Natural Awakenings Washington, D.C. December 2016

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feel good • live simply • laugh more

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Greener Holidays Fresh Thinking About Décor

LOVING LARGE

Scientists Say We’re All Connected

Fitness 2017 Resolutions That Stick

December 2016 | Washington, D.C. Edition | NaturalAwakeningsDC.com natural awakenings

December 2016

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PCRM

KICKSTART 2 1 D AY T R A N S I T I O N T O W H O L E P L A N T F O O D LOOSE WEIGHT, REDUCE CHOLESTEROL, INCREASE ENERGY In a public health climate where 75% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese and 26 million have diabetes, the need for a lifestyle change is greater than it has ever been. The Food for Life: Kickstart Your Health curriculum is based on the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)’s successful 21-Day Kickstart online program (21DayKickstart.org). The Kickstart program has helped 200,000 people adopt a whole plant diet to reach their health goals.

PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE Daily Lunch and Dinner Entrées

For 21 days you will receive lunch and dinner entrées, freshly prepared, organic delicious meals conveniently prepackaged to heat up at home or work. (4 Dinners at GreenFare during classes).

2 Blood Tests*

Scripts will be provided for blood testing at local medical lab for fasting at the start and finish of the program.

1 Lifestyle Assessment

Scheduled at least 3 days before start of class.

These classes can help you lose weight, maintain a healthy weight , or simply embrace an overall healthful diet. For some class participants, it’s the first time the idea of not restricting amounts of foods but rather choosing the right foods has been the guiding principle for losing weight and staying healthy. Lower cholesterol, better diabetes control, lower blood pressure, as well as improvements in energy and mood are some of the many benefits people experience on this diet.

The program begins with a Kick Off goes for 21 days, essentially treating food as an addiction.

During this period, most will lose up to 10% of body weight and experience a cholesterol drop averaging 20%, improve A1C levels, and achieve a normal blood pressure. Working with your physician is encouraged, as this program is prepared for optimal nutrition and not meant to replace medication or doctor’s advice.

If you're interested in losing weight, increasing energy, and learning about this life-changing w a y t o e a t , s i g n u p f o r G r e e n F a r e ’ s 21-Day organic, whole-plant-food nutritional program.

Our PCRM Kickstart removes the time obstacle to your success. Stop by or call GreenFare to register 1 week prior to program start date!

2 Weigh-ins

At the start and finish of the program.

1 Shopping Trip

Discover easy and affordable ways to sustain your new healthy eating habits with the guidance of your instructor.

4 Healthy Eating Classes

Learn some of our favorite methods for cooking delicious plant based meals.

LAST DAY TO SIGN UP: 1 WEEK BEFORE START OF CLASS

CLASS DATES & DETAILS Dinner Included In All Classes

Class 1: Whole Plant 101 Tuesday, January 3rd at 7pm Let’s Go! & Power of Your Plate Demo: Breakfast Options

Class 2: Food As Addiction Tuesday, January 10th at 7pm

Breaking the Food Seduction & Keys for Natural Appetite Control Demo: Sweet, Salty, Creamy Salad Dressings

Class 3: Internal Health Tuesday, January 17th at 7pm

Digestive Health & Healthy Blood Pressure Demo: 4 Recipes Under 8 Minutes

Class 4: Label Reading Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm Shopping Trip

PROGRAM COST: With blood testing: $650/person Without blood testing: $550/person*

For more information: info@greenfare.com greenfare.com

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letterfrompublisher Dear Friends, contact us Publisher, Editor in Chief Robin Fillmore Contributing Editors Jessica Bradshaw Randy Kambic Editorial Intern Rachel Feidelman Design & Production Irene Sankey Sales Director Laina Poulakos Outreach Director Samantha Hudgins Natural Awakenings of Washington, D.C. Phone: 202-505-4835 4938 Hampden Lane, #214 Bethesda, MD 20814 Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

The December issue is normally the time when we crank up the level of the “feel-good” sentiment, with nostalgic remembrances of crisp snowy days accompanied with rich and steaming hot cocoa, precious time spent with friends and family and a spirit of generosity that seems to shine a bit brighter in this season of giving.

I have to be honest with you all, dear friends, and let you know that mustering that up now, in these post-election days, has been a challenge.

Regardless of how you perceive the outcome of the election, we, as a nation, are bruised, battered and divided. As I write this, students throughout our region are walking out of classes to protest perceived bigotry that they are feeling in our heated rhetoric. A local church was vandalized with a racist slogan.

When our national editorial staff for Natural Awakenings maps out our themes for each month, the process is done up to a year in advance. Perhaps it is ironic (or perhaps not) that the theme for this month is “Loving Large” and shares how “a sense of universal connectivity is found in all things.”

I can’t think of a time in history, except for the late 1960s in the heat of the Vietnam War and the racial strife following the enactment of important civil rights legislation, when we were less-connected as a nation. I am intentional in my usage of the word “nation”. When I was in graduate school, I took a semester-long class on the concept of “nationhood” and how it means more than the physically bounded, geographic space we call our country. To mean that we are a nation suggests that we share a common ideal about our past and our future. Yet here we are, with the nation seemingly divided between competing ideals of what makes a great nation.

I am without words and when, in the past, my own thoughts have failed me, I turn to those who can voice my deepest feelings. So today—and every day—I need to be reminded of the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Even if you are not the praying type, I would encourage you to let these words seep deep into your soul and then let them reverberate through your life.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

©2016 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe online to receive FREE monthly digital magazine at NaturalAwakeningsDC.com.

Natural Awakenings practices environmental sustainability by using post-consumer recycled paper and soy-based ink on uncoated stock, avoiding the toxic chemicals and huge energy costs of producing shiny, coated paper that is harder to recycle.

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Certainly, as the sun rises each morning and sets each evening, our nation will figure out the way ahead—of that I have no doubt. Hopefully this period of disquiet, which seems to have opened old wounds and uncovered painful truths about our collective soul, will generate a time for true reflection and dialogue, where we can hear and understand fully the hurts of those with whom we share this nation.

Wishing you peace, joy and love in the days and months to come, Robin Fillmore, Publisher

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contents 8 6 newsbriefs 8 healthbriefs 1 0 globalbriefs 1 2 fitbody 1 4 inspiration 10 24 moneymatters 26 naturalhealth 28 community

spotlight

30 leadingedge 3 1 healthyeating 32 practitioner

spotlight

35 calendar

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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 15th of the month.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. Deadline for editorial, 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.

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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.

1 2 FITNESS 2017

New Year’s Resolutions that Stick

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by Aimee Hughes

1 6 LOVING LARGE

Scientists Say We’re All Connected

by Linda Sechrist

18 BREAKING FOOD ADDICTIONS

Outsmarting the Food Industry

by Gwyn Whittaker

20 HEAL ADRENAL

FATIGUE NATURALLY

Practical Ways to Regain Vitality

by Linda Sechrist

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22 WAKE UP

For the Taste of Teas

by Teresa Boardwine

23 A GREENER HOLIDAY Consider Giving a Gift to the Planet this Holiday Season

by Rachel Feidelman

3 1 STRESS AND

SUGAR ADDICTION

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How Excessive Dietary Sugar Affects Your Health

by Elizabeth McMillan

33 FETCH, STRETCH, DANCE 33

Make Your Dog an Exercise Buddy

by Sandra Murphy

34 KRISTA TIPPETT ON OUR EVOLVING SPIRITUALITY Why it Evokes Hope

by Randy Kambic

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December 2016

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newsbriefs Northern Virginia’s Premier Ultrasound Provider Expands Practice to Offer Medical Thermography

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orthern Virginia’s premier prenatal ultrasound imaging provider, InfantSee4D, recently announced the addition of medical thermography to their practice. Thermography Imaging, Inc. now offers this painless, safe, non-invasive and popular procedure which uses a thermal imaging camera to detect heat and inflammation within the body. Designed to be a complement to other forms of diagnostic testing such as mammograms, MRIs and CT scans, thermography often detects problems and areas of concern in very early stages.

According to Thermography Imaging, Inc. owner and founder Maria Christopoulos, many illnesses can be difficult to detect until it is too late. This was the case for Christopoulos herself who was diagnosed with a brain tumor several years ago.

“My own illness inspired me to seek alternative ways of detecting issues in the human body,” explains Christopoulos.

One area of interest for women is breast scans. Mammograms normally detect cancer after the mass becomes large enough to be felt or seen. Thermography, however, allows for the budding cells to be seen. In many cases, thermography can see changes in the breast much earlier.

Thermography is popular with younger clients that have not reached the age to begin regular mammogram screenings, yet would like to see if they have any underlying areas of concern. Women who get regular mammograms are encouraged to continue doing so based on their doctor’s recommendations. Adding thermography to annual mammogram screenings can help detect cancers at the earliest possible stages.

For more information, visit ThermographyImaging.com. Mention this article and receive 25 percent off your first scan. See ad, page 19.

Winter Farm Markets in Bethesda and the Mosaic District

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ven in the dead of winter, local farmers and producers are serving the residents of Maryland and Virginia at two Central Farm Markets, each and every Sunday. During the spring, summer and fall, the market’s founders, Debra Moser and Mitch Berliner, operate four different markets.

But while most other markets pack up for the winter, the markets in Bethesda and in the Mosaic District, in Fairfax, keep going strong. Through December 18, the two markets will operate with their normal hours, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. However, starting January through March, the markets will be open from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In case of severe weather, it is wise to check their website in case of a closure.

A strong sense of community and the high quality, locally grown fresh and prepared food are one reason for the commitment to stay open. The markets aren’t just a place to purchase the week’s groceries but to see friends while stocking the pantry.

Locations: Bethesda Central Farm Market, 7600 Arlington Rd., Bethesda; Mosaic District, 2910 District Ave., Fairfax. For more information about the markets, visit CentralFarmMarkets.com.

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Talk to the Doctor about Adrenal Fatigue in this Free Webinar

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ome call it “burnout” but adrenal fatigue is a stress syndrome and is found in near epidemic proportions in our modern society. The adrenal glands help in responding to stress by producing hormones such as cortisol and are responsible for handling stress, whether it is physical, emotional or psychological. Yet adrenal fatigue occurs when the adrenal glands are unable to compensate for the daily stressors in life and the hormone reserves are depleted.

Join Dr. Sushma Hirani for a free, live webinar, sponsored by Natural Awakenings from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. on December 13 to learn more about adrenal fatigue and how you can deal with this modern condition.

Hirani practices functional and integrative medicine to treat chronic diseases, such as adrenal fatigue, at Rose Wellness Center, in Oakton, Virginia.

She specializes in women’s health care, natural hormone balancing and digestive disorders. Participants can ask questions directly of the doctor following her 30-minute presentation.

For more information about adrenal fatigue, see page 20. To reserve your spot at the webinar, visit Adrenal FatigueAnswers.Eventbrite.com. See ad, page 20.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.

Without them, humanity cannot survive. ~Dalai Lama

Natural Awakenings Family of Franchises Keeps Growing

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Big Changes Coming for MLK Library

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he Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington, D.C.’s central library, will undergo a complete modernization in the coming months. The new flagship library will house a spectacular new, vibrant and transparent entryway; sculptured monumental stairs; large auditorium and conference center; creative spaces for fabrication, music production and art creation; ground level café with patio; doubleheight reading room; newly designed special collections space for researchers and research enthusiasts and a roof top event space with terrace.

The $208 million rehabilitation, once complete, will become the center of activity for the already vibrant Chinatown area. According to the D.C. library’s website, the library will close sometime in the spring of 2017 with construction to start in the summer. The new library is scheduled to open in 2020. In the meantime, there are a lot of other amazing libraries in the District. Visit DCLibrary.org for a full list of locations and learn about the events taking place at each one.

atural Awakenings Publishing Corp. (NAPC) welcomed four new publishers to a November training session at the corporate headquarters in Naples, Florida.

The NAPC staff spent several days with these entrepreneurs, discussing the ins and outs of publishing a new Natural Awakenings edition in Spokane, Washington, and taking over publication of existing magazines in Oklahoma City, Wayne County, Michigan, and Volusia and Flagler counties, Florida.

Founded by Chief Executive Officer Sharon Bruckman with a single edition in Naples in 1994, Natural Awakenings has grown to become one of the largest, free, local, healthy living publications in the world, serving 4 million readers each month via 95 magazines published in cities across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

“Our devoted family of publishers, supported by advertisers, informs readers of many national and local resources that offer paths to a happier, healthier and longer life,” says Bruckman. “Our active and growing readership has helped increase interest in naturally healthy living that has impacted mainstream America and is beneficial for Earth and its inhabitants.”

For a list of locations where Natural Awakenings is published or to learn more about franchising opportunities, call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. See ad, page 42.

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A Cup of Peppermint Tea Boosts Alertness

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esearchers from Northumbria University, in England, have discovered that drinking peppermint tea can improve working and long-term memory. After 180 healthy adults filled out questionnaires about their mood, they were selected at random to consume one of three drinks—peppermint tea, chamomile tea or water—and then rested for 20 minutes.

The subjects were then tested for memory and other cognitive factors and given a second mood questionnaire. Those that drank peppermint tea exhibited improvements in both types of memory and were more alert than the other two groups. The participants that drank chamomile tea displayed reductions in both memory and attention functions compared to the others.

Researcher Mark Moss, Ph.D., notes, “The enhancing and arousing effects of peppermint and the calming, sedative effects of chamomile observed in this study are in keeping with the claimed properties of these herbs and suggest beneficial effects can be drawn from their use.”

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healthbriefs

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esearchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health have found that individuals living close to a natural gas hydraulic fracking site have a significantly higher occurrence of asthma attacks. The study examined health records from the Geisinger Health System, a healthcare provider in Pennsylvania, where the fracking industry has experienced incredible growth of more than 9.000 natural gas wells in the past decade.

The records of more than 35,000 Geisinger asthma patients between the ages of 5 and 90 were studied between 2005 and 2012. Patients that reported attacks were mapped and studied in relation to the fracking well locations, and the results compared with other patients not reporting attacks in the same year. The researchers discovered that those that lived in close proximity to multiple or larger active natural gas wells were 1.5 to four times more likely to experience asthma attacks.

Brian S. Schwartz, a medical doctor and a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Services at the Bloomberg School, in Baltimore, Maryland, was the senior author of the study. He states, “We are concerned with the growing number of studies that have observed health effects associated with this industry.

We believe it’s time to take a more cautious approach to [fracking] well development with an eye on environmental and public health impacts.”

Don’t let the past steal your present. ~Taylor Caldwell 8

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Fracking Linked to Asthma Attacks

Goldenseal is Golden

Cranberries Reduce Urinary Tract Infections

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ranberries, a staple on most holiday tables, can help women reduce their risk of urinary tract infections (UTI). A recent study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research tested the impact of consuming whole-cranberry fruit powder on women that had experienced two or more UTIs in the previous 12 months.

Of the 182 study participants, 89 were given 500 milligrams of the cranberry powder daily for six months. The remaining 93 women ingested a placebo. The cranberry group reported significantly fewer infections than the placebo group. In addition, it took the women in the cranberry group more time to develop a first UTI than the women in the control group.

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esearchers from the University of São Paulo Medical School, in Brazil, have found high levels of tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ear, and hearing loss in adolescents that use ear bud speakers. They examined the hearing of 170 students between the ages of 11 and 17 and asked them about their experiences with tinnitus in the previous year. More than half of the respondents had experienced the condition.

The principal investigator for the study, Tanit Ganz Sanchez, an associate professor of otolaryngology at the medical school, notes that the prevalence of tinnitus among adolescents should be viewed as an early warning of a serious hearing loss risk. She says, “If this teenage generation continues to expose themselves to very high noise levels, they’ll probably suffer from hearing loss by the time they’re 30 or 40.”

Why Some Kids Grow Up with Fewer Allergies

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study in the journal Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, has found that the common childhood habits of thumb sucking and nail biting can reduce the risk of adolescent and adult allergies.

Researchers followed more than 1,000 individuals from 5 through 32 years old, monitoring these two habits at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11. The subjects were tested for allergies at 13 using a skin-prick test and again at 32. Of all participants, 31 percent were frequent thumb suckers and nail biters, and those children had a lower incidence of allergic reactions than the others.

These results support a hygiene hypothesis suggesting that early exposure to microbial organisms reduces the risk of developing allergies.

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Teens Hooked on Ear Buds Prone to Tinnitus

by Laina Poulakos oldenseal is one powerful herb. It is one on the five top-selling herbs in the United States. The American Indians would use goldenseal as wound treatment and for treating eye infections, in addition to using it as an insect repellent.

Goldenseal is also known for its powerful immune-boosting support. When taken with echinacea, this combination is extremely powerful at supporting the immune system during the cold and flu season. It contains the chemical berberine which aids the body in reducing mucous and has a positive effect on lowering blood glucose.

Another powerful benefit of the mighty herb is its support for the digestive system. It is a good treatment for diarrhea and helps with colitis and constipation. Goldenseal can also be used as an eyewash to treat pinkeye. Though the research is still being conducted, there are promising studies to show that goldenseal may help fight cancer.

Goldenseal is certainly an herb to add to one’s natural medicine cabinet.

Goldenseal is truly golden.

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Laina Poulakos is the founder of Mother’s Nature Store and a certified aromatherapist and herbologist. For a consultation or to learn more about products, call 703-851-0087 or visit MothersNatureStore.com. See ad, page 16.

Nature can do more than physicians. ~Oliver Cromwell

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

Ocean Watch

2016 was a mixed year for whales and dolphins and by extension, humans.

Marine Biologist Sylvia Earle states the importance of ocean health this way: “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. The ocean is the blue heart of the planet. There’s still time, but not a lot, to turn things around.”

Scientists have discovered a new, black-colored species of whale that’s onethird the size of a Baird’s beaked whale. Yet to be named, it’s rarely seen, feeding in deep canyons in the Bering Sea.

The oldest-known orca whale, Granny, at 105, swims Washington’s coastline.

Wild orcas usually live 60 to 80 years; captives, 40 years at most. Iceberg, the only known adult white orca, age 22, was spotted in Russian coastal waters earlier this year.

In 2013, a Korean marine park retrained five dolphins to feed naturally and released them into the sea, where they rejoined their original pod. Recent sightings found them thriving, affording hope for the 2,900 dolphins in marine parks, aquariums and zoos worldwide.

Pink dolphins in Hong Kong’s bustling harbor remain endangered. In 2003, there were 158; by 2014, only 61. The Baiji River dolphin, only found in China, has been declared extinct. Vaquitas, small porpoises in the Gulf of California, declined from 97 in 2014 to 60 this year, most drowned in commercial fishing nets; it may be extinct by 2018.

Bye-Bye Birdies

North American Species at High Risk Dima Oana Gabriela/Shutterstock.com

The 2016 annual Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count in February (Audubon. org/content/2014-great-backyard-birdcount-summary) and a report compiled by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (StateOfTheBirds.org/2016) show that more than a third of all North American bird species are at risk of becoming extinct unless significant action is taken, especially ocean and tropical birds. The governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico created the North American Bird Conservation Initiative in 1999.

More than half the species that rely on oceans and tropical forests are on a special watch list because of small and declining populations, limited ranges and severe threats to their habitats. The report pinpoints invasive predators such as rats and cats on nesting islands, as well as overfishing, pollution and climate change.

Ways to address the problem include removing predators, expanding protected marine areas and reducing the amount of plastic products that end up in the ocean and can trap or choke birds.

Many species such as long-distance migratory shore birds in coastal, grassland and arid habitats are declining steeply. The main causes are rising sea levels, coastal development, encroaching human activity and oil spills.

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Sea Mammals Update

Wise Woodsmen

Source: EcoWatch.com

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Venezuela Bans GMOs

Venezuela has passed a law that imposes some of the world’s toughest regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and patenting of seeds in order to consolidate national food sovereignty, regulate the production of hybrid seed, reject the production, distribution and import of GMO seeds and ban transgenic seed research. Canada’s Centre for Research on Globalization describes it as one of the most progressive seed laws in the world.

The country intends to establish a national seed system to implement the new law. The group will monitor and sanction any agricultural violations, with a focus on the protection of traditional seeds.

Source: gmwatch.org

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Extinction Scenario

Humans an Endangered Species The UK-based nonprofit Global Challenges Foundation’s annual report on global catastrophic risk (Tinyurl.com/ GlobalExtinctionReport) has found that the risk of human extinction is higher than we might expect. The Stern Review (Tinyurl.com/The-Stern-Review), the British premier government report on the economics of climate change, estimates a 0.1 percent risk of human extinction every year.

“We don’t expect any of the events that we describe to happen in any specific 10-year period. They might—but on balance, they probably won’t,” says Sebastian Farquhar, director of the Global Priorities Project.

United Nations-approved climate models estimate that temperatures might rise six to 10 degrees Celsius, which pushes the probability of extinction beyond 3 percent, even with a considerable decrease in carbon emissions.

Nuclear war, natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, genetic engineering gone awry and pandemic plagues figure in too, but the biggest threat might be the ever-increasing human population. According to a paper published in the journal Nature by Elizabeth Hadly, a professor of environmental biology at Stanford University, such growth has followed the trajectory of a typical invasive species and suggests there may be a looming global population downturn. Still, humans are capable of exponentially growing their population several times over through the invention of new technologies and cultural shifts, regardless of Earth’s natural carrying capacity.

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December 2016

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The Norwegian Parliament Standing Committee on Energy and Environment has pledged that the government will follow a deforestation-free public procurement policy, meaning that any product that contributes to deforestation will not be used by the country as part of an Action Plan on Nature Diversity. Rainforest Foundation Norway was the main lobbying influence behind this recommendation and has worked for years to bring the pledge into existence.

“This is an important victory in the fight to protect the rainforest,” says Nils Hermann Ranum, head of policy and campaign for the committee. “Over the last few years, a number of companies have committed to cease the procurement of goods that can be linked to destruction of the rainforest. Until now, this has not been matched by similar commitments from governments. The Norwegian state is now following suit and making the same demands when it comes to public procurements.”

Deforestation is estimated to comprise about 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change and disrupting natural cycles and livelihoods, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Removal of trees can disrupt a region’s water cycle, resulting in changes in precipitation and river flow that also contribute to erosion.

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Norway Bans Deforestation Products

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FITNESS 2017 New Year’s Resolutions that Stick

by Aimee Hughes

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very January, we rally our hopes, vowing that this time our New Year’s resolutions will finally stick.

However, “If you don’t have a plan, plan to fail,” says Kansas City, Missouri, personal trainer Jake Albracht.

We can make our health and fitness goals for 2017 a reality instead of just wishful thinking.

Find a good trainer. “A personal trainer provides a helpful base of knowledge because the hardest part for most people is a lack of planning and diligence in following up. Trainers can step in to help a client achieve their goals,” says Albracht.

Jeanne Rankin, assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington, adds, “A personal trainer can also help you set lofty goals that you wouldn’t have considered on your own due to fear of failure in achieving them.”

Secure personal attention. Individual attention is invaluable. Albracht notes, “There’s nothing like the instant feedback with technique, information and support that one-on-one training provides.”

Rankin adds, “In ongoing individual evaluation, a personal trainer can see exactly what’s going well and what 12

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isn’t, providing a better assessment than in a group.”

“Group settings can also be positive and mimic a team environment, but a one-on-one relationship allows for a deeper bond of trust. Sometimes that can make all the difference in the world,” Albracht explains.

Ask questions. If engaging a personal trainer isn’t in our available budget, they are often willing to answer a few burning fitness questions. Most of us have had volunteer teachers at some point in our lives that expected nothing in return because they loved sharing what they know. It’s a slower process, but can be a viable option.

Set realistic goals. “I tell clients that structuring a program of specific goals will always trump a non-structured program,” says Albracht. “They need to fill out a goals sheet and develop a personal model that is repeatable, sustainable and successful. We use the SMART acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.” Sometimes writing things down is just what’s needed to make them actually happen.

“When you look at pictures of famous people in magazines, realize

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that the images have been Photoshopped. They also have access to the best and most expensive resources in the world, and looking good is their job,” reminds Rankin. “Set a goal, and then set a bunch of small, achievable, measurable and quantifiable steps along the way that’ll push you towards that bigger goal.”

For example, If the goal is to lose 50 pounds in a year, then maybe shoot to lose 30 pounds in the first six months and 20 in the second six months.

“Breaking it up into what feels doable for you is key,” says Rankin.

Establish intentions. Krysten Clark, a Los Angeles personal trainer, yoga teacher and founder of Yogva Nutrition, uses the SMART elements along with establishing an intention for each session. She states, “It’s important to recognize what ‘being healthy’ means to you. I always have my clients set an intention for their workout in the moment, which allows them to be fully present with what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. Connecting with their ‘why’ proves powerful in a day-to-day practice.”

She also strives to bring mindfulness into any fitness workout that evolves from a mind-body connection.

The accompanying sense of self-compassion furthers progress in the neverending process of personal growth and healthy living.

Acquire a fitness posse. An accountability partner can be a friend or a personal trainer—someone that’s only a phone call away. Rankin observes, “If you know that you are letting someone down by not working out, then you are more likely to stick to a plan, especially if you’re paying that person.”

Hit the reset button if needed. “Set a deadline to attain a goal and work backwards from there to achieve it,” advises Albracht. “If the goal is missed, reassess and plan again.” Be patient and forgive yourself as often as necessary if slip-ups occur. The ultimate results of feeling good and healthier provide their own payoff.

Aimee Hughes, a freelance writer in Kansas City, MO, is a doctor of naturopathy and consultant for the Yandara Yoga Institute. Connect at ChezAimee@ gmail.com.

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A Reflection

by Nya Alemayhu

L

ove brings up everything that has been unloved. When I first heard this, I was in yoga teacher training with Mark Whitwell in December 2012. I didn’t know what it meant then, but the past few weeks have been teaching me exactly what I heard almost four years ago.

I have a brother in the prison system and it has come to the point in his case where the judge will decide his sentence.

A sentence—something that we are told as children that only God can do­—that decides what your judgment is for the acts that you have committed against humanity, against society, but mostly, against yourself.

In

My heart has been broken many times over the past few weeks into fragmented mirrors that reflect why I have gotten to where I am today. Every fragment bleeding more than the one before.

Facing my brother’s fate and seeing in him someone familiar has humbled me.

We both are angry at the same things that made us who we are today: Poor immigrant refugees growing up in the state of Maine, a negligent father who carries his own set of karmic setbacks, a system that is incomprehensible, a dream that seems like it was created for others, but we made different choices. I choose to cry it out, live it out, iron it out, heal it out and he chose to channel that anger by directing it toward humanity. As I watched him through tearful eyes behind plexiglass, I saw the human condition.

Love brings up everything that has been unloved. From the very depths of the

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heart, from the roots that sprang out of the womb to give life, from the karmic beads that transcend the five senses—all from their hiding place.

Now, more than ever, we must be tender with each other. We must learn to hold space for ourselves, and for those we love. We all want love. We all want safety.

We all want a heart that is healed and that can contribute to more healing, and when we see ourselves in another, because we are all one, we must recognize that immediately and ask, “What can I do for you?

How can I help you heal?”

I began my month in this way—jetting off to Maine, the most traumatic place in the world for me, the place where the worst things happened to me: to hold space for those who needed my strength; who needed my light in order to see their own; who needed all the love in my sea to fill their well; and beyond my bleeding heart, I saw my purpose.

Love brings up everything that has been unloved in all of us, and it is our responsibility not only to ourselves, but to the entire human race—to heal.

Nya Alemayhu is a yoga teacher based in CHRONIC PAIN Washington, D.C. She believes each of us is on a quest to return to wholeness and is grateful for the opportunity to assist along that journey. She can be found at Georgetown Yoga, S3 Active at Union Market DC and for private instruction and can be reached at Nya@YogaWithNya.com. See ad, page 17.

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December 2016

15

LOVING LARGE Scientists Say We’re All Connected

Cosmic View

by Linda Sechrist

T

rue love is not something reserved exclusively for soulmates, couples, children, friends or family. Observations by sages for millennia and by enlightened scientists more recently are increasingly aligned with the point of view articulated by renowned meditation teacher Jack Kornfield that true love and awareness—a sense of universal connectivity and the idea that divinity, or the sacred, is found in all things—are indistinguishable.

Scientific View

This state of being, generally denoted by strong feelings of love or acceptance toward others, brings us into contact with universal energy which connects all of humanity with the natural world.

Clues to our united commonality are explored in two 21st-century books, Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become, by Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D., and A General Theory of Love, by medical doctors Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini and Richard Lannon. These authors explore the brain science that’s related to love and awareness.

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Although trying to grasp love intellectually may be like eating soup with a fork, the authors of A General Theory of Love cite feelings as a good starting point. Fredrickson describes love as “the momentary upwelling of three tightly interwoven events: a sharing of one or more positive emotions between you and another; a biochemical synchrony between your and the other person’s biochemistry and behaviors; and a reflected motive to invest in each other’s well-being that brings mutual care.”

Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, believes love is a complex physiological response; a “positivity resonance.” She describes key factors in love’s ability to biologically transform us as oxytocin, a hormone active in social bonding and attachments, and the vagus nerve deep within the brain stem that connects with numerous organs, including the lead “character” in this relationship, the heart.

The neural synchrony of positivity resonance between the brains of two individuals is a connected oneness that

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During their 30-year friendship, Bob Staretz collaborated with astronaut Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D., the lunar module pilot on Apollo 14 and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, to research and write “The Quantum Hologram and the Nature of Consciousness,” published in the Journal of Cosmology. Their scientific theory explains how all of creation learns, self-corrects and evolves as a selforganizing, interconnected holistic system through love.

“Without exception, everything in nature exists and works together in total balance, resonance and harmony, interacting as one. From this perspective, Edgar and I reached the obvious conclusion—the organizing principle of the cosmos is agape love, an ultimate form of unconditional love that accepts all things existing in nature without regard to conditions, expectations, shortcomings, flaws or faults,” explains Staretz.

The former executive director of Eternea, an organization focused on spiritually transformative experiences and the study of consciousness, Staretz says individuals that undergo such an experience attest that loving one another and all

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Fredrickson notes is far more ubiquitous than previously thought possible.

Her research shows that it requires only connection, not the intimacy or shared history that comes with any special bonds.

Micro-moments of the connected oneness we feel as life-giving reverberations occur via shared smiles or laughter, a common compassion or an engaging story. Humans all hunger for such moments. The prerequisites are perceived safety and authentic sensory connection with another, even if it’s fleeting. In Fredrickson’s perspective, such neural coupling is a biological manifestation of oneness in which a habitual focus on “me” expands to a life-expanding “we”.

of nature, of which we are a part, is the central reason for our existence.

Anita Moorjani’s latest book, What If This Is Heaven? reiterates the life lesson she learned from her dramatic near-death experience in which she identified herself as a state of pure consciousness connected with everything in the cosmos. She clearly heard: “Your only work is to love yourself, value yourself and embody this truth of self-worth and self-love so that you can be love in action. That is true service, to yourself and to those who surround you.”

This message continues with her, and she explains that by not loving ourselves, we are denying the part of God that expresses itself through us. An overarching insight from her lifechanging journey is, “Unconditional love is a state of being, not an emotion. It’s not just one side of the coin—it’s the whole coin.”

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. ~William Blake

How-to Resources Interest in this deeper perspective led The Shift Network, which offers online transformative education, to host a recent Advanced Teachings for Truly Loving Yourself with Margaret Paul, P.h.D., co-author of Do I Have to Give Up Me to Be Loved By You?

Many others are working to spread the word about a larger sense of lifegiving love, including Cleveland, Ohio, intuitive psychologist Debra L. Reble, Ph.D., author of Being Love: How Loving Yourself Creates Ripples of Transformation in Your Relationships and the World. She says, “Our soul’s purpose is to be and express love. We dream of love, yearn for love and make love, but rarely do we realize that we are love, a source of divine energy.”

Reba Linker, a New York City life coach and author, hosts a Leaders in Self-Love Facebook page and the Paint Yourself into The Picture online coaching show. Linker’s philosophy on love resembles that of New Thought leader Michael Beckwith, minister, author and founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center, in Culver City, California—

to discern that our true nature is love is to know that we are created in the very image and likeness of love, the essence of life itself.

Gary Sinclair, author of Healing Memories in Seconds, views his life from an altitude of oceanic oneness.

His 35 years of study in a field that uses energy to heal spirit, mind and body led him to develop Soul Link, a memory energy therapy. His work is changing the face of therapy for those with post-traumatic stress disorder and led to the revelation, “Love pulls whatever it touches to its highest potential.”

Teaching what he knows “beyond a shadow of a doubt” helps to shift his students’ worldview. “All of creation is made up of electromagnetic energy vibrating at different frequencies. We are energy beings who can learn to manage our energy to heal ourselves.

We are all connected by omnipres-

ence, the energy of love, a heart connection of life. Consciously choosing this awareness allows us to be ‘love living life.’”

Kamini Desai, director of education for the Amrit Yoga Institute, in Salt Springs, Florida, lends her yogic perspective to love. “We are each a wave on the ocean of existence. Even though we are separate waves, we carry the essence of the same ocean.

When that essence manifests in us as spirit, its quality is a healing force of love surrounding our cells, causing our heart to beat and regenerating our organs. This intelligence guides and directs the universe in the same manner that it heals and maintains our body. In yoga, we learn to listen to its subtle voice so that we can follow its urges and energetic impulses to the source from which it springs.”

The perceptions of California’s HeartMath Institute founder Doc Childre, dedicated to helping people access their intuitive insight and heart intelligence, are generally aligned with those of Fredrickson. Both approaches recognize how order and balance in the nervous system and smooth, harmonious and coherent heart rhythms enhance our ability to clearly perceive a far larger universe of experience.

The ensuing connections widen the windows of perception to view ourselves as no longer separate, but part of a unified whole. Accumulated micro-moments of love communicated through synchronized gazes, touches and vocalizations forge a shared subjective appreciation of connection and oneness. We feel ourselves embodying positive resonance and experience easier and more immediate rapport in familial, familiar and even new relationships. We discover abundant opportunities to feel love, loved and loving as we make ourselves available to them.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Connect at ItsAllAboutWe.com.

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Breaking Food Addictions Outsmarting the Food Industry

by Gwyn Whittaker

D

o you ever find yourself driving to the store on a mission to buy something to eat that you know is not good for you and that you know you will regret later?

This is the goal of the food industry: to maximize the calories bought and consumed. It is not enough to get you to buy that bag of chips and eat them over a few days, ingredients called excitotoxins are designed to stimulate your pleasure center and override judgment. It is an innate biological drive that the industry is leveraging to cause this consumptive behavior.

The Pleasure Trap by Dr. Doug Lisle examines the effects of salt, sugar and oil on the brain and our species’ drive to maximize caloric intake for when the famine arrives.

In most American families, however, the famine never arrives and these caloric-dense foods just pack on the pounds over time, causing more than 16 percent of the population to be

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Type 2 diabetic and almost 90 percent to be prediabetic.

Michael Moss examines the food industry in his book, Salt, Sugar and Fat, and notes many tobacco industry executives moved to the food industry after tobacco usage began dropping with government action to prevent lung cancer. An ex-chief technology officer from a major food provider commented “I feel sorry for consumers,” because of the premeditated plan to produce addictive foods that have caused the obesity epidemic in the U.S. The industry spends millions of research dollars to study how to keep people addicted to these food-like products.

Awareness is the first step. Reading labels and keeping things out of your home that contain animal products or added salt, sugar and oil are a beginning. A day of water fasting can help reset taste buds toward foods that we were designed to eat: if you are craving an apple or carrot instead

of cookies and chips, then you have overcome food addiction.

Breaking the cycle is another method: don’t get caught hungry without healthy snacks to tide you over. Packing small containers of cut veggies with hummus or apples with peanut butter is a preemptive strike against the uncontrolled steering of your car toward the grocery store when you are overcome with hunger. It is much easier to stick to a list when you are full.

Clean your pantry of the junk and keep go-to snacks in the house: air-popped popcorn is great, as are a frozen banana/soy milk/cocoa ice “cream”. Crisp red peppers, celery and cherry tomatoes are also great snacking foods, perhaps with hummus and rice cakes. Before going out with friends or family, prepare yourself with a whole-plant food meal and have a salad with veggies and balsamic dressing as your entree at the restaurant.

Taste buds will reset over a three-week period, and the body will go through withdrawal if you have been using salt, sugar and oil on a regular basis. Some will even experience a detox, causing sweats and nausea as the body tries to clean itself out. Like a smoker quitting smoking, the black lungs eventually return to pink if the addiction is broken.

In the same manner, endothelial cells that line the arteries turn from white and hard, to pink and open after these addictions have been overcome. It is the reason that energy returns; nutrition is optimized and energy is derived from the absorption from food. As Michael Pollan says in In Defense of Food: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Avoid food-like products from the food industry and eat your way to good health.

Gwyn Whittaker is CEO of GreenFare Organic Café, 408 Elden St., Herndon. To learn about their 21Day KickStart program, designed to “Change Your Diet, Change Your Life,” developed by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), visit GreenFare.com. See ad, page 3. natural awakenings

December 2016

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healingways

Heal Adrenal Fatigue

NATURALLY Practical Ways to Regain Vitality

by Linda Sechrist

F

atigue due to physical or mental exertion is common in those beleaguered by stress, poor eating habits and insomnia, struggling to balance the needs of family and career and too often using caffeine and other stimulants to artificially rebound energy. James L. Wilson, Ph.D., a doctor of chiropractic and naturopathy, educates medical professionals about an even more serious health issue he identifies as “adrenal fatigue”; it’s characterized by below-optimal adrenal function induced by an overload of such stressors. Our two walnut-sized adrenal glands, one atop each kidney, produce vital hormones that help control heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and many other functions, including how the body deals with stress.

Identifying the Core Issue

In his book, Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, Wilson sheds light on the scope of the problem.

“The fact that adrenal fatigue is unrecognized by conventional medicine has left millions of people suffering from an untreated problem that interferes with their ability to function normally and capacity to enjoy life. For those whose adrenal glands are ‘running on empty’, even something as basic as happiness seems almost out of reach,” comments Wilson, who resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Individuals suffering from adrenal fatigue are most concerned about their low moods, energy, mental acuity and libido, for which conventional medicine typically prescribes antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs. These medications do nothing to revive adrenal functioning.

This faulty condition also affects weight gain and a propensity toward the development of some diseases, including 20

Washington, D.C.

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fibromyalgia. “Your resiliency, energy, endurance and very life depend on the proper functioning of the adrenals,” Wilson says.

We’ve inherited our sympathetic nervous system and its stress response of fight-or-flight from our prehistoric ancestors. It hasn’t evolved to differentiate between an acute threat to survival and the chronic threats from looming deadlines, financial pressures and other modern-day worries.

“The adrenal stress response to physical danger or any perceived psychological threat is identical—the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine responsible for cascading physiological reactions,” explains Dr. Vijay Jain, who treats fatigue from an integrative perspective at his Mind Body Wellness Center, in Palm Coast, Florida.

Suggested Treatments

Adrenal fatigue is mainly a self-induced health problem that doesn’t just appear. It results from an accumulation of ongoing choices that we can change.

Jain applies ayurvedic principles to reestablish balance in the body’s three prominent mind-body types that influence personal well-being. These are known as vata, pitta and kapha. For people primarily characterized by vata and pitta typology, fatigue is the result of being overactive and burning the candle at both ends. For those with kapha constitutions, fatigue is the outcome of a sedentary lifestyle with insufficient movement and eating the wrong foods for them.

He further recommends getting more sleep with regular bedtimes, practices such as yoga nidra meditation, pranayama (yogic breathing) and a slower-paced yoga practice with longerheld meditative poses, as well as massage and a diet designed to restore our biological energies, or doshas, to a balanced state.

“Depending on a patient’s constitution I advise some to slow down and burn 50 percent less of their candle, while I tell others to increase their physical activity and improve their diet.”

Jain also recommends a type of ayurvedic purification and detoxification treatment that involves a series of five therapies including massage and herbal treatments. Performed in sequence, these allow the body and mind to drop into a state of peacefulness. Acupuncture treatments are also helpful, along with a regimen of adaptogenic herbs such as ginseng, schisandra and ashwagandha, according to Jain.

In Happy Healthy Thyroid: The Essential Steps to Healing Naturally, author Andrea Beaman writes about how she recovered naturally from adrenal fatigue. To restore energy and vitality to the body, she further recommends the healing practices of hatha yoga, qigong and tai chi. “These modalities build energy, whereas power yoga, and cardiovascular exercises drain energy in fatigued individuals,” advises Beaman. She notes that it can take six months to two years to restore desired energy levels.

Beaman counsels individuals with behavioral characteristics that make it more challenging to burn less of their candle. She grabs their attention with the critical nature of their situation. “‘You are in and out of life in a blink. If you’re exhausted at age 48, how are you going to live a vibrant, happy and exuberant life right up to the finish line?’

That generally works,” she says.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.

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Learn stress reduction practices and make lifestyle changes.

This means getting ample rest, exercising regularly and practicing yoga, participating in hobbies and other activities you enjoy, learning deep breathing exercises, utilizing biofeedback, massage therapy and acupuncture.

Make dietary modifications. These changes in your diet can help improve adrenal functions. They include eating breakfast daily, reducing simple carbohydrates (white flour and sugar) and replacing them with complex carbohydrates (whole grains), including healthy proteins with each meal, getting three to five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, increasing fiber intake, drinking purified water and eating frequently to help stabilize glucose levels and reduce the risk of insulin resistance.

Be checked for chronic inflammation which can decrease adrenal function. Common sources of inflammation include hidden gut infections, traumas, injuries, toxins, inflammatory bowel disease, joint inflammation, food allergies, obesity and chronic sinusitis.

Rebalance the adrenal glands. Biochemical rebalancing of the adrenal glands using supplements adaptogenic herbs, vitamins, glandulars and bioidentical hormones, including cortisol, DHEA, pregnenolone and progesterone can help alleviate adrenal fatigue.

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When stress becomes chronic, it can affect the adrenal glands which are responsible for the production of a variety of hormones, including sex hormones, hormones that help regulate blood pressure and metabolism and controls the fight or flight instinct. If stress is not relieved, adrenal hormone functions can begin to decline and cause hormonal imbalances in the body, which can lead to many symptoms. Learning how to relieve stress and nourish the body can help restore adrenal functions.

Sushma Hirani, M.D., practices functional and integrative medicine to treat chronic diseases, such as hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, at Rose Wellness Center, in Oakton, VA. She specializes in women’s health care, natural hormone balancing and digestive disorders.

Join her for a free, live webinar, sponsored by Natural Awakenings on Tuesday, December 13 from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. to learn more about natural approaches in dealing with adrenal issues.

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December 2016

21

selfcare

To enjoy a cup of herbal tea is to imbibe in a beverage that will reinforce well-being.

WAKE UP

For the Taste of Tea

by Teresa Boardwine

C

hoose the tea, herb, spice or aroma to warm, invigorate and indulge your senses during the holiday season. To enjoy a cup of herbal tea is to imbibe in a beverage that will reinforce well-being. A tea of peppermint can be taken to support respiratory, soothe the stomach or stimulate the psyche. A pot of cold and flu herbal tea includes peppermint along with elderflower and yarrow leaf and flowers that inhibit viral infections and clears a cold.

And baby when it is cold outside—try making a spicy yogi tea decoction of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves. Simmer together a blend of these herbs then steep a bit of black or green tea in the warmth

of the delicious brew. Add honey and milk if you like to create a sweetened tea enjoyed throughout the cold winter days. The added benefit of simmering the yogi herbs is the aromatic warmth that infuses throughout your home.

For a delicious herbal anti-stress infusion try a cup of Holy Basil, known as “Tulsi Tea”. You can create a more relaxing infusion to include chamomile, passion flower or lemon balm. To take the edge off, steep a cup of Tulsi with another herbal adrenal supportive herb such as astragalus root or eleuthero root. The anti-stress herbs build resilience, adapt the nervous system and protect the immune system. These herbs serve to strengthen the individual’s resolve.

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic and non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients whenever possible.

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For an antioxidant-rich fruity beverage, try steeping dried berries like blueberry, cranberry, Hawthorn berry, bilberry and goji berries. One may drink a fruity herb tea to build the blood, tone the veins and support the heart. Some fruits with herb combinations include lemon or orange peel, sumac berries, star anise, fennel seeds and many other aromatic plants. A favorite after-dinner blend to aid digestion is Star Mix; with fennel seed, anise seed, star anise, licorice root, meadowsweet and peppermint. The other digestive aid is fondly referred to as Passive Tummy Tea with lemon balm, lemon peel, cardamom, fennel and spearmint.

When you want more energy during the dark cold season of the winter and you are tempted to reach for coffee to give your self a pick me up, why not try a matcha latte? Easy enough to whisk powdered green tea into warmed almond milk and sweeten with honey then consume one sip at a time. The matcha will surely brighten your day.

Whatever the tea, enjoy the taste of the season!

Teresa Boardwine, RH (AHG), is the founder of Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine. She has been an herbalist for 23 years and is registered with the American Herbalist Guild.

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Today you are you.

That is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is you-er than you! ~Dr. Seuss

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Road Tripping

A Greener Holiday Consider Giving a Gift to the Planet this Holiday Season

by Rachel Feidelman

W

hat kinds of things first come to mind when you think of the holiday season? Gift giving?

Delicious food? Traveling to see loved ones? Well, if it was any variation or combination of these three things, it is likely that some kind of wasteful behavior is occurring. As the holidays take the forefront in most people’s minds, many place a strong emphasis on luxury and forget to consider environmental implications.

The answer is not to stop celebrating and break tradition all together, but to follow some simple tips to act consciously this holiday and consider what kind of footprint these festivities are leaving on our planet.

Gift Giving

When it comes to presents, often the physical gift, whether it be a toy, gadget or electronic, comes in its own box from the store. If this is the case, consider creating DIY wrapping paper by using the fabric from an old shirt. Not only does this eliminate the need for wrapping paper, but this is also a perfect way to repurpose it, instead of creating direct waste by

The most important part of the holiday season is spending time with friends and family. However, for many this requires hours upon hours of travel. Instead of driving across the country or taking a taxi into the city, it is much more energy efficient to utilize public transportation.

If driving is the only option, carpooling is the way to go. By doing one of these two things, it is possible to save money on gas and tolls, but more than that, one can also save our environment from enduring the air pollution that vehicle with one or two passengers release, especially when simple alternatives are possible.

With just a bit of forethought, there are hundreds of ways that the meaningful parts of the holidays can be enjoyed without placing a burden on the environment. So celebrate the holiday and the fact that your actions are a gift to sustain our beautiful planet.

Rachel Feidelman is a junior at the University of Maryland, studying journalism and economics. She is also an editorial intern with Natural Awakenings, D.C.

tossing the old shirt in the garbage.

Instead of putting clothing in a paper or plastic bag with tissue paper, consider taking a more environmentally friendly route by replacing the tissue paper with dip-dyed, recycled newspapers, or use a permanent marker to decorate an old shipping box and eliminate the bag altogether.

Additionally, if you receive a gift in a festive bag or seasonal wrapping paper, consider saving it for next season. By the time December comes around again, nobody will even think twice about it.

Meal Making

As for holiday dinners, most family’s mottos are some variation of “the more the merrier”, and that often pertains to number of guests as well as quantity of food. This year, try to limit the leftovers.

This will lead to throwing away minimal food and wasting fewer materials to contain the surplus, such as aluminum foil or plastic storage bags. If making less food is out of the question, consider donating what is left after the meal to a local shelter. natural awakenings

December 2016

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moneymatters

A Lesson in Community Investing

A

by Jeremy A. Pearce and Barry Wind

critical component of socially responsible investing is community investment.

Depending on who is making the investment and how the community is impacted, community investing has multiple objectives. One objective might be to invest in targeted companies with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Another is the direct investment in disadvantaged communities, the same communities that we want to see thrive, regardless of their makeup. Other community investments impact how women are treated in the workplace, how small businesses access capital and how housing is made affordable for more people.

Community investments have many attributes that might make them attractive for your investment portfolio. The first is that many community investment funds are open

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Washington, D.C.

to investors of all stripes and financial backgrounds—not just those a with generous income or a high net worth. With low minimum investment requirements, most anyone can put a small portion of their hard-earned savings toward a community project that will enhance the lives of others, create jobs where none existed or revitalize neighborhoods and rural agricultural economies. Further, many endowments and retirement plans are incorporating these same investments into their investment options, boosting the financial impact in communities around the nation and around the world, providing access to capital where it is needed most.

Community investing has grown rapidly due its proven ability to benefit under-resourced populations.

A total of 880 community investing institutions, including community development banks, credit unions, loan funds and venture capital

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

One objective might be to invest in targeted companies with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Another is the direct investment in disadvantaged communities, the same communities that we want to see thrive, regardless of their makeup. funds, collectively manage $64.3 billion in assets. These community investment funds include private equity funds for accredited investors and fixed-income investment notes for retail investors.

While an investor has many options from which to choose for making a community investment, the financial objective can be to reduce the volatility of the portfolio and better diversify the investor’s allocation toward fixed income asset classes, such as corporate or municipal bonds. Community investment notes are directing needed financial resources to underserved sectors such as minority-owned businesses or historically underutilized business zones.

Examples of projects in the United States supported by community investments range from dairy creameries to solar installation companies owned by women to restaurants and theaters in abandoned urban neighborhoods. One business is transforming an abandoned meatpacking factory into a vertical farm and sustainable foods business incubator with a loan from a community investment fund.

The project, which will convert its waste into biogas to heat and light the building, will also bring local foods to a historically distressed,

culturally rich community. Another program provides financing for the purchase of housing by families of modest income who are first-time homebuyers. The program offers competitive interest rates that keep monthly payments affordable, allowing families with smaller incomes to purchase a home.

In summary, community investments are made to deliver social and environmental benefits while serving a positive role in one’s investment portfolio. The ultimate goal of community investing is to enable a sustainable solution to some of the world’s most pressing social challenges by empowering people left out of the financial mainstream.

Providing greater access to capital can have a positive impact on investor returns as well as lead to stronger communities, a just nation and a healthier planet.

Barry Wind and Jeremy A. Pearce are financial advisors in the Washington, D.C., area, specializing in socially responsible investing with SharePower Responsible Investing, Inc. Comments and questions can be sent to BWind@emailsri.com and JeremyAPearce@emailsri.com.

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Investing involves risk including loss of principal. Different types of investments carry varying degrees of risk and clients and prospective clients should be prepared to bear investment and original principal loss. Investing, including socially responsible investing, does not guarantee any amount of success. These are the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Cambridge Investment Research, are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed or acted upon as individualized investment advice.

Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and SharePower Responsible Investing, Inc. are not affiliated. natural awakenings

December 2016

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naturalhealth

Healthy Back Directory

Effective Sleep Positions

Get Restorative Sleep for Overall Health and Well-being

by Vishal Verma

NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER 10560 Main St, Ste PH-1, Fairfax, VA 703-865-5690 NeckBackAndBeyond@ gmail.com NeckBackAndBeyond.com

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Washington, D.C.

D

id you know that the position you sleep in can affect your overall health and well-being? Poor sleep posture can result in neck pain, back pain, headaches, wrinkles, reduced circulation, muscle cramps, fatigue, digestive issues and even sleep apnea.

With some simple guidance and a bit of information about the best sleep positions, as well as tips to help relieve back, shoulder and neck pain, it is possible to have a restorative sleep.

Back Sleepers

According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 8 percent of Americans sleep on their back. This position allows the spine, neck and head remain in a neutral position, which prevents pressure on the spine and minimizes pain. Back sleeping is also best for those who suffer from acid reflux. However, if you snore or suffer from sleep apnea, you should avoid sleeping on your back as it causes the tongue to block your airways.

To help the spine maintain its natural curve, place a pillow under your knees. A pillow for back sleepers should be fairly low to ensure the neck is not craned during sleep. A small roll pillow or rolled towel can be positioned under the neck. Another option is to tuck the pillow under the shoulders so the head

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is further up the pillow. This ensures the neck is not bent forward. Placing your pillow under the shoulders helps to extend the neck and may help relieve muscle pain in the neck.

Side Sleepers

Approximately 15 percent of Americans sleep on their side. This position, with the torso and legs straight, can help prevent back and neck pain and may decrease acid reflux. If you snore or suffer from sleep apnea, this position can help as airways are kept open. Because half of your face is pressed into a pillow, it can lead to premature wrinkling.

According to spine health, you should use a higher pillow when sleeping on your side. This will help ensure that your neck and head are properly aligned with the shoulders. If supplemental support is needed for the neck, place a rolled-up towel or roll pillow under the neck. You can further support the spine by resting one arm on your pillow and placing a pillow between the knees, which pressure off the spine and can help relieve the pain associated with sciatica and back pain.

Fetal Position Sleepers

Forty-one percent of Americans sleep in the fetal position. When sleeping in this

position, it is best to keep your knees slightly bent and sleep on your left side.

This improves circulation in the body, opens airways and helps prevent the uterus from pressing on the liver in pregnant women. Sleeping curled up tightly can cause soreness and breathing difficulties; so, stretch out as far as possible.

Those sleeping in the fetal position require a firmer, thicker pillow to support the spine. The height of the pillow should elevate the head so that it is in a straight line with the shoulders and back. Keep your knees slightly bent and place a pillow between the knees to relieve pressure off the lower back to help relieve and prevent muscle pain.

Stomach Sleepers

Dr. Vishal Verma specializes in functional chiropractic care at Rose Wellness Center, in Oakton, Virginia. He focuses on treating root causes using gentle chiropractic, physical therapy, cold laser therapy, and rehabilitation for fast effective results. Verma treats various chronic and acute pain conditions including back, neck, spine and joint pain, sciatica, fibromyalgia and sports injuries. See ad, page 21.

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Only 7 percent of Americans sleep on their stomach. This position is good for snorers; however, it can lead to back pain, neck pain and place pressure on the joints and muscles, leading to tingling, numbness and irritated nerves.

If you sleep on your stomach, lie face down and prop your forehead on a pillow to make it easier to breathe.

The Mayo Clinic recommends placing a pillow under your pelvis to reduce back strain. Use only a low loft, flat pillow for your head. If a pillow under your head places too much strain on your neck, try sleeping without one.

If you have ever slept in the wrong position, you know how painful it can be. You may wake up with a stiff neck, aching back muscle and feeling unrested. The best sleep position is on your back; however, if you have sleep apnea or suffer from snoring, a side position may be better. The key is to support your spine by choosing the right pillow and placement of the pillow, no matter which sleeping position you prefer.

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Natural Beauty Directory GREEN COMFORT HERBAL APOTHECARY & SCHOOL OF HERBAL MEDICINE 540-937-4283 Green.Comfort@gmail.com

Green Comfort offers a variety of educational opportunities for herbal studies, offering clinical training, integrated medicine and holistic nutrition. Apothecary and garden apprenticeships are available to returning students. Green Comfort Herbal Apothecary Clinic is available by appointment to anyone wishing to discuss their health concerns and a holistic healing regimen.

communityspotlight

A Spotlight on Takoma Park Alternative Care

Local Medical Practice Provides Recommendations for Legal Cannabis Products

by Robin Fillmore

NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES (NYR ORGANIC) 571-277-1480 RandiOrganic@gmail.com US.NYROrganic.com/Shop/ RandICohenCoblenz

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NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

D

r. Patricia Frye thought that she was retiring from a successful medical career in pediatrics, in Southern California, when she returned to her roots, in D.C., a few years ago.

Today, she has a growing global reputation as a medical professional that helps patients with a wide variety of chronic conditions find healing and relief with the use of legal cannabis products.

She opened Takoma Park Alternative Care, in Maryland, last December, and is now preparing for a new location in the same building, which is bigger to accommodate her thriving practice.

Frye evaluates patients and offers recommendations for those who have symptoms of chronic pain, seizure disorders and many other conditions that respond well to cannabis.

Depending on the location of the patient, she is able to make recommendations to obtain products, and for some, she can provide access to the products. The laws of the District and the states dictate a patient’s ability to get specific products.

For example, D.C. patients, with a doctor’s recommendation, can go to a dispensary for medical cannabis. For all other patients, including those from Maryland, Virginia and beyond, Frye is able

The list of conditions for which cannabis products are effective is long and growing, as more solid research is done to confirm its usage. to make recommendations for cannabis-based medicines that are available legally, without a dispensary. The state of Maryland is currently setting up its dispensary network and will offer many higher quality medical cannabis products at that time. The laws in Maryland also were drafted with no residency requirement, meaning that patients need not live in the state.

Without that restriction, Frye has Dr. Patricia Frye a thriving consultation practice with patients from as far away as Australia. Closer to home, patients come to her from Pennsylvania to Florida, and everywhere in between.

Even without Maryland dispensaries, Frye is able to provide highly effective hemp oils with cannabidiol (CBD) that have no psychoactive component. CBD has more medicinal properties than THC and enables the opportunity for healing without the high. For patients with severe chronic pain or conditions that don’t respond well to CBD alone, she is able to write a prescription for synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has been legal in the United States since 1986.

The list of conditions for which cannabis products are effective is long and growing, as more solid research is done to confirm its usage. Many patients come in to find pain management when they have a diagnosis of arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic lower back pain from spinal stenosis or a degenerative disc disease. Frye also works with pediatric patients with seizures. For others, they are seeking relief from chronic pain due to fibro-myalgia or dysautonomia connective tissue diseases and others, for inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease. Cannabis has potent anti-inflammatory properties that support the GI tract.

She also gets referrals from psychiatrists as cannabis has a tremendous ability to help with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and insomnia. The use of cannabis is particularly pronounced for those with a lot of pain syndromes and being treated with methadone and oxycodone. She notes, “I have a patient who, before seeing me, was taking a very high dosage of both methadone and oxycodone. Since putting her on the hemp oil and the synthetic THC, her methadone dose has been decreased by 66 percent and 75 percent for the oxycodone. That decreases her side effects such as drowsiness and decreases the risk of overdosing and respiratory depression. Eventually there is a chance that she can get off those medications completely.”

Although this is not the retirement that Frye had originally

envisioned when moving back to this area, she decided to launch her local practice as she became aware of the building body of evidence for cannabis. As a healer with expanding knowledge in this emerging field, Frye understood that her skills could be used potently and effectively in an area of the country where physicians are just beginning to learn. That is also part of her challenge, with some resistance within the medical community.

Through her work, she is de-stigmatizing cannabis as a medicinal treatment but notes that “a lot of patients are running out of time, particularly those with cancer. It doesn’t help everybody but there’s enough science behind it, enough pre-clinical studies, that shows how cannabis can program malignant cells to die.

They can interfere with cell migration and adherence so it slows down metastasis.” This has been particularly helpful for patients who have chosen to forego conventional chemotherapy.

After years of study and working with thousands of patients, Frye is on a mission to convert those who could be helped significantly but are reluctant to use cannabis because of the possible side effects. She opened her office to “educate them on how it works and how to use it and be clear-minded. You don’t have to be stoned to get the benefits.”

Location: 6930 Carroll Ave., Ste. 412, Takoma Park, MD. For more information about Dr. Frye and the practice, visit Takoma Care.com. See ad, page 14.

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natural awakenings

December 2016

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leadingedge

Root Canals May Lead to Chronic Disease

by Dr. Isabel Sharkar

I

n the 1930s, Dr. Weston A. Price trav- Each tooth has a maze of tiny eled the world studying teeth, bones tubules that, if stretched out, would and diets of native populations who extend for three miles. Bacteria cut off had not been introduced to modern from their food supply and deprived of food. He was one of the first researchers oxygen hide in these tubules, safe from to understand the link your body’s immune between root canals system and antibiotics. and illness. Through The argument is years of research, Price that leaving in a dead discovered that it is tooth as a silent incumechanically imposbator for highly toxic sible to sterilize a rootanaerobic bacteria canaled tooth. Many cannot be good for the chronic degenerative body. It is common diseases have been for such an infection linked with root canals, to extend down into including heart and the jawbone where it kidney disease, arthricreates cavitations—artis, joint and rheumatic eas of necrotic tissue disease, neurological in the jawbone itself. diseases like ALS and Fortunately, with a MS and autoimmune Dr. Isabel Sharkar strong immune system, diseases like lupus and any bacteria venturing even cancer. away from an infected

“The American Dental Association tooth are captured and destroyed. claims root canals have been proven However, if your immune system safe, but there is no actual published is compromised due to an illness, data or research to substantiate this trauma, an accident or high levels of claim,” says Dr. Joseph Mercola. Root chronic stress, it may be unable to canals are performed in the U.S. more control such an infection. The bacteria than 25 million times every year. may migrate to a new location like an When a dentist performs a root canal, organ, gland or other tissue. the tooth is hollowed and filled with

Dr. Robert Jones, a researcher of gutta-percha, which cuts off the tooth the relationship between root canals from its blood supply and fluid no and breast cancer, found an extremely longer circulates through the tooth. high correlation between the two. In

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NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

a five-year study of 300 breast cancer cases, 93 percent of women with breast cancer had root canals and tumors in the majority of cases, occurred on the same side of the body as the root canal(s).

If you already have a root canal, like many of us do, the options are to have the tooth removed and get a partial denture, bridge or zirconium implant. If you either choose to leave the root-canaled tooth in or are in need of a root canal and are opting to have one, it’s time to place all focus on building a strong immune system. Consume an organic diet, locally grown and in season, free from processed food and sugar. Eat fermented foods if your gut is healthy enough. Stay away from pasteurized dairy products, make sure to brush and floss properly, oil pull and deal with your emotions. Each tooth is linked to organs, meridians and emotions.

Your local dentist may have lots of objections to these statements. It’s important to do your own research, formulate your own opinion and make your mouth your own responsibility. The American Dental Association claims it’s a “myth” that the bacteria found in and around root-canaled teeth can cause disease. However, the bacteria in these diseased teeth are not the same as the normal bacteria in your mouth.

Either way, the verdict is still out on whether or not root canals may lead to chronic disease, but if you’ve tried everything else, and you continue to not see the results you seek, the answers may be in your mouth.

Place your health in the helping hands of a holistic or biological dentist. Visit ToxicTeeth.org to find a biological dentist in your area. Search for accredited members of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) or the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM).

Isabel Sharkar, ND, is a licensed naturopathic physician and co-owner of Indigo Integrative Health Clinic, in Georgetown. For more information, call 202-298-9131 or visit Indigo HealthClinic.com. See ad, page 2.

healthyeating

Stress and Sugar Addiction How Excessive Dietary Sugar Affects Your Health

by Elizabeth McMillan

T

he holiday season is approaching, bringing feelings of joy and plenty of stress. Along with work deadlines, taking care of family and often sitting in heavy traffic, we add shopping, entertaining and traveling to our regular routines. Stress is a normal physical response. Historically, humans became stressed when they were faced with a challenge, such as a predator or shortage of food. Today, we are constantly under stress, thus feeling as though the body is under attack.

This triggers the body to make energy more available to fight or take flight.

One of these changes is the

increase in the hormone cortisol in the blood. This hormone is known as the stress-response hormone. Higher levels of cortisol cause impaired digestion, decreased immune response, decreased metabolism, less mobilization of fat and impaired cell regeneration. It also alters mood and brain hormones and the destruction of healthy muscle and bone tissues.

Today, chronic stress is causing an epidemic of high cortisol levels.

Excessive dietary sugars can also cause increased cortisol levels. This begins a cycle of craving sugar. When we are stressed, we crave sugar. High

stress and increased cortisol levels can cause an increase in appetite.

Over time, chronically high cortisol levels decrease the brain’s ability to utilize glucose (sugar). This leads to a dysfunction of many other brain hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

This dysfunction is the root of the carbohydrate or sugar craving.

To stabilize serotonin and dopamine, our mood stabilizer hormones, we need more glucose to meet those needs. As blood glucose levels start to drop, more glucose is needed to meet the hormone’s needs. Thus, we are constantly needing more glucose or carbohydrate intakes to satisfy the brain hormones. This cycle keeps escalating like any other stimulant addiction. Scientific studies report that this addiction is harder to break than cocaine.

To break this cycle, we need to inhibit strictly dietary sugars. A mixedmeal dietary pattern with moderate amounts of protein and fats combined with complex carbohydrates is the best strategy for carbohydrate addiction. Decreasing artificial and additive sugars is also extremely important. The best way to stop the sugar addiction is to quit sugar cold turkey—even cheat days are not suggested. This does not mean that one must decrease on taste.

There are many ways to add flavor and satisfy your sweet-tooth with healthy, natural sugars.

Sugars, carbohydrates and sweets are all around us. Especially during the holidays with all the enticing cookies and drinks at family gatherings and parties. Consequently, it is no surprise we crave them. However, most of us do not understand the biochemical craving that corresponds to sweets and carbohydrates, especially when we are stressed. It is a high price to pay for a few seconds of indulgence!

Elizabeth McMillan, MS, CNS, is a boardcertified clinical nutritionist at Rose Wellness. She is offering free cooking seminars and demonstrations for the holiday season such as Adding Color to the Table, Baking Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free and Dairy-Free and Holiday Detox Strategies. See RoseWellness.com for more information. See ad, page 21.

natural awakenings

December 2016

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practitionerspotlight A Spotlight on

Carol Richardson and Highest Harmony Healing Helping Clients Find Deep Healing

by Robin Fillmore

C

arol Richardson was widowed at the age of 28, when her 34-year-old husband died suddenly of a cerebral aneurysm, leaving her with a 7-month-old son and a 22-month-old daughter.

At that time, she started a new life journey, determined to help people experience love and blessing, even through hard times.

As an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), she served traditional churches for more than 15 years. It was in 1996 when she learned Raja Yoga meditation and it changed her life. The experience led her to the UK four years in a row to study Progressive Counselling and Natural Spiritual Healing at the Self-Realization Meditation Healing Centre.

Upon moving to the District in 2011, she began practicing at the Washington Institute of Natural Medicine (WINM).

Through the training of WINM’s director, Dr. Victoria Goldsten, she added hypnotherapy as one tool she employs to help people experience the positive changes they seek. She also began teaching Inner Harmony Training with Lightworker Certification and Harmony Healing classes, which are certified through WINM.

Since 2015, Richardson has been running her own business, Highest Harmony Healing & Coaching, and practices in Rockville and at two locations in D.C.: National Integrated Health Associates, in Friendship Heights and Deluca Massage, in DuPont Circle. In addition to working with individuals, she offers group

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workshops on stress reduction, healing relationships, children’s mindfulness and movement programs, family yoga (interactive meditation, movement and discussion for increasing harmony at home) and mindfulness and inner peace for activists and first responders.

The motivation for Richardson’s work is to empower her clients to discover their inner core-self, and to live more fully from the truth of who they are. More specifically, Richardson notes, “Understanding the interconnectedness and sacredness of all life in this universe is central to my work and practice. Opening ourselves to receive love, peace and truth through healing, meditation and the intuitively-led life coaching and hypnotherapy enable us to feel greater love, peace and joy in life.”

Typically, she works with people who feel anxious, stressed, desiring a shift in life, seeking a better path forward in their careers, relationships, health and spiritual life. Together, they work to resolve anxiety, heal emotional pain, grief and trauma, heal relationships, reduce stress, discover one’s own deeper, fuller sense of purpose in life, as well as experience inspiring spiritual connections and higher vibrations for more expansive living.

In a typical 90-minute session, patients are invited to share deeply of themselves, their hopes, dreams and concerns. Then they discuss practical ways to make changes, with homework assigned, when needed. Learning yoga stretches, breathing, visualization, and

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

simple meditative techniques enables the client to reduce anxiety, to manage stress, and to overcome limiting thought patterns and limiting beliefs. Richardson adds, “We allow ourselves intuitively to be led to develop a greater sense of the beauty of your inner core self (or your soul self, if you will), and how you can live life more fully, authentically, and joyfully from the core of who you are.

We discuss spiritual understandings of life and the universe, and how these can help you make progress on your journey through life.”

For most clients, she ends the session with 30 to 40 minutes of energy healing, which she calls “Harmony Healing,” because it goes beyond all the training she received (including Reiki 3)—working with the higher self and higher beings who bring the lovely, transformative energy through Richardson, herself.

For those who don’t live nearby, she works with people through distance healing and coaching and has experienced numerous “miracles” through healing, including many through distance healing. Of this profound experience Richardson notes, “I just serve as the vessel for the healing energy, and my true role as a healer is to empower you to connect more fully with the Source of all life and healing.”

In addition to her work with individuals and groups, Richardson offers ongoing transformational workshops. Her Inner Harmony Training with Lightworker Certification includes training in Raja Yoga meditation, subtle energy awareness and management, spiritual worldviews and why they matter, how to connect with and work with Archangels and Ascended Masters and much more.

Richardson radiates the warmth and essence of a deep healer and notes that her greatest joy is when “people get better and happier, as their lives transform and they find meaning.” In so doing, they experience healing on many levels, they feel connected to something greater than themselves and they experience the beauty of Spirit within themselves, in others and in their lives. “I offer myself as a blessing, so that others may be blessed!”

To contact Carol, call 269-365-8939, email Carol.Dodson.Richardson@gmail. com or visit HighestHarmony.guru. See ad, page 19.

naturalpet

Fetch, Stretch, Dance Make Your Dog an Exercise Buddy

Sean Nel/Shutterstock.com

M

an and woman’s best four-legged friend can activate and energize even the most reluctant couch potato or exhausted owner, making the family dog an excellent exercise buddy. Regardless of how lax we may be, everyone feels better after some kind of workout. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology confirms that working up a sweat outdoors affords an appealing boost of energy, enjoyment and improved state of mind.

Dogs love routine, so they’ll be waiting by the door for their daily walks.

Make each outing mindful by letting the pet choose the route and pace. While they stop to sniff, do hamstring stretches by leaning against a wall, fence or tree. Once the warm-up portion is completed, add sprints to burn more calories. Ask for a sit, pick a goal a short distance away and then give the cue to run together fast. After arriving at the goal, ask for another sit.

“Our favorite time to go is before 7 a.m. to avoid cars and when the asphalt isn’t too hot for his paws,” says Monica Weintraub, a food and travel blogger currently working from Beijing, China.

“Carl loves the burst of energy, and we both build muscle.”

A backyard agility course can complement or even substitute for walks.

It’s easy to make with weave poles, jumps and tunnels. Vary the order of the obstacles and run alongside the dog to call out each one. When it’s excessively wet, cold and icy or hot outside, create an indoor agility course. Use blankets and upturned chairs for tunnels, cardboard boxes to designate a weaving trot and a hula hoop for jumps. Set it up on top of rugs that foster firm footing.

Balance can also be improved with exercise balls. While some dogs only see a soccer game, others try to balance on the ball, strengthening core muscles like their humans.

Learning doga, or yoga for dogs, incorporates a canine’s natural trainability, flexibility, mimicry of human moves and desire to please. Kristen Corral, who’s also certified in animal massage, teaches Anima yoga fusion classes for people and pets of all ages in Las Vegas.

“Anima means an expression of one’s true inner self,” she explains. “We work on balance and never force the dogs into poses. They’re excited during the first sessions, but as you move and breathe

Barna Tanko/Shutterstock.com

by Sandra Murphy

together, it becomes a calming and relaxing activity.”

Floor exercises with the help of a dog also helps strengthen core muscles.

Do leg lifts and teach the pet to walk under a raised leg to ensure it stays raised for the proper amount of time.

Incorporate fetch games with sit-ups; throw the toy when sitting up and accept it back while reclining. Alternate arms—the dominant one has better aim, while the other one adds steps for the dog as it runs to fetch an errant toss.

For chair exercises, use a toy to lure the dog under the chair, moving it from side-to-side, simultaneously working the waistline. Fetch lets the dog chase the toy before dropping it in front of the chair, giving the owner’s core muscles a workout when bending to pick it up each time.

Dogs love to play hide-and-seek.

It’s easy with two people; one holds the dog while the other hides. If solo, teach the pet to sit until a timer goes off before starting the hunt.

“I ask Felix, my mixed-breed dog, to hold a sit-stay while I go hide,” says Chantelle Wallace, a professional writer who volunteers to exercise animals at Skyline Pet Care and Fitness, in Austin, Texas. “Hide and seek activates both mental focus and physical exercise.”

Dancing to favorite tunes expends lots of energy. Dogs may perform obedience moves to the beat or, like humans, dance like nobody’s watching.

Scientists at the University of Missouri are among those that have found that music improves moods, too.

Teaching a dog to help around the house impresses everybody and takes advantage of bad weather to catch up on chores. They can tour a laundry basket to bedrooms, pick up trash or place items for recycling in a bin. Select individual items to be carried up or down stairs for a muscular workout. Take some tips from Jesse, a most helpful dog, at Tinyurl.com/HouseholdHelpPooch.

When our will to exercise is wavering, an eager dog will help keep an exercise routine interesting and on track. The dog’s goal is always to have fun with their favorite person.

Connect with freelance writer Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

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wisewords

Krista Tippett on Our Evolving Spirituality Why it Evokes Hope

by Randy Kambic

K

rista Tippett helps us ponder the meaning of life as host and executive producer of On Being, the award-winning weekly radio program and podcast produced in Minneapolis for more than 400 public radio stations. The bestselling author of Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit has been acclaimed for thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence.

Her latest book, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living, reflects upon how spirituality intersects with science, technology, health, art and politics.

This daughter of a Southern Baptist minister first launched her show, originally titled Speaking of Faith (also the title of her first book), on Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media in 2003. Today, Tippett continues to discuss faith, spirit, inner growth and what it is to be human with leading authors, thought leaders and pioneering change makers. She also hosts online classes and a blog.

How has On Being evolved to reflect existing dimensions of spirituality that have proven surprising?

I am fascinated with how spiritual life and religious identity have evolved in the last decade. This part of life is more fluid than it’s ever been in human history. We are the first generation that didn’t inherit religious identity like we 34

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do a hometown. We craft our spiritual lives and choose our faith, even if it’s the faith of our families.

In many that don’t claim a religious affiliation, especially Millennials, I encounter a spiritual curiosity and ethical passion akin to religion at its best. Because seekers dwell both inside and outside of traditions, my life of conversation stretches beyond boundaries in ways I did not expect when I began.

I also never imagined that I’d interview physicists, evolutionary biologists and neuroscientists exploring territory previously reserved for theologians and philosophers. Together, they are illuminating the ancient questions related to our place in the cosmos; the nature of human freedom and consciousness; even beauty and the reality of mystery.

Which guests do you feel have resonated the most with listeners and why?

A show that seems to have touched more people most deeply is my interview with the Irish poet, philosopher and author John O’Donohue just before he died in his early 50s. He radiated such an unusual combination of qualities: wisdom, tenderness and playfulness; mysticism, theology and a raw Celtic earthiness. He’s someone who could speak of God with great wildness, strangeness—and authority. He inspired with his vision of beauty as a human calling and somehow embodied it for

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the listener. I meet all kinds of people that keep that show on their playlist and listen again and again.

In general, my favorite guest is the most recent person interviewed.

At the moment, it’s Jimmy Wales, the Wikipedia co-founder, who stunned me with his insistence on kindness as the virtue that’s made this nonprofit’s ethos and accomplishments possible. Another is civil rights veteran Ruby Sales, who wisely works to uplift the human drama of our political/social moment, like the way we must come to be as articulate about what we love as about what outrages us.

How do you see people’s awakening sensibilities influencing local and global issues?

I am drawn to the notion that we are in the adolescence of our species. The globe right now is like a map of the teenage brain, prone to recklessness and destruction in places and simultaneously possessing vast potentials for creativity and advances. So many are relentless in telling the story of destruction that it seriously colors how we tell the story of our time. I stand among those shining a light on the abundant beauty, goodness and courage in our world so these become more visible and evident at a global level.

Are you optimistic about the future?

I am hopeful about the future. My life of meaningful conversation has led me to re-imagine the meaning of hope. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking, but rests on the lives of beauty and goodness I see everywhere I turn. It’s a choice—a more exacting and courageous choice than cynicism or resignation. The pain and fear alive in the world surface as anger and violence, and some of us are called to be calmers of fear.

We must create the world we want our children to inhabit and do so together. Hope isn’t an option on this path; it is one of our primary resources for getting there.

Randy Kambic is a freelance writer and editor in Estero, FL, and regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.

calendarofevents

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9

NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Email Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – 6-9pm.

Through Dec 4. This program is perfect for the avid yoga student who wants to become a yoga teacher or anyone that wants to deepen their personal practice. Scholarships available. The Mindfulness Center, 4963 Elm St, Ste 100, Bethesda, MD. Register: 301-986-1090 or Roxanne@The MindfulnessCenter.org.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2 The Connection Practice (Part 1) – 6-9pm.

Through Dec 3. Social and Emotional Intelligence for all. 12 CEUs. $199. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

Sound Journey with Alchemy Bowls and Gongs – 7:30-9pm. With Saraswati Om. While relaxing in savasana, the sounds of the Crystal Alchemy Bowls and Gongs will bathe students in sound healing on the deepest levels. $25 pre-registration or $35 at the door. Be Here Now Yoga, Healing and Wellness, 411 8th St, SE. Info: 202-643-8875 or Info@BeHereNowYogaDC.com.

Friday Night Candlelight Yoga – 8-9:30pm.

Through gently energetic and continuous flow we release tension and balance energy, while soft candlelight sets an ambiance to calm the mind and explore inner depths. The Mindfulness Center, 4963 Elm St, Ste 100, Bethesda, MD. Info: 301986-1090 or TheMindfulnessCenter@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 Touch of Massage – 10am-5pm. A taste of Swedish massage techniques as taught at PMTI. Develop your love for giving and receiving the gift of touch.

Potomac Massage Training Institute PMTI, 8380 Colesville Rd, Ste 600, Silver Spring, MD. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

Inversion Workshop – 2-5pm. Benefits of inversions include more balanced energy, improved cognitive clarity and increased circulation to the brain. Learn how to safely approach inversions such as shoulderstands and headstand. The Mindfulness Cen-

ter, 4963 Elm St, Ste 100, Bethesda, MD. Register: 301-986-1090 or TheMindfulness Center@gmail.com.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4 Yoga Class and Mediation – 8:30-10:30am. A yoga class and meditation with Beant Singh and presenting a lecture and meditation with Yogi Bhajan on video. $20. Raj Yoga, 22821 Silverbrook Center Dr, Unit 160, 2nd Floor, Sterling, VA. Register: RajYoga.com.

Dharma Yoga’s Great Practice: Maha Sadhana Workshop – 2:30-4:30pm. The practice reflects Sri Dharma Mittra’s balanced and uplifting approach to yoga, which includes purification techniques for the body, mind and nervous system. $22.69. Yoga District, 1830 1st St, NW. Register: Clients.MindBodyOnline.com/Classic/ ws?Studioid=2070&stype=-8&sTG=11&sView= day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100000498&Date=12/04/16.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 Stress, Hormones and Health – 7:30-8:30pm.

Dr. Satcher will tell you about the latest scientific breakthroughs and methods that help you permanently and safely remove unwanted belly fat while quickly reclaiming your health, your youth, and your life. Must qualify to get details. Regenasyst Wellness/Om Wellness PC, 10560 Main St, Fairfax, VA. Register: 703-454-9326 x0 or Info@ TreatYourselfToHealth.com or TreatYourselfTo Health.com.

WEDNSDAY, DECEMBER 7 Essential Oils 101 – 6:30-9:30pm. A free introduction. Essential oils for massage therapy monthly series continues the first Wednesday of each month. Dec 7: Stress and Emotions; Jan 4: Men’s Health; and Feb 1: Your Animals. 3 CEUs. $65 for 1 session or $120 for 2 sessions or $170 for 3 sessions. Potomac Massage Training Institute PMTI, 8380 Colesville Rd, Ste 600, Silver Spring, MD. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@ PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

MUIH Webinar: Careers in Herbal Medicine – 7-8pm. This webinar will introduce you to the various careers available for herbalists now and into the future. You’ll hear about the exciting work of some of our alumni as well as the industry and consumer trends that are fueling the need for experts. Free. Maryland University of Integrative Health, Online. Info: Events@ MUIH.edu.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 MUIH Webinar: Workplace Wellness: Developing a Culture of Health – 7-8pm. If you are interested in public health, health education, community health or health promotion, please join us to get your questions answered in this webinar. Free.

Maryland University of Integrative Health, Online.

Info: Events@MUIH.edu.

Weekend Meditation Retreat (Advanced Meditation Seminar M200 - 8hrs) – 6:30-9:30pm. Through Dec 10. Be guided deep into the realms of personal awareness and integration. As the practitioner, learn to deepen your practice and learn to guide others to do the same. The Mindfulness Center, 4963 Elm St, Ste 100, Bethesda, MD. Info: 301-986-1090 or The MindfulnessCenter@gmail.com.

Singles Sangha – 7-10pm. A welcoming community of people who gather to experience a shared connection with others who are, by choice or by circumstance, single at this time in their lives. All varieties and ages of single people are encouraged to join. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10

specialevent Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness This two-hour workshop presents the basics of mindfulness and meditation and how it helps reduce stress, anxiety, insomnia, increase fertility and normalize blood sugar. By the end of our time together, participants will know how to incorporate both into your life. We will be practicing meditation in class, as well as doing other mindfulness exercises.

Saturday, December 10 • 1-3pm $60/person or bring a friend $100.

Cynthia Kane at Locale Workroom, 52 O St, Ste 102, NW. RSVP: Eventbrite. com/e/Introduction-to-Meditation-and -Mindfulness-Tickets-28919832999.

Visualize the New Year: A Mini-Book Workshop – 1-5pm. This workshop invites you to consider what you envision for yourself for the year 2017.

You will use guided visualization and journaling to determine tools to work through blocks. Learn to make simple mini-books from recycled greeting cards to guide your vision into the New Year. $45 (suggested donation). Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 Children’s Sangha – 4:15-5:30 pm. For 5-12-yearolds, accompanied by parents. The class provides young children with a Buddhist framework to explore their inner life, understand the causes of emotional stress, and develop peace, wisdom and kindness. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Peace and Love Songs and Chants – 5-6:30pm.

With Gurutrang. Happy Holidays with The Moody Blues. Enjoy 1-hour intimate sing-alongs featuring a beloved genre, famous artist or band, blended with yoga chants, to make you feel happy, connected and relaxed. Raj Yoga, 22821 Silverbrook Center Dr, Unit 160, 2nd Floor, Sterling, VA. Register: RajYoga.com.

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HereNowYogaDC.com/Workshops/?Mobile= False&Options%5Bids%5D=635&Options%5 Bsite_id%5D=212346. Info: 202-643-8875 or Info@BehereNowYogaDC.com.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 Winter Solstice Yoga Mala – 1:30-3:30pm. Join us in welcoming winter. Marco will lead us in the practice of 108 sun salutations (12 rounds of 9), offering an optional yin pose in between each set.

We will finish with a yoga nidra. $28/nonmember and $22/member. Be Here Now Yoga, Healing and Wellness, 411 8th St, SE. For info, contact: Info@ BehereNowYogaDC.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 Stress, Hormones and Health – 7:30-8:30pm.

See Dec 6 for details. Regenasyst Wellness/Om Wellness PC, 10560 Main St, Fairfax, VA. Register: 703-454-9326 x0 or Info@TreatYourself toHealth.com or TreatYourselftoHealth.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 Holiday Social – 7-9pm. Join the Holistic Moms as we wind down our eighth year as a chapter. This is a night to connect with friends old and new and to take a moment to pause and reflect. Bring a dish, dessert, or drink to share. Holistic Moms Network/ Arlington Alexandria Chapter at Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA. Info: Facebook.com/HMNArlington VA/?ref=Bookmarks.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 Festival of Lights and Holiday Bazaar – 5:30-8:30pm. Holiday Bazaar: 5:30-8:30pm and Festival of Lights: 6:30-7:30pm. An evening of joyous student performances honoring winter season celebrations. Featuring a bazaar with vendors offering hand-made fair-trade pottery, jewelry, gifts and more. Free admission and $60 for vendor table. Oneness-Family School, 6701 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD. Info: Contact June Lang 301-652-7751 or OnenessFamily School.org or RSVP@OnenessFamily.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17 CPR/First Aid – 10am-5pm. Red Cross Approved.​ $80 for all or $45 for one part only. Info: 202-6867046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

Stitch Together and Unwind – 12:30-4:30pm. Join us for an afternoon of knitting and restorative movement to foster wellness, comfort and community.

Two shawl pattern kits will be available with helpful instructors. We will end with 1 hour of Feldenkrais, a mind-body approach to fitness to improve posture, reduce stress and discover ease in movement. $20 (suggested donation) and $25 for complete shawl kit.

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St. NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

Partner Thai Yoga Massage – 3-6pm. Alexandra will guide us through two 75-minute flowing massage sequences—one to give and one to receive. Learn some techniques to use at home or simply enjoy yourself and relax for the afternoon. $35 pre-registration or $40 at the door. Be Here Now Yoga, Healing and Wellness, 411 8th St, SE. Register: Be

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Monthly Kirtan – 7:30-8:30pm. By donation.

Join us for our monthly kirtan at BHNY. Kirtan is a call-and-response chanting performed in India’s bhakti devotional traditions. Be Here Now Yoga, Healing and Wellness, 411 8th St, SE. Info: 202643-8875 or Info@BeHereNowYogaDC.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 19 Laughter Yoga – 6:30-7:30pm. Please join us for a playful and fun practice that has been proven to reduce stress and strengthen the immune system. The session ends with a silent meditation. Free. Arlington Central Library auditorium, 1015 N Quincy St, Arlington, VA. Info: ArlingtonLaughterYoga@ yahoo.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29 Fire and Ice: New Year’s Yoga Retreat to Iceland – Through Jan 5. Join teachers Sonia Azad and HawaH as we chase the Northern Lights, soak in natural hot springs, snowshoe through epic vistas and have daily yoga classes on an unforgettable journey to one of the world’s most beautiful untapped treasures. $2,700-$3,300. One Yoga Global, Iceland. Register: Goo.gl/PnZwv8. Info: Info@ OneYogaGlobal.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31 Intention Setting Workshop – 7-9pm. With Nya Alemayhu. Nya will guide an empowering Vinyasa Flow that will prepare the body for a focused meditation on the energetic and emotional qualities of the Chakra— the seven major energy centers of the body. $40. Yoga with Nya at S3 Active, 1274 5th St, NE. Register: YogawithNya.com.

plan ahead SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 Peace and Love Songs and Chants – 5-6:30pm.

With Gurutrang. Welcome the new year with Simon and Garfunkel. Enjoy 1-hour intimate singalongs featuring a beloved genre, famous artist or band, blended with yoga chants, to make you feel happy, connected and relaxed. Raj Yoga, 22821 Silverbrook Center Dr, Unit 160, 2nd Floor, Sterling, VA. Register: RajYoga.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 Health Care Provider CPR – 10am-5pm. 6 CEUs $120. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

Touch of Massage – 10am-5pm. A taste of Swedish massage techniques as taught at PMTI. Develop

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your love for giving and receiving the gift of touch.

Potomac Massage Training Institute PMTI, 8380 Colesville Rd, Ste 600, Silver Spring, MD. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 Trager Level II – 9am-6pm. Through Jan 30.

Level 2 is given over two weekends. Second half of this class is given March 4-6. Prerequisite is Trager Level 1. 48 CEUs. $855 by Dec 28 or $900 after. Potomac Massage Training Institute PMTI, 8380 Colesville Rd, Ste 600, Silver Spring, MD. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@ PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 CPR/First Aid – 10am-5pm. Red Cross Approved.​ $80 for all or $45 for one part only Info: 202-6867046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 Trager Level II – 9am-6pm. Through Jan 30. 48 CEUs. $900. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI. org or PMTI.org.

Reiki Level 1 with Certification – 9am-5pm. With Gurunater Kaur. Preregister by Jan 25th. $150. Raj Yoga, 22821 Silverbrook Center Dr, Unit 160, 2nd Floor, Sterling, VA. Register: RajYoga.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Essential Oils 101 – 6:30-9:30pm. A free introduction. Essential Oils for Massage Therapy monthly series continues the first Wednesday of each month.

Feb 1 Your Animals. 3 CEUs. $65. Potomac Massage Training Institute PMTI, 8380 Colesville Rd, Ste 600, Silver Spring, MD. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Biodynamic Cranialsacral Therapy – 9am-6pm.

Through Feb 9. Series Continues with Part 8. 32 CEUs. $695. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI. org or PMTI.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6 Dolphin Healing Adventure – Through April 13.

Dolphin healing Adventure Red Sea, Egypt, everyone who commits loves dolphins, commits to the self is welcome. Price upon request. GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic and MDV-SEIA at Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt. Register: 518-208-0509 or IkieraHealing@gmail.com. Info: IkieraHealing.com/ Healing-Offers/Dolphin-Lovers.

ongoingevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Email NAcalendar@naturalawakeningsD.com for guidelines and to submit entries. No phone calls or faxes, please. Or visit swfl. naturalawakeningsmag.com/advertising to submit online.

sunday

wednesday

Sunday Morning Meditation Class – 10:30am12:30pm. With Hugh Byrne. An oasis in a busy week, including 30-minute guided meditations, a 10-minute walking meditation and 30-minute discussion. A mini-retreat. Drop-ins welcome. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Early Morning Meditation – 7:30-8:15am. See Mon for details. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Mindfulness in Recovery – 6:30-8pm. This group is open to new meditators and seasoned practitioners alike with a common interest in the intersection of Buddhist teachings and 12 Step recovery.

All 12 Steppers are welcome and have at least 90 days of continuous recovery and a working relationship with a home 12 Step recovery group before attending your first meeting. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

monday Early Morning Meditation – 7:30-8:15am. A beautiful way to start your day, with a 30-minute meditation and optional 15-minute discussion following. Drop-ins welcome. A project of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW). The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Gentle Yoga – 10:30-11:45am. Gentle yoga classes to help reduce stress and balance the mind, body and spirit. All experience levels welcome. $10/class or $25/month (suggested donation). Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

tuesday Early Morning Meditation – 7:30-8:15am. See Mon for details. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Chair Yoga – 12-1pm. You are invited to relax deeply as we move through a series of gentle seated and supported poses that promote self-care. No class Dec 27. $10/class or $25/month (suggested donation). Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

Gentle Yoga – 6-7:15pm. See Mon for details. $10/class or $25/month (suggested donation).

No class Dec 27. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

Outside the Lines: A Creative Art Studio – 10:30am-12:30pm. 1st and 3rd Wed. Facilitators will help reclaim art-making as a healing tool through guided creative projects. $10/session (suggested donation). Smith Center for Healing the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Register: 202-483-8600.

Info: SmithCenter.org/Calendar.

ment and awareness to affect energy flow, qigong is rooted in Chinese medicine, martial arts and philosophy. $20. The Mindfulness Center, 4963 Elm St, Ste 100, Bethesda, MD. Info: 301-986-1090 or TheMindfulnessCenter@gmail.com.

Meditation Circle and Vegetarian Potluck – 6 pm.

Guided meditation with music begins at 7:30. $10 (suggested donation). 12803 Twinbrook Pkwy, Ste. 204, Rockville. Contact Carol “Anandi” 269-365-8939.

Calendar A wonderful resource for filling your workshops, seminars and other events.

Mindfulness Meditation – 7-8pm. 2nd and 4th Wed. $15 donations accepted. Info: 202-686-7046 or Info@PMTI.org or PMTI.org.

Teen Sanga – 7:30-9pm. 2nd and 4th Wed. The teen sangha provides a framework for exploring one’s inner life, understanding the causes of emotional stress and realizing the possibility of inner freedom. We explore key Buddhist teachings and how they can be helpful in navigating life’s inevitable challenges. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

thursday Early Morning Meditation – 7:30-8:15am. See Mon for details. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Gentle Yoga – 10:15-11:30am. See Mon for details. No class Dec 29. $10/class or $25/month (suggested donation). Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

friday Early Morning Meditation – 7:30-8:15am. See Mon for details. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW, Tenleytown.

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Move, Learn, Create – 11am-12:15pm. Stretch your creative capacity, feel good and connect with fellow participants. Featuring a variety of dance styles, the class is a well-paced and refreshing experience for all. $10/session or $25/month (suggested donation). No class December 2, 23 and 30.

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St, NW. Info: 202-483-8600 or SmithCenter.org.

Tai Chi and Qigong -5pm. Aligning breath, move-

Contact us for guidelines so we can assist you through the process.

We’re here to help!

202-505-4835 NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

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communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care 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

BEDROOM FURNITURE SAVVY REST NATURAL BEDROOM

NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER

10560 Main St, Ste PH-1, Fairfax, VA 703-865-5690 NeckBackAndBeyond@gmail.com NeckBackAndBeyond.com Neck Back & Beyond in Fairfax, VA, offers chiropractic and naturopathic care, acupuncture, massage, colon hydrotherapy (colonics), reflexology, lymphatic drainage and more. See ad, page 23.

258 Maple Ave East, Vienna, VA and 12242 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 703-255-7040 (VA) or 301-770-7040 (MD) Maddie@SavvyRest.com • SRNB.com Savvy Rest Natural Bedroom is the premier retailer of Savvy Rest organic mattresses and bedding, a Virginia manufacturer and retailer of fine bedroom furniture.

See ad, page 15.

CANNABIS PRODUCTS SHAWNA SNYDER

Rose Wellness Center 2944 Hunter Mill Rd, Ste 101, Oakton, VA 571-529-6699 Info@RoseWellness.com RoseWellness.com Shawna Snyder is a licensed acupuncturist specializing in pain management. She effectively relieves pain by custom tailoring a comprehensive treatment plan to achieve optimal results. See ad, page 21. .

ARCHITECT

HELICON WORKS ARCHITECTS

7108 Holly Ave, Takoma Park, MD 301-404-5578 • Bill@HeliconWorks.com HeliconWorksArchitects.com Helicon Works Architects is a green architecture and natural building collaborative in the D.C. metro area. We create healthy and ecological homes for our clients. See ad, page 11. e

CBD REVOLUTION US

202-730-9443 CBDRevolutionUS@gmail.com CBDRevolutionUS.com We increase public awareness of hemp health/CBD that enables the mind and body to work at their optimal state thereby promoting ultimate health, wellness and longevity.

We are an innovative community, passionate about empowering individuals to balance their health and wealth while becoming leaders in the cannabis movement. We spread the truth about the benefits of an amazing plant in our modern culture, teaching people how to get healthy without the high. See ad, page 15.

CHIROPRACTOR NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER

10560 Main St, Ste PH-1, Fairfax, VA 703-865-5690 • NeckBackAndBeyond.com NeckBackAndBeyond@gmail.com Neck Back & Beyond in Fairfax, VA, offers chiropractic and naturopathic care, acupuncture, massage, colon hydrotherapy (colonics), reflexology, lymphatic drainage and more. See ad, page 23.

AROMATHERAPY

MOTHER NATURE’S STORE 703-851-0087 Laina_Poulakos@hotmail.com MothersNatureStore.com

C e r t i f i e d a r o m at h e r ap i s t and herbalist offering lifestyle consultations and handmade products, including soaps, balms and beard oils. Reach a better state of body and mind.

See ad, page 18.

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SHAANS CHIROPRACTIC AND SPORTS REHAB CLINIC

2946 Sleepy Hollow Rd, Ste 2-A, Falls Church, VA • 703-237-2161 Contact@ShahverdiChiropractic.com ShahverdiChiropractic.com

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Chiropractic preventive care, naturally. See ad, page 7.

DR. VISHAL VERMA, DC, CCSP Rose Wellness Center 571-529-6699 RoseWellness.com

Dr. Verma specializes in functional ch i ropr a c t i c c are for p ai n management and active restoration of the body. He treating root causes using gentle chiropractic, physical therapy, cold laser therapy and rehabilitation for fast effective results. Dr. Verma treats back, neck, spine and joint pain, sciatica, sports injuries, fibromyalgia, and various other chronic and acute pain conditions. See ad, page 21.

CLEANING MAID BRIGADE CAPITAL REGION

4813-A Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA 800-515-6243 Marketing@Maid-Brigade.com MaidBrigade.com

We are Green Clean Certified so you can have peace of mind that your home will be healthier for you, your pets, and the environment. See ad, page 25.

COACHING GPS YOUR PATH

Life Transformation Coaching Germantown, MD 301-515-0470 GPSYourPath.com Bonnie Patterino is an international best-selling author/speaker and one of the world’s leading Hand Print Analysts. Her methods have helped thousands find purpose, vitality and well-being.

COMPOUNDING PHARMACY GOLDEN HEALTH PHARMACY

46950 Community Plaza, Ste 112, Sterling, VA 703-430-8883 ElsaLam@GoldenHealthPharmacy GoldenHealthPharmacy.com Prescriptions with personal attention (we accept all insurance). Compounding pharmacy for special medications and your pet’s special needs. Integrating pharmacy services with nutritional support. Juice Bar, holistic health and wellness workshops, cooking classes for disease management and an infrared sauna with acoustic sound therapy. See ad, page 21.

FAT REDUCTION THERAPY ZERONA FAT REDUCTION

2946 Sleepy Hollow Rd, Ste 2-A, Falls Church, VA • 703-237-2161 Contact@ShahverdiChiropractic.com ShahverdiChiropractic.com Effective, non-invasive, fat reduction therapy. See ad, page 7.

HARMONY LIFE COACHING HIGHEST HARMONY HEALING AND COACHING

Rev Carol Anandi Richardson M.Div., MPH Body-Mind-Spirit Coach, Mystic Healer, Speaker, Author 12803 Twinbrook Pkwy, Ste 204, Rockville, MD • 269-365-8939 Carol.Dodson.Richardson@gmail.com HighestHarmony.Guru

HOLISTIC PARENTING

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

HOLISTIC MOMS NETWORK ARLINGTON/ALEXANDRIA CHAPTER HolisticMomsArlAlex@gmail.com HolisticMomsArlAlex.blogspot.com

National nonprofit organization supporting parents in their natural lifestyle choices. Local chapters: Arlington/Alexandria, Burke/Springfield, Loudoun, NoVA/Fairfax, Montgomery County and Harford County. National: HolisticMoms.org. Local: Bit.ly/1rHHgaT.

MINDFUL HEALTHY LIFE

Online lifestyle magazine for D. C . - are a n atu r a l minded families. Event calendar, resource directory, blog. News, events, giveaways, profiles, tips for holistic healthy living and mindful parenting.

HOLISTIC NUTRITION HEALTHY PETS WHOLE PET CENTRAL

Info@WholePetCentral.com WholePetCentral.com We are your one-stop destination for all things natural regarding your pet’s nutritional and grooming needs. Shop online or visit one of our stores locations in Rockville, MD, Herndon, VA or Ashburn, VA. See ad, page 14.

HERBS MOTHER NATURE’S STORE 703-851-0087 Laina_Poulakos@hotmail.com MothersNatureStore.com

Certified aromatherapist and herbalist offering lifestyle consultations and handmade products, including soaps, balms and beard oils. Reach a better state of body and mind. See ad, page 18.

Rose Wellness Center 2944 Hunter Mill Rd, Ste 101, Oakton, VA 571-529-6699 Info@RoseWellness.com RoseWellness.com Dr. Sultana Afrooz specializes in diagnosing and treating patients who have been chronically ill from effects of tick-borne infection, mold toxicity and environmental toxicity. See ad, page 21.

SUSHMA HIRANI, MD

571-358-8645 Jessica@MindfulHealthyLife.com MindfulHealthyLife.com

Mastermind Stars: Mindfulness and Movement Programs for students, teachers and families. See ad, page 19.

SULTANA AFROOZ, DO

ELIZABETH MCMILLAN, MS, CNS Rose Wellness Center 571-529-6699 RoseWellness.com

Elizabeth McMillan is a boardcertified clinical nutritionist specializing in functional nutrition. She believes in finding the root cause of aliments and creating a personalized dietary plan to restore optimal wellness.

Elizabeth specializes in diabetes, food sensitivities, gastrointestinal health, autoimmunity and metabolic syndrome issues. Call today to see how she can help. See ad, page 21.

HOMEOPATHY

Rose Wellness Center 2944 Hunter Mill Rd, Ste 101, Oakton, VA 571-529-6699 Info@RoseWellness.com RoseWellness.com Dr. Sushma Hirani uses an integrative approach to wellness, utilizing conventional medicine and evidence-based complementary therapies. She strives to treat the whole person an d e mph a s i z e s nut r it i on , preventive care and lifestyle changes. Dr. Hirani specializes in the treatment of chronic issues such as hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, menopause and women’s health issues. Patients love her compassionate care and personalized attention. See ad, page 21.

INDIGO INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CLINIC 1010 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 660, DC 202-298-9131 IndigoHealthClinic.com

The body has an innate ability to heal itself and achieve balance from everyday stressors through non-toxic, non-aggressive and highly effective modalities. See ad, page 2.

ROSE WELLNESS CENTER

MICHAEL LISS

Rose Wellness Center 571-529-6699 • RoseWellness.com Michael Liss is a Doctor of Classical Homeopathy and an integrative health practitioner. He specializes in using homeopathy to help you find relief from various emotional and physical health problems including addictions, s u b s t a n c e a b u s e , a n x i e t y, depression, allergies, asthma, childhood ailments, migraines, hair and skin disorders, immune deficiencies and sinus disorders.

See ad, page 21.

2944 Hunter Mill Rd, Ste 101, Oakton, VA 571-529-6699 Info@RoseWellness.com RoseWellness.com Suffering from chronic pain, fatigue, allergies, stress? Whatever your health challenges, Rose Wellness Center can help you get on the path to real wellness. We help identify hormone, metabolic, digestive, nutritional and food sensitivity issues to get to the root cause of your health problems, where true healing begins. Our services include digestive and women’s health programs, hormone balancing, acupuncture, Lyme treatment, homeopathy and thyroid management. See ad, page 21.

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December 2016

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TAKOMA PARK ALTERNATIVE CARE 6930 Carroll Ave, Ste 412, Takoma Park 301-328-3045 Info@TakomaCare.com TakomaCare.com

Pediatric and adult evaluations for D.C. and MD by certified medicinal cannabis specialist.

Tr e a t m e n t / d o s i n g recommendations; nonp s ycho a c t ive proto c ols available. No residenc y restrictions for MD program.

See ad, page 14.

POLARITY THERAPY NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER

Janice M Johnson 703-865-5690 NeckBackAndBeyond@gmail.com NeckBackAndBeyond.com Allow me to join you in creating your own individualized treatment program, which provides a safe and supportive experience for your healing process, with Polarity Therapy and Swiss Bionic Solutions MRS 2000 (Magnetic Resonance Stimulation) pulsed electro magnetic fields (PEMF). See ad, page 23.

INTEGRATIVE NUTRITIONIST ELIZABETH MCMILLAN, MS, CNS Rose Wellness Center 571-529-6699 RoseWellness.com

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE ANNE BERKELEY, ND

Elizabeth McMillan is a boardcertified clinical nutritionist specializing in functional nutrition.

She believes in finding the root cause of aliments and creating a personalized dietary plan to restore optimal wellness. Elizabeth specializes in diab etes, fo o d s ensitivities, gastrointestinal health, autoimmunity and metabolic syndrome issues. See ad, page 21.

MEDICAL BARNARD MEDICAL CENTER 5100 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 401, NW 202-527-7500 BarnardMedical.org

The Barnard Medical Center partners medical care with the latest advances in prevention and nutrition to create a healthcare plan designed just for you. If you need to treat and reverse diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, we will help you revolutionize your health.

Better eating habits are often the key to better health. .

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

1915 I St, Ste 700, NW 202-798-0221 MedicineToThrive.com

Dr. Anne Berkeley is a licensed, boardcertified naturopathic physician offering individualized health care to your entire family with an emphasis on prevention and wellness.

PRESCRIPTIONS GOLDEN HEALTH PHARMACY

46950 Community Plaza, Ste 112, Sterling, VA 703-430-8883 ElsaLam@GoldenHealthPharmacy GoldenHealthPharmacy.com Prescriptions with personal attention (we accept all insurance). Compounding pharmacy for special medications and your pet’s special needs. Integrating pharmacy services with nutritional support. Juice Bar, holistic health and wellness workshops, cooking classes for disease management and an infrared sauna with acoustic sound therapy. See ad, page 21.

TAKOMA PARK ALTERNATIVE CARE 6930 Carroll Ave, Ste 412, Takoma Park 301-328-3045 • TakomaCare.com Info@TakomaCare.com

Pediatric and adult evaluations for D.C. and MD by certified medicinal cannabis specialist.

Tr e a t m e n t / d o s i n g recommendations; nonpsychoactive protocols available. No residency restrictions for MD program. See ad, page 14.

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RETREAT CENTER SEVENOAKS RETREAT CENTER

403 Pathwork Way Madison VA 22727 SevenoaksRetreat.org 540-948-6544 A serene and beautiful sanctuary for retreats where mindfulness and healing can occur. The lush grounds, forest and walking trails are inspirational and tranquil with wildlife and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. See ad, page 8.

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SHIATSU THERAPIST NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER

Natalie Depastas 10560 Main St, Ste PH-1, Fairfax, VA 703-865-5690 NeckBackAndBeyond@gmail.com NeckBackAndBeyond.com Nathalie Depastas is a highly skilled acupuncturist and Shiatsu therapist with 30 years of experience in Chinese medicine, including medical qigong. See ad, page 23.

SPIRITUAL LIVING UNITY OF FAIRFAX

2854 Hunter Mill Rd, Oakton, VA 703-281-1767 • UnityOfFairfax.org Admin@UnityOfFairfax.org

minded individuals.

At Unity of Fairfax, we offer a welcoming, safe environment to explore one’s own relationship with God in a community of like-

UNITY OF GAITHERSBURG

111 Central Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 301-947-3626 Admin@UnityOfGaithersburg.org UnityOfGaithersburg.org We are a vibrant spiritual community awakening love, joy and abundance in all. We honor all people and inspire them to live out their potential.

SPORTS REHABILITATION SHAANS CHIROPRACTIC AND SPORTS REHAB CLINIC

2946 Sleepy Hollow Rd, Ste 2-A, Falls Church, VA • 703-237-2161 Contact@ShahverdiChiropractic.com ShahverdiChiropractic.com Shaans Chiropractic is a topranked provider of effective patient-centered care for many types of sports injuries, including injuries involving the musculoskeletal system and nervous system. See ad, page 7.

THERMOGRAPHY NECK BACK & BEYOND WELLNESS CENTER

10560 Main St, Ste PH-1, Fairfax, VA NeckBackAndBeyond@gmail.com NeckBackAndBeyond.com • 703-865-5690 Neck Back & Beyond in Fairfax, VA, offers chiropractic and naturopathic care, acupuncture, massage, colon hydrotherapy (colonics), reflexology, lymphatic drainage and more. See ad, page 23.

ROSE WELLNESS CENTER

2944 Hunter Mill Rd, Ste 101, Oakton, VA 571-529-6699 RoseWellness.com Rose Wellness Center for Integrative Medicine offers Thermography or Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI). This noninvasive diagnostic technique creates thermal images that are analyzed for abnormalities and early signs of disease. Thermal imaging is painless, non-invasive, does not involve any compression and emits no radiation. Call today to setup your scan. See ad, page 21.

THERMOGRAPHY IMAGING, INC. 10721 Main St., Ste. 204, Fairfax 703-270-1008 ThermographyImaging.com

Offering thermography imaging for all areas of the body, they can scan any area, including breast, upper body, lower body or full body to assist in diagnosing disease and determining prognosis. It is often complements other forms of medical testing such as mammograms, MRIs and CT scans. See ad, page 19.

ULTRASOUND INFANTSEEHD

10721 Main St., Ste. 204, Fairfax 703-537-0410 3DAnd4D.com Their technicians have been performing 3D/4D/HD Ultrasounds and have scanned tens of thousands of babies over the past decade covering the VA, MD, DC and WV areas.

Their state-of-the-art sonogram equipment allows expectant parents to see their baby in live 4D motion video, unlike any other on the market today.

Packages available. .

VETERINARIAN - HOLISTIC

HOLISTIC VETERINARY HEALING

Pema Choepel Mallu, DVM, CVA, M.Ac. L.Ac 12627 Wisteria Dr, Ste C/D, Germantown, MD 240-715-6570 HolVetHealing@gmail.com HolisticVeterinaryHealing.com We offer integrative compassionate veterinary care. We view your animal as a whole focusing on the root cause of dis-harmony for long-term healing. See ad, page 18.

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EAST MEETS WEST YOGA CENTER

WOMEN’S HEALTH

8227 Old Courthouse Rd, Ste 310 Vienna, VA • 703-356-9642 YoginiDawn@yahoo.com EastMeetsWestCenter.com

BEAUTY VANTAGE, LLC

207-338-2177 BeautyVantage@MyFairPoint.net BeautyVantage.com In spite of the widespread acceptance of cosmetic and surgical procedures, the drawbacks remain at cross purposes. Breast implants and fat transfer are needlessly injurious in light of the dramatic, perennial results that can be organically achieved with Natural Woman “plant-vs-implants” formula. Stay Natural and stand out in a plastic world!

BIKRAM YOGA IVY CITY

1510 Okie St, NE 202-288-5745 Info@BikramYogaRiveric.com BikramYogaRiveric.com BYIC is located off Ne w York Ave., in the old Hechts Warehouse District, near My Organic Market, Planet Fitness, BicycleSpace and Hierarchy CrossFit. It boasts plenty of parking (in the lot and on the street), a 1,700-squarefoot hot room and radiant heat panels.

BIKRAM YOGA RIVERDALE PARK

East Meets West Yoga Center is a premier studio located in the Tysons Corner/Vienna, Virginia area. We provide a safe, tranquil and supportive environment to practice, allowing individuals to open to the possibilities of what could be. We offer classes in hatha, vinyasa, gentle, prenatal and so much more

EXTEND YOGA

12106 Wilkins Ave, Rockville, MD 301-881-3330 Arlet@ExtendYoga.com ExtendYoga.com We extend a warm welcome to all that come through our door. We are a community that is accessible to everyone—all ages, body types, ability and experience.

Whether you are new to yoga and simply exploring what’s possible, looking for a breakthrough or looking to break a sweat, we have something for everyone.

LOTUS POND CENTER FOR YOGA AND HEALTH

813-961-3160 MelissaLotusPond@gmail.com YogaTrainingNorthCarolina.com

6202 Rhode Island Ave, Ste 200, Riverdale Park, MD 301-699-1300 Info@BikramYogaRiveric.com BikramYogaRiveric.com

BYRP is located minutes from the University of Maryland, College Park and the historic Hyattsville Arts District. This location boasts plenty of onsite parking, a large community space for events and a state-of-the-art hot yoga room that utilizes the latest technology to heat the room and help you work up a sweat. Bikram Yoga Riverdale Park is your community yoga studio, an oasis away from home.

Be inspired, inspire others.

Immerse yourself in a 200hour yoga teacher training atop the Blue Ridge Mountains at The Art of Living, April-May, 2017.

RAJ YOGA CENTER

22821 Silverbrook Center Dr, Unit 160, 2nd Fl, Sterling, VA 703-376 3433 Info@RajYoga.org • RajYoga.org Welcoming, serene yoga center.

Daily classes: Kundalini yoga, vinyasa and children’s yoga.

Meditations, music and tea.

Beautiful uplifting space to rejuvenate, strengthen and relax mind body and soul. See ad, page 27.

BIKRAM YOGA TAKOMA PARK 7324 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park, MD 301-270-4777 Info@BikramYogaRiveric.com BikramYogaRiveric.com

YOGA WITH NYA

BYTP is located in the heart of Takoma Park is your community studio. It boasts a spacious hot room and a cozy community area where you can meet and greet fellow yogis. Parking is available on the street as well as in the lot in the back of the building. The heating system uses radiant heat panels to heat your bodies from inside out, from bones to your skin.

Nya@YogaWithNya.com YogaWithNya.com

yoga with

Nya A lemay hu is a yoga instructor in Washington, D.C., dedicated to building community through sharing the practice of∙ private y o g a . N y a o f f e r s p r i v a t∙ especialty ∙ sunday commu instruction and workplace yoga. at Un See ad, page 19. ∙ wor

natural awakenings

yogawit nya@yogawit washington, dc ∙ 202 December 2016 41

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