corn is are many, “Dog and cat furs shine and shed less; even their an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest behavior improves.” Dog owners also note cleaner teeth, with nutritional value to a dog.” no tartar buildup, cutting down on trips to the vet.

Raw Food Diets for Pets Weighing the Pros and Cons

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Homemade Meals

To have more control over what the family dog or cat eats, many owners turn to home-cooked meals, but know-how is key.

“A big risk with home-prepared diets is that they are almost always nutritionally inadequate for long-term feeding, even when using published recipes,” advises Dr. Brennen McKenzie, president of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Association.

“Consult a board-certified nutritionist for the unique nutritional needs of the pet, based on age, breed, health condition and other factors. Don’t substitute ingredients.”

Cooking for pets can be timeconsuming. Some owners have found dehydrated foods like those from The Honest Kitchen, made in the United States using human food-grade ingredients, both cost-effective and easy to prepare.

While the purchase price can be higher than other options, the food 24

Washington, D.C.

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Not Everyone Agrees

Feeding a raw food diet is not without controversy. The American Veterinary Medical Association voted last summer to advise veterinarians to recommend clients against feeding raw meats and bones to pets. Pet Partners, formerly known as the Delta Society, which registers pets as therapy animals, has instituted a policy that states, “Animals may not be fed a raw protein diet. Animals previously fed [such] a diet must be off it for at least four weeks before registering them.” (See PetPartners.org/rawdiet.)

Deciding which foods to feed our pets requires extra research and meal preparation time, as well as money, but motivated owners like the results they see in their pet’s health.

Missourian Sandra Murphy may be reached at StLouisFreelance Writer@mindspring.com.

Healthy, Budget-Friendly Pet Food Options

safe Pet food Prep

T

o handle raw meat and bones safely, follow the same guidelines as when cooking for family members.

When shopping, keep meat, seafood and poultry separate from other foods—double-bag them to keep juices contained.

In the fridge, store meat products in sealable containers on the lowest shelf, so that potential drips won’t touch other foods. Fridge temp should be 40° Fahrenheit or lower.

Use one cutting board for meats and another for produce.

Wash hands before and after handling meat. Sanitize countertops, wooden cutting boards and knives with white distilled vinegar (5 percent), undiluted, heated to 130° F and left on the surface for one minute; then dry with a recycled-paper towel or air dry. It will kill 99 percent of germs. Plastic cutting boards go in the dishwasher.

Deep clean wooden boards by scrubbing with natural coarse salt and lemon juice (the second half of the lemon face works as a scrubber); rinse with hot water and dry upright. Keep wood from drying out by periodically applying beeswax or walnut or almond oil.

Refrigerate or discard any uneaten food, wash dog bowls after every feeding with soap and hot water, and then let air dry or wipe with a recyclable paper towel.

Sponges hoard germs. If used, sanitize them in the microwave at least every other day. Make sure the sponge is wet, not dry. Two minutes will kill 99 percent of most disease-causing germs. Let it cool before handling.

Primary sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Organic Authority.com

by Pennye Jones-napier

M

any pet owners are feeling the financial squeeze of rising prices, not only for their own groceries, but for pet food, too. They want to give their four-legged friends holistic, grainfree and organic foods, but need to be conscious of their spending habits. With a few simple steps, providing healthy food for pets at a reasonable cost is possible.

Add items from the kitchen into a pet’s meal when making people food during the week. For example, when preparing fresh vegetables for dinner, give the ends of the broccoli, carrots, asparagus and squash to a dog as treats.

Either chop the ends and give them whole or blanch and then process the ends in a blender to add to the pet’s regular meals, while cutting back on their dry food. (Remember that some foods, such as onions and garlic, are toxic to dogs and cats; the ASPCA offers a helpful online list of unsuitable foods at tinyurl.com/pets-food. Always talk to a veterinarian if there are questions about vegetables in the pet’s diet.)

If time is in short supply, visit a local holistic pet supply store for healthy options that are quick, easy and budget-friendly.

The Honest Kitchen, a dehydrated raw feed, produces grain-free and pre-mix formulations for dogs and cats. Try this in lieu of feeding wet canned food, as a standalone food or even as an addition to raw or dry kibble.

Dehydrated foods are safe for animals of all ages and are especially good for those with compromised immune systems. One food-allergyfriendly feed is Grandma Lucy’s Pure Performance, which uses ingredients with novel proteins like goat and rabbit for a completely nutritious meal. These dehydrated formulas, in conjunction with other foods, make economic and wellness sense.

Pennye Jones-Napier is co-owner of The Big Bad Woof, in Old Takoma, D.C., and Hyattsville, MD. For more information, visit TheBigBadWoof.com.

See ad, page 8.

Make your community a little GREENER…

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For every $100 spent in locally owned business, $68 returns to the community. source: the350project.net

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March 2013

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calendarofevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Review guidelines and submit entries online at NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. erock, one of the most dramatically beautiful and botanically diverse areas near Washington, DC. Start at Carderock Recreation Area, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Potomac, MD. RSVP: CaseyTrees.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Farm Volunteer Training – 9-10am. To enroll as a Farm Volunteer you must first attend a one-time 45-minute volunteer training. Once trained, Farm Volunteers can sign-up for shifts online any time the farm is open. Common Good City Farm, V St NW between 2nd & 4th sts NW, DC. CommonGoodCityFarm.org.

Orientation for Washington Youth Garden Volunteers – 9am-12pm. Science Program Reaching Out (SPROUT) is an outreach program that provides an opportunity for children and educators from across the Washington metro region to experience the Youth Garden. Beginning in April and continuing through the fall, volunteer hours are held every Tuesday and Saturday morning from 9am-12pm.

Volunteers must first attend an orientation. U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 NY Ave NE, DC. Info: Tanya.Zastrow@ars.usda.gov.

Yoga Teacher Training, Day 1 – 3-4pm. Sevenmonth RYS-200 weekend program that promotes and preserves the ancient wisdom and traditions of yoga while honoring and cultivating the individual journey of the modern yoga teacher. Blue Heron Wellness, 10723B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring.

301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3 A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) – 5-7pm.

The open discussion provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race. Busboys and Poets, 14th & V, NW, Langston Room. BusboysAndPoets.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 The Deeper Study of Yoga Weekend Workshops, Day 1 – 1-2pm. Take a weekend each month to study and explore the richness of yoga for awakening awareness, deepening inner and outer connections, creating presence, feeling good and enjoying life. Join Maria Hamburger to explore “Living Your Yoga” where in addition to our deeper study of asana, meditation and pranayama, topics explored will include the Yamas and Niyamas. Blue Heron Wellness, 10723B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring.

301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 Tree Tour: Carderock with Melanie ChoukasBradley – 9am-1pm. Join City of Trees author Melanie Choukas-Bradley for a tree walk at Card-

Canal Stewards Cleanup – 10am-12pm. Help Potomac Conservancy clean up the Potomac River.

Typical activities include trash pickup, pruning vegetation and removing invasive plants. River Center at Lock 8 & Fletcher’s Boathouse. RSVP: Vu@Potomac.org.

The Deeper Study of Yoga Weekend Workshops, Day 2 – 1-2pm. See Mar 9 listing. Blue Heron Wellness, 10723B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring.

301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

Photography along the Potomac – 1-2:30pm. Join us for a photo-trek along the Potomac and C&O Canal and practice your photo-snapping skills. All levels of experience are welcome. For more info, Lien Vu: Vu@Potomac.org.

Prenatal Yoga: Pregnancy and Anatomy – 2-5:30pm. This workshop, for both professional therapists and expecting mothers, will allow you to get a better understanding of anatomy and physiology during pregnancy. Join our prenatal yoga teacher trainers as they delve deeply into the baby-body of the expectant mother. Eligible for Yoga Alliance CE credits. $75. The YogaFusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Bethesda. Register: 301-656-8937 or TheYogaFusionStudio.com/WorkAndPlay.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12 The Environmental Film Festival – Mar 12-24.

One of the world’s largest and most influential showcases of environmental film and a major collaborative cultural event in Washington, DC. The Festival presents a diverse selection of environmental films, including many Washington, DC, U.S. and world premieres. Documentaries, narratives, animations and shorts are shown, as well as archival, experimental and children’s films at venues throughout the city. Films screened at partnering museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters and are attended by large audiences. For times & locations: DCEnvironmentalFilmFest.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 A Community of Gardeners Film Screening – 6:30-

We Still On? Call ahead to confirm that the event details haven’t changed and tell them you saw it in Natural Awakenings of Washington, DC. natural awakenings

March 2013

27

8pm. Join filmmaker Cintia Cabib for a screening and discussion of the one-hour documentary A Community of Gardeners. The film explores the vital role of seven community gardens in Washington, DC, and shows how these green spaces are changing people’s lives, their communities and their environment. Free but pre-registration required. U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave, SW. Pre-register: 202-225-1116 or Usbg.gov/Programs-And-Events.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Herbal Fundamentals, Herbal Healing Traditions, Medicinal Plants, Materia Medica, Herb Gardening – 9am-5pm. With Molly Meehan of Centro Ashé. The series is an introduction and includes herbal fundamentals, North American and Mid-Atlantic medicinal plants (and others), practical and therapeutic applications of herbs, body system therapeutics, nutritional healing, herbal preparations and medicine making, creating sacred space using herbs, guided meditation, harvesting and wild crafting plants, permaculture and herbal gardening, herbal energetics and more. $888 for full series of 15 meetings through Nov. For more info: CentroAshe.org.

Krishna Das Concert: Songs of the Heart – 8-10pm. From the first heart-opening sounds of the concert, as the harmonium blends with the unmistakable voice of Krishna Das, something stirs deep within. One knows immediately this will

classifieds Fee for classifieds is $1 per word per month. To place listing, email content to Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com.

Deadline is the 10th of the month.

CONTEST YOUTH ART CONTEST – The deadline for students (K-12) submitting artwork in the Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest is March 15.

The contest is a key part of the 8th annual national Endangered Species Day on May 17. For contest details (including guidelines and prize information): EndangeredSpeciesDay.org.

FOR SALE SAVE THE AMAZON! – Beautiful photos of plants, animals and indigenous people from the Peruvian basin are available for sale. Professional photographs and images from Jim Duke’s Garden. All proceeds go towards buying trees to plant in the Amazon and preserving acres of the Rainforest.

301-752-1425. LivingFromTheEarth.com.

HELP WANTED SALES REPS FOR NATURAL AWAKENINGS – If you would like to help grow the natural, healthy and green movement here in the Washington Metro area, we’re looking for you to do advertising sales.

Part time, commission based, make your own hours, meet fabulous people! If this sounds like you, please call Robin at 202-505-04835.

WANTED – Full-time employment in the environmental science/nonprofit sector. Marine science professional with master’s degree seeks entry- to mid-level employment in the DC Metro area. For details, contact S.Young.Sanchez@gmail.com.

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be a soulful evening. Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” $35. University of DC Theater of the Arts, 4200 Connecticut Ave NW, DC. Info: BuddhaFest.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 Herbs and Wellness for Women with Ayo Ngozi – 9am-3pm. Physiology/pathophys (including how different body systems interact in women), a review of herbs, as well as hands-on activities. Anatomy and the holistic, interwoven rhythms of women’s body systems including the menstrual cycle; what contributes to hormonal and reproductive disorders, and how to use herbs to create wellness; movement for pelvic wellness; and nutrition for women’s special needs. The class includes hands-on food- and medicine-making. Take home samples of remedies, teas and reference materials. $888 for full series of 15 meetings through Nov. For more info: CentroAshe.org.

Canal Stewards Cleanup – 10am-12pm. See Mar 10 listing. River Center at Lock 8 & Fletcher’s Boathouse. RSVP: Vu@Potomac.org.

Krishna Das Workshop: Heart of Devotion – 3-6pm. Join Krishna Das in a workshop setting. The renowned musician offers his unique understanding of the many challenges we all face on the spiritual path. Whether you are at the beginning of your spiritual practice or a lifelong practitioner, Krishna Das offers valuable insights into walking through life with an open heart. The workshop revolves around questions and interaction from participants.

Church of the Holy City, 1611 16th St NW, DC. Tickets: BuddhaFest.org.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 Perfect Health: Ayurvedic Lifestyle Program: Lecture 1 – 5:30-7:30pm. Learn how to bring mind-body balance, health and nourishment into your life. Program developed by Deepak Chopra teaches students a powerful regime of ayurvedic practices and techniques designed to: balance the mind-body, enhance nutrition, reduce emotional turbulence, restore vitality, re-awaken the senses. $295/ adult, $150/senior 65+. GW Center for Integrative Medicine, 908 New Hampshire Ave, NW, DC. To register: 202-833-5055.

Author Event with Melvin Goodman – 6:308:30pm. Discussing his work, National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism. Busboys and Poets in the Langston Room, 14th & V, NW. More info: BusboysAndPoets.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22 Perfect Health: Ayurvedic Lifestyle Program: Lecture 2 – 4:30-6:30pm. See Mar 20 for details. GW Center for Integrative Medicine, 908 New Hampshire Ave, NW, DC. To register: 202-833-5055.

SUNDAY, MARCH 24 Perfect Health: Ayurvedic Lifestyle Program: Lecture 3 – 2:30-4:30pm. See Mar 20 for details. GW Center for Integrative Medicine, 908 New Hampshire Ave, NW, DC. To register: 202-833-5055.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 Perfect Health: Ayurvedic Lifestyle Program: Lecture 4 – 4:30-6:30pm. See Mar 20 for details. GW

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Center for Integrative Medicine, 908 New Hampshire Ave, NW, DC. To register: 202-833-5055.

A Conversation with Junot Diaz and Bob Moses – 6-8pm. Teaching for Change’s Busboys and Poets Bookstore welcomes acclaimed writer Junot Diaz and Civil Rights Leader Bob Moses to share their thoughts about education, activism, and participation in organizations such as The Young People’s Project (Mississippi). Busboys and Poets, 14th & V NW, DC. More info: BusboysAndPoets.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 Spring Workday at Marion St. Garden – 10am1pm. Join City Blossoms for their first work day of 2013 as they ready the Marion St Garden for another wonderful season. The work to be completed includes mulching, planting and digging. Marion St. Intergenerational Garden & Girard Children, 1517 Marion St NW, DC. For more info: CityBlossoms.org.

A Healer’s Work: Understanding the Healing Path –10am-3pm. This workshop will help you more fully understand your role as a healer and the true power and nature of healing work, while also deepening your understanding of the importance of protecting your boundaries, honoring your limits and your own healing needs. Whether you’re a doctor, an acupuncturist, an energy worker, a psychiatrist, an herbalist or just someone on their own healing journey, this workshop will help you avoid the pitfalls and dangers common to all healers while still honoring your calling. $50. The Yoga Fusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Bethesda. Register: 301-656-8937 or TheYogaFusionStudio.com/WorkAndPlay.

Author Azar Nafisi Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Reading Lolita in Tehran – 5-7pm. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a work of great passion and poetic beauty, a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny, and a celebration of the liberating power of literature. Busboys and Poets, 5th & K, NW, Cullen Room, DC. BusboysAndPoets.com.

plan ahead savethedate SATURDAY, APRIL 27 Healthy Kids Day – As part of the Y’s commitment to strengthen community by addressing critical gaps in health and education, Healthy Kids Day will encourage kids and parents to commit to keeping the body and mind active this summer. Join the Y and more than half-a-million parents and kids across the country as we commit to “Take on Summer.” With 1,900 Ys hosting free Healthy Kids Day events across the country, it’s never been a better time to get up, get out and grow. Held at YMCAs all over the region. More info: YmcaDC.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28 Science and Spirituality: A Benefit for Sanctuary Retreat Center – 3-6pm. Talks by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Candace Pert and senior IMCW meditation teacher Hugh Byrne with healing music

by Eli Ammerman and Kathryn Ashera Rose. Light refreshments. A portion of ticket is tax-deductible. $49 advance; $59 at door. Tickets: 301-349-2799 or BrownPaperTickets.com.

ongoingevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Review guidelines and submit entries online at NaturalAwakeningsDC.com.

cover expenses and is gratefully received. River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Rd (corner of Whittier Blvd & River Rd), Bethesda, MD. For more info: Imcw.com.

monday

Blessing Circle – 9:15-9:45pm. 2nd Wed. The Insight Meditation Community of Washington offers the Blessing Circle to comfort and support those experiencing loss, grief, illness or any of the “10,000 sorrows” of this life. We gather after the Wed class with Tara Brach for a 30-min service of sharing, mindful and supportive listening, and metta practice. Together we offer blessings to all in need as we take refuge together in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Rd (enter from Whittier Blvd.), Bethesda. More info: Imcw.org.

Baby and Me Postnatal Yoga – 11:30am-12:15pm.

Blue Heron Wellness, 10723-B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring. 301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

thursday

Family Yoga – 5-6pm. Family Yoga easing transitions, building strength and creating connections.

Blue Heron Wellness, 10723-B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring. 301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

Winter Farmers’ Market at Penn Quarter, DC – 3-7pm. North end of 8th St NW, between D & E sts NW.

sunday Winter Farmers’ Market at Dupont Circle – 10am-1pm. 20th St NW between Massachusetts Ave & Connecticut Ave, in the adjacent parking of PNC bank.

of natural foods. $38/class payable in advance and non-refundable. Jelleff Community Center, 3265 S St, NW. Info: HealthyLivingInc@earthlink.net.

wednesday Wednesday Night Dinner and Class with Juliette – 6:30-8pm. Learn how to cook quick simple, delicious healthy meals for everyday living. Though we incorporate macrobiotic principles into our teaching, this class is open to anyone who wants to learn healthy vegan cooking. An introduction to the world

Wednesdays with Tara Brach – 7:30-9pm. Class includes a half-hour of Vipassana meditation instruction and guided meditation followed by an hour-long Dharma talk. A large gathering of approximately 250-300 people. Beginners through advanced students welcome. There is no registration, but dana (donation) of about $10-$15 is suggested to help

saturday Winter Farmers’ Market at Silver Spring, MD – 10am-1pm. Ellsworth Dr between Fenton St & Georgia Ave. Pre-Natal Yoga – 11:30am-12:45pm. Blue Heron Wellness, 10723-B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring.

301-754-3730. BlueHeronWellness.com.

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communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, email Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com to request our media kit.

ACUPUNCTURE CITY ACUPUNCTURE CIRCLE

1221 Connecticut Ave, Ste 5B, NW, DC 202-300-8428 CityAcupunctureCircle.com Safe, affordable acupuncture care. Pay what you can, $20-$50 per treatment. Join the Community Acupuncture movement. See community spotlight, page 9.

OURSPACE ACUPUNCTURE 809 Easley St, Silver Spring, MD 301-388-8085 OurSpaceAcupuncture.org

JOY OF MOTION DANCE CENTER 1333 H St NE, DC 202-399-6763 JoyOfMotion.org

Joy of Motion Dance Center teaches and encourages people of all ages to integrate dance into their lives for better individual and community health and well-being.

COUNSELING NATALIE X. KORYTNYK, PHD Individual & Couples Therapy 3 Washington Circle, NW, DC 202-296-5959 • DrNatalieK.com

With over 20 years of experience, D r. N a t a l i e K o r y t n y k i s a psychologist with an expertise in relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, work stress, eating disorders and self-esteem.

Natural, affordable, safe, holistic health care in a comfortable community setting.

We ask for $15-$40 per session. Schedule your appointment online today. See community spotlight, page 9.

DAY SPA

REVIVE COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE 3808 34th St, Mt. Rainier, MD 301-864-1975 Revive-Acupuncture.com

AVEDA INSTITUTES

$15-$35 acupuncture. Open Tuesday/Thursday 2-7pm, Wednesday/Friday/Saturday 10am-2pm.

Convenient to Brookland, Chillum, H St, the Hill, Hyattsville, Cheverly. Free parking. Walk-ins welcome. See community spotlight, page 9.

ARTS & DANCE E STREET CINEMA

555 11th St NW, DC 202-783-9494 LandmarkTheatres.com

713 7th St NW, DC 202-824-1624 AvedaInstitutesBB.com

Experience luxury for less.

Experience AVEDA salon and spa services provided by talented students about to enter the industry. We train the best and brightest students in cutting-edge techniques and styles in areas of cosmetology and esthiology.

VENUS SPA AND NAIL

Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics on our film calendar.

400 C St SW Washington, DC (Relocated from L’Enfant Plaza) 202-546-0008 Treat yourself to the ultimate spa experience with our extensive nail and waxing service menu.

We disinfect our equipment with medical-grade sanitizers to ensure the safety of our clients.

A

n individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. ~ Martin Luther King Jr. 30

Washington, D.C.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

HEALTH CLUB ONE WORLD FITNESS 1738 14th St NW, DC 202-510-0433 OneWorldFitness.com

One World Fitness is a unique wellness training and fitness studio that focuses on your goals and your health. Our certified wellness counselors act as guides and consultants, assisting you to reach your fitness goals, and helping you to cultivate a healthier life. We have helped hundreds of people at all fitness levels reach their goals. See ad, back cover.

HEALTHY PETS THE BIG BAD WOOF

5501 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 117 Carroll St NW, Old Takoma, DC 301-403-8957 TheBigBadWoof.com T h e B i g B a d Wo o f i s a community resource for companion animals and their guardians. We are committed to providing nutritious foods for companion animals whether they are dogs, cats, small mammals, birds or fish. We provide access to organic, holistic and premium raw diets and a wide range of alternatives including holistic supplements for companion animals. See ad, page 8.

HOME ORGANIZATION JUST THAT SIMPLE Just-That-Simple.net

Home and office organizing and move preparation services with a personalized, nonjudgmental approach, JTS helps tame “all clutter in all rooms.” You can find, use and put away things in relaxing, productive spaces.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE ANGELA GABRIEL, MSOM, LAC, CH GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055, 202-300-4981 Gwcim.com

Classical Chinese medicine, Japanese-style acupuncture, pain and stress management, chronic issues, family care, women’s health, pregnancy, children, Kiiko Matsumoto-style acupuncture, moxibustion, integrative medicine.

See ad, page 2.

GW CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE 908 New Hampshire Ave, NW, DC 202-833-5055 Gwcim.com

A clinic that effectively combines use of traditional and conventional evidence-based medical practices through a variety of complementary and alternative therapies and has many years of close collaboration with George Washington University Medical Center and a variety of physicians in most subspecialties. See ad, page 2.

MIKHAIL KOGAN, MD

GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 Gwcim.com Dr. Kogan is Medical Director of GW Center for Integrative Medicine where he provides integrative consultations and primary care. In addition he does geriatric consultations at GW University Hospital and makes home visits to frail patients. See ad, page 2.

MEDITATION HUGH BYRNE, PhD Hugh-Byrne.com

Mindfulness-based counseling and meditation instruction. Dr. Byrne teaches classes, retreats, and workshops on Buddhism and meditation in the Washington DC area and nationwide and provides individual counseling.

NUTRITION BLEU HARVEST

A Personal Chef Service BleuHarvest.com Customized meals.

I do the shopping, planning, cooking, packaging and cleanup. Experience with kosher, vegetarian, glutenfree, paleo, raw and other diets.

GOûTER

240-330-3674 Facebook.com/HeyGouter Handcrafting raw, vegan and organic treats, tonics and cleanses in Washington DC. Making a raw vegan lifestyle more approachable, fun and simple through our products and services; consume less, become aware and live sustainably. See news brief, page 6.

SUPER FANTASTIC FOODS DC

THERAPEUTIC YOGA

202-660-2145 SuperFantasticFoodsDC.com

LINDA LANG

Super Fantastic Foods specializes in providing busy people with farm-fresh nutritious meals and a more convenient way to eat healthy. Simply choose your meal plan each week, let our chefs prepare your meals and we deliver them to your door (or arrange for a pick up). It’s like having your own personal chef service. See ad, page 22.

YES! ORGANIC MARKET

TherapeuticYogaDC.com Therapeutic yoga instructor and medical educator specializing in individual sessions throughout greater Washington DC area. A highly experienced practitioner, certified in the medical, therapeutic arena of Cardiac Yoga. Specializing in chronic conditions and degenerative disease.

WELLNESS

YesOrganicMarket.com

Yes! Organic Market has provided healthful food, supplements and body care products at affordable prices for over 30 years. Visit any of our seven stores in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. See ad, page 27.

BLUE HERON WELLNESS

10723B Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 301-754-3730 BlueHeronWellness.com Relax, rejuvenate, energize with acupuncture, massage, yoga, skincare and herbal medicine at our center or at your workplace.

REAL ESTATE SKY REAL ESTATE

1703 N Capitol St NE, Ste 1, DC 20002 202-630-2437 SkyRealEstateDC.com We recognize that real estate is a significant financial asset. SKY Real Estate’s commitment to listening to the individual needs of our treasured clientele and custom tailoring a plan to achieve personal goals is our standard.

REIKI

HEALTHY SELF THERAPY AND WELLNESS CENTER 1875 K St NW, Ste LL-150, DC 202-463-5000 HealthySelfDC.com

Our goal is to provide our clients a wide range of therapeutic modalities that meet their needs both immediate and long term. See ad, page 7.

LUANN JACOBS, SLP/RMT

Reiki-Biofeedback Practitioner GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 Gwcim.com

YOGA THE YOGA FUSION STUDIO

Luann provides treatments and trainings in the use of Reiki handson and biofeedback for self-care, and Reiki care of others. See ad, page 2.

SKIN CARE

4609 Willow Ln, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-656-8937 TheYogaFusionStudio.com Yo g a c l a s s e s , t e a c h e r training, health and wellness seminars, and community wellness offerings. We are your home for a loving and cohesive yoga family. See ad, page 23.

YOGA DISTRICT

JOELLE SKINCARE JoElle Lee JoElleSkinCare.com

Natural skincare products and services. JoElle SkinCare carefully selects each ingredient for its superior quality, freshness and potency. We use traditional ingredients in their purest form, pioneering a fresh new approach to therapeutic skincare.

At locations throughout the District 202-265-9642 YogaDistrict.com Yoga District offers affordable yoga classes in three community-run yoga centers committed to eco-friendly practices in Washington DC. See news brief, page 8.

natural awakenings

March 2013

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