Natural Awakenings Washington DC October 2013

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

Putting the Brakes on

FREE

CLIMATE CHANGE

We Still Have Time

Trekking as Pilgrimage A Literal Path to Personal Growth

Shop with the Planet in Mind Ancestral DIETS A Lighter Shade of Paleo October 2013 | Washington, D.C. | NaturalAwakeningsDC.com natural awakenings

October 2013

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Your Path to Healing Starts Here a n i n t e g r at i v e a p p r o a c h t o yo u r h e a lt h GeorGe WashinGton Center for inteGrative MediCine offers you a unique health care program principled in science and tradition where the patient is treated as a whole person and respected as an individual. With your visit to the Center, a highly-trained practitioner—licensed, certified and credentialed in his or her specialty—will develop with you a care plan tailored to fit your needs and honors your personal healing process. natural & inteGrative health ChoiCes W e prov i d e C a r e f o r …

diabetes Holistic geriatric care with minimal use of medications Health coaching to overcome chronic difficulties

Cancer parkinson’s disease Thyroid problems High blood pressure and high cholesterol Women’s medical issues Chronic pain syndromes Holistic psychiatry

Medicine-free cholesterol management detoxification Healthy aging and healthy weight loss plus many other innovative therapies

this Month’s featured Providers Marianna ledenaC, nd – adult and pediatric naturopathy, Weight loss

Mary Kendell, nP – Women’s health, Sexual Disorders

lisa BreGMan, lMt – Massage, trager therapy

Special oFFer

for NaTUraL aWaKeNiNGS readers

Call for details on how our personalized healing programs can fit into your budget.

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CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

TOGETHER WE CARE, HEAL, EDUCATE 908 New Hampshire Avenue Suite 200 Washington DC 20037 202-833-5055

What others are sayinG aBout GeorGe WashinGton Center for inteGrative MediCine: “People who work here are compassionate. I feel like I am part of a big family. Very different from other doctors’ offices. Here you have a chance to spend time and talk through the issues.” – S.A. “Extremely impressed with the conversation that I had during my initial consultation. It is the holistic approach I have been searching for some time.” – B.L.

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October 17 – 20, 2013 Westfields Marriott • Chantilly, VA

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND HEALTH-SEEKERS REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.TCMCONFERENCE.ORG (Register through the Natural Awakenings affiliate partner code and receive 20 percent off standard registration!)

SPECIAL PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

• •

Buddha Here Now: Healing Means Awakening the Mind and Opening the Heart, Transmuting Energy and Illumining Spirit – “We are all Buddhas in essence; we only have to recognize our true nature.”

Lama Surya Das Wu Ming Qigong for Breast Health Training: Participants will learn how to go beyond early detection, strengthen breast health and help prevent breast cancer with these ancient energy movements.

TCM Health Consultants: Elaine Katen, Irma Jenne

Featured Presenters Nothing is certain but change! How can we take advantage of the invisible shifts that ripple through our lives and bring us to new shores of being? How can we apply the wisdom gained from transitional experiences to guide ourselves, as well as our patients and clients? The answers are within!

Go deep as we discover the true meaning of Oneness from the convergence of spiritual, medical, quantum science and classical Chinese medicine perspectives.

Lama Surya Das

Jim Gordon, MD

Amit Goswami, PhD

Nan Lu, OMD

Awakening Together Beyond East and West

Food as Medicine

The Quantum Physics of Vital Energy and Energy Healing

Medical Qigong: Becoming the Best Energy Practitioner

We are pleased to offer CMEs for medical doctors, psychiatrists, and doctors of osteopathy through the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, NY. This program has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) through joint sponsorship with the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (UB) and Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation. The University at Buffalo is accredited by the ACCME to sponsor CME for physicians. The University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences designates this live activity approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.™ Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

34 West 27th Street, Suite 1212, New York, NY 10001 • 212.274.1079 • www.tcmworld.org natural awakenings

October 2013

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letterfrompublisher My wonderful readers,

contact us Publisher Robin Fillmore Managing Editor Sharon Hadden Contributing Editors Grace Ogden Jessica Bradshaw Design & Production Irene Sankey Partnership Development David Chang Outreach Terri Carr Natural Awakenings of Washington, D.C. Phone: 202-505-4835 Fax: 202-827-7955 5230 Tuckerman Lane North Bathesda, MD 20852 Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com NaturalAwakeningsDC.com ©2013 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.

It is finally October—the month worth waiting for all year. My joy in October comes from the transition it brings. Summer is glorious and green, but fall is lush and bursting with orange, red and yellows. It is the preparation time—the time that leads us into the quieting of the Earth in the fallow fields and the snuggling-in with warm woolen socks and crackling fires.

I come to rely on these seasonal passages and have always noted that I enjoy the transitions from season to season best of all. I could never see myself living in a place that offers only one season, regardless of how perfect the weather would be each day. The constant shift, from warm to hot, to cool to cold again, grounds my life. So much, in fact, that the place my husband and I plan to retire is not Florida or Arizona but rather, Pennsylvania, where the regularity of the seasons is assured—at least for now.

The threat of climate change rattles me and leads me to wonder what will this Earth look and feel like to our children’s children. We often joke in my family that the reason we will eventually end up in Pennsylvania is that 20 years from now, the weather will be like North Carolina. I hope I am wrong but with the dire warnings that have been predicted, I may not be too far off the mark. The extreme weather we have witnessed in the past few years has been one indication that all is not well with Mother Earth. The shift is upon us and the best response we (the collective we) have been able to make is to flirt with change on the fringes. Dealing with climate change is, arguably, the most pressing issue of our time.

This month’s feature on climate change, “Easing Earth’s Rising Fever,” brings these issues into focus and offers some suggestions for individuals and groups who are working to bring attention (and answers) to dealing with our rapidly changing earth. It also identifies a call to action for every person—to take important steps that can help lessen our impact on climate change. I encourage you to read the companion piece, “Shop with the Planet in Mind,” to learn how your impact as a consumer can make a real difference.

On a more hopeful note, I hope you will spend some time pondering the article “Trekking as Pilgrimage.” This summer, one of my pastors hiked the Way of St. James, a 500-mile-long trek to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. While I am not quite ready to book my flight, trekking as pilgrimage is appealing to me and to so many others who seek to share the road and the journey with fellow travelers. For now, I will find mini-pilgrimages in the hikes around the area, while enjoying the beauty of October. I hope you find your own path to follow this month and beyond.

Here’s to our beautiful world –

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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Washington, D.C.

Robin Fillmore, Publisher

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contents 8 8 newsbriefs 1 2 globalbriefs 1 3 healthbriefs 22 event

spotlight 23 community spotlight 12 26 consciouseating 28 leadingedge 30 fitbody 32 healingways 34 healthykids 35 inspiration 34 36 neighborhood

spotlight 38 calendar 42 resourceguide

advertising & submissions

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.

16 EASING EARTH’S RISING FEVER

The Right Steps Now Can Avert the Worst of It

by Christine MacDonald

20 SHOP WITH THE

PLANET IN MIND

Daily Choices Help

Counter Climate Change

by Christine MacDonald

25 ENERGY HEALING COMES OF AGE

by Linda Sechrist

26 ANCESTRAL DIETS

A Lighter Shade of Paleo

by Sayer Ji and Tania Melkonian

28 EFFICACY OF

Editorial submissions Email articles, news items and ideas to: Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. Deadline for editorial: feature articles are due by the 5th of the month, news briefs and health briefs are due by the 10th.

by Adam Miramon

calendar submissions Submit Calendar Events online: NaturalAwakeningsDC.com within the advertising section.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month.

by Sarah Todd

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

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A Historic Milestone in Complementary Medicine

how to advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 202-505-4835 or email Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com. Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month.

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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ACCUPUNCTURE

Exploring the Research

30 TREKKING AS PILGRIMAGE A Literal Path to Personal Growth

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32 CHINESE

MEDICINE

Alleviate Despression and Anxiety

by Heidi Most

35 ENCIRCLING THE WORLD

With Contemplative Prayer

by Grace Ogden

natural awakenings

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newsbriefs Explore the Sacred Feminine with Kris O’Shee

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sychotherapist Kris O’Shee brings together three passions in her practice that focus on supporting women: dance, mind-body medicine and the rich history of the sacred feminine. O’Shee will provide women with the opportunity to experience growth and support in her group sessions: A Gathering of Women on October 15, the first of eight monthly evening workshops in Cleveland Park and In the Arms of the Goddess on October 26, a day-long workshop at Crossings in Silver Spring.

Kris O’Shee

Women often experience a gap in their lives today, a longing that hovers just beneath their consciousness. Through O’Shee’s research into prehistoric images of goddesses and the feminine spirit, and in her work as a choreographer, dancer, teacher and psychotherapist, she has found part of what women are missing in their ancient past.

“Helping women access their historic strength, beauty, confidence and creativity, and then apply it to their daily lives, is great stuff,” says O’Shee. “We see ourselves reflected in myth and ancient images of goddesses and women. In our group, we decode the spiritual messages, learn the lessons and connect with the inner knowing we already possess. The process is tremendously nourishing.”

O’Shee is offering a free preview of her approach from 7 to 8 p.m., on October 3 in Cleveland Park. For more information, visit KrisOShee.com.

GirlPower Fitness Teams Up with Mindful Chef

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irl Power Fitness, a strength studio designed for women, has partnered with Mindful Chef

by Power Supply, to offer fresh, healthy meals for pick-up. Mindful Chef delivers fresh, all-natural, nutritious and delicious prepared meals to Girl Power Fitness, in Washington, D.C., so you can get out of the kitchen, enjoy life and enhance your well-being.

Overall health requires healthy eating, and Mindful Chef is the perfect partner to make that piece of the puzzle easier. Meals contain no preservatives, no processed sugars, no trans-fats and are gluten-free and dairy-free. As a result, you get to enjoy meals that taste great and are great for you. Simply place your order online at MyMindfulChef.com by Wednesday at midnight, for delivery the following week. Meals are also available for pick-up for individuals that are not members of Girl Power Fitness.

Girl Power Fitness is dedicated to the health and wellness of women and provides a fun, inviting atmosphere to women of all fitness levels. The strength circuit is a perfect formula for the busy women of Washington, which involves a half-hour of strength training and cardio for a safe, efficient and effective workout.

Girl Power Fitness also offers boot camp, Pilates and Zumba classes.

For more information, visit MyMindfulChef.com or GirlPowerFitnessDC.com.

Special for Readers: Enter “NATURAL10” as “Gift Code” to save 10 percent off your 1st order through 10/31/13. See ad, page 21.

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Transformation: Discovering the Healing Wisdom of Transitions

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uilding Bridges of Integration for Traditional Chinese Medicine will be holding a major educational event on true body–mind–spirit healing.

It blends the best of ancient Taoist philosophy with traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its understanding of the role that spirit and consciousness play in wellness and wellbeing. The conference is open to all and will be held from October 17 to 20 at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly. This conference is sponsored by the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation.

The aim of this conference is to open hearts and minds to new ways of thinking, new ways of acting, new ways of being. Participants will encounter a vibrant community of healthcare professionals from various disciplines, many of whom who have been growing for a long time. Our powerful energetic environment is created with one purpose—to help each person change and to be open to the experience “oneness”.

Building Bridges for TCM is a unique healing experience in a learning environment that seeks to build a bridge that others can cross to learn more about the holistic wisdom of a unique system that has successfully kept millions of people well for thousands of years. Participants will discover the benefits of applying TCM’s time-tested framework and profound understanding of the body’s self-healing knowledge and its powerful relationship with nature itself.

Readers of Natural Awakenings can enjoy a 20 percent discount off the standard registration price.To learn more about the conference, see the entire schedule and to register, visit TCMWorld.org.

Minds Incorporated with Tara Brach and Rep. Tim Ryan

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enowned author, meditation teacher and therapist Dr. Tara Brach will appear with five-term U.S. Congressman from Ohio Tim Ryan, at Whitman High School, in Bethesda, to support the launch of Minds Incorporated, a recently formed D.C. nonprofit dedicated to introducing secular practices of mindfulness into mainstream education.

The title of the event is “Cultivating Resilience: How Mindfulness Training Can Benefit Students and the Adults Who Nurture Them.” On Monday, October 7 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., participants will learn about the growing body of evidence on the benefits of mindfulness for youth, educators and parents and how Walt Whitman High School plans to incorporate mindfulness practices into its school. Participants will also learn how these techniques can be incorporated into other schools. Explore meditation practice first-hand— come see how it can help manifest one’s full potential and creativity in work and personal life, and begin learning how to respond to life’s stressors with clarity and balance.

Free, donations accepted. No prior registration necessary.

Location: 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda. For more information, visit www.tarabrach.com/Minds-Whitman-Tara-Tim-Flyer.pdf.

Fine Grooming with Love, Style …. & a little Magic

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She can help you, too.

Find your better energy! Call today to schedule your intuitive consultation. 855-600-5459 natural awakenings

October 2013

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Nationally Known Speakers at GreenFest in Silver Spring

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he Second Annual Silver Spring GreenFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, October 5 at Veteran’s Plaza and the Civic Building in downtown Silver Spring. GreenFest is a fun-filled day for the whole family, featuring environmentally themed vendors, nonprofits, speakers, activities, games and educational opportunities.

This year’s festival will feature a full day of educational lectures and panel discussions by national and local environmental leaders. It will also include a showcase of local green businesses, exhibiting products and services such as green lawn and garden care, car-sharing, renewable energy, eco-friendly cleaning services, energy efficiency for home and business, home modeling and improvement, composting, socially and environmentally responsible investment services and sustainably produced handicrafts.

Nationally known speakers will offer talks; including Betsy Taylor, founder of the Center for a New American Dream, Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus and vice president of Science and Research at the World Resources Institute; and Janet Ranganathan, who will speak on her book, The Sustainable Food Imperative. Each speaker will be followed by a “local solutions” panel of experts, offering examples of how residents and businesses can implement the concepts and lessons presented. There will be a full schedule of events and music as well as an hour-long game of Catan: Oil Springs, based on the popular board game, Settlers of Catan, for children. Come shop, play and learn about local green issues and actions you can take to make the D.C. region a national sustainability leader.

For more information, visit MyGreenMontgomery.org/Silver-Spring-Greenfest.

Conscious Cooking and Enlightened Eating

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n October 11 to 13, enjoy a fun, relaxing and informative weekend of hands-on cooking classes and demos, mindful eating, yoga and meditation—all designed to nourish the body, mind and spirit. Gilah Rosner, clinical pathologist turned herbalist and Debbie Arnster, integrative nutritionist and health educator, will teach you how to easily prepare delicious health-supporting foods and how to utilize nutritional principles to achieve balance, beauty and satisfaction in your meals. The retreat will be held at Sanctuary Retreat Center (SanctuaryRetreatCenter.com) in upper Montgomery County.

Participants will enjoy sessions such as Seasonal Shopping & Cooking for Fall , Tricks, Tips & Tools of the Trade, Balanced Meals for Health and Enjoyment, Stocking Your Pantry, Healthy Fats, Carbs & Proteins, Healing Herbs & Spices , From Farm to YOUR Table and Cook Once—Eat (at least) Twice. Participants will leave with inspirational handouts and recipes.

Cost of registration prior to October 1 is $375 for residents and $295 for commuters. After October 1, the cost is $425 for residents and $345 for commuters, with a 10 percent discount for couples in the same household. For more information or to register, call 301-349-2799 or email Gilah@am-kolel.org.

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Ageless Grace® Seminar and Educator Certification

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anie Peterson, a fitness professional and national trainer, will offer a personal practice seminar, followed by educator/teacher certification, the weekend of November 15 to 17. Based upon the cutting-edge science of neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change no matter what age, the Ageless Grace® program consists of 21 simple tools for lifelong comfort and ease. Movements are done in a chair with music and are organic, systemic and focus on the core of the body. This program can be adapted for all ages and all abilities.

The tools in the program stimulate and utilize the five areas of the brain—analytical, strategic, kinesthetic learning, memory/recall and creativity and imagination. The seminar’s focus is on joint mobility, spinal flexibility, right-left brain coordination, bone density, muscle mass, fall prevention, systemic stimulation, balance, confidence and playfulness.

The Ageless Grace® program is developmental for children, preventative for adults and restorative for seniors. No special equipment or memberships are needed and the program is effective with just 10 minutes of daily practice. The personal practice seminar shows individuals how to practice this program on their own or with their loved ones. The certification is for those who desire to hold classes or work with people on an individual basis. It is also for those who want a deeper enrichment of this practice for their personal use or to integrate into their wholeness practice.

The seminar and training will be held at Home Care Assistance, 3903-Q Fair Ridge Dr., Fairfax. For more information or to register, visit AgelessGrace.com.

Tending the Heart Fire Retreat with Shiva Rea

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BuddhaFest presents Spirituality and Emotions: Awakening to the Wisdom of Your Heart

hiva Rea is coming to our area to offer a weekend retreat, Living in Rhythm with the Pulse of Life: A Rasa Vinyasa Transformative Retreat, in Shiva Rea which participants from across the country will come to experience depth, renewal and cultivation of inner passion, inspiration and the capacity for living love. The retreat, offered

by Ananda Shala, a full spectrum mind-body center in Frederick, will be held October 18 to 20 at the Bishop Claggett Center in Adamstown.

Rea is internationally known as a leading innovator in the evolution of Prana Flow yoga, transformational Vinyasa flow integrating the tantric bhakti roots of yoga, Krishnamacharya’s teachings and a universal, quantum approach to the body. She brings the roots of yoga alive for modern practitioners in creative, dynamic and life-transforming ways and for offering the synthesis form of Prana Flow out in the world. Rea is the creator of Prana Flow Yoga and is a regular writer for Yoga Journal and Yoga Plus Joyful Living, as well as the author of award-winning CDs and DVDs.

The heart fire is a vision recognized by all of the world’s spiritual traditions, as well as Western science.

Within yoga practice, tending our heart fire is a practical and sacred metaphor for cultivating the power of our energetic heart in our yoga practice, daily life and cultivating rasa as the transforming nectar of love that brings joy and passion. For those interested in diving deeper into Prana flow—Ananda Shala is an affiliate Shiva Rea registered yoga school for both the foundational 200 hour certification or advanced 300/500 hour certification. Ananda Shala offers a discounted rate for those who wish to learn but prefer not to teach.

eading meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg and Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Tenzin Robert Thurman, will tackle the gold standard of spiritual topics from their new book Love Your Enemies, on October 14 at Friends Meetinghouse in Dupont Circle, D.C. Mixing ancient Buddhist wisdom, modern psychology and the latest neuroscience, they will address the real sources of rage and fear and offer practical solutions to finding inner peace and peaceful coexistence with the world.

“Including our enemies in the process of transformation is not only practical but liberating,” says Salzberg. Replacing anger with patience and moving away from self-centeredness and self-hatred are some of the methods they will share for “realizing a transformed life.” Presented by Grace Productions, in partnership with Politics and Prose Bookstore and the Shambhala Meditation Center of Washington, the event is offered to help Washingtonians increase their spiritual resilience for daily life and leadership in the nation’s capital.

Salzberg co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and is the New York Times bestselling author of Lovingkindness, Faith and Real Happiness. Thurman, a professor at Columbia University, holds the first endowed chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the United States and is author of Inner Revolution and numerous other books.

To learn more about Shiva Rea or to register for the retreat, visit AnandaShala.com.

See ad, page 15.

Friends Meetinghouse is located at 2111 Florida Ave., NW D.C. For tickets and advance book purchases, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit LoveYourEnemies.bpt.me.

See ad, page 19.

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n Saturday, October 14, Buddhafest will present a full day of talks, film and music, in Rosslyn. The day opens with Joel Lesko’s thought-provoking new film, Tears of the Buddha. This film is being heralded for its serious look at an area of life that is often confusing and problematic for people in spiritual practices. Lesko interviews a dozen spiritual teachers to find out how their teachings apply in daily life. The film questions age-old teachings about emotions and leads to an important conversation about individual self-hood.

Following the film, Lesko will be joined by Dr. Tara Brach, founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and two teachers from the film, Judith Blackstone of Woodstock, N.Y., and Jon Bernie of San Francisco. Together, they discuss the important issues raised in the documentary and explore such questions as why we repeat certain emotional patterns and what we can do about it; how our beliefs about feelings affect our daily lives; and the role of spirituality and psychotherapy in healing emotional wounding. In the afternoon sessions, Brach, Blackstone and Bernie each present individual sessions of teaching and meditation.

The day concludes with an evening concert by Carrie Newcomer, a gifted singer and songwriter with deep roots in the spiritual path. Newcomer’s music explores the intersection of the spiritual and the daily, the sacred and the ordinary. She has become a prominent voice for progressive spirituality, social justice and interfaith dialogue.

The event will be held at the Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere in Rosslyn. For information or tickets, visit BuddhaFest.org.

Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman Love Your Enemies

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

Eco-Power Tower

Meet the World’s Greenest Office Building

photo by Nic Lehoux

Even on cloudy days, the photovoltaic-paneled roof of the Bullitt Center, in Seattle, Washington, generates all the electricity the six-story structure requires.

Inside, commercial office space is equipped with composting toilets, rainwater showers and a glassenclosed stairway to encourage climbing exercise over riding the elevator.

The Bullitt Foundation, founded in 1952, has focused since the 1990s on helping cities function more like ecosystems. Seattle’s new building not only provides space for eco-conscious tenants, but also functions as a learning center, demonstrating how people and businesses can coexist more in harmony with nature.

The Bullitt Center was constructed according to a demanding green building certification program called the Living Building Challenge, which lists zero net use of energy and water among its many requirements. The standards far surpass those of the better-known Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Founder Jason McLennan says the challenge is to encourage others to build more enjoyable, sustainable and affordable structures around the world.

Source: Yes! magazine

Baa-Bye

Barnyard Species are Declining, Too Zakri Abdul Hamid, Ph.D., chair of the independent Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, states that the disappearance of wild and domesticated plant and animal species constitutes a fundamental threat to the well-being and perhaps survival of humankind. His urgent message was most recently delivered in Norway to 450 international government authorities responsible for biodiversity and economic planning. “We are hurtling towards irreversible environmental tipping points that, once passed, would reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide essential goods and services to humankind,” Zakri stated.

Findings by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization show that genetic diversity, among even domestic livestock, is declining. Typically, breeds become rare because their characteristics either don’t suit contemporary demands or because differences in their qualities have not been recognized. When a breed population falls to about 1,000 animals, it is considered rare and endangered.

While we know of 30,000 edible plant species, only 30 crops account for 95 percent of human food energy; 60 percent of these crops comprise varieties of rice, wheat, maize, millet and sorghum.

Source: Science Daily 12

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Krill Kill

Core Marine Food Source Faces Depletion Small, shrimp-like creatures that inhabit the world’s oceans, krill are one of the planet’s largest and least contaminated biomasses. The tiny crustaceans are the primary food source for a variety of fish, whales, penguins and seabird species. Krill are also used to make feed for livestock, poultry and farmed fish and in nutritional supplements—krill oil is a rich source of omega-3 essential fatty acids and less likely than fish oil to be contaminated with mercury or heavy metals.

Recent studies cited by National Geographic suggest that since the 1970s, Antarctic krill stocks may have dropped by up to 80 percent.

Environmental groups and scientists worry that new fishing technologies, coupled with climate warming that removes ice algae, the crustaceans’ primary food source, could deplete krill populations and potentially devastate the Antarctic’s ecosystem.

Denzil Miller, Ph.D., former executive secretary of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, advises, “There are a whole lot of dominoes that follow afterwards that just look too horrendous to contemplate.”

Concerned consumers can opt to avoid farm-raised fish; choose organic, non-grain-fed meat and poultry; and substitute algae-derived omega-3 supplements for fish or krill oil capsules.

Source: Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (asoc.org)

healthbrief An Incredibly Lighter Way of Being: The Trager® Approach

by Lisa Bregman

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ow can soft touch and pleasurable rhythmic movement go so deep as to make positive permanent changes in the person receiving it? The Trager® Approach is just such a paradox. Dr. Milton Trager came up with this profoundly simple way of easing the body-mind to release its unwanted holding patterns.

A mailman and a boxer—not particularly an intellectual or a seeker—he came up with a brilliant approach for treating athletes, dancers, people in pain, people with movement disorders and practiced it for years before studying physical therapy and then medicine. From the 1930s through the ‘80s, before yoga and meditation became fashionable in Western culture, and before technology put our lives on fast forward, he healed his patients by teaching them practical principles for slowing down, turning their attention inward and tuning into their bodies. “Uncle Milton” must have seen into the future to know how much we would need his approach to cope with modern life.

Trager’s work is on the movement re-education branch of the big tree of Bodywork, along with Alexander, Feldenkrais and Rolfing. Each technique offers ways of improving how the body feels and moves. Though you may wish to numb the pain or discomfort you’re in when you arrive for your Trager® session, it is by sinking into more and more sensation, being induced to feel the weight of your head and limbs as they are gently lifted and moved in uniquely gentle ways, that the pain fades or just becomes irrelevant, giving way to lightness, ease and freedom of movement throughout your body. A lot of useful information is imparted for such improvement during a Trager® session–if and only if you don’t study it, don’t think about it and don’t work at “getting it.” Empty pauses in the movement allow more to happen and the richness of sensation to seep into your joints and tissue. Slowing down becomes a gift that cracks open the hard edges of time.

A Trager® session, and the self-care movements your practitioner will develop with you, will lengthen and decompress your spine, improve range of motion in all your joints, teach you ways of ease whether you sit at a computer all day, paint houses or play an active weight-bearing sport. Trager believed, “There is a way of being which is lighter, which is freer. A way in which work, as well as play becomes a dance and living, a song. We can learn this way.”

Years ago, the T’ai Chi master and calligrapher Al Huang asked Dr. Trager what does this Trager® work feel like? Trager said, “I can’t tell you Al, why don’t you get on the table and I’ll show you?” After the session, Al got up from the table and exclaimed, “I feel like a Dancing Cloud!” He then went home and painted this beautiful Chinese calligraphy character which says, “Dancing Cloud,” and gave it as a gift to Trager and the Trager Institute. It has been adopted as the Trager international logo. (pictured above) To learn more about the Trager® Approach, call the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, 202-833-5055 or email LisaBregman@yahoo.com.

Lisa Bregman is a Trager® practitioner and massage therapist. See ad, page 2. natural awakenings

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healthbriefs

Acupuncture’s Growing Acceptance

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ne in 10 American adults has received acupuncture at least once and nearly half of them say they are “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their treatment, according to a survey sponsored by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Sixty percent of survey respondents readily accepted the idea of acupuncture as a treatment option, and 20 percent have used other forms of Oriental medicine, including herbs and Chinese bodywork.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is observed on Oct. 24. For more information, visit aomday.org.

More Plastics, More Obese Kids

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causal link between the worldwide epidemic of childhood obesity and phthalates commonly used in soft plastics, packaging and many personal care products is becoming more evident. A Korean study from Sanggye Paik Hospital at the Inje University College of Medicine, in Seoul, shows that the risk of childhood obesity increases with the level of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) in the bloodstream.

The study indicates that phthalates may change gene expression associated with fat metabolism. DEHP in particular is a suspected endocrine disruptor, or hormone-altering agent. Children with the highest DEHP levels were nearly five times more likely of being obese than children with the lowest levels. The scientists studied 204 children ages 6 to 13, of whom 105 were obese.

A chemical commonly used to soften plastics, DEHP is found in some children’s toys, as well as myriad household items. Phthalates can be found in pacifiers, plastic food packaging, medical equipment and building materials like vinyl flooring. Personal care products such as soap, shampoo and nail polish may also contain phthalates.

Dulse Seaweed a Heart Health Powerhouse

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ulse (palmaria palmata), a protein-rich red seaweed, could become a new protein source to compete with current protein crops like soybeans, according to scientists at Ireland’s Teagasc Food Research Centre. Dulse harvested from October to January usually has the highest protein content.

This functional food also contributes levels of essential amino acids such as leucine, valine and methionine, similar to those contained in legumes like peas or beans. It may even help protect against cardiovascular disease. The Agriculture and Food Development Authority reports that for the first time, researchers have identified a renin-inhibitory peptide in dulse that helps to reduce high blood pressure, like ACE-1 inhibitors commonly used in drug therapy.

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NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Cow’s Milk Does NOT Do a Body Good

by Dr. Isabel Sharkar any people visit their doctors, claiming to be intolerant, sensitive or severely allergic to cow’s milk, yet these same patients have been able to travel to France and indulge in French cheese without any symptom presentation.

Cow’s milk is made up of three parts—fat or cream, whey and milk solids.

The milk solids are potentially the most problematic, specifically the protein betacasein because of its effect on digestion.

Beta-casein may be present as one of two major genetic variants: A1 and A2. A2 beta-casein is the original protein, which existed before a mutation occurred in European herds, thousands of years ago, that led to the development of A1 betacasein. Almost all American dairy cows have this mutated beta-casein and are predominantly A1 cows. A2 beta-casein has the amino acid proline, whereas A1 has histidine. Human milk, goat milk and sheep milk contain beta-casein that is A2-like because they have a proline at the equivalent position.

A1 beta-casein protein, unlike A2, has been linked as a potential etiological factor in Type 1 Diabetes, ischemic heart disease (the leading cause of death in the United States), neurological impairment including autistic and schizophrenic changes and autoimmune disease. The side chain coming off either proline or histidine is a small peptide protein called BCM7, a very powerful opiate. BCM7 selectively binds to the epithelial cells in the mucous membranes like the nose and stimulates mucous secretion. This is the cause of a stuffy nose after indulging in cheese. BCM7 is not found in goat or sheep milk; therefore those who are sensitive to cow’s milk might better tolerate these types of milk.

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Dr. Isabel Sharkar is a licensed naturopathic physician and co-owner of Indigo Integrative Health Clinic, located in the heart of Georgetown.

For more information, call 202-2989131 or visit IndigoHealthClinic.com.

See ad, page 33.

Natural Eye Care for Aging Dogs

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any owners of middle-aged and older dogs worry about their pets’ declining eyesight. Cloudy eyes are of particular concern, but that is not necessarily a sign that a dog is going blind, advises Shawn Messonnier, a doctor of veterinary medicine practicing in Plano, Texas.

“While cataracts strike many older dogs, a more common condition is lenticular or nuclear sclerosis, a thickening of the lens of the eye,” says Messonnier. He explains that this normal change causes the eye to appear somewhat cloudy or gray, similar to a cataract. However, unlike a cataract, this type of sclerosis does not interfere with the pet’s vision. “Veterinarians can easily tell the difference between these conditions,” he says. “No treatment is necessary for lenticular sclerosis; cataracts are often treated with carnosine drops or with surgery.”

For prevention, Messonnier suggests minimizing toxins that can cause inflammation throughout an animal’s body, not just the eyes. This means using blood titer testing instead of annual vaccinations, reducing the use of flea and tick chemicals, using natural pet foods and minimizing the use of conventional medications.

He also recommends feeding a pet nutrients that contribute to health and reduce inflammation and cellular damage, including fish oil, probiotics and antioxidants like bilberry, which supports eye health.

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October 2013

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not yet completely run out. He and other pioneering thought leaders believe that we can still reverse the dangerous current course.

“These next few years are going to tell the tale about the next 10,000 years,” saya well-known global environmental activist Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. “We’re not going to stop global warming; it’s too late for that. But we can keep it from getting as bad as it could possibly get.”

RISING FEVER The Right Steps Now Can Avert the Worst of It

by Christine MacDonald

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enowned “We’re not going to stop have opted for the “bunny slope” apclimate sciglobal warming; it’s too proach, a leisurely entist Richard Somerville, Ph.D., late for that. But we can descent from the ubiquitous use of uses simple lankeep it from getting as bad climate-changing guage and sports analogies to help as it could possibly get.” fossil fuels. Unfortunately, greenus understand ~ Bill McKibben house gases would climate change and have had to peak the risks ahead.

A distinguished professor emeritwo years ago and now be in decline tus, researcher at California’s Scripps in order to take the easy way out.

Institution of Oceanography and Instead, the amount of carbon dioxide author of The Forgiving Air, he likens in the atmosphere shot past 400 parts greenhouse gases to a scandal that’s per million last May, a level that most rocked major league baseball in scientists agree the planet hasn’t experecent years. “Greenhouse gases are rienced since long before the arrival of the steroids of the climate system,” modern humans. he says. Although we can’t link them

“Science tells you, you can put this much carbon dioxide into the to any single weather event, we can atmosphere, but no more,” without see them in the statistics at the end changing the planet’s climate too draof the season, Somerville says. With matically, Somerville says. “Mother the bases loaded, “Look out, because Nature tells you, you cannot wait 50 Mother Nature bats last.”

To explain how we could confront or 100 years to solve this. You have to the problem, he turns to another sport, do it in five to 10 years. There’s been a general failure to connect the dots.” skiing. If we were serious about avoidThe bit of good news is that time has ing a worst-case scenario, we would 16

Washington, D.C.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

On the Water Front

Sandra Postel agrees. “Water, energy and food production: These things are tightly linked, and all are affected by climate change.” From Los Lunas, New

Matt Greenslade / photo-nyc.com

EASING EARTH’S

McKibben’s grassroots group, 350. org, opposes the planned Keystone XL pipeline that, if built, is expected to transport Canadian Bill McKibben tar sands oil across the United States to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. Increasing fossil fuel infrastructure, he says, is impractical, and we’d be better off investing in clean and renewable energies such as wind, solar and geothermal.

It’s a theme also sounded by Frances Beinecke, president of the New York City-based Natural Resources Defense Council and author Frances Beinecke of Clean Energy Common Sense. With the failure of the U.S. Congress to enact climate legislation, her group, encompassing 1.4 million online members and activists, is pressing the Obama administration to live up to its pledge to regulate the carbon dioxide emitted by power plants. The leading culprits for climate-changing gases, they contribute 40 percent of the country’s carbon emissions. “It’s time to act, and we have to act now,” Beinecke says.

Nancy Battaglia

On the Energy Front

“Tell politicians that you care about this. We’ve got to get countering climate change high on the priority list.” ~ Richard Somerville Mexico, she leads the Global Water Policy Project, a group also focused on the climate conundrum, as well as National Geographic’s Change the Course national freshwater conservation and restoration Sandra Postel campaign.

Competition for water is increasing in several parts of the country, she says, and will only get worse as dry conditions increase demands on groundwater.

Endangered sources detailed in her extensive related writings include the Ogallala Aquifer, vital to agricultural operations across much of the Great Plains, and California’s Central Valley, the nation’s fruit and vegetable bowl.

In the Colorado River Basin, which provides drinking water to some 30 million people, water demands already exceed the available supply— and that gap is expected to widen with changes in the region’s climate.

In other regions, the problem is too much water from storms, hurricanes and flooding, a trend that Postel and other experts say will also worsen as the world continues to warm and fuel weather extremes.

Beyond the loss of lives and property damage, this “new normal” holds stark implications for communities.

“We’ve built our bridges, dams and other infrastructure based on 100-year records of what’s happened in the past,” advises Postel. “In a lot of ways, how we experience climate change is going to be through changes in the water cycle. If the past isn’t a good guide to the future anymore, we’ll have to change our water management.” (See nrdc.org/water/readiness by city and state.)

On the Ocean Front

The world’s oceans are being transformed by climate change in ways we are only beginning to understand.

Since the Industrial Revolution, oceans have absorbed a significant portion of the carbon dioxide generated, experiencing a 30 percent rise in acidity; that’s expected to reach 100 to 150 percent above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, according to the nonprofit National Academy of Science (NAS), in Washington, D.C.

“Thank goodness for the oceans, but they are paying a tremendous price,” says Oceanographer Dawn Wright, Ph.D. She’s chief scientist of Esri, in Redlands, California, that analyzes geographic system relationships, Dawn Wright patterns and trends.

The higher acidity levels are “taking a toll on shellfish such as oysters, clams and sea urchins, as well as coral reefs, where much aquatic life is spawned,” Wright explains. Climate change may have other devastating impacts on the ocean food chain—and eventually us—that scientists are only beginning to discern. As just one of myriad impacts: Ocean acidification threatens the country’s $3.7 billion annual wild fish and shellfish industry and the $9.6 billion slice of the global tourism business that caters to scuba divers and snorkelers, according to a recent NAS study.

The Way Forward

We can be grateful for some hopeful developments in the call to act.

Wright, who has advised President Obama’s National Ocean Council, is overseeing her company’s ocean initiative, which includes building an ocean basemap of unparalleled detail.

While less than 10 percent of the world’s oceans’ underwater realms are mapped today, Esri is compiling authoritative bathymetric data to build a comprehensive map of the ocean floor.

Public and private sector planners, researchers, businesses and nonprofits are already using this map and analysis

“Water, energy and food production: These things are tightly linked, and all are affected by climate change.” ~ Sandra Postel tools to, among other things, conduct risk assessments and provide greater understanding of how onshore development impacts oceans’ natural systems.

Municipalities are also taking action. New York City plans to restore natural buffers to future hurricanes, while Philadelphia and other cities are restoring watersheds, replanting trees in riparian areas, adding rain gardens, laying permeable pavement and revamping roofs and parking lots to reduce stormwater runoff. Investing in such “green infrastructure” is less costly than expanding “grey infrastructure” such as underground sewer systems and water purification plants.

Increasingly, local authorities are relocating communities out of flood zones to allow rivers to reclaim wetlands, an effort which also creates new recreation and tourism spots. Floodplains buffer against extreme flooding and drought, plus filter stormwater runoff, removing farm and lawn fertilizers and other chemicals that otherwise enter waterways, creating deoxygenated “dead zones” where aquatic life can’t survive, as exemplified by parts of Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

“These solutions are unfolding here and there,” Postel notes, while also remarking that too many locales are rebuilding levees at their peril and allowing people to return to areas that flood repeatedly. “An amount of climate change is already locked in. We will have to adapt, as well as mitigate, simultaneously.”

Somerville, who helped write the 2007 assessment by the Nobel Prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change, labels it “baloney” when politicians say there’s not enough time or it’s too expensive to address the problem. “It’s very doable,” he maintains. “First, inform yourself. Second, tell politicians that you care about this. Then

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“Thank goodness for the oceans, but they are paying a tremendous price.” ~ Dawn Wright raise hell with those who don’t agree.

We’ve got to get countering climate change high on the priority list.”

McKibben recommends that the country gets serious about putting a price on carbon emissions. Meanwhile, he’s encouraged by the people-powered regional successes in blocking fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas, and credits grassroots groups for holding the Keystone pipeline project at bay.

“We’re cutting it super-close” and need to change the trajectory of climate change, according to McKibben, who says we can still have good lives powered by wind and solar, but will have to learn to live more simply. “I don’t know where it will all end and won’t see it in my lifetime. But if we can stop the combustion of fossil fuels and endless consumption, then there’s some chance for the next generation to figure out what the landing is going to be.”

Christine MacDonald is a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C., who specializes in health, science and environmental issues. Learn more at ChristineMacDonald.info.

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Washington, D.C.

Signs Of Changes To Come Without actions to significantly curb greenhouse gas emissions, air temperatures could increase as much as 11.5 percent by 2100, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

While the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change pledged in 2009 to keep warming from increasing more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, more recent reports by the World Bank and other institutions warn that the goal may be unrealistic. Continued global warming could cause widespread drought, flooding and other changes, with disastrous consequences. Here are some of the ways climate change has already impacted our lives.

Temperatures: The average global temperature for 2012—about 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit—was the ninth-warmest year since record keeping began in 1880. It was also the 36th consecutive year that the global temperature surpassed the 20th-century average, according to the National Climate Data Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The problem comes alive in a video at Tinyurl.com/ NASAEarthTemps.

The EPA reports that the number of days that temperatures will exceed 90 degrees Farenheit is expected to increase throughout the U.S., especially in areas that already experience heat waves.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Drought: Drought struck two-thirds of America’s lower 48 states last year, and continued into 2013 in many parts of the country, costing billions of dollars in crop failures and damage from resulting wildfires.

Extreme storms: East Coast weather has become wilder, with storms such as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy wreaking unprecedented losses in human life and property.

Freshwater supplies: As melting shrinks glaciers’ historic footprints, reducing the amount of springtime snowmelt, and we continue to deplete groundwater faster than it can be replenished, conflicts between agriculture, industry and municipalities over water are expected to increase.

Meanwhile, rising sea levels near some seashore cities have already led to incursions of saltwater, contaminating underground freshwater systems.

Rising sea levels: Since 1870, the global sea level has risen by about eight inches, according to the EPA. By the end of this century, it estimates that New York City could see a rise of 2.3 feet and Galveston, Texas, 3.5 feet.

Other studies say those estimates are conservative. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July concluded that a rise of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit could result in a corresponding rise in sea levels exceeding 13 feet.

natural awakenings

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greenliving

Shop with the Planet in Mind

Daily Choices Help Counter Climate Change

by Christine MacDonald

Until recently, we’ve been asked to choose between the economy and the environment. Now we’re realizing that the two are closely linked, and that our continued prosperity depends on how well we take care of the natural systems that sustain life—clean air, water, food and an overall healthy environment.

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lthough the worst impacts of climate change are still decades away, experts say it’s already a costly problem. In 2012, U.S. taxpayers spent nearly $100 billion—approximately $1,100 apiece—to cover crop losses, flooding, wildfires and other climate-related disasters, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. That’s more than America spent last year on education or transportation.

Given the lack of action on climate change by Congress, more Americans are looking to leverage their purchasing power to make a difference.

Yet, as consumers trying to “shop their values” know, it’s often difficult to distinguish the “green” from the “greenwashed”. Natural Awakenings has rounded up some tips that can help.

Dismiss Meaningless Labels Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., who leads the Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group for Consumer Reports and its Greener Choices and Eco-labels online initiatives, says companies take far too many liberties in product labeling.

The dearth of standards 20

Washington, D.C.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

and consistency across the marketplace has rendered terms like “fresh,” and “free range” meaningless. Also, there’s more wrong than right about the “natural” label put on everything from soymilk to frozen dinners, she says.

While critics of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s USDA Organic label say its regulations are not tough enough, Rangan says at least we know what we’re getting. The same is not true of many claims decorating consumer goods, Rangan advises. Plus, producers get away without identifying myriad other controversial practices, she says, including genetically engineered ingredients.

To help consumers protect themselves, the Consumer Union and other nonprofit public advocates have made their evaluations easily accessible via cell phones and iPads. The Web-based Good Guide’s evaluations of more than 145,000 food, toys, personal care and household products are at shoppers’ fingertips via an app that scans product barcodes on the spot.

Calculate Impacts

A number of easy-to-use online tools help us understand the far-flung impacts of a purchase, includ-

ing on humans and habitats. The Good Guide, for instance, employs chemists, toxicologists, nutritionists, sociologists and environmental lifecycle specialists to evaluate a product’s repercussions on health, environment and society.

Sandra Postel, who leads the Global Water Policy Project, has teamed up with the National Geographic Society to devise a personal water footprint calculator. It helps people understand the wider environmental impacts of their lifestyle and purchasing choices, and provides options for reducing their footprints and supporting water replenishment efforts.

“It takes a per capita average of 2,000 gallons of water each day to keep our U.S. lifestyle afloat,” twice the world average, calculates Postel. The typical hamburger takes 630 gallons of water to produce, for example, while a pair of jeans consumes 2,600 gallons, most of it to grow the necessary cotton.

Water is just one of numerous resources overused in the United States, according to author and journalist Danielle Nierenberg, co-founder of Food Tank. “We overbuy food. It goes bad and ends up in landfills,” where it lets off methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, as it decomposes.

“We also over-order at restaurants,” observes Nierenberg, whose think tank focuses on the interrelated issues of hunger, obesity and environmental degradation. Overall, the U.S. annually

Who’s Buying Organic or Natural Foods? n High Demand n Low Demand n Average

Courtesy of GfK Mediamark Research and Environmental Systems Research Institute

accounts for 34 million tons of food waste. “Part of the problem is we’ve lost home culinary skills,” says Nierenberg, who says we need to rethink how and how much we eat. “We don’t really understand what portions are,” she adds.

Share Instead of Buy

Collaboration characterizes the broader trend in careful consuming that relies on cell phone apps. Sometimes known as the “sharing economy” or “collaborative consumption”, initiatives can range from car and bike shares to neighborly lending of lawn mowers and other tools and sharing homegrown produce. One of the more innovative food-sharing options is Halfsies,

in which diners at participating restaurants pay full price for a meal, but receive half of a full portion, effectively donating the cost of the other half to fight hunger.

Whatever the product, experts say, the new sharing business model is part of a fundamental shift in how people think about consuming, with the potential to help us reduce our personal carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Christine MacDonald is a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C., who specializes in health, science and environmental issues. Learn more at ChristineMacDonald.info.

natural awakenings

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eventspotlight Join Sylvia Boorstein and Sharon Salzberg for

Healing Holiday Retreat in D.C.

by Betty Rogers

WIN a 7 night Vegan Cruise to the Caribbean from Natural Awakenings DC! Natural Awakenings DC

is GIVING AWAY a VEGAN CRUISE, March 1 – 8, 2014.

Holistic Holiday at Sea will take you and a guest on their annual Holistic Holiday Sea cruise for 7 nights on the beautiful, new MSC Divina, one of the most elegant and ecologicallyfriendly cruise liners on the seas.

Bask in the gracious Italian hospitality and service while enjoying inspiring lectures and vegan natural foods prepared by their own chefs and bakers.

The cruise will be departing from Miami, FL and sailing to St. Marten, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Learn more about the classes, cruise and itinerary at HolisticHolidayAtSea.com.

Entering is easy – just LIKE us, COMMENT, SHARE and let us know who you are (so we can let you know if you are the winner).

Go to Facebook.com/NAWDC for details and rules!

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Washington, D.C.

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n their first joint appearance in D. C . , S y l v i a Boorstein and Sharon Salzberg, both renowned meditators and authors, will present “Practicing for a Joyful Life: Cultivating a Kind Heart” at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, the weekend of December 13 to 15. They bring four decades of teaching experience to nurture each participant’s capacity for an open and loving heart.

Prepare for a joyful and meaningful holiday celebration as a gift to yourself and your loved ones.

Discover effective antidotes to the stresses, family pressures, parties and endless shopping that can leave you out of synch with the true spirit of this special season. Metropolitan United Methodist Church offers this engaging and healing holiday event in collaboration with BuddhaFest, the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and Grace Productions.

Boorstein (SylviaBoorstein.com) is a co-founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Calif., a senior teacher at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Mass., and a practicing psychotherapist since 1967. Her many books include Happiness is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life, Pay Attention, For Goodness’ Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness and It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Sharon Salzberg (Sharon Salzberg.com) is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass. Her work centers on the ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (loving kindness).

Her numerous books include Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, A Heart as Wide as the World and the Kindness Handbook: a Practical Companion.

The retreat begins, Friday evening, with a 7 p.m., talk with meditation, to cultivate kindness and inner contentment. On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participants will experience a full retreat day to nurture peace and good will toward oneself and others. Lunch is provided. Sunday, all are welcome to participate in an Advent Contemplative Communion Service led by Metropolitan Senior Pastor Charlie Parker and Rev. Drema McAllister-Wilson with special live music. This service is free and open to the public.

Metropolitan Memorial UMC is located at 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW, D.C. Tickets can be purchased for individual sessions or as a two-day pass from AJoyfulLife.BrownPaperTickets. com. Enjoy an early bird discount until October 24. For more information, call 202-841-2864 or email Metropolitan12@verizon.net.

communityspotlight

Restorative Health Comprehensive and Balanced Healthcare

by Terri Carr

The practitioners use the detailed intake information to craft a treatment plan that works for the patient in body, mind and spirit.

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hether conventional or holistic, one of the challenges of staying healthy is balancing the advice of different health care professionals. Restorative Health, near Tenleytown, solves much of that problem with staff trained in Eastern and Western medicine, working as a team to devise a comprehensive health plan for each patient.

Think of them as a one-stopshop healthcare provider. Founding member, Dr. Ali Safayan is a former internist with training in acupuncture and natural allergy elimination. He works closely with Dr. Karen Threlkel, a naturopathic doctor and Dr. Melissa Windsor, nutrition/lifestyle coach and chiropractor. Their varied backgrounds give patients the benefit of a wide spectrum of allopathic and holistic therapies under one roof.

Safayan and Threlkel founded Restorative Health in 2005, with the idea of using lifestyle medicine to prevent and reverse disease. Most new patients receive an initial health assessment from Safayan—follow-up treatments might include any combination of acupuncture, prolotherapy, herbs, naturopathy, far infrared sauna sessions for detox or nutritional consultations.

Threlkel expresses her favorite method of detoxing is far infrared sauna with herbs and nutritional support. She says, “Far infrared saunas are not as hot as other saunas, so it is a more pleasant experience for the

patient. A five-to-seven minute session can effectively help detox down to the cellular level.”

Those that feel conflicted about getting a flu shot in winter might consider the practice’s homeopathic version of the flu shot. Individuals can also lessen the chance of getting sick from the summer/fall and winter/spring transitions with Wei Chi (way-chee), a three-week series of acupuncture sessions to tonify the immune system. The practitioners use the detailed intake information to craft a treatment plan that works for the patient in body, mind and spirit.

Threlkel says, “We like to dig deep for answers and educate the patient.”

In addition to healing therapies, Restorative Health puts a lot of effort into educating patients about what is going on in their system and showing them what steps they can take to feel healthier and more balanced—trying their best to avoid medicines at all costs.” “Ideally, I would like to see a way for them to not even need supplements,” Threlkel says, “Our philosophy is to follow what nature intended and do our best to match that.”

Safayan began his career like most western medical doctors. However, he quickly became disenchanted with the routine of seeing dozens of patients in one day but never having the chance to devote adequate time to understand each patient’s unique situation.

At Restorative Health, Safayan spends

an average of 30 minutes with each patient. Threlkel, whose consultations often run 90 minutes, says, “We want to know everything that is going on, everything that you think is important.”

This detailed background allows them to craft treatment plans that are suited to their patients in body, mind and spirit. “Everyone is such an individual– we are going to find out who you are,” Threlkel continues.

Restorative Health also offers a range of nutrition and cooking classes to help patients incorporate healthy habits. Windsor’s classes cover topics such as making homemade ice cream with coconut milk or making cultured foods for better digestive health.

Guest speakers conduct fitness and mindfulness/meditation classes.

Once a month, the practice features a documentary movie night to further educate clients, while also building a community for people who want to improve their health. At Restorative Health the goal is to help you get back to feeling your best. Threlkel says, “Our experience shows, small changes can make a big difference.”

Restorative Health is located at 4801 Wisconsin Ave., NW D.C. For more information, call 202-244-6661 or visit RestorativeHealth.org.

Terri Carr is a local freelance writer and blogger at YogaSOULutions.net.

See ad, page 3.

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ADVERTORIAL

Essential Oils for Self-Care and a Thriving Business

by Kathy Pace, dōTERRA IPC

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There are two kinds of people in business, those rillions of dollars are spent annually on health who get paid for word of mouth advertising and those care, which represents one source for the greatest income potential in the past 60 years. Baby boom- who do not. Networking to share the information on what the oils are, and how to use them with those clients ers are now the largest group seeking natural health you have or your circle of influence, can put you into solutions, and some people have figured out how to the group that gets paid. The healthcare business works capture a share of those dollars with essential oils.

A recent article in a health magazine states that, best when you offer education to the client. Many people “Alternative health is the fastest-growing segment of the have heard the buzz about essential oils but have no idea American economy.” The prime focus of this growth is where to start or how to use them. Hospitals and physion essential oils. Beginning in 2008, a new company, cians are beginning to join the movement to use essential oils in a variety of applications. dōTERRA, exploded in customers, Consultants independently teach achieving million-dollar revenue Essential oils embody the and mentor businesses or indidays in 2012. Their mission stateregenerating, oxygenating viduals in self-care. dōTERRA ment expresses, ”We are commita complete retail program for ted to sharing the life-enhancing and immune-strengthening has businesses, which is unusual for a benefits of therapeutic-grade properties of plants.” direct marketing company. essential oils and essential oil

An example of a good enhanced wellness products with the world.” dōTERRA accomplishes this by using a business tactic is: if a business had clients coming network of chemists, health scientists and health care in the door each day, it could have a diffuser going professionals to help discover and develop the world’s with the oils that help people de-stress, manage ap® highest-standard of quality oils in industry-CPTG or Cer- petite or ONGuard , which kills airborne pathogens tified Pure Therapeutic Grade®. The quality and purity is and boosts immunity. A retail rack where the oil watched over at an independent testing facility where could be purchased might be available, but it is betthe oils are subjected to rigorous testing. These tests ter for ongoing income to encourage clients to get include gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to a wholesale membership. That way, if the customer certify that there are no harmful pesticides or chemi- moves away, the business still benefits from future cal residues and that it has all the necessary chemical purchases by that customer and has the potential to have earnings from other individuals the client introconstituents for therapeutic benefit. duces to the oils.

Modern Essentials says, “The oldest and best-pre It is a huge benefit to the business and to the served document that we know of, the Ebers Papyrus, clients to have ongoing live classes on the oils. The documents the Egyptians’ use of frankincense and smallest of businesses, that can only handle four foldother aromatics in treating a variety of different ailments. Essential oils embody the regenerating, oxygen- ing chairs, have experienced rapid growth through continuing classes. ating and immune-strengthening properties of plants.”

We as a society are now waking up to the reality that we have the solutions to many health problems and an For more information and to learn more as a business or individual who wants to have a share of this inexpensive, safe and pleasant means of self-care and oil boom, visit PureHealing.MydoPro.com. See ad, infection and disease prevention available to us as a page 27. gift from the earth, in the plants that surround us.

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Energy Healing Comes of Age A Historic Milestone in Complementary Medicine

by Linda Sechrist

A

s recently as 2010, it would have been unimaginable for an annual medical conference including allopathic physicians to hold a meeting themed Illuminating the Energy Spectrum.

Yet it happened at the sold-out Institute of Functional Medicine 2013 annual international conference. Workshop topics ranged from bodily energy regulation to presentations by Grand Qigong Master Ou, Wen Wei, the originator of Pangu Shengong, and Medical Anthropologist and Psychologist Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., whose Four Winds Light Body School offers a two-year program on the luminous light body, also known as a local energy field, aura, life force, qi/chi or prana.

The energy medicine practiced by acupuncturists and other health practitioners that offer any one of the 60-plus hands-on and hands-off modalities described in The Encyclopedia of Energy Medicine, by Linnie Thomas, operates on the belief that changes in the body’s life force can affect health and healing. The therapeutic use of any of them begins with an assessment of the body’s electromagnetic field. Then, a treatment specifically designed to correct energy disturbances helps recreate a healthy balance in its multilayered energy field, comprised of pathways, known as meridians, and energy

centers (chakras) that correspond to related nerve centers, endocrine glands, internal organ systems and the circulatory system.

The objective for energy medicine practitioners is to uncover the root causes of imbalances—often from emotional stress or physical trauma—and harmonize them at a bioenergetic level before aberrations completely solidify and manifest as illness.

Clinical Support

James Oschman, Ph.D., an academic scientist and international authority in Dover, New Hampshire, has conducted decades of research into the science of bioenergetics—the flow and transformation of energy between living organisms and their environment. He explores the basis of the energetic exchanges that manifest via complementary and alternative therapies in his book, Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis.

According to Oschman, there is now enough high-quality research in leading peer-reviewed biomedical journals to provide energy medicine the credence to transform from a littleknown, alternative healthcare modality into a conventional form of medicine.

The progression to more widespread acceptance is similar to that experienced by acupuncture and massage.

Evolving Platform

For more than 35 years, pioneers of energy medicine like Barbara Ann Brennan, founder of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing; John F. Thie, founder of Touch for Health; and Donna Eden, founder of Eden Energy Medicine, have delved beyond conventional models of healing to confirm that our sensory experience of the world is as limited as our vocabulary to describe it. New language for new concepts is required, such as: nature’s drive for wholeness, resonance, a new band of frequencies, restructuring DNA, local fields and the non-local field, encoding, entrainment, strings, strands, attunement, evolutionary healing and vibration.

Eden, who has had a lifelong ability to make intuitive health assessments later confirmed by medical tests, can look at an individual’s body, see and feel where the energy flow is interrupted, out of balance or not in harmony, and then work to correct the problem.

“Very little of the natural world that human beings evolved in still exists. In addition, our bodies haven’t adapted to modern stressors or the electromagnetic energies associated with technologies that occupy our living and working environments,” says Eden. “Energy medicine is invaluable because anyone can learn how to understand their body as an energy system and how to use techniques to restore energies that have become weak, disturbed or unbalanced.”

Her teaching tools include her classic book, Energy Medicine, and Energy Medicine University, which she founded in 2006 in Sausalito, California.

In a 2009 talk at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Oschman predicted that energy medicine will become prominent in anti-aging medicine.

“When I review the history of medicine, there are periods in which things stay pretty much the same, and then there are great breakthroughs. I think that with the advent of energy medicine, another milestone is upon us.”

Learn more at issseemblog.org, the International Society for Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine website.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Visit ItsAllAbout We.com for the recorded interviews.

natural awakenings

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Ancestral Diets A Lighter Shade of Paleo

by Sayer Ji and Tania Melkonian

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egetarian Awareness Month provides a timely opportunity to realize that a plant-focused diet does not derive exclusively from plants. Just as a carnivore does not subsist on meat alone, the same applies to a vegetarian.

What can we learn from our Paleolithic, or Stone Age, ancestors? The recent trend toward recreating a Paleoera diet emphasizes the importance of vegetable nutrition to prehistoric communities, correcting the misperception that they were primarily meat-eaters.

The original Paleo diet, before the advent of agriculture, reflected the hunting and gathering of lean meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and was absent of grains, dairy, starchy foods, sugar and salt. Today’s updated version might comprise foods naturally available and/or abundant before the cultivation of food in gardens, crops and livestock.

Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of The Paleo Diet and Nutritionist Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body, Primal Mind, each contest the premise perpetuated by many in the weight-loss industry that fat, especially naturally saturated fat, is unhealthy. Those same proponents that maintain low-fat/ non-fat food is a panacea for modern

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illnesses also purport that cholesterol is the chief cause of heart ailments.

Gedgaudas writes that the diets of hunter-gatherers inhabiting varied landscapes, from the Inuit of the north to tropical forest hominids, included large amounts of fat and cholesterol, which is essential to maintaining cell membranes and regulating hormones. She points out that obtaining cholesterol from food is necessary to augment the liver’s function of creating cholesterol internally.

Cordain agrees that even saturated fats in meats can be beneficial, providing the animals are grass-fed, lean and live in clean surroundings. He emphasizes, however, that when our prehistoric ancestors ate fat, they did not also eat grain carbohydrates, sugar and salt, and contends that it is these components, not meat, that can be detrimental to the body.

Doctor of Naturopathy Maureen Horne-Paul adds that organic, lean and game meats are exempt from the acidity inherent in corn-based animal feed.

Plus, “When an animal is insensitively confined and killed, stress hormones are released that result in acidity. So, we are changing our pH from a healthy alkaline state to a more acidic condition when we consume meat from conventionally raised animals.”

recipe photos by Stephen Blancett

consciouseating

dairy, Gedgaudas suggests organic or

Scientific studies published in raw milk products, provided they the Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, retain their full fat content and Medical Hypotheses and by the come from grass-fed Mercola group attest to cows. She reasons that key problems related the presence of the antito human consumption carcinogenic fatty acid of grains. Anti-nutrients Paleo Specials conjugated linolenic such as phytic acid in du Jour acid (CLA) and the Wulgrains lead to the poor zen factor anti-stiffness Curried carrot soup with absorption of minerals agent in the fat benefit buckwheat crackers and and related deficiencies. goat cheese joint lubrication.

Improper absorption of Experts suggest dietary protein caused Kale wraps with julienne that the dietary formula in part by enzyme of grass-fed strip loin, established by our preinhibitors in grains also bell peppers and avocado historic ancestors can tends to damage the be the foundation for Butter-grilled pineapple pancreas. Individual a modern-day, healthy, rounds served with sensitivities to proteins dollop of vanilla-scented non-confining, creative in specific grains can heavy cream eating experience. We further interfere with can exchange grains for functioning of the neuquinoa, amaranth and roendocrine system and buckwheat (not technisubsequent emotional cally grains at all), and include tubers difficulties like addiction and depression and legumes, due to their folate and may arise. All of these difficulties have been exacerbated by irresponsible prena- protein content. Blue and sweet potatoes also contain high levels of anthocyanins tal diets that have made younger generaand potassium. Nearly every category of tions extra-sensitive to the challenges food, in the proper amounts, can be part posed by grains to the human system. of such a balanced diet.

While Cordain doesn’t recommend

When we explore what makes sense and eat clean and natural foods, we have a good chance of finding our body’s own sweet spot.

Sayer Ji is the founder of GreenMed Info.com and an advisory board member of the National Health Federation.

Tania Melkonian is a certified nutritionist and healthy culinary arts educator.

Learn more at GreenMedInfo.com.

Paleo Parallel Tips n Make plants the center. For any meat, choose organic, grass-fed lean cuts and use small portions as sides or garnish. n Limit dairy to items with full fat content. Choose sheep or goat dairy when possible, followed by organic cow dairy. n Limit grains, but explore pseudograins such as buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth to add safe, starch-like body to meals. n For legumes, eat lentils. Blue and sweet potatoes are good choices for tubers.

natural awakenings

October 2013

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leadingedge

Research and the Efficacy of Acupuncture

by Adam Miramon, LAc, DiplAc

A

cupuncture is an ancient form of healing with a documented history of roughly 3,000 years. In China and other Asian countries, this form of healing is a foundational part of the overall culture, and people are aware of the benefits of receiving acupuncture. In fact, some of the population is educated in terminologies (i.e. hot/cold, yin/yang, damp/dry, wind, etc.) used to diagnose conditions. However, there are very few research studies in the United States that demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture.

In the past year, studies have been released that demonstrate the benefits of acupuncture. In October 2012, a systematic review of 29 randomly controlled trials provided indications for the efficacy of using acupuncture in treating

pain. A metaanalysis of over 17,000 individual patient results was conducted during this review.

The researchers concluded that the patients receiving acupuncture had less pain than patients receiving “fake” (sham) acupuncture or no acupuncture. This particular review looked at multiple studies over a period of years. Since acupuncture has a very individual approach to treatment, the results were unable to specify definitive acupuncture treatments that could be used in treating pain.

Another study, published in February, evaluated electroacupuncture and its effectiveness in reducing stress responses. A researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center, Ladan Eshkevari, Ph.D., evaluated the stress

hormones of rats exposed to cold.

There were three groups evaluated in this study—one receiving electroacupuncture, one receiving “fake” (sham) electroacupuncture and one receiving no electroacupuncture. Of the three groups, the group receiving electroacupuncture showed significant reductions in peripheral stress hormones (corticotropin and cortisol). In addition, there was also a reduction of stress hormones (corticotropin-releasing hormone) in the brain. This current scientific study shows promising results in using electroacupuncture for treating stress.

In clinical practice, many acupuncturists witness the benefits to their patients. They observe phenomenon such as lighter mood, relaxed muscles, improved skin color, brighter complexion and other acupuncture diagnostic measures such as Chinese pulse and tongue diagnosis.

These phenomenon are highlighted by patients’ subjective reports, which include reduced pain, lower stress, better appetite, increased energy and an overall better quality of life.

While many case studies emphasize the benefits patients experience from receiving acupuncture, these studies do little to quell the need for large randomized studies sup-

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porting the efficacy of acupuncture.

Researchers from around the world continue to conduct and publish research studies about the efficacy of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. In fact, China is currently the leader in producing both case studies and randomly controlled trials about the positive effects of Chinese herbal medicines. As the healthcare system in the United States begins to change in the coming years, we will begin to see more scientific studies about the positive results of acupuncture.

References: Journal of Endocrinology and Archives of Internal Medicine Adam Miramon, LAc, DiplAc, is a licensed acupuncturist in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia. He holds his Diplomate of Acupuncture through the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). He is founder and owner of Ix Chel Wellness (IxChelWellness.com), an acupuncture practice based in the Washington metropolitan area. See ad, page 36.

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fitbody

TREKKING AS PILGRIMAGE A Literal Path to Personal Growth

by Sarah Todd

F

or more than a millennium, seekers have made spiritual pilgrimages on the Way of St. James, beginning at their chosen point in Europe, winding westward and ending in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. Today, as portrayed in the 2010 movie, The Way, the core route continues to attract both secular and devout trekkers. It’s fair to say that every pilgrim derives something from the journey, although it’s not always what they expect.

Alyssa Machle, a landscape architect

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in San Francisco, imagined that walking The Way would be a quietly contemplative and solitary experience. Instead, she spent weeks bonding with fellow trekkers: an Ohio schoolteacher trying to decide whether to become a Catholic nun, and a German woman in her 30s unsettled by falling in love with her life partner’s best friend, a war veteran in his 70s.

“Inevitably, each person had some internal battle that he or she hoped to resolve,” Machle found. “My own ideological shift was about setting aside

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preconceived ideas about how I would experience the path, and focusing my energy on the community that I suddenly was part of.”

The diverse goals of the people Machle met on The Way speaks to the power of adventurous treks. From the Bible story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the desert for 40 years to young Fellowship of the Ring members hiking across Middle Earth, we like the idea of walking long distances as a way to get in touch with ourselves—and often with something larger. In America, there are as many trails to hike as there are reasons to do it.

For Cheryl Strayed, author of the 2012 bestselling memoir, Wild, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail at age 26 allowed her innate courage to blossom. A rank novice, she took to the trails solo, grieving the early death of her mother, and discovered a new kind of selfreliance. “Every time I heard a sound of unknown origin or felt something horrible cohering in my imagination, I pushed it away,” Strayed relates. “I simply did not let myself become afraid.

Fear begets fear. Power begets power. I willed myself to beget power. It wasn’t long before I actually wasn’t afraid.”

Other people on such journeys are inspired by their love for the environment, like Zen Buddhist priest and retired psychotherapist Shodo Spring, leader of this year’s Compassionate Earth Walk, a July-through-October protest of our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. It has engaged a “moving community” of shared prayers, meditation and yoga along the path of the pending Keystone XL pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Nebraska.

Spring emphasizes that the walk

is intended to connect participants to the land and the people that live on it. “We’re going to small towns,” she says, “where many residents make their livelihoods from oil. There’s a deep division between such people and our group.

But when we listen to each other, that division gets healed.”

Activist David Rogner says that long-distance walks don’t just raise awareness of political and social issues—they also give people hope.

He spent 25 months walking across the United States in the first coastto-coast roadside litter program, Pick Up America.

“As we walked and picked up trash, we inspired people to believe there could be change,” he says.

His trek gave him hope for his own future, too. He now believes, “If you commit your life to the healing and restoration of community and yourself, you are going to be wholly provided for.”

Whatever the purpose, there are many scenic long-distance walking trails to choose from. The Pacific Crest Trail, from the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California to the uppermost reaches of Washington State, offers stunning views of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. The Appalachian Trail, which winds 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine, provides 250 shelters and campsites. In Wisconsin, the 1,000mile Ice Age Trail offers awe-inspiring views of glacial landscapes. Starting in North Carolina, the Mountainsto-Sea trail extends from the Great Smoky Mountains to the crystal-blue waters of the Outer Banks. In Missouri, the Ozark Trail sweeps through mountains, lush valleys and tumbling waterfalls. Plus, overseas trails await, as well.

Sarah Todd is a writer and editor in Brooklyn, NY. Connect at Sarah ToddInk.com.

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healingways

How Chinese Medicine Can Help Alleviate Depression and Anxiety

by Heidi Most, MAc, LAc, DiplAc

F

rom a Chinese medicine perspective, depression and anxiety can be understood as a disturbance to the shen, or roughly translated, our spirit.

When shen is disturbed, manifestations might include a feeling of lack of meaning in one’s life, an inability to connect to other people, feelings of worthlessness and inauthenticity, self-loathing, a lack of energy, among other things.

Moreover, if qi/energy is stuck in the body or not moving smoothly, a person’s emotions may also become stuck, for example, in states of fear, anger or grief.

Chinese medicine treats these conditions by reconnecting the spirit with the deepest sense of our self, and with something larger than ourselves. In doing so, it can guide the qi to move more smoothly, thereby alleviating feelings of being stuck emotionally or spiritually.

Chinese medicine therapies that are particularly beneficial for those with depression and anxiety include acupuncture, herbs, dietary therapy, qigong, and t’ai chi. No matter if one chooses either acupuncture or herbs, or uses them in conjunction with each other, the importance of remembering to eat healthy foods and get enough exercise cannot be overstated. Chinese dietary therapy can help identify the best foods for a person’s particular constitution and qigong, and t’ai chi are gentle ways that teach a person to move energy in their bodies through the use of physical movement.

Another key concept in Chinese medicine is the importance of opening our sensory orifices, the portals of perception, so we can see and taste

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and hear the world in a different and healthier way. In this case, one can use incense, chanting, voice therapy, sound therapy, and visualizations to help move out of depression or anxiety.

Perhaps what makes Chinese medicine such a unique and powerful therapy, particularly for those with depression and anxiety, is that it always treats the individual and not the merely the disease. Its beauty is that there are no set point formulas or herbal prescriptions; the treatment is

really based on the individual. You could liken it to making a beautiful, gourmet meal; the points and herbs work synergistically to create something that is larger than the individual ingredients.

That being said, there are particular points and herbs that might be very useful for their ability to help open our eyes so we see the world differently.

Such a shift in outlook can ultimately allay our fears and give us the will and courage to face the world. For instance,

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there are a group of points on the upper chest called the kidney transport points.

Each of these points deals with an emotional or spiritual aspect that relates to one of the five elements. So if you happen to be stuck in grief, a practitioner might use the point that is associated with metal to help you acknowledge and move beyond that emotion.

Chinese medicine also uses herbs that are traditionally used for wound healing but are also very beneficial in treating anxiety and depression. The thought behind the use of these herbs is that the spirit can be wounded in the same way the physical body is wounded.

One question that a patient suffering from depression and anxiety might have for their practitioner is how long it might take for them to notice any results from Chinese medicine. Generally, people are helped during their very first session by the powerful ability of Chinese medicine to use language to describe the disturbances of the spirit. But like many complicated conditions, it takes the dedication of patient and practitioner working together to make the necessary changes in one’s body, mind and spirit.

Length of treatment very much depends

on the severity of the condition. While anxiety can often be addressed quickly, long-term, debilitating depression can be a much longer process. But during the process, the patient can see progress, in small and large ways. This perhaps is one of the most important concepts in Chinese medicine­—that there is always

the possibility for healing, no matter how intractable the disease.

Heidi Most, MAc, LAc, DiplAc (NCCAOM), is an Associate Professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health. For more information about her work, visit MUIH.edu. See ad, page 48.

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October 2013

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healthykids

The Mindful Journey of Childhood

by Andrew Kutt

T

he bumper sticker, “Childhood is a Journey Not a Race,” seems like a simple and straightforward reminder to be mindful, but we often forget to think about how profound the statement truly is. In fact, the philosophy presents a challenge to parents and educators alike.

A race has a starting line and finish line and ranks participants by speed, in the order they finish. The race results possess the value. A journey has starting and end points, but the experience is what matters most. As parents, we vacillate between seeing our children’s development through the race lens and the journey lens. We want them to score well on tests, be good athletes and artists and ultimately get into the best schools to have a good career. This means we are often caught in constant motion, shuttling our children to one practice after another and helping them struggle through homework that, at times, seems mindless and leaves little time to relax together.

We might even say, “You will see that all of this will be worthwhile down the road.” Through the race lens, obstacles can seem like nuisances we and our children need to brush aside as quickly as possible to keep moving. Schools are caught up in the same frenzy as they strive to be considered rigorous and difficult to get into, if they are private, or meet state and national standards if they are public. In the film Race To Nowhere (RaceToNoWhere.com), a student says, “I am not thinking about the meaning of any of what I am learning. I am just thinking about getting it done.”

As adults, we know intuitively life is not a straight line and receiving an “A” brings a different kind of reward than completing a good book. We know the hard work of striving toward a goal is fulfilling in itself, and joy comes from achieving a new level beyond our previous accomplishment, not from measuring against someone else.

When we look through the journey lens, we pass these messages on to our children.

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What we also know deep inside is that, to help our children see the beauty and possibilities of their path, we ourselves have to engage regularly in activities that foster big-picture thinking and strike a balance between results and experience. Knowing our priorities helps us protect our children from being dragged along the push and pull within ourselves.

To help balance the tug-o-war between living life like a journey or a race, choose a regular “pause practice” to allow yourself to breathe mindfully, find your way to the present moment, listen to your inner voice and gain a deeper perspective.

Discuss with your significant other how best to support your child—gaining clarity and cohesion about your family values is critical to achieving mindfulness. Reflect upon your child’s personality and learning style. Are they inherently results-driven, or do they enjoy the process? In keeping with Montessori philosophy, think about how you can build upon your child’s natural strengths, yet stretch them in ways that do not come as easily.

Maria Montessori says, “The education of a child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life.” With this as our ultimate goal, may we help them embrace life in all of its beautiful spontaneity, living in the present moment and appreciating our child’s journey. We can continue setting goals with our children, while remembering to cherish our experiences together.

Andrew Kutt is the founder and head of Oneness-Family School, an international, progressive Montessori school in Chevy Chase for children ages 2 through eighth grade. For more information, visit OnenessFamily.org.

inspiration

Encircling the World with Contemplative Prayer

by Grace Ogden

F

ather Richard Rohr, Tara Brach and Parker Palmer are part of a veritable “who’s who” of contemplative living signed-on to participate in a 40-hour global prayer vigil, originating from Washington, October 13 to 15. The live and online vigil is the brainchild of the D.C.-based Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, and is set to circle the world in prayer and mark the growth of the contemplative prayer movement after centuries restricted to monastic life.

Communities around the world now embrace contemplative prayer, the newest being a group in Cuba that will host Shalem leaders next year, thus linking with existing groups across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The Shalem Institute was founded 40 years ago

by Tilden Edwards, a local Episcopal priest and a small group of seekers who were propelled by a shared desire to create a spiritual community coalesced around the concept of “spiritual formation.” Spiritual formation is the assistance for the evolution of personal spiritual development that Edwards and followers felt was not available to them in their churches. Their quest eventually led to the liberation of Christian contemplative practice from the monasteries to the masses and advanced the Christian contemplative movement, which includes such other luminaries as Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating and Cynthia Bourgeault.

Edwards says his early studies with a high Tibetan Lama, which

were recommended by Christian leaders, “helped to open me to a depth of consciousness that I yearned for and a sense of the connection of that consciousness with the Christian contemplative tradition.” He then began to gather with others in D.C., every week and have retreats together. “At first, this was good private prayer, really deep. Then, we began to see this had revolutionary implications for the whole society, not only the church or other religious communities,” says Edwards.

Shalem traces its spiritual lineage along the thread of contemplative awareness and wisdom expressed throughout the ages. It draws on the teachings of prophets, wisdom figures, monks and monastics in the Christian tradition and embraces the traditions of mystics and teachers past and present from other religions, from Patanjali to the Baal-Shem-Tov to Thich Nhat Hanh.

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan monk and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in New Mexico, explains the Latin root of contemplation means seeing, not thinking. He says this form of prayer is “another way of knowing, an undefended knowing, where you keep the screen open, you refuse the dualistic, antagonistic of ‘it’s either this or that’.”

Prayer, as interpreted by Shalem, takes many forms—sitting in silence, walking in nature, movement, attention to the breath, chanting, drumming—all an inner opening and re-

ceptivity to God that give the mind and heart access to wisdom beyond mere conceptual understanding. “The spirit has always been virtual,” says Leah Rampy, executive director of Shalem, when asked about the group’s recent launch of their online school of contemplative prayer and the upcoming global prayer vigil. “The Internet is a powerful medium of connection. We can be tuned into God’s presence when we are online especially when we are joined in spiritual community,” Rampy continues.

The vigil will offer people the opportunity to connect directly as individuals, and as a group, with God and feel the collective strength and ripple effects of contemplative prayer in our time now to heal the world.

Participants are invited to sit in prayer, however they practice it, at any time during the 40 hours and know that someone, somewhere, will be in silent prayer on behalf of everyone.

“We invite all who are committed to trusting the Spirit to join us during the 40 hours for however long you can.

Together, we will offer thanksgiving for all that has been given, listen more deeply to what the Spirit is inviting and re-dedicate ourselves to responding to that invitation,” says Rampy.

For more information and to join Shalem’s 40-Hour Prayer Vigil, call 301-897-7334 or visit Shalem.org Grace Ogden is the founder of Grace Productions, which offers transformational consulting and Living Sacred events. See ad, page 15.

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neighborhoodspotlight

Take a Look at

Tacky Park

by Joanna Pumple

N

ot even a stone’s throw from the nation’s capitol— in fact overlapping area lines—Takoma Park is a diverse and cosmopolitan community that has the undeniable feel of a small town. Though considerably political, being in such proximity to the country’s political epicenter, and known by some as one of the most liberal cities in America, that does not deny Takoma Park’s quaint atmosphere and friendly neighbors.

Anywhere in the town, whether at a community forum in the municipal building or at one of the many outdoor gatherings, the residents run into friends, acquaintances and family and are happy to help a tourist or welcome a visitor to their fair city.

Even from its earliest days, Takoma Park’s collective point of view is largely appreciative of the outdoors and a natural, healthy lifestyle. The Takoma mindset believes in supporting and using organic products, local business and healthy activities. When exploring parks and open spaces around the city, a resident will find them filled with their neighbors. From the local children’s

soccer league to the trails along Rock Creek Park, as well as the city streets for the farmers’ market on Sunday or Food Truck Fridays, community involvement is important to the citizens of Takoma Park.

On October 6, the Old Town Business Association (OTBA) will bring the excitement of city life and activities right to Takoma residents’ doorstep. The OTBA works to encourage involvement, as well as to preserve local business and bring fun and lively events to the residents. Though the summer’s biggest event has passed, the eclectic and festive Fourth of July parade, looking forward to the fall brings an event that arguably evokes the town’s very spirit— the Takoma Park Street Festival.

Many who grow up in Takoma Park have some of their fondest childhood memories at the Takoma Park Street Festival. For several years, an annual war of silly-string tag would take place all throughout the downtown area, which unfortunately resulted in a colorful mess that was virtually impossible to clean, so

the tradition has since been scrubbed. The festival is still one that several locals come out to, walking the closed-off main street, eating and drinking the delicious treats, perusing the mostly hand-crafted goods for sale and listening to the live music on two stages at opposite ends of the main street.

The cosmopolitan aspect of the tiny city is growing, with the metro acting as an open door to the national and international hub of Washington. In recent years, new restaurants have opened up, bringing more visitors to the area and giving the locals less reason to travel outside of their city. Soon, even more city life will be spreading, bringing new places like Busboys and Poets, which is set to open near the Takoma Metro station in 2014.

The Black Restaurant Group will soon be coming to the space where the beloved Video American movie rental store used to stand. Takoma Republic Restaurant is set to open thid fall and is a nod to the community spirit.

Despite the changes coming, the tenacity of Takoma Park’s quirk will not bend. Austin and Portland have their successful campaign to keep those places weird, and this small town, lovingly referred to by residents as Tacky Park, will forever hold onto its budding artists, green living, bike riding, organic locally grown food, yoga and the love of outdoor spaces that its very streets evoke, each one named for a different tree or flower.

Joanna Pumple is a little-experienced writer with larger aspirations, currently working as an assistant property manager in North Bethesda. True to her hippie roots, having been born in her parent’s home, caught by a midwife, she is a totally un-biased, almost lifetime resident of Takoma Park.

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natural awakenings

October 2013

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calendarofevents TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1 Introductory Yoga Series – 7-8am. A 4-week introductory course on the fundamentals of yoga for those new to the lyengar approach. $20/class or $68/course. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Intro to Meditation – 6-6:45pm. Come learn the basics with Tim Eden, MSW, in this calming free introductory class. Drop-ins welcome. Restorative Health, 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Tenleytown).

Info: RestorativeHealth.org or 202-244-6661.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3 A Night on the Farm – 6:30-8:30pm. Common Good City Farm’s annual fundraiser, featuring fresh, local tastings prepared by DC chefs, miniworkshops on urban farming, live music and more. $50. Common Good City Farm, 300 V St, NW, DC. Register: CommonGoodCityFarm.GiveZooks.com/ Events/A-Night-At-The-Farm.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Fitness Friday: Range of Motion – 6-6:30pm.

Assess your range of motion and learn some simple techniques to improve flexibility with orthopedic massage therapist Olivier Pelletier.

Drop-ins welcome. $10/cash only. Restorative Health, 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Tenleytown).

Info: RestorativeHealth.org or 202-244-6661.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 Redefining Health – 9am-5pm. Gain 20 practical and empowering skills you can use immediately to create more ease and less suffering. $165. Maryland University of Integrative Health, 7750 Montpelier Rd, Laurel, MD. Register: MUIH.edu.

Lower Back Issue and Yoga – 3-6pm. Through theory and practice, learn about the lower back, modify poses to prevent injury. Level 1 and up - Teachers and students with back problems are welcome. $45.

Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Mother-Daughter Date Night – 5:30-7:30pm. With Karen Schachter. An evening of yoga, laughter, love and dishing with your daughter. Ages 7-10. $65.

Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 Redefining Health – 9am-5pm. See Oct 5 for details.

Maryland University of Integrative Health, 7750 Montpelier Rd, Laurel, MD. Register: MUIH.edu.

Yoga for Arthritis – 1:30-3:30pm. Replace the pain-tension-stress-depression cycle with one that features relief and relaxed movement. In this workshop, Amy Dara Hochberg will guide you through a yoga practice that helps to manage most forms of arthritis. The class level will range from Super Gentle through Beginners, with recommendations for progression upon request. $35/before September 29 or $40/after September 29. Circle Yoga, 3838 Northampton St, NW, DC. Register: CircleYoga. com or 617-721-7531. iPath Postural Alignment – 2-4pm. As our posture deteriorates, joint movements become restricted and

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Washington, D.C.

the differences between tense and weak muscles places greater stress on the joints. $25. Buddha B Yoga Center, 1115 U St, Ste 202 (2nd fl), NW, DC. Register: BuddhaBYoga.com.

Yoga, Knitting and Quilting – 2:30-5:30pm.

Experienced teachers will offer a yoga class plus basic hand quilting and beginning knitting. $30.

Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Lower Back Issue and Yoga – 3-6pm. Through theory and practice, learn about the lower back, modify poses to prevent injury. Level 1 and up.

Teachers and students with back problems are welcome. $45. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Yoga Family Playtime – 3:15-4pm. $10. Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Info: LilOmm.com.

Children and Family Midfulness Meditation – 4-5pm. With Jennifer Jordan and Ofosu JonesQuartey. For 5-12-year-olds, 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.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7 Mindfulness in DC Area Schools – 7:30-9pm.

Renowned author, meditation teacher, and therapist Dr. Tara Brach will appear with the five-term U.S. Congressman from Ohio Tim Ryan at Whitman High School to discuss and to lend support to the launch of Minds Incorporated, a recently formed DC nonprofit dedicated to introducing secular practices of mindfulness into mainstream education. Free but donations are accepted. Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd, Bethesda, MD. Info: Jesse@ibme.info.

Open House: Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Graduate Programs – 7-8:30p.m. Learn about MUIH’s acclaimed academic programs in acupuncture, Oriental medicine, and Chinese herbs.

Maryland University of Integrative Health, 7750 Montpelier Rd, Laurel, MD. Register: MUIH.edu or 410-888-9048.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 Coping with Neck and Back Pain – 6-6:45pm.

Learn about therapies for coping with and correcting the cause of neck and back pain in this free class with Ali Safayan, MD, and orthopedic massage therapist Olivier Pelletier. Drop-ins welcome. Info: RestorativeHealth.org or 202-244-6661.

Drumming Circle – 7:30-9:30pm. Enjoy the joy, fun, healing, transformation, and community, of a drumming circle. Feel free to bring your drums, rattles, other rhythm sounds, though not required. $20. Reston Reiki and Self Healing Arts, Post Oak Trail and Sunrise Valley Rd, Reston, VA. Register: KarunaJoy1@gmail.com.

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 Avenue, Ste 200, NW (Tenleytown). Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 Extending Your Growing Season All Year Long – 10-11:30am. The pleasure of growing your own food does not have to stop because the weather is getting cooler. In this class we’ll learn about the many crops that prefer cool temperatures and the various methods that can be implemented for insulating and growing healthy; delicious food all four seasons.

Takoma Park Recreations Department. $35/Takoma Park residents and $45/Non-residents. Info and Register: SacaredRootsDC.com or 301-891-7290.

Monthly MAAD (Mood, Attachment and Anxiety Disorders) Dharma Sanga – 4-6pm. With Trudy Ann Mitchell-Gilkey. Take refuge in the power of awareness, understanding and compassion. Not designed to replace psychotherapy and participants must email facilitator in advance. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW (Tenleytown). Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Reiki Healing – 9am-6pm. Thru Dec.15. Begin your training in this spiritual healing practice with Reiki master Pamela Miles for your own self-care or to integrate into your professional practice. Two or three weekends available. $595. Maryland University of Integrative Health, 7750 Montpelier Rd, Laurel, MD. Register: MUIH.edu/Reiki-Healing or 410-888-9048.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 Intermediate Level IET Class – 12-8pm. The Basic Class is a prerequisite. Attunement to Intermediate IET energy ray will empower you to pull energy imprints out of the human energy field. $215. Reston Reiki and Self Healing Arts, Post Oak Trail and Sunrise Valley Rd, Reston, VA. Register: KarunaJoy1@gmail.com.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14 Pantry Rehab – 6-6:30pm. Find out what a healthy pantry looks like and what should stay, and what should go. Nutrition and Lifestyle coach Melissa Windsor, DC, gives a pantry tour in this free class.

Drop-ins welcome. Restorative Health, 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Tenleytown). Info: RestorativeHealth.org or 202-244-6661.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16 Yoga with a Chair – 9:30- 11:30 am. In this 7-week course, learn ways to use the chair to increase range of motion and flexibility in standing and twisting poses. $152/course or $22/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 2639 Connecticut Ave, Ste C 102, NW, DC. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Movie Night: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead – 7pm. A screening of this inspiring documentary and brief, lively discussion to follow. Drop-ins welcome. $10/ cash only. Restorative Health – 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Tenleytown). Info: RestorativeHealth. org or 202-244-6661.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20

Monthly Singles Sangha – 7-10pm. A welcoming community of people who gather to experience a

Teaching Yoga to At-Risk Kids – 11am-4pm. This specialty course is for those interested in under-

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

standing effective ways to teach yoga to kids who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. This training will cover developmental characteristics and effective methods for behavior management specific to at-risk youth (K-12th), the nature of poverty and the psychological impact of these stressors on the brain, how brains can change, and yoga’s role in that positive change. $95. YoKid, 532 N Washington St, Ste 100, Alexandria, VA. Register: Clients.MindBodyOnline.com/ASP/ home.asp?studioid=16084.

Yoga and the Power of Intention: On & Beyond the Mat – 11am-1:30pm. With Max Strom. This flowing workshop begins very gently and then builds momentum. At the apex of heat and breath we move directly into a special vigorous sequence of postures that bring the mind into stillness and the body into a new state of energy. This class is both challenging and very healing. $40/by Oct 14th, $48/ after Oct 14th. Budda B Yoga Center, 1115 U St, Ste 202 (2nd fl), NW, DC. Register: BuddaBYoga.com.

with recipes sure to please and power up your health.

Her classes are popular, register early. $35. Restorative Health, 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW (Tenleytown).

Info: RestorativeHealth.org or 202-244-6661.

Consciousness Is Our Middle Name – 4-6pm. Join us to hear monthly expert speakers. Noetic Science of Alexandria, Alexandria VA. Register: MeetUp. com/Noetic-Science-of-Alexandria-VA.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

Vegetarian Potluck & Kirtan – 4:30-8pm. Eat at 4:30pm and sing at 6pm. Join in community and raise your voices and lift your hearts. Families Welcome. No experience needed. Donations accepted. BE yoga & Gita’s Dream, 45406 Lakeside Dr, Sterling, VA. Info: BEYogaYurt.com.

Advanced ThetaHealing Class – 12:30-8:30pm.

Thru Oct. 27. Basic ThetaHealing Class is a prerequisite. Continue to learn some amazing ThetaHealing Healing Processes, receiving many enlightening and healing Downloads, and experience and share healing. $500. Reston Reiki and Self Healing Arts, Post Oak Trail and Sunrise Valley Rd, Reston, VA. Register: KarunaJoy1@gmail.com.

Foundations of Flight: Creating Levity – 6:309pm. With Ricky Tan. Introduction with philosophy for practice and floating vinyasa workshop. Explore the importance of right breath and movement. $45.

Buddha B Yoga Center, 1115 U St, Ste 202 (2nd fl), NW, DC. Register: BuddaBYoga.com.

The Path of Breath – 2:30-4pm. An introduction to the practice of pranayama (yogic breathing). Open to all, including those with breathing challenges such as asthma and COPD. Taught by an experienced certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. $25. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

Ancient Asian Healing Processes – 4-6pm.

Learn easily accessible Asian Healing Resources such as 7 Healing Sounds, Central Light Column Anchoring Meditation, Chinese Chakra Balancing, Japanese Energy Balancing with Finger Points. $35. Reston Reiki and Self Healing Arts, Post Oak Trail and Sunrise Valley Rd, Reston, VA. Register: KarunaJoy1@gmail.com.

In the Arms of the Goddess – 9am-5pm. With Kris O’Shee, LPC. Find out what a 35,000-year-old stone female figurine, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, has to do with you. In this experiential workshop, we’ll explore the rich history of the sacred feminine and how it can nourish your life today. $85.

Crossings, Silver Spring. Info: KrisOShee.com.

Tending Our Heartfire: Embodying the Wisdom, Science and Yoga of our Energetic Heart for Individual and Collective Healing – 5-7:30pm.

With Shiva Rea. In this experiential intensive based upon Shiva’s upcoming book, you will leave with a transformed embodiment of your energetic heart as well as tools to tend the fire of your heart on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Open to all levels of yogadventurers. Optional private film screening of Fly By Light from 8-10pm. $54 or $63/with film.

Flow Yoga Center at All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St, NW, DC. Register: FlowYogaCenter.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 DC Contemplative Lawyers Group – 7-8:30pm.

20 minutes of guided meditation followed by guided discussion. Open to all active and retired lawyers, legal professionals, law students and judges. The Center for Mindful Living, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 200, NW (Tenleytown). Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

wedneSDAY, OCTOBER 23 Open House: Graduate Nutrition Programs – 7-8:30pm. Spend an evening at MUIH to learn all about our academic programs in nutrition and integrative health. Maryland University of Integrative Health, 7750 Montpelier Rd, Laurel, MD. Register: MUIH.edu or 410-888-9048.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 RH Kitchen: Cultured Foods – 6-7pm. RH Nutrition and Lifestyle coach Melissa Windsor, DC will translate the benefits and flavors of cultured foods,

Connecting the Dots: Vinyasa Yoga – 9am-12pm.

With Ricky Tran. Join us for a Master Flow incorporating the elements of Foundations of Flight. $45.

Buddha B Yoga Center, 1115 U St, Ste 202 (2nd fl), NW, DC. Register: BuddaBYoga.com.

Make Your Own Fabulous Masks – 10am-12pm.

With Hillary Banchowski. Just in time for the upcoming holiday, or any occasion, we will make masks out of plaster using our own faces as the mold and create and decorate them using recycled materials, paint, feathers and other treasures. Bring a towel and bandana to hold hair back. No artistic experience necessary. Supplies are included. $45/ Takoma Park residents and $55/Non-residents.

Takoma Park Recreation Department. Register: SacredRootsDC.com or 301-891-7290.

The Workshop of Death with Hari-Kirtana Das – 2-4:30pm. The process of yoga is one of identifying and overcoming obstacles to self-realization: illusion, attachments, aversions, our ego, and our fears.

All of our fears ultimately roll up to one basic fear: the fear of death. To retreat from death is to retreat from life, to miss out on the full potential of our life offers us.$25/advance or $30/door. The Yoga Fusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Chevy Chase. Register: TheYogaFusionStudio.com.

Mother-Daughter Date Night – 5:30-7pm. Mothers with daughters ages 6-10 are invited to enjoy an evening of yoga, dance, dinner and art. $40.

Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 The 5 Things That Kept Your Child Awake Last Night Seminar – 1:30-3pm. This seminar will help you to understand the behavior of your child’s struggling sleep (i.e. bedtime battles, early rising and multiple wakings) and gentle steps to help your whole family sleep better. $45/family. Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29 Yoga for Athletes – 7-8am. Use Yoga to enhance athletic performance in this 6-week course. Each week offers a different focus (legs, hips, shoulders, abs, etc.). $102/course or $20/week. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Yoga for Scoliosis – 11:30am-12:30 pm. Learn how to adapt yoga poses to address scoliosis in this 3-week course. No prior yoga experience necessary. $20/class or $55/course. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 2639 Connecticut Ave, Ste C 102, NW, DC. Register: UnityWoods.com.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 Lil Omm Halloween Party – 3-3:45pm. Ah Oh-SoOmm Halloween party for all ages. Come wearing your costume and enjoy stories with our friends, the Tenley/ Friendship children’s library, and sing along with Meadowlark Music. $10/family. Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

plan ahead MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4 BPI Multi Family Building Analyst – Thru Nov 8. 8am-4pm. Learn to apply building-as-a-system fundamentals and find realistic, cost-beneficial steps to multifamily building energy usage, comfort, and health and safety. Certification exams included. $2250.

Elysian Energy, 1418 Fenwick Ln, Silver Spring, MD. Register: Training@ElysianEnergy.com.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17 Herbal Medicine Making and Body Care Workshop – 10am-4pm. This class will be a hands-on day including herbal plant walk around the farm, tincture making as well as a medicine making rotation, medical oil, tea formulas, herbal salves and more. Each student will leave with their own tincture, salve, tea formula and oil. Lunch is served potluck. Scholarships available. $55. Centro Ashé, 1620 Chester Ave, Bryans Rd MD. Register: Info@ CentroAshe.org.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 Practicing for a Joyful Life: Cultivating a Kind Heart – 7:30pm. With Sylvia Boorstein and Sharon Salzberg. In their first-ever joint-D.C. appearance, these renowned teachers and authors bring over four decades of teaching and meditation experience to nurture our capacity for an open and loving heart. Their engaging sessions combine talks, meditation practice, humor and Q&A. Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave, NW, DC. Info and Reg-

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ongoingevents 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.

sunday Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market – 8:30am-1pm.

A producer-only farmers’ market. Only regional growers from the Chesapeake Bay watershed region (DE, MD, PA, VA and WV) may sell at market. 20th St, NW (between Massachusetts Ave & Hillyer Place NW) and the adjacent bank parking lot. More info: 202-362-8889.

Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 10-11am.

This class is open to all experience levels and provides a well rounded, fundamental GYROTONIC® work out on the pulley tower. $35/ session, $250/10 Sessions. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

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, NW, Ste 200, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Community Yoga Class – 11:30am-12:30pm. OpenLevel Yoga Class hosted by a range of teachers, including recent graduates from our Yoga Teacher Trainings.

This community yoga class will vary in style and flow.

Please note the room will be heated at 90 degrees to aid in the detoxification of the body. Please arrive early to guarantee your spot. $10/suggested donation. The Yoga Fusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Chevy Chase.

Register: TheYogaFusionStudio.com.

Family Yoga – 3-4pm. 2nd Sun. Yoga for the whole family together (age 8 and up). $15/person or $50/ family of four or more. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

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, NW, Ste 200, Tenleytown. Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Advanced GYROTONIC® Group – 10-11am. For clients with a significant amount of experience in the GYROTONIC method. $35/session. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Mommy Meet Up – 11:45am-12:45pm. 1st Mon. A friendly environment to chat, share, and learn together as moms with children. Bring your lunch and enjoy the space to learn, live, play and grow. $5. Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

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Beginner GYROTONIC® Group – 12-1pm. This class is held on the GYROTONIC pulley tower and is designed for new students. Students will learn how to set up the equipment and gain an understanding of the fundamental movements of the system. $35/ session. $250/10 sessions. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group – 5:156:15pm. 2nd Mon. Mothers bring your babies of all ages to connect with other mothers, ask questions of the IBCLC and find support for breastfeeding related challenges. $10. Lil Omm Yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC. Register: LilOmm.com.

Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 6-7pm. See Sunday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

tuesday Introductory Yoga Series – 7-8am. A 4 week introduction to yoga for those new to the lyengar approach. $68/course or $20/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

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

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Introduction to Vinyasa – 7:30-8:30am. Sun Salutations are energizing, stimulating, centering flowing poses, and the perfect way to start your day. No yoga experience necessary, but no injuries, please. $48/course or $15/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4001 N. 9th St, Ste 105, Arlingotn, VA. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Beginner GYROTONIC® Group – 8-9am. See Monday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Chair Massage – 9am-2pm. Have a bit to eat and then get a refreshing, 10- or 15-minute massage every Tuesday and Thursday in Takoma Park. $10-15.

Capital City Cheesecake, 7071 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park, Md. Massage2Day.com.

Gentle Yoga – 9:30-10:45am. Gentle approach to Yoga using props as needed to secure the benefits of practice. Build strength, balance, flexibility and concentration. No prior experience necessary. $68/ course or $20/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4001 N. 9th St, Ste 105, Arlingotn, VA. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Yoga en Español – 12-1pm. Posturas básicas y posturas de relajación seran presentadas. No se requiere experiencia para atender. Todos son bienvenidos.

All are welcome to attend this short introduction to Yoga. Course will be conducted in Spanish. $68/ por el curso o $20/cada clase. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Takoma Park Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 1-2pm. See Sunday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Family Yoga – 3-4pm. 2nd Tues. Yoga for the whole family together (age 8 and up). $15/person or $50/ family of four or more. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

I Meditate DC: Introduction to the Art of Living – 7-8pm. Refresh and rejuvenate with a free community service initiative to introduce people to breathing and meditation techniques that have a calming effect on the mind and reduce stress. Participants develop insight on how to reduce negative emotions that eat up our energy and time. The Art of Living Foundation, 2401 15th St, NW. Register: Secure.ArtofLiving.org/Events.aspx.

Vipassana Meditation – 7:30-8:30pm. Guided Meditation in the Vipassana or Insight Meditation Tradition with Vicki Goodman. Emphasis will be on the development of concentration to quiet the mind and body. There will be an emphasis on bringing mindfulness and open heartedness to daily life situations. Every other Tuesday. $10 or give what you can. The Yoga Fusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Chevy Chase. Info: TheYogaFusionStudio.com.

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

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Advanced GYROTONIC® Group – 10-11am. See Monday for details. $35/session. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Introductory Yoga Series – 5-6pm. An introduction to the lyengar method of yoga taught by a senior certified instructor. No prior experience necessary. $68/course or $20/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4001 N 9th St, Ste 105, Arlington, VA. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Wednesdays with Tara Brach – 7:30-9pm.

Class includes 30-min of Vipassana meditation instruction and guided meditation followed by

an hour-long Dharma talk. A large gathering of approximately 250-300 people. Beginners through advanced students welcome. There is no registration, but dana (donation) of about $10-$15 is suggested to help cover expenses and is gratefully received.

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

Blessing Circle – 9:15-9:45pm. 2nd Wed. The Insight Meditation Community of Washington offers the Blessing Circle to comfort and support those experiencing loss, grief, illness or any of the “10,000 sorrows” of this life. We gather after the Wed class with Tara Brach for a 30-min service of sharing, mindful and supportive listening and metta practice.

Together we offer blessings to all in need as we take refuge together in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Rd (enter from Whittier Blvd), Bethesda. More info: Imcw.org.

thursday

Takoma Park Yoga for People Living With Cancer & Their Caregivers – 2-3pm. A relaxing hour of yoga taught by yoga therapist Yael Flusberg. The class combines breathwork, gentle movement and guided visualization.

GW University Hospital, 900 23rd St NW, DC. RSVP: Jennifer Bires, 202-741-2218 or JBires@Mfa.Gwu.edu.

Community Yoga Class – 6-7pm. Community classes are mixed level, one-hour asana classes taught by a rotating selection of Unity Woods teachers. They are offered by different teachers every Friday of the session. $5/class. Unity Woods Yoga Center. 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH9, Bethesda. Info: UnityWoods.com.

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

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

saturday

FreshFarm Market at Penn Quarter – 3-7pm. Delicious locally grown fruits, veggies, cut flowers, plants, handmade soaps, meats, cheeses, eggs and more are available every week. Market is open rain, snow or shine. This year introducing a Matching Dollars program to this market and will give $15 free Matching Dollars to low-income shoppers using their SNAP, WIC or SFMNP coupons. North end of 8th St NW, between D & E sts NW. More info: 202-362-8889.

Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market – 9am-1pm.

A producer-only farmers’ market that supplies the Mount Pleasant neighborhood with local fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread, cakes, flowers, plants and prepared foods. Some producers are certified organic or use chemical-free methods, and the meat and dairy is free range. Producers are all located within 125 miles of Washington DC. Lamont Park, corner of 17th & Lamont NW. Info: Mtpfm.org.

Sister Circle – 6:45-8:15pm. 3rd Thurs. Women are invited to come together and share about their journey for personal growth and emotional wellness. Group led by Dr. Theresa Ford, a skilled and sensitive psychotherapist and director of Creative Counseling and Coaching Services, providing specialized services to women. Support groups, therapy groups and individual therapy also available. $20. Meets at Seekers Church, 276 Carroll St, NW, near the Takoma Metro.

For more info or RSVP: 240-354-3854.

Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 10am. See Sunday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

I Meditate DC: Introduction to the Art of Living – 7-8pm. See Tuesday for details. The Art of Living Foundation, 2401 15th St, NW. Register: Secure.

ArtofLiving.org/Events.aspx.

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

Info: Living-Mindfully.org.

Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 10-11am.

See Sunday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Yoga and Aging – 10-11:30 am. Each class will address a different topic pertinent to our bodies and minds as we age. All are welcome. $20/class in advance or $22/class at the door. Unity Woods Yoga Center, 4853 Cordell Ave, Ste PH7, Bethesda, MD. Register: UnityWoods.com.

Gyrokinesis Group Class – 11am-12pm. Group class starting on stools, moving to the floor and finishing with a standing series. $15-$18. Elements Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, DC. FrontDesk@ ElementsCenter.com.

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Open Level GYROTONIC® Group – 11:15am12:15pm. See Sunday for details. Elements Fitness & Wellness Center, 2233 Wisconsin Ave, Ste 217, NW. Info: ElementsCenter.com.

Adoption Event – 12-3pm. Rural Dog Rescue holds its weekly adoption event every Saturday at Howl to the Chief. Fosters & Volunteers Needed.

Howl to the Chief, 733 8th Street, SE. Info: RuralDogRescue.com.

The Saturday Series – 2-3:30pm. This special 4-week workshop with Bonnie Schmidt explores the inner workings of anxiety and its effects on our mind and body. Learn yoga poses and breathing techniques specially designed to alleviate stress and anxiety, as well as powerful mental practices to create a total transformation in the way to deal with anxiety in your life. $35/drop-in, $100/series.

The Yoga Fusion Studio, 4609 Willow Ln, Bethesda.

Register: TheYogaFusionStudio.com.

I Meditate DC: Introduction to the Art of Living – 4-5pm. See Tuesday for details. The Art of Living Foundation, 2401 15th St, NW. Register: Secure.

ArtofLiving.org/Events.aspx.

Shop online for this and other natural products at

NAWebstore.com or call: 888-822-0246

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

ACUPUNCTURE CITY ACUPUNCTURE CIRCLE

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

IX CHEL WELLNESS

2841 Hartland Rd, Ste 207, Falls Church 703-667-0465 WellnessWithNature.com

Offering traditional ayurvedic bodywork and energy work for health and balance. Urban pancha karma, health counseling and other techniques to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

CONSULTING GRACE PRODUCTIONS Grace Ogden, Principal 301-445-6771 GraceProductions.co

Grace Ogden leads this consulting and event production firm that supports progressive social change with an awareness of why spiritual principles and practices matter.

See ad, page 15.

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

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

$15-$35 acupuncture. Open Tuesday/Thursday, 2-7pm, Wednesday/Friday/Saturday, 10am-2pm. Convenient to Brookland, Chillum, H St, the Hill, Hyattsville, Cheverly. Free parking. Walk-ins welcome.

ARCHITECT HELICON WORKS

catering Sunnyside Gourmet TonyaVirgan@gmail.com 301-585-6484

Catering and packaged foods using sustainable, organic, locally sourced ingredients. No processed ingredients.

Specializing in international fusion dishes, paellas and tagines. Accommodate all dietary needs. See ad, page 33.

COUNSELING CREATIVE COUNSELING AND COACHING SERVICES, LLC

Individual and Group Therapy & Life Coaching 240-354-3854 CreativeCounselingandCoaching.com

7108 Holly Ave, Takoma Park 301-404-5578 HeliconWorks.com Ecologically sensitive architecture and building practices, responding to people and place.

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Evaluation, treatment, counseling, and education for all sexual health concerns. See ad, page 2.

APURVA AYURVEDA HEALING CENTER

OURSPACE ACUPUNCTURE

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

We ask for $15-$40 per session. Schedule your appointment online today.

Couples Therapy GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055, 202-300-4981 Gwcim.com • SexMatters2Me@gmail.com

Ayurveda

202-630-2435 • Adam@IxChelWellness.com IxChelWellness.com We provide acupuncture and Intuitive Reiki services. Our mission is to heal our patients, ourselves, each other and our communities. See ad, page 36.

MARY KENDELL, MS, NP

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Offers high quality, culturally competent and gender-sensitive therapy and life coaching for adults that promotes physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.

NATALIE X. KORYTNYK, PHD

Individual & Couples Therapy GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 Gwcim.com

With over 20 years of experience, D r. N a t a l i e K o r y t n y k i s a psychologist with an expertise in relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, work stress, eating disorders and self-esteem. See ad, page 2.

ENERGY HEALING Healing Gateway 877- 534-5534 www.healinggateway.com Sherry Lynn Dmytrewycz invites you to enter into a healthier, unlimited life with an energy clearing for you, your space or your animals. Hands-on or distance sessions. See ad, page 18.

FITNESS FLEXAWARE®

202-557-8384 Steve@FlexAware.com

Back Pain? Breathing Problems? FlexAware is remarkably effective for all ages, all health conditions.

Applied neuroscience, based on the way young children move naturally. See ad, page 29.

HEALTHY PETS THE BIG BAD WOOF

5501 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 117 Carroll St NW, Old Takoma, DC 301-403-8957 TheBigBadWoof.com The Big Bad Woof is a community resource for companion animals and their guardians. We are committed to providing nutritious foods for companion animals whether they are dogs, cats, small mammals, birds or fish. We provide access to organic, holistic and premium raw diets and a wide range of alternatives including holistic supplements for companion animals. See ad, page 9.

HOWL TO THE CHIEF

733 8th St SE, DC 202-544-8710 • HowlToTheChief.com We carry a large assortment of natural, holistic, raw and organic diets for dogs, cats and small animals. Grooming and selfserve dog wash service too! See ad, page 28.

Paws of Enchantment 3415 Perry St, Mount Rainier 301-209-0411 PawsOfEnchantment.com

The original holistic pet spa in the Metro DC area.

Rated ‘Best’ by Washingtonian Magazine. Let your pet be enchanted!

See ad, page 34.

HERBS 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.

Home environment MIKHAIL SOGONOV, PH.D.

InSitu EcoTesting LLC GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 • sogonov@insitu-et.com Consulting company inspecting indoor environment for biological agents negatively affecting human health. Mainly focused on mold, also includes sewage contamination and pet and pest allergens. See ad, page 2.

Home improvement AMICUS GREEN BUILDING CENTER 301-571-8590 AMICUSGreen.com

A home improvement store full of materials that maximize health, eco-friendliness, water and energy savings, with expertise to make any project greener and smoother.

MIKHAIL KOGAN, MD

HOME ORGANIZATION

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

JUST THAT SIMPLE Just-That-Simple.net

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

Home and office organizig and move preparation services with a personalized, nonjudgmental approach, JTS helps tame “all clutter in all rooms.” You can find, use and put away things in relaxing, productive spaces. See ad, page 30.

HYDROTHERAPY

RESTORATIVE HEALTH 4801 Wisconsin Ave, NW 202-255-6661 RestorativeHealth.org

VITALITY CLEANSING

571-331-1497 Inquiry@VitalityCleansing.com We offer an elegant and contemporary space using the natural element of water to gently wash debris from the colon. Our gravity-open system provides the connection between water and cleanliness that forms the basis for rejuvenation and vitality.

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

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

See ad, page 2.

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

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

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

Restorative Health is a patient-focused integrative medical practice dedicated to helping people achieve optimal health. Using a variety of healing therapies, the doctors at Restorative Health work with you in identifying the causes of illness and in shaping personalized, unique therapies to eliminate them.

See ad, page 3.

VIP iMED

3022 Javier Rd, Ste 217, Fairfax 703-207-4646 VIPiMED.com VIP iMed features individualized Integrative Medical and Wellness Programs: transforming your life and addressing your individual needs, with a proven record of treating most medical conditions and getting results.

LIFE COACH HOLISTIC AWARENESS CENTER ValerieStanley@hotmail.com

Life coaching by Valerie Stanley moves you in the right direction for long-term authentic happiness.

It helps you to answer many of the questions in your life about love, marriage, and work. Guidance that is down to earth yet out of this world. See ad, page 34.

massage At Ease: Trager and Massage Lisa Bregman 202-686-7202 LisaBregman@yahoo.com

Deep bodywork that uses rhythmic, wavelike movement to ease pain, joint and muscle tension, and release long-held uncomfortable movement and postural patterns. See ad, page 2.

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 33.

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MINDFULNESS COACHING FOR LIFE! 703-203-9202 Robyn@RobynPovich.com RobynPovich.com

Robyn Povich, Certified Professional Coach, Arbinger trained Coach, and Certified Facilitator of The Work™. She offers private sessions, retreats, workshops and teleclasses. Become more present and empowered in your life.

See ad, page 30.

SEE POTENTIAL LIFE COACHING 202-280-3349 Info@LifePotentialist.com LifePotentialist.com

Create positive growth in all areas of life with a ff o r d a b l e l i f e coaching — greater work/life balance, career development, stress management, wellness, and stronger leadership skills.

See ad, page 34.

MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE POWER SUPPLY

MyPowerSupply.com Power Supply provides fresh, tasty, all-natural and nutritious meal plans. Just order online, pickup at one of our 46+ DC/MD/VA locations, heat and enjoy. We offer Pure Paleo, Mixatarian (Paleo-Inspired) and Vegetarian choices made with local and organic when possible. No gluten or dairy. Order one-time or on a recurring basis. Special for Readers: Enter “NATURAL10” as “Gift Code” to save 10% off your 1st order.

Expires 10/31/13. See ad, page 21.

to achieving optimal health and wellness.

YES! ORGANIC MARKET

Adult & Pediatric Naturopathic Medicine GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 • Gwcim.com

Yes! Organic Market has provided healthful food, supplements and body care products at affordable prices for over 30 years. Visit any of our seven stores in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. See ad, page 26.

MARIANNA LEDENAC, ND

Dr. Ledenac is a Naturopathic Physician in family medicine caring for adults and children. She has a special focus in weight management (body composition improvement), nutritional assessments, pediatrics, and women’s health including fertility care. See ad, page 2.

CENTER FOR NATURAL HEALING

4601 Connecticut Ave, NW, Ste 6, DC 20008 202-244-4545 CenterForNaturalHealing.biz Dr. Sullivan is a Naturopathic/Homeopathic physician, specializing in homeopathic and botanical medicine, clinical nutrition and diets for blood types. She treats people, not just conditions.

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

KRISTA NOELLE

302-897-2407 Krista@KristaNoelle.com • KristaNoelle.com Krista combines her knowledge of physiology, medicinal herbs, foodas-medicine and the mind/body connection to evoke positive and lasting change with each individual client. She currently sees clients in the Baltimore and Washington area.

MEDITATION Hugh-Byrne.com

Raw living d-light 571-471-2891 luzy@RawLivingDLight RawLivingDLight.com

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIANS ALOE WELLNESS

5840 MacArthur Blvd NW, Ste 2, DC 202-966-2563 AloeWellnessDC.com Our Naturopathic physicians, acupuncturist, massage therapist, reiki practitioner, and life coach provide a comprehensive and personalized approach

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REIKI LUANN JACOBS, SLP/RMT

Reiki-Biofeedback Practitioner GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 • Gwcim.com Luann provides treatments and trainings in the use of Reiki handson and biofeedback for self-care, and Reiki care of others. See ad, page 2.

NUTRITION GOûTER

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

YesOrganicMarket.com

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Alkaline foods to restore your health and nourish your body.

Microgreens and sprouts, foods for superior health. Classes, workshops and private consultation. Available for lectures and home growing consultations.

See ad, page 32.

THERAPEUTIC YOGA LINDA LANG

GW Center for Integrative Medicine 202-833-5055 • TherapeuticYogaDC.com A highly experienced practitioner, certified in the medical, therapeutic arena of Cardiac Yoga. Specializing in chronic conditions and degenerative disease. Therapeutic yoga for special conditions and meditation are offered by appointment with GW Center for Integrative Medicine. See ad, page 2.

wellness BLUE HERON WELLNESS

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

DESAI HEALTH AND WELLNESS

202-599-0832 Anura@DesaiHealthAndWellness.com DesaiHealthAndWellness.com Eat healthy. Increase energy.

Reduce stress. No one approach works for everyone. Find out yours. Discover simple ways to making a healthy life easy and possible.

ELEMENTS FITNESS AND WELLNESS CENTER 2233 Wisconsin, Ste 217, DC 20007 202-333-5252 • ElementsCenter.com

Offering Pilates, GYROTONIC® Exercise, physical therapy, massage and more for clients of all ages.

Experience the joy of moving and breathing freely at Elements Center. See ad, page 29.

eXTEND YOGA

Coming Next Month

12106 Wilkins Ave, Rockville 301-881-3330 • extendYoga.com extendYoga strives to provide a positive, nurturing environment that challenges individuals to extend themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We believe in giving back to the community by participating in various charitable causes.

LIL OMM YOGA

4708 Wisconsin Ave, NW, DC 20016 202-248-6304

YOGA Ananda Shala Yoga & Pilates Studio

34 S. Market St, Frederick, MD 301-682-9642 info@AnandaShala.com AnandaShalan.com

Ananda Shala is a full spectrum mind-body center, Shiva Rea Prana Flow® yoga & Power Pilates studio. See ad, page 19.

BELOVED YOGA

2001 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston BelovedYoga.com Beloved Yoga embraces all traditions and paths of yoga and our classes are designed to give you a complete yoga experience.

Our teachers come from different lineages offering you a wellbalanced practice and exposure to this ancient practice. One intention that you will find in all our classes is the philosophy of flow, integrating breath with movement creating a meditative space for the mind, body and spirit.

BuddHa b yoga

1115 U St NW, DC, Ste 202 202-588-5885 • BuddhaBYoga.com

A friendly, community yoga center welcoming all ages and stages of life.

Offering open and honest teaching regarding yoga, well-being, family and spirituality.

THE YOGA FUSION STUDIO

4609 Willow Ln, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-656-8937 TheYogaFusionStudio.com Yo g a c l a s s e s , t e a c h e r training, health and wellness seminars, and community wellness offerings. We are your home for a loving and cohesive yoga family. See ad, page 13.

Personal

Growth Live the Life of Your Dreams

Natural Awakenings’ November Issue Provides You the Resources

Y’S ELEMENTS

202-246-9592 YaelFlusberg@gmail.com • YaelFlusberg.com Experienced yoga therapist/coach available for group and individual sessions drawing from a deep well of creative, somatic and reflective methods to help you flourish.

Experience a place of refuge and a spiritual center where all are welcome! A Vegan Vinyasa yoga studio and JivaMukti™ Yoga Center Affiliate. Open 7 days a week and offering over 55 classes a week, including 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training. See ad, page 36.

News to share?

Email details to: Robin@NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

Submittal deadline is the 10th of the month.

For For more information about about advertising and and how how you you can can participate, call call

202-505-4835 000-000-0000 natural awakenings

October 2013

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Washington, D.C.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com

PURPOSE

Purpose & Partnership Summit

1-on-1 Coaching & Social Events

Learn purpose-based models for inviting both personal relationships and professional partnerships into your life. Receive practical tools to enhance your communication, deepen your connections and balance your commitments.

Available for values-based professionals and entrepreneurs seeking to align purpose with all areas of their life (work, relationship, family, health...). Join us at our events! Holistic Mixers, Curated Dinners, UnConferences, and more.

December 6-8, 2013 at Sanctuary Retreat Center (Beallsville, MD).

All inclusive package: 2 days & 2 nights, Organic Gourmet Cuisine (Vegetarian/Vegan option), Beautiful Hiking Trails & Labyrinth.

The On Purpose Network is a purpose-driven community of values-based professionals and entrepreneurs who are pioneering new ways of living, working, playing and relating.

Early bird registration by: October 22, 2013.

Investment: $349 (early bird) $549 (regular).

Limited spaces available, register now at: www.onpurposenetwork.com A Georgetown University graduate in Communication, Culture & Technology, Sofia works in International Development and is founder of Pattern Interrupt, a professional unlearning initiative.

Contact: sofia@patterninterrupt.cc

Visit www.onpurposenetwork.com, leave a comment telling us how you’re ‘on purpose’ and receive a complimentary coaching session!

A graduate of the Wharton School, Coaches Training Institute & the Life Purpose Institute, David has 13 years of experience in Holistic Business Development & Partnership-based Marketing.

Contact: david@onpurposenetwork.com

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Degrees with Meaning for Careers with Purpose Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Programs Enrolling for January 2014 Maryland University of Integrative Health is one of the nation’s only accredited graduate schools with an academic and clinical focus on health and wellness. Here, the ability to be self-reflective and cultivate a healing presence is as critical to your academic success as competence in your chosen field.

MUIH also offers graduate programs in: Health & Wellness Coaching | Health Promotion | Nutrition and Integrative Health Herbal Medicine | Yoga Therapy

Online, on campus, and weekend options available No GREs required muih.edu 800-735-2968 48

Washington, D.C.

NaturalAwakeningsDC.com