November 2011 Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast AL/MS

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET feel good live simply laugh more

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Creating a New Economy Fairness for People and the Planet

EXPANDED PET SECTION

Training Tips, Healing Stories and Holiday Safety

SHOP SMART Keep Your Dollars Green and Local

Eating Out? Go Green A Guide to Eco-Friendly Dining

NOVEMBER 2011 | Mobile/Baldwin Edition | www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

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contents 8

5 newsbriefs

8 globalbriefs 10 actionalert

14 14 healthbriefs 16 greenliving

16

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.

12 THE STORY OF OPEN TABLE

A Community of Faith

by Meredith Montgomery

17 wisewords

16 SHOP SMART

20 consciouseating

in Local Communities

26 naturalpetpages

29 petbriefs

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication.

Keep Dollars Working

by Linda Sechrist

17 EMPOWER LOCAL

BUSINESSES TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL ECONOMIES

Success Tips from Advocate

17

Michelle Long

by Brian Clark Howard

20 EATING OUT? EAT GREEN

Eco-Friendly Restaurants Serve Up Sustainability

by Sandra Murphy

22 ECONOMICS OF

HAPPINESS: THE NEW ECONOMY

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Submit Calendar Events online at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

Changing the Rules to

Benefit America’s People

by John de Graaf and Linda Sechrist

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.

Positive Training Yields Fast Results

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27 GOOD DOG

22

27

by Sandra Murphy

30 THE POWER OF PETS Animal Companions Heal Humans

by Gabrielle Wyant

natural awakenings

November 2011

3

letterfrompublisher When we arrived home last night, Mays was delighted by the sky full of stars. He jumped out of the car and ran into the front yard pointing up and saying, “Stars! Look at those stars!” His immediate reaction was to start jumping.

My heart melted when he said, “I’m gonna reach those stars!”

At 38 inches tall, my two-year-old was only getting a couple inches off the ground with each attempt. As his little arms reached up towards the sky, the stars appeared even farther away than they usually seem.

But the determination and joy in his face was truly inspirational. “Look! I’m gonna reach them!” he said.

This was one of several recent incidents that has inspired me. As our October issue was being printed, the first annual Mobile/Baldwin Yoga Week was proving to be more than successful (see Community Yoga Practice Fills Cathedral Square, page 5). This was the area’s first community-wide yoga event and no one knew what to expect. But on that Sunday afternoon in Cathedral Square, more than 150 yogis of all experience levels were practicing together. Words cannot express how moving it was to see that many individuals coming together to do yoga in a public park, right here in Lower Alabama!

Just last week I was looking for a positive way to cover the Occupy Wall Street movement for this month’s Natural Awakenings. With it being our Local and Personal Economy-themed issue, I felt it necessary to acknowledge the occupation in some manner. As a result, I interviewed Anthony Finno who helps organize MedMobs (meditation flash mobs) in New York. His story (see Supporting Universal Prosperity, page 10) of using meditation in public places as a way to expand positivity and lately, as an alternative approach to protests and marches, is inspiring.

This month’s issue fosters socially and economically responsible living by exploring important topics such as shopping locally (Shop Smart, page 16) and eco-conscious dining (Eating Out? Eat Green, page 20). But the November feature, Economics of Happiness: The New Economy, page 22, especially resonates with me.

It ponders economies based on a high quality of life in which progress is measured by much more than the gross domestic product.

I don’t know how to quantify the quality of my life but I know that I am reminded daily of how abundant and joyful it is. When we contemplate the state of our personal, local and global economy, and how we want it to progress, we should remain inspired by and grateful for the things in our lives that don't currently come with price tags.

Whether it be a beautiful sunset, a great yoga class or the security of a loved one, these are the things that can make us feel the richest.

For now, at least Mays and I will be inspired by the priceless beauty in this world. While I am working with others to start the area’s first MedMob group, Mays is reaching for the stars.

Wishing you conscious prosperity,

P.S. Because pets add value to the lives of many of us, check out our biannual expanded pet section, pages 26-31!

contact us Publisher/Editor Meredith Montgomery Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Assistant Editor Gabrielle Wyant-Perillo Editor@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Contributors Martin Miron Josh Montgomery Anne Wilson Michael Wilson Design and Production Meredith Montgomery Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin P.O. Box 725, Fairhope, AL 36533 Phone: 251-990-9552 Fax: 251-281-2375

HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to the digital magazine for free at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Mailed subscriptions are available by sending $24 (for 12 issues) to the above address. © 2011 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.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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Meditation Center Updates Facility and Technology

newsbriefs Community Yoga Practice Fills Cathedral Square On September 25, more than 150 people participated in the first annual Mobile/Baldwin Yoga Week Community Practice, in Cathedral Square. Julie Wilkins led an hourlong, all-levels class while Ashelea Penquite accompanied the practice with ethereal tunes on her acoustic guitar.

“Julie skillfully led an incredible outdoor yoga class with such grace and joy! It was awesome to practice in a community,” says yoga instructor Nadia Jenkins. The class was followed by several mini-workshops led by area instructors. Attendees included students of all levels. Some arrived by bike from Midtown Mobile, while others drove from as far away as Orange Beach.

“It is what I have dreamed of and so many have worked toward for Mobile/ Baldwin yoga,” says Yoga Birds owner Melanie Buffett. “My heart is full of [happiness] and life abounds with excellent company.”

The event was presented by Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin and made possible entirely by donations of services and time, including contributions from the city of Mobile, Space 301, Sunflower Cafe, PostNet and the entire local yoga community of studio owners, teachers and students.

The practice was followed by a week of free yoga classes for new students at a dozen participating studios from Mobile to Gulf Shores. As a demonstration of seva, the yogic concept of selfless service, donations were collected for the Bay Area Food Bank and BARC!’s Pet Food Pantry throughout the week. More than 250 pounds of canned goods and approximately a dozen bags of pet food were collected from participating yogis, while the Random Acts of Kindness Club at Bayside Academy collected 519 pounds of canned goods from students.

For photos and more information, visit HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

The Meditation Center of Alabama (MCA) has renovated its space and upgraded all technology for a superior meditation experience.

MCA now features two defined spaces. The greeting hall is designed to provide guests with a warm and welcoming environment that starts their meditation journey. The meditation hall has been enlarged and upgraded with a new, 50-inch HD TV with customized computer equipment for high tech streaming video. All sessions are live, in English and presented through Skype from locations such as England, Germany, Thailand, Seattle, Boston and New York.

MCA is a nonprofit, non-religious center, promoting the spiritual, mental and physical benefits of meditation.

MCA offers a very simplistic form of meditation that is based in a contemporary tradition of Thai Buddhism called Dhammakaya, or "Middle Way." This form of meditation can easily be incorporated into an existing spiritual belief system and is appealing to Western culture because of its easy-to-follow format of guided imagery and breathing.

Location: 3871 Airport Blvd., Ste. C, Mobile. For more information visit MeditationCenterOfAlabama.Weebly. com. See listing on page 38

Workshop Facilitates Parent/Child Communication Dr. David Roberts, author, licensed clinical psychologist and owner of ProKids, Inc., will lead a workshop from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., November 5, at the Conscious Mile Spiritual Center, in Mobile. The cost is a $20 donation per person or family.

Sponsored by the Center for Spiritual Living, Adult Roles and Responsibilities: Righting Wrongs and Protecting Kids is a workshop for parents, teenage children, professionals and volunteers that interact with children and families. Roberts is passionate about helping children, teens and their parents to understand and effectively communicate for a more balanced home life.

A native of Mobile, Roberts moved to southern California, where he spent more than 15 years working with juvenile offenders and at-risk, low-income families.

Since returning to Mobile, Roberts has used his expertise for local residents through his private practice and community service. Workshop proceeds benefit Roberts’ nonprofit organization, Liberating Youth, Inc. Location: 1230 Montlimar Dr., Mobile. For more information call 251-457-4170. See ad on page 18.

Correction: Meditation Center Information in the “Meditation Center Offers Energy Healing” news brief in October’s issue was incorrect. Meditations are only available at the Meditation Center. Individuals are not able to join the weekly meditations by visiting the center’s website. For more information on the center’s schedule and offerings, visit MeditationCenterOf Alabama.Weebly.com. We apologize for the error. See listing on page 38.

natural awakenings

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November 2011

5

newsbriefs 100% Pure Cosmetics Debut in Alabama Rosie Blu is the first store in Alabama to sell the 100% Pure line of cosmetics and skin care products, made with pure, food-grade ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, honey, seaweeds and other natural herbs.

At sister store Rosie Bluum, certified Natural Facelift Specialist Rebecca Havard uses the products. “I work holistically with massage, while giving a lymphatic, relaxing 90-minute facial,” says Havard. The cost is $65.

100% Pure is the first and only cosmetics line colored with antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetable pigments (patents pending). “All the antioxidants and vitamins in fruits are in the actual color, so you will be applying all the healthy nutrients of the fruits directly on your skin,” says Rosie Blu owner, Betsey Grady.

100% Pure formulates synthetic-, fragrance-, paraben-, preservative- and toxin-free products. All products are vegan, cruelty-free and gluten-free.

No synthetic chemicals are added to enhance the scent of their products. According to Grady, “They smell delectable, because everything used in them is real fruits, pure essential oils and pure absolutes.

“The integrity of this company is outstanding,” says Grady, “They are never tested on animals. I’m so excited about this line because the quality is superior and the price is reasonable.”

For more information visit Rosie Blu, 422 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope; RosieBlu.com; Rosie Bluum, 6 A Bancroft, Fairhope; or RosieBluum.com. See ad page 11.

Create Transformation through Mantra Photo Source: Valerie L. Mitchell

The Kirtan community of Mobile invites all to attend Mantra, A Path to Abundance and Spiritual Evolution, Satyabhama's two-day Mantra workshop scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., December 10 and 11. Cost is $200.

The workshop includes puja from 7 to 9 p.m., December 9. John Golas, of Kirtan Community says, "Puja is a worship of the Divine involving ritual, usually ghee, fire and rice offerings. It is performed to keep us in harmony and connection with spiritual forces such as love , peace , abundance and health." Non-workshop participants are invited to attend Puja for $35.

Namadeva Acharya's introductory workshop will explore background information on the mystical Sanskrit language that works directly through the chakras. “Sanskrit mantras prepare us to receive higher amounts of Kundalini energy into the spine, which is said to solve problems, eradicate karma and aid in the fulfillment of desires,” says Golas.

Satyabhama teaches mantra methods for addressing life's problems in the areas of health, relationship, abundance, employment and family issues. Mantra methods to accelerate spiritual evolution will also be demonstrated. Group Mantra practice will take place at all sessions.

Puja location: Plantation Antique Galleries, 604 Bel Air Blvd., Mobile. Workshop location: Meditation Center of Alabama, 3821 Airport Blvd., Mobile. For reservations call 251-604-3924 or 251-422-5474.

6

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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Food Bank Needs Volunteers The Bay Area Food Bank encourages volunteers to assist with their efforts to end hunger in the community. The organization will soon begin packing holiday food boxes for families and individuals along the Central Gulf Coast.

“During the holidays, we especially need volunteer drivers to help pick up donations from local food drives,” says Karla Gardner, volunteer and food drive coordinator.

Volunteers are vital to the Bay Area Food Bank mission to help facilitate daily operations. They may choose to work special events, such as the annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive, sorting donated food at the main branch in Theodore, or rallying coworkers to sponsor a mobile pantry distribution. Volunteer hours now include Saturday and evening shifts.

Individuals aged 12 and up are invited to sort and box donated food items for distribution to food pantries, soup kitchens and other nonprofit organizations. When accompanied by an adult, children, ages 5 and up may volunteer to assist with special projects.

One in four children in Mobile and Baldwin counties is food insecure, meaning they do not always know from where their next meal will come.

“Volunteers are the very heart of our organization and critical to our daily operation,” says Gardner.

Location: Bay Area Food Bank, 5248 Mobile South St., Theodore. For more information, call or email Karla Gardner at 251-653-1617 or KGardner@BayArea FoodBank.org. Current volunteer opportunities and special events can be found on Facebook or at BayAreaFoodBank.org.

10th Annual Mobile Renaissance Faire

The 10th annual Mobile Renaissance Faire will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., November 12 and 13, at Abba Temple Shrine (Shriners Lodge). Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.

The Faire features the Gulf Coast’s only live jousting by fully armored medieval knights on horseback. This family-friendly event offers a unique experience with spectacular entertainment. Other highlights include pirates, falconry, storytellers, dancers, magical wizards, musicians, theater, fire breathers and a petting zoo. Medieval merchants will be offering a variety of Renaissance wares and crafts.

“Each year, thousands gather to witness the spectacle of armored combat, listen to the thunderous clash of jousters, feel the swirl from the dancer’s costumes and sample the wares of merchants whom have traveled from afar,” said organizer Steve Melei.

The earliest foundations of the Gulf Coast lie within the Renaissance Era, beginning in Pensacola in the summer of 1559. Melei chose to organize a Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire in Pensacola and Mobile, both historically important locations.

Melei encourages patrons to come in costume, “as the event seeks to forge new bonds between the past and present.”

Location: Abba Temple Shrine, 7701 Hitt Rd., Mobile. For more information call 850-429-8462, email GCRenFaire@aol.com or visit mzrf. us. See ad on page 17.

Elements Holiday Open House Elements Therapeutic Massage will celebrate the holidays with their annual Holiday Open House from 3 to 7 p.m., December 8, in Mobile. Visitors may enter a drawing to win a Gift Wellness Program Membership, which includes 12 free, 55-minute massages and up to 50 percent savings on massage gift certificates. The event will also feature door prizes, food, entertainment and a live remote broadcasting of WMXC-FM - Lite Mix 99.9 – Mobile. All Elements therapists will be on hand to give free chair massages.

“We all really enjoy doing this annual event. It feels so nice to give back to our members and meet new people in the community,” says owner Claudia McClure. Last year, more than 100 people attended the event.

During the Holiday Open House, current members will receive special offers.

Of the Gift Wellness Program Membership prize, McClure said, “Every year, somebody that has been a client with us has won the certificate and has been so happy to come for regular massages.”

According to McClure, “Therapists at Elements Therapeutic Massage focus on providing a true therapeutic massage experience. To do that, we follow a “level system” to match the most qualified therapist to needs of the client. We won’t put you in just any open time slot.”

For appointments call 251-342-6415 or for more information visit TouchOfElements/ Mobile. Location: 6920 Airport Blvd., Ste. 111 (across from Providence Hospital), Mobile. See ad on page 26.

Friday Night at Planet Gymnastics Planet Gymnastics, in Mobile, offers TGIF Open Gym from 6 to 9 p.m., on Fridays. For $15, children ages 6 to 14 can enjoy gym equipment while parents enjoy a guilt-free night out.

TGIF Open gym includes the use of four in-ground trampolines, two foam pits, a rope swing, cargo net, 100-foot trampoline and a concession stand. A signed waiver, available online, is required for all participants.

“From the minute a child walks into our gym, they are busy running, jumping, twirling or flipping,” says owner/ operator Joanne Novikov. “Our motto is ‘Make a difference in the life of a child,’ and, through our fun classes, we are doing just that.”

Novikov and her husband, Olympic Champion Vladimir Novikov, operate the 17,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that is home to many state and national champions and hundreds of class participants.

The couple agrees, “Everyone who steps inside our facility makes us what we are—a place for fun, creativity, learning, achievement and friendships that last a lifetime. You won't find any of our children bored and hanging around the mall.”

For more information regarding gymnastics, tumbling, cheerleading, dance, party events and day camps call 251-650-0699 or visit PlanetGymnastics.com. See ad on page 23. natural awakenings

November 2011

7

globalbriefs

Community Currency

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

A local currency movement is again emerging as a way to focus business capital, especially consumer spending, on community economies.

BerkShares illustrate the phenomenon. First issued in 2006 in the southern Berkshires region of Massachusetts, more than 2 million of these paper notes are currently in circulation. One hundred BerkShares can be purchased for $95 at one of five local banks and exchanged at participating merchants with the same purchasing value as U.S. dollars.

The program provides consumers an incentive to keep the notes active and shop and dine locally in the 400 neighborhood businesses that accept them. “At the moment, we’re a very sophisticated ‘buy local’ program,” says Susan Witt, co-founder and administrator of BerkShares, Inc., “but the potential to move to an independent currency is built in.”

Networking is key. Some local currency success stories include New York’s Ithaca Hours, North Carolina’s Plenty and Wisconsin’s Madison Hours, but others have not survived, despite sometimes extensive marketing support.

BerkShares continue to represent a relatively small part of the region’s local economy. Witt says: “In the short term, it’s about educating people about local economies. In the long term, it’s transforming the institution of money. We’re not there yet. But everyone knows what BerkShares are.”

Fairer Trade

B Corps Aim to Right the System Traditional business models have recently experienced many manmade traumas, including the housing/banking industry collapse, world recession, nuclear pollution in Japan, the BP Gulf oil spill and the Massey Energy Company coal mining deaths in West Virginia.

The conventional response is that smarter regulation is needed to prevent such crises in the future, but a growing number of business analysts say the problems go deeper, and a new kind of corporate legal structure is needed that requires companies to operate for the good of society, not just for their shareholders. These new entities, called B Corporations (the B is for benefit), are growing in number, having been adopted so far in Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia.

According to B Lab, the nonprofit behind the concept, “Our vision is simple, yet ambitious: to create a new sector of the economy that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. It will be comprised of a new type of corporation—the B Corporation—that meets rigorous and independent standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.”

Jay Coen Gilbert, a B Lab co-founder, says, “We can’t have a new economy unless we have a new type of corporation. Corporate law actually works against sustainability.”

Its certification effort helps consumers identify truly responsible companies. It also works with private equity investors to help them make better-informed investment decisions. Ultimately, it is pushing for new laws to, “…redefine fiduciary duty and hold companies accountable to create a material positive impact on society and the environment, as measured by an independent, transparent, third-party standard.”

Source: GreenBiz.com

sOccket to Me

A Powerful Plaything Two Harvard undergraduate students, Julia Silverman and Jessica Matthews, have come up with a way to harness the kinetic energy of a moving soccer ball and store it as electric current in a battery inside the ball. The invention, called sOccket, collects enough energy in 15 minutes of play to power a typical LED lamp for three hours.

The device sports its own power outlet to retrieve the juice inside. Today’s sOccket is designed to last for a year or longer; researchers are studying its larger potential.

Source: CleanTechnica.com

Honor World Kindness Day on November 13 8

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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Private Mints on the Upswing

Source: Adapted from E/The Environmental Magazine.

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November 2011

9

Photo: Jesse Johnson/City Life Wellness

actionalert

Supporting Universal Prosperity A Peaceful Perspective Occupies Wall Street

by Meredith Montgomery

M

Humble Beginnings Historically, MedMob participants have been invited to bring their own intention for themselves, their community or the world. But when Anthony Finno, one 10

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

organizer of the New York City MedMob group, discerned a coming shift in the financial markets, he decided to mob with more focused intent.

Before becoming a community organizer and founder of City Life Wellness community, in Brooklyn, Finno was an investment banker and traded stocks for 24 years. He says, “When I pulled up the stock charts to investigate the market prediction [made by peers in the city’s conscious community], my experience kicked in and I immediately saw that it

Photo: Jesse Johnson/City Life Wellness

onths before Occupy Wall Street gatherings began boldly voicing people’s intolerance for greed and corruption in America’s economic leadership, a New York meditation group was quietly acting to consciously support universal prosperity.

It’s called MedMob, and its mission is to create an environment for people from all religions, worldviews and experience levels to unite in meditation.

The movement has affiliates around the world and periodically organizes meditation flash mobs in public places to raise awareness of the power of meditation and positive intention.

According to MedMob.org, a flash mob is, “a large group of people meeting in a crowded public place [to engage] in a coordinated, unexpected, random activity.”

was exactly right. An economic collapse was waiting to happen.” This revelation inspired Finno to write a statement of intention for upcoming meditations in support of conscious prosperity for all.

“I wrote two paragraphs on a large poster about how we can trade intolerance for acceptance, so that we can let [negativity] go and move toward a solution,” says Finno. “I used capitalism as a vehicle to create awareness for letting go of something that is not working, so that we can move on to something that can work better.”

For three months, beginning in June, the New York MedMob displayed this written intention while they meditated daily during lunchtime in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Passersby stopped to read the sign and some took part. The revolving group of 10 to 30 participants brought a patch of calmness and peace to an otherwise busy New York sidewalk for an hour each day.

On July 13, the activist magazine Adbusters posted the initial call for the Occupy Wall Street movement on its website: “On Sept 17, flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street.”

For the two months that followed, hype for the planned occupation grew and according to CNN, several hundred people showed up on day one.

Initially, the New York MedMob decided to wrap up their daily meditations and to stand clear. Finno says, “The online posts were written from a place of fear.

They were demanding that the system was wrong and seemed to need an excuse to blame the state of their own lives.” While Finno does not ascribe to this approach, he acknowledges that it has served the purpose of at least generating awareness.

Then, a week into the Occupy Wall Street movement, New York MedMob organizers remobilized for a meditation flash mob at the park where the occupation was taking place.

Coincidentally, the protesters were marching uptown at the same time.

“When we arrived, there was no one in the park, so we had the whole space to meditate,” says Finno. “When the marchers returned, the park was grounded with meditators and there was a [palpable] shift of energy.”

Since that day, meditations take place in the park on Saturdays at noon and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. It has been transformed into, “an example of sustainable awareness,” according to Finno. Peaceful energy surrounds individuals engaged in art installations, permaculture, music and Tai chi. MedMob groups and others are currently posting similar events all over Facebook. “It’s well out of our hands now; it’s just happening,” remarks Finno.

Join in this Month A global meditation flash mob is planned for November 11 (see tinyurl.com/MedMob11). Communities around the world are encouraged to participate; planned events include Fairhope, Alabama; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; New York City; Orlando; and Paris.

According to the global event’s Facebook page, the goal is to inspire, “10,000 people to meditate and emanate a wave of high vibration energy that will shift and evolve our self and every person, business and system in our city.”

Finno believes that the power of meditation for individuals and communities is understated. When asked to define meditation, he says, “It is an opportunity to be at one with yourself, [and] to be grounded and focus on a solution.”

The universalized peaceful actions of MedMobs are ultimately more powerful than localized, anger-filled demonstrations, because as Finno notes, “Anyone can relate to meditation; everyone is working for a solution to something.”

For more information, visit MedMob.org or OccupyTheNet. com. To get involved in Gulf Coast MedMobs, find "Meditation Flash Mob: Gulf Coast Alabama" on Facebook or call 251-990-9552.

Meditation Flash Mobs are Coming to Lower Alabama!

MedMob is a global movement to expand positivity in every walk of life.

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Meditation Flash Mob: Gulf Coast Alabama

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November 2011

11

communityspotlight

THE STORY OF OPEN TABLE:

A Community of Faith

by Meredith Montgomery

O

pen Table, a diverse congregation-in-formation and ministry of the United Church of Christ (ucc. org), offers a fresh perspective on journeys of faith. Rosemarie Malinauskas recalls that she had heard the United Church of Christ labeled as a liberal denomination, and had certain associations with liberal Christianity. She decided, "I’ve got to check out these people and see if it is truly Christian or not!’”

After attending one of Open Table’s services, Malinauskas remembers thinking, “This is one of the most Christian churches I’ve ever been to. Other pastors preach the Bible. These people live the Bible.”

“We are storytelling creatures,” said Reverend Ellen Sims, in a sermon following the church’s first weekend retreat, which focused on creative storytelling as a spiritual discipline. “We can tell stories to others—but simply by living, we are composing the stories we tell to ourselves that shape our lives.”

Although originally ordained as an American Baptist minister, Sims says, “I felt called to start a new church in Mobile for those hungry for a socially responsive, intellectually engaged, spiritually dynamic Christian communion.” In February 2009 12

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

she began bringing together a core group of people who, “share a commitment to see where God is at work in the world and to join in that work.”

From that group, Open Table manifested as the first congregation of the United Church of Christ in Mobile, a progressive and inclusive denomination that is very different from the similarly named Church of Christ. The congregation’s mission is, “to nurture a new community of faith in Mobile, Alabama, that follows Jesus’ Way of Christian love, biblical hospitality, grace-filled inclusion and a commitment to God’s peace and justice.”

As an open and affirming congregation, this community of faith welcomes all— regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion or background.

Each Sunday, at 5 p.m., the congregation meets at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in Mobile. Upon arriving in the window-filled sanctuary, visitors are greeted by welcoming faces and open arms. A recent visit to the church illustrated how thoughtfully composed all elements of the service are, from the lighting of the Christ candle by a 5-yearold acolyte to the gluten-free bread used for communion.

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A member of the congregation shared a heartfelt account of the weekend retreat, summing it all up when he said, “To me, we came as individuals and left with unity.” When it was time to pass the peace, individuals went out of their way to welcome each other, crossing the aisle to offer heartfelt “peace of the Lord.”

Sims encouraged participation midway through the service by asking everyone to share items of joy and concern. On this particular Sunday, a member voiced concern for an HIV positive man in need of work that he had met earlier that day while out doing yard work. Another individual expressed joy for a fellow member who was celebrating his birthday that day. The concerns and joys were supported by a sung prayer, followed by a moment of silence.

Sims delivered an uplifting and thought-provoking sermon, focused on the often overlooked comedic tones present throughout the Bible. As the service continued, it was obvious that all present were just that, present, and filled with earnest intentions. When it came time for announcements, the congregation was once again encouraged to speak up.

Members shared upcoming events ranging from a daughter’s school play to the launch of a member’s social media campaign seeking to humanize immigrants in light of the new state law.

This engagement of the members does not stop when a service is over. In addition to post- Sunday service discussions, Open Table hosts monthly discussion groups with topics such as Science and Religion; Public Education and Faith; and People of Faith and Care for the Earth.

Todd Koper expresses his gratitude for the ongoing dialogue that exists at Open Table and the liberation that results. “There is a notion to honestly engage in question.

Doubt is a part of faith and Ellen helps me along my walk of faith, to be who I am honestly.” He clarifies, “It’s not license to do whatever I want, but it frees me to focus on what is really important. Love.

That is the core.”

It is often falsely assumed that progressive theology preaches that all paths lead to the same thing and that anything goes. Sims clarifies, “We are rooted in scripture and tradition, but as our denomination is fond of saying, ‘God is still speaking.’” She explains that God is

still speaking through science and culture, for instance. "For us, understanding God in expansive ways, and understanding scripture in metaphorical ways, help us reconcile some Christian traditional beliefs with what we’re learning as human knowledge evolves and as we work for social justice."

Sims continues, “How could our experience of Divine Love not change as human interactions change, as culturallyprescribed roles and ways we form families change? Our faith is 2,000 years old, but our thinking isn't."

Many members agree that they felt drawn to Open Table to see what it was about, not expecting to become regular members. However, various levels of comfort and overlapping views and beliefs have rooted them in this congregation.

Jenni Currie grew up sitting in the front row of church every Sunday as a little girl, yet she did not attend church as an adult until finding Open Table last year. “I admit that my theology was very childlike, because I stopped listening at a young age.

I thought that too many of the things I do are not befitting of a Christian and that I would have to quit all of these things before joining a church.” Currie says, “But at Open Table, I’ve learned that you don’t have to be perfect to be called a Christian.

A church membership is for helping you get there, to support you in those strong times and in those weak times.”

Open Table’s open and affirming community attracts some of its members by offering an alternative perspective and approach to many other churches in the area. While they are working to build membership, Sims points out, “We don’t find it important to make

We are rooted in scripture and tradition, but as our denomination is fond of saying, ‘God is still speaking. ~Reverend Ellen Sims strong distinctions between members and nonmembers. We want to keep that line somewhat permeable and not overly institutionalized. It's part of our extravagant welcome and our commitment to nonhierarchical polity to enable people to engage and participate in the life of our faith community to the extent that they feel comfortable and called.”

The members of Open Table feel strongly that a community of faith is about more than what takes place inside the church. A faith community also involves an impact on the greater community as a whole.

As can be expected with any new congregation, the membership has a lot of room to grow in numbers, but Currie counters any implications that suggest they are limited in their abilities by the size of their membership. She says, “It is absolutely incredible the amount of involvement that our small congregation has in our community and the amount of organizations that are represented by our group is phenomenal.”

The members of Open Table lead and serve in organizations such as The Sierra Club, The Quest for Social Justice, The League of Women Voters, the Mobile Area Education Foundation Reading Buddies program and more. With such a tightly knit group of members, one person’s passion for an issue or organization becomes that of the whole group, resulting in the church’s involvement in many civic and service groups.

As a congregation, Open Table also hosts homeless families through Family Promise (FamilyPromiseMobile. org), provides space and volunteers for Soul of Somanya (SoulOfSomanya. org), sponsors/befriends an Iraqi refugee family and supports local social justice and ecumenical groups with monetary donations and leadership.

After a weekend of storytelling and story listening, Sims closed her sermon with words that are inspirational to everyone. “Often unconsciously, we live out a scripted life. We have accepted an unhealthy or limited story about ourselves, and we keep living according to that story’s implicit parameters. Maybe you are ready to compose a life that is freer and truer, a story more consistent with the Jesus Story. Rewrite that script you were handed. Jesus told us, with his words and ways, that a new story is possible.”

The refreshing new story that is being scripted by Open Table has just begun.

Location: 1050 Azalea Rd., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Mobile. For more information, visit OpenTableUcc.org, Facebook.com/OpenTableUcc or call 251-545-1011. See ad on page 2.

natural awakenings

November 2011

13

healthbriefs

Taking Steps Against Diabetes

N

ovember is National Diabetes Awareness Month, a reminder that by taking the necessary steps, many Americans can prevent incurring the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 79 million of us have prediabetes and may develop diabetes later in life. New research suggests that inactivity, along with an overly refined diet, impairs the body’s control of blood sugar levels and may play a key role in the development of Type 2 diabetes.

“We now have evidence that physical activity is an important part of the daily maintenance of glucose levels,” advises John Thyfault, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, whose new study monitored the activity levels and diets of healthy and moderately active young adults. He concluded that, “Even in the short term, reducing daily activity and ceasing regular exercise causes acute changes in the body associated with diabetes, which can occur before weight gain and the development of obesity.”

The CDC reports that 25 percent of Americans have inactive lifestyles, taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, instead of a recommended 10,000 steps. Seventyfive percent do not meet the weekly exercise recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate activity, combined with a muscle-strengthening activity twice a week.

While regular exercise is crucial in preventing the disease, so is diet. Research led by scientist Patrice Carter, at the University of Leicester, in England, has found that cutting down on high-fat, high-sugar foods and refined grains while eating more green leafy vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Her study, published online in the British Medical Journal, states that an extra serving of green leafy vegetables a day can reduce the risk of diabetes by 14 percent.

DISH UP SOME PECAN PIE

W

ho doesn’t relish a slice of pecan pie for Thanksgiving dessert?

New research from Loma Linda University (LLU) demonstrates that naturally occurring antioxidants in pecans may help contribute to heart health and disease prevention. Earlier LLU research showed that a pecan-enriched diet lowered levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) by 16.5 percent. Both studies were published in the Journal of Nutrition.

14

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

THE NEW COCONUT OIL

M

ost older studies that gave coconut oil a bad rap involved partially hydrogenated oil loaded with trans-fatty acids. But the unrefined virgin coconut oil now available in many health food stores is not chemically treated and is trans-fat free. Marisa Moore, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, a nonprofit organization of nutritionists, explains that the main saturated fat in virgin coconut oil is lauric acid, a mediumchain fatty acid that can help increase levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

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Shop for Gifts in Pleasant Surroundings

R

ecent research underscores what common sense tells us, that moods, emotions and feelings influence the quality of people’s decisions. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms that when shoppers are in a positive mood, they make quicker and more consistent judgments than unhappy consumers.

The study’s authors manipulated participants’ moods by showing them pictures of likable objects (puppies) or unpleasant images (diseased feet) or asking them to recall pleasant or unpleasant events from the past. Next, the participants viewed individual pictures of a common object they might consider buying. Finally, they chose from a random list of evaluative adjectives, both positive and negative.

Individuals in a positive state of mind not only responded more quickly to the adjectives, they also responded more consistently. For example, if they reported liking an object, they were less likely to respond later that they disliked it.

“These results have implications for how we navigate our world,” the researchers reported. “The decisions we make about liking or disliking objects around us are fundamental to which things we approach and which things we avoid.”

The bottom line for retailers: Being aware of and avoiding factors that can induce negative moods—such as abrasive salespeople and unwelcoming shopping environments—can help ring up more sales.

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greenliving

T R SHOP SMA Keep Dollars Working in Local Communities

by Linda Sechrist

T

oday, Americans can tap into one of the best bargains around by voting to support our local and regional economies. By shifting our shopping to locally owned and operated retailers and service providers, we help create and retain area jobs, support community commerce and build valuable relationships and social connections within our community. With every local purchase, we leave the store enriched, having deepened both community social capital and genuine wealth.

Imagine the joy of knowing that your purchase contributes to the dentist supplying braces for the local grocer’s kids, the local insurance agent’s mortgage payment, the local banker’s roof repair and the local roofer’s dinner— all of them friends and neighbors.

The list of benefits—from shoring up local home values to ensuring access to local produce—keeps expanding as your dollars continue to circulate within the community.

Yet, finding a fuller range of locally made items at locally owned stores will continue to be challenging until shoppers demand it. One way to begin aligning purchases with your values is by patron16

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

izing stores that offer socially responsible and fair trade items.

Shaktari Belew, author of Honoring All Life: A Practical Guide to Exploring a New Reality, explains how purchasing goods and services can actually create local community wealth for all if they are specifically designed for that outcome. “When items are designed to be created and sold locally, everyone involved benefits, from the suppliers that obtain the raw materials through those that manufacture, sell and buy the finished item. Even the environment benefits.”

Belew encourages our learning as much as possible about purchases.

“Once people are aware of the two vital concepts of localization and design, they will be better able to scrutinize purchases,” advises this designer and whole-systems thinker who focuses on resilient community design. As a Transition US.org workshop leader and one of the primary designers of the Community Engagement Process for Unified Field Corporation’s whole-systems/quadruple bottom line financial model, this Oregon

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resident tries to follow her own advice.

“The Cradle to Cradle C2C certification helps,” she says.

The C2C program is an eco-label authorized by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, co-founded in 1995

by William McDonough, the author of Cradle to Cradle. The certification process assesses a product’s safety to humans and the environment, plus its potential for future life cycles. The “program focuses on using safe materials that can be disassembled and recycled for another purpose or composted as biological nutrients. To date, hundreds of items, from building materials, bedding and linens, baby care and haircare products to personal and household cleaning products, have been C2C certified.

If you plan to ship gifts long distances this gift-giving season, why not use the first C2C-certified consumer product—a U.S. Postal Service packing box? It exemplifies how a complex good design makes a product people- and planet-friendly.

All 60 of the product’s boxes, decals and labels, involving 1,400 component materials, had to be certified, but the benefits are big: reduced costs for handling waste and disposing of hazardous materials; plus, the receiver may easily recycle the item with a free conscience.

“Imagine a closed-loop market system in which any number of items made from finite resources such as glass, paper, steel, plastic and cloth are designed to be reused in a near-endless cycle,” says Belew. “Imagine a world of goods designed for easy repair and maintenance, rather than obsolescence.”

Belew, the designer of Will’s Bills, a form of complementary currency, also recommends buying items that have longterm reusability specific to our needs.

“My daughter loves a particular curry sauce, which comes in a little glass jar with a screw-top lid,” she relates. Rather than recycle the jars, the family reuses them for storing small things at home.

“They’re also the perfect size for single servings,” she says.

Sometimes, just a simple shift in perspective can change an item from trash to treasure.

Linda Sechrist is an editor of Natural Awakenings community magazines.

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Nov 12-13 10am-5 pm

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by Brian Clark Howard

M

ichelle Long is the executive director of the Bellingham, Washington-based Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). The fast-growing network aims to empower local businesses with their financial goals while they actively contribute to healthier communities and a cleaner environment. Their triple bottom line is people, the planet and profit.

BALLE represents 22,000 independent businesses in 30 states and Canadian provinces. By serving as an information clearinghouse and support center, BALLE is proving that no business is too small to make a difference.

Why is it important to foster local economies?

Locally based activity is where we are seeing real prosperity. Today, as we face economic, community and ecological crises, we see bright spots where local businesses are working together to build strong, healthy local economies.

How can local businesses positively affect their communities and the environment?

There is a natural accountability when business owners live with the impacts of their decisions, instead of from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Local supply chains also reduce carbon impacts by decreasing transport time.

Why is it vital to foster new strategies and support networks for local businesses?

Small businesses are stronger together than they are alone. Working in collaboration, business people enjoy enhanced powers of communication and networking, including opportunities to save on smart, shared purchasing. They often support each other through learning, mentoring and even investing in each other’s businesses.

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How does investing money locally, or community capital, help?

This aspect is a critical component of a healthy community economy, because too often, when we put our money into something like a mutual fund, we don’t know the impact and how much harm is coming from it. Community capital, investing locally, is much more personal and direct; it can help ensure we’re bringing about changes we want, such as resilient communities and local food supplies. Just going for impersonal financial returns isn’t working.

More local banks are innovating in this area. One example is One Pacific Coast Bank, in the Northwest. New kinds of investment clubs also are coming on line.

Stay Connected

Search for Natural Awakenings on Facebook and follow @NaturallyAwake on Twitter.

natural awakenings

November 2011

17

Free Your Frozen Emotions!

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Which examples illustrate how businesses are thriving as a result of new local models?

Several local manufacturing groups spoke of their results at BALLE’s 2011 annual conference. Examples include SF (San Francisco) Made and Made in Newark. These nonprofits build a regional economic base by developing a sustainable and diverse local manufacturing sector.

In Philadelphia, the apparel boutique Sa Va uses local materials in every detail, down to people growing plants for dye in vacant lots. The city has granted the shop tax breaks in acknowledgment that it creates jobs and supports other local businesses.

Which examples illustrate how businesses have reinvented themselves based on new local models?

After attending a BALLE conference, the president of T-shirt maker TS Designs launched steps to localize the entire supply chain to enhance its push for social and ecological sustainability.

Typically, a tee travels 16,000 miles before you put it on, but TS now collaborates with North Carolina farmers, cotton ginners and others to go from “dirt to shirt” in 750 miles.

What challenges loom for local business efforts, and how can they be overcome?

One of the biggest hurdles is that many people are innovating, but they are going at it alone. BALLE connects businesses to other people, ideas and resources so they can learn from each other and not have to start from scratch.

Another barrier is financing. We have started to bring together pioneering philanthropists that put a little funding in to create the conditions for businesses to proceed from there.

The Cleveland Foundation, for example, recently helped seed a worker-owned laundry co-op.

Most economic development subsidies still favor large corporations rather than local businesses, but some shift when they see studies like those from Civic Economics, proving that the cost per new job is much cheaper by catalyzing and growing local business. In Phoenix, a study by BALLE network’s Local First Arizona showed how the state gets more high-paying jobs with benefits from a local office supply company, Wist Office Products, than from a big box store. Wist also spends more money locally for services ranging from graphic design to legal assistance, and donates more to local charities. In all, the study found that on a $5 million state contract, Arizona was losing half a million annually in economic leakage by doing business with a nonlocal competitor. As a result, the city of Phoenix changed its procurement rules and now buys local.

Brian Clark Howard is a multimedia journalist and the co-author of Green L i g h t i n g , G e o t h e r m a l H VAC a n d Build Your Own Wind Power System. Connect at BrianClarkHoward.com.

18

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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consciouseating

Eating Out? EAT GREEN Eco-Friendly Restaurants Serve Up Sustainability

by Sandra Murphy

E

ating green isn’t limited to salads. It means that sustainable thinking goes into a meal at every stage, from the use of local ingredients and energy savings to recycling and composting waste. Delicious food, served thoughtfully, is the goal of today’s environmentally conscious restaurant.

Look first to local mom-and-pop eateries that are doing it right, but there are some chains worth considering, as well.

With more than 25 million cups of wake-up java sold each day, coffee shops have a perfect opportunity to start a good day by example. California-based Green Café Network consults with owners and baristas to reduce the environmental impact of member shops. Efficient equipment, biodegradable cups and renewable products for flooring and tables make the coffee house experience more sustainable, especially when buyers select shade-grown, organic, free-trade beans.

Starbucks Corporation has taken it all a step further by designing a pre-certified 20

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) prototype store. It features recycled floor tiles, reduced lighting and lower water usage and air conditioning set three degrees higher than usual.

Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes offers fresh-tossed salads, made-from-scratch soups and hot or cold desserts in their 120 restaurants, where vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free items are offered daily. Reclaimed recyclables come back as takeout containers, towels and napkins. Materials sent out for recycling include glass, paper, aluminum and cardboard. Even garbage is given a new role as part of a chain-wide composting program. Tankless water heaters are in while traditional systems are out and cleaning products are all Green Seal certified.

At Chipotle Mexican Grill, “It’s not just a burrito, it’s a foil-wrapped, handcrafted, local farm-supporting, food culture-changing cylinder of deliciousness,” states the company’s website. In 2010, Chipotle served about

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5 million pounds of local farm produce through its 1,000 mostly North American stores. The company-wide 2011 goal is 10 million pounds.

Inside those burritos, 40 percent of the beans are certified organic, resulting in 140,000 fewer pounds of pesticide added to the soil. The romaine lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeño, red onions, oregano and tomatoes come from family-owned farms.

California patrons also enjoy locally grown lemons and avocados.

Chipotle produce typically travels no more than 300 miles to its distribution centers. Short travel time means less fuel burned and fewer greenhouse gases plus fresher, more nutritious food on the plate than what less eco-conscious restaurants provide.

“The environment is the basis of our business; we try to be green in everything,” explains Mike Vroman, a store manager in the St. Louis area. So, for example, “Most of the beef we serve in this area is either from Missouri or Kansas. Even our uniforms are 100 percent organic cotton.”

Because restaurants draw their highest levels of electricity when community demand peaks, Chipotle installed solar panels on 75 of its Texas restaurants, while a wind turbine provides electricity at the Gurnee, Illinois site, reducing midday drain on the grid. The Gurnee site is the first restaurant ever to receive the superior Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating.

Is it possible to operate a restaurant without a dishwasher, range, hood or oven?

Yes, if bowls, straws, cutlery, chopsticks and cups are made from corn or potato starch.

Freshii meals are created in biodegradable, all natural, food-safe bags. Custom made, the bags leave a carbon footprint five to seven times smaller than the most energyefficient dishwasher. Everything taken from the store will readily biodegrade or is easy to recycle.

Even store size is a factor. Freshii founder Matthew Corrin notes, “As we grow, our stores are built smaller, to use less materials, to use greener materials, to consume less energy, to take less from this Earth.” Some Freshii stores are super-efficient, encompassing just 150 square feet.

If a burger, fries and shake dinner evokes guilty pleasure, EVOS removes both the guilt and grease, leaving only pleasurable flavor. The restaurant’s trademark Airfries are

better for more than just folks’ arteries. “Our potatoes are air-fried at a high temperature,” explains Jackie Macaluso, community ambassador for EVOS, “so we have no used and reused vats of grease to discard.”

Less noticeable eco-bonuses include zero-VOC paint and flooring, made from sustainable, eco-friendly, raw materials like wood flour, linseed oil, rosin, jute fiber and limestone. The company’s Southeast U.S. locations work to raise awareness that even comfort foods can be greener, healthier and still taste good, and to teach children about healthier eating habits.

Of course, there’s usually a Subway Restaurant around the corner. Long committed to serving fresh food fast, the company recently announced its new LEED-certified eco-edition. With 35,000 franchises in 98 countries, small changes add up to big blessings for the Earth.

The most important thing we can do to go green is to eat green every day. It serves up the most bang for the buck in healthy sustainability.

Sandra Murphy is a freelance writer at StLouisFreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.

Green Dining at the Sunflower Cafes

R

esidents of Mobile and the Eastern Shore can enjoy eco-friendly dining experiences at Sunflower Cafe, in Fairhope, and Sunflower Cafe II, in Mobile. Both organic cafes recycle any containers that they can, including glass bottles, plastic containers and cardboard boxes.

In addition to using energy-efficient appliances, the restaurants share freezer space with their neighboring health food stores to eliminate the need for two large walk-in freezers. “We’re lucky to have the health food store right next door,” says Sunflower Cafe Manager Troy Kline. “They carry a good selection of green cleaning supplies, hand soaps and air fresheners that we can use here in the cafe.”

Diners on the go enjoy environmentally-friendly packaging for their healthy meals. The restaurants send food home in corn- and sugar-based carryout containers that are 100 percent biodegradable.

Both cafes serve entirely organic menus and the travel distance of some ingredients is only a few yards. “We grow our own green onions, mint, oregano, basil and rosemary right outside the cafe,” Kline says. All of the compostable kitchen scraps go home with an employee who is an avid gardener. He then shares his harvest of vegetables with the restaurant for use in various specials and soups.

When asked about the reuse of grease, Kline points out that the healthconscious eateries do not use any fryers, “But if we did, one of our employees’ cars runs off of vegetable oil and he would take it!”

For online menus and more information, visit Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com.

Locations: 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope and 3952 Airport Blvd, Mobile. See ad on this page.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

by John de Graaf and Linda Sechrist

Most Americans are facing their most significant economic challenges in generations. From the hardships of unemployment to the perils of mounting debt, worry about the health of a national economy that depends on consumerism and market success dominates our conversation. But have we asked what the economy is really for?

S

ince the Second World War, we have been assured that more economic growth is good for us. But is it? By any measure, the U.S. economy, in its pursuit of constant growth, is in dire need of critical life support. Too many people have lost jobs, homes, scholarships and retirement savings, along with peace of mind, in the face of complex uncertainties. Those individuals that have jobs are earning less in real income than in 2001, even though they spend more hours working and commuting than previous generations.

We’ve had enough of the official mantra: Work more, enjoy less, pollute more, eat toxic foods and suffer illnesses, all for the sake of increasing the gross domestic product. Why not learn ways to work less and enjoy it more; spend more time with our friends and families; consume, pollute, destroy and owe less; and live better, longer and more mean-

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

ingfully? To do all this, we need fresh solutions that engage America’s people in redefining goals for the economy (what we want from it) as opposed to the economy’s goals (what it demands from us).

An Economy Based on Quality of Life

Although an economy based on a high quality of life that makes people happy may sound revolutionary, Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, enshrined the pursuit of happiness as a human right when he drafted our Declaration of Independence. Jefferson emphasized that America’s government was, “to secure the greatest degree of happiness possible for the general mass of those associated under it.” Likewise, the Constitution of the United States declares that government is to promote, among other things, the general welfare of the people.

Americans are able to achieve a better life, as we’ve proved many times in the past, benefiting mightily as a result of forward steps ranging from democracy, women’s suffrage and civil rights to inventive technological leadership. Although history shows that this has been accomplished primarily by changing national policies, any new economy delivering improved well-being is first brought about largely by active citizens that choose to invest more time in building a nation that reflects increasingly enlightened values.

Everyone’s quality of life—from today’s parents to future generations of great-grandchildren—depends upon individuals collectively working to build a new economy based on the concept of genuine wealth. In his award-winning book, Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth, ecological economist Mark Anielski explains this new and practical approach grounded in what people value most, which he states is: “Love, meaningful relationships, happiness, joy, freedom, sufficiency, justice and peace”—qualities of life far more vital than blind economic growth and material possessions.

Preferred Measure of Progress

To determine whether our economy promotes the greatest good or the happiness of the American people, we need to understand what makes us happy and how economic policies enhance or thwart our pursuit of happiness; we also need a better instrument of economic measurement than the gross domestic product (GDP).

The GDP counts remedial and defensive expenditures for pollution, accidents, war, crime and sickness as positives, rather than deducting these costs. GDP also discounts the value of contributions such as natural resources and ecosystem services, improvement in quality of life, unpaid domestic work, volunteer work, good health and social connection.

Anielski, in concert with economic experts such as Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics, Hazel Henderson, author of Ethical Markets, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, recommends that economic policies aim to boost societal welfare, rather than GDP. All agree that a new indicator of

well-being, such as the U.S. Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), could be used to more accurately measure economic progress.

The Science of Happiness

A respected “science of happiness,” pioneered by University of Illinois positive psychologist Edward Diener, Ph.D., dubbed Dr. Happiness, and other researchers, has existed for more than a decade. The study of what makes people happy and life fulfilling repeatedly demonstrates that the economic route to happiness does not consist of endlessly widening the superhighway of accumulation. Rather, it resides in a host of personal values that are closer to our hearts, as illustrated by the Himalayan nation of Bhutan (population: about 700,000).

For many years, Bhutan has measured its general well-being—as the people themselves subjectively report it—using a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. Its government bases policy decisions on how they might effect the kind of happiness associated with contentment, family, community, spirituality, education, compatibility with nature and good physical health. After years of primary research, the Bhutanese have identified nine domains for assessing happiness: psychological well-being, physical health, time use (work-life balance), community vitality and social connection, education, cultural preservation and diversity, environmental sustainability, good governance and material well-being.

In 2004, the first annual International Conference on Gross National Happiness was held in Bhutan. Hundreds of government representatives, scholars and other thought leaders from more than 40 nations gathered to explore the possibility of making GNH the true indicator of a country’s health and quality of life. As of 2011, a non-binding resolution by the United Nations General Assembly urges that countries now measure their health and happiness, as well as wealth. Sixtysix countries backed it.

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November 2011

23

cators—psychological well-being, physical health, work/time balance, education and capacity building, cultural vitality and access to arts and culture, environmental quality and access to nature, apt governance and material well-being—as part of its own Sustainable Seattle Happiness Initiative. Spearheaded by Sustainable Seattle Executive Director Laura Musikanski and her team with encouragement by City Council President Richard Conlin, it may become America’s first GNH city.

Initial survey results, intended to spark conversations that matter, will be discussed at future town meetings in Seattle neighborhoods and used to recommend policies for consideration by the city council. Repeating the survey every couple of years will reveal progress.

Interest in a similar Happiness Initiative is growing in cities and towns from coast to coast, such as Napa, California; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Duluth, Minnesota; Santa Fe and Roswell, New Mexico; Bellevue, Nebraska; Portland, Oregon; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Some 100 colleges and universities also are beginning to apply the Happiness Initiative survey.

How to Become Happier

To improve our own well-being within any economy, we need to attend to our security, social connections and the way we balance our time. Choosing to live with less stuff and lighter debt supports a better life with less income but more time, lower stress and better health. As individuals, we can: n Focus more on matters of family and community and on building trust. n Devote less attention to maximizing incomes and more attention to acts of generosity. n Ask our employers for more time off instead of higher pay.

In our local communities, we can find ways to design more relationship-friendly places such as farmers’ markets, where shoppers tend to engage in many more conversations than in supermarket aisles (Worldwatch Institute). In cities, we can call for public and private spaces that facilitate social connection, instead of discouraging it via urban sprawl.

Ecological economist Dave Batker, co-author of What’s the Economy for Anyway? (film clip at Tinyurl.com/3tc9dlk), believes that moving forward requires greater citizen involvement in the shaping of democracy, laws and our collective future. By ditching pundits and talking with neighbors, city by city and town by town, citizens throughout the United States are moving to do this using newly learned techniques such as those offered by Open Space Technology, World Café, Transition Towns, Sustainable Cities, The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences’ Worldview Literacy Project.

In St. Petersburg, Florida, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and other places, citizens are cultivating a stronger sense of community with real discussions about local issues and economic goals. They aim to arrive at a clear-eyed view of what citizens really want from the economy.

In St. Petersburg, the culmination of Sharon Joy Kleitsch’s 10-year effort to build a flourishing community through helpful workshops on timely subjects, meaningful conversations and aligning constructive partnerships is reaching a crescendo 24

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

this month at Beyond Sustainability: Ecosystems, Economics, and Education, the Institute of Florida Studies’ 36th annual conference, at Hillsborough Community College (Tinyurl. com/3avntte). Kleitsch remarks, “I show up, pay attention and listen for opportunities where my connections with policy makers, educators, nonprofits and community activists can help convene people in meaningful conversations that can make a difference in building a resilient community.”

In Oklahoma City, Sustainable OKC, a volunteer organization working towards community sustainability at the crossroads of business, environment and social justice, frequently partners with the city’s Office of Sustainability, the CommonWealth Urban Farms project and the Oklahoma Food Cooperative (Sustainableokc.org). The grassroots organization advocates shopping locally and sustainably.

Jennifer Alig, Sustainable OKC president, is consistently delighted by the growing number of residents that don’t just attend events such as movie screenings of The Economics of Happiness, but also show up to plant food to feed the hungry and join Commonwealth Urban Farms work parties to feed neighborhoods using the products of thriving urban farms on vacant city lots. Alig notes, “After events, we sometimes use Open Space Technology to talk about topics that people are passionate about and willing to invest their time in.”

The kind of society that makes for health, happiness, true prosperity and sustainability is one with strong local economies and flourishing communities that includes many activities provided by local nonprofits. It’s one characterized by: n Local small businesses and banking n Farmers’ markets and urban gardens n Urban designs that favor shared walks instead of isolated commutes n Public spaces for social interaction n Circumstances in which buyers know sellers n Businesspeople that sponsor and volunteer for local activities n Salary differences that are not vast n Citizens building a better world together

We intuitively know what is required to create such a society, starting in our own community. What we need is the determination to make sure the economy serves us; rules that benefit all of the people; a commitment to widespread quality of life, social justice and sustainability; and the political will to make good change happen.

John de Graaf, media and outreach director for the Happiness Initiative, speaks nationally on overwork and overconsumption in America. He recently co-authored What’s the Economy for, Anyway? – Why It’s Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness, with David Batker. He is also co-author of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. Fifteen of his documentaries have aired on PBS. Linda Sechrist writes and edits for Natural Awakenings.

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naturalpetpages

Happy Holidays for

PETS Keep Furry Friends Safe During Festivities

by Brita Belli

M

any of us want to include our pets in the holiday traditions, from posing them just so in the yearly family photo card to stuffing their own special stocking full of favorite treats. While there’s no reason not to indulge companion dogs and cats with little extras around the holidays, it’s also important to remember that many indoor houseplants, decorations and foods that come with the season can pose a hazard to our furry friends.

Natural Awakenings spoke with Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk program for the Humane Society of the United States, about how we can help ensure that pets stay safe.

Secure the Tree. Whether the cat likes to bat at the ornaments or attempt an ascent, or the family has a large tail-wagging dog, a tree that’s not properly anchored can be easily knocked over. Consider using twine to secure the tree at mid-level to a wall to prevent tipping. Also make sure to keep the water well covered to prevent a pet from drinking from the tree’s water, particularly if it’s become stagnant or contains preservatives.

Decorate with Care. Tinsel and ornaments decking the tree and colorful winter houseplants brightening our rooms are holiday fixtures. They are also irresistible to many cats and dogs. It’s best to avoid the loose-hanging, plastic tinsel “icicles” in homes with animals, because these can be easily ingested, cause discomfort and even become caught in their intestines, requiring surgery to remove.

For other tree decorations, Goldfarb advises, “Stick to larger ornaments. Use big, round colored balls that won’t fit in the 26

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

animal’s mouth.”

Likewise, keep any decorations with small pieces out of reach of animals. This includes positioning the Christmas tree away from bookshelves that can give climbing cats easy access.

The American Humane Association provides a list of plants that may be toxic and/or cause vomiting and diarrhea in pets if nibbled. Culprits include: lilies, mistletoe, holly, certain ivies, amaryllis and hibiscus.

Poinsettias are not as dangerous, but can still upset a pet’s digestive system. Potpourri and sachets likewise are best kept out of reach.

Keep Holiday Meals for Humans. “Pets are better off avoiding human holiday foods,” counsels Goldfarb. “There are concerns about feeding additional calories to any overweight pets. Bones can be a choking hazard. In addition, some foods could be hazardous.” Toxic foods to avoid for dogs include chocolate (which can be fatal), turkey skin, onions, garlic, alcohol, macadamia nuts and walnuts, nutmeg, raisins and grapes. Cats must be kept away from apple seeds, avocado pits, onions, potatoes, cherries and mushrooms.

P r ov i d e a Q u i e t Place. Many dogs find extra holiday company exciting, but for shy dogs and many cats, all the added noise and presence of unknown people can be stressful. For those animals, Goldfarb advises, “Pick a room

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in your house and make it a sanctuary for them. Make sure there’s a water bowl, pet bed and for cats, their litter box. Then, keep that room off-limits to guests. That way, the pet has a quiet, comforting place to relax until the party winds down.” Be sure to inform guests to keep the room’s door shut, as well as doors to the outside, to prevent escapes.

Watch Gifts and Candles. Cats and dogs are both drawn to playing with and perhaps eating crinkly wrapping paper and shiny ribbons, so keep these temptations out of reach.

Provide pets with animal-appropriate, ecofriendly toys, instead.

Also, be sure to keep lit candles in sturdy spots where they can’t be easily knocked over. “For the most part, you won’t have dogs counter surfing or climbing up shelves,” Goldfarb notes, “but cats do love exploring vertical spaces.”

Think Twice about Giving Animals as Gifts.

Giving a pet as a surprise gift to someone else, with the all the responsibility and lifechanging commitment it entails, is seldom a good idea. If you are considering adopting a new dog or cat for your own family around the holidays, the American Humane Association suggests wrapping an “adoption kit” instead, complete with leash, pet bed, food, treats and a gift certificate for a local shelter. That way, the whole family can take their time choosing the exact right pet as a special post-holiday activity.

Brita Belli is the editor of E-The Environmental Magazine and loves caring for her rescue dog, Tito.

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D G! Positive Training Yields Fast Results

by Sandra Murphy

Dogs love to learn and live to please at every age. Teaching a pet good manners, social skills and YouTube-worthy tricks are great ways to build a bond and have fun, too.

“W

hen a fearful or shy dog associates a new situation with good things, the dog blooms. I love to see it,” says Victoria Stilwell, of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog. “It’s the basis for positive reinforcement training.”

Stilwell explains that her method, known as Positive Dog Training, is all about spotting and rewarding the behavior you like as it happens. “Thus, the good behavior is likely to repeat, encouraging the dog to learn to live in a human world successfully.” Each dog has his own idea of the best reward—some favor toys, some work for food, others simply want approval.

Training doesn’t have to be timeconsuming, repetitive homework. Once you and your dog learn the basics, you can do short sessions.

The Clicker Method A click of a small noisemaker used in training lets the dog know when he’s just done the right thing. As soon as we see

the behavior, we’ll click faster than our brains can tell our mouths to say, “Good dog!”

For example, to train “Watch me,” sit down with your dog, the clicker and some tiny treats. If he focuses on the treats or looks away, do nothing. If he glances at you, click and toss him a treat.

A few click/treats later, your dog will figure out he did something to make the reward happen. Be prepared, because that thought will be followed by a very deliberate look at your face. After that, training will move at high speed.

“Work on the basics first,” counsels psychologist Linda Michaels, owner of Wholistic Dog Training, in San Diego.

“Four commands—sit, down, wait and come—will get you started. You can do mini-training sessions throughout the day, such as ‘sit’ for breakfast or dinner, ‘come’ when called, ‘wait’ before going out the door, and ‘down’ during television programs. Continue practicing during commercials.”

“How my service dog, Hunter, figured out what I needed and how to help me, I don’t know, but I have great respect for the intellectual abilities of dogs. Training is a way of opening communication; just like with a human, you can never be sure where the conversation will take you,” remarks M. Shirley Chong, a professional clicker trainer in Grinnell, Iowa.

“Positive training lets a dog be your friend, not a boot camp soldier obeying orders,” advises Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a certified applied animal behaviorist in Black Earth, Wisconsin, and author of multiple titles, including The Other End of the Leash. “When he exhibits new behaviors, capture them, add a cue and give them a cute name. Always, the basis of the best tricks happens when the dog offers his own ideas.”

Pat Miller, of Peaceable Paws, in Fairplay, Maryland, also respects an animal as a thinking partner, “You get to see them figure out how things work,” she says. Miller, who serves as the training editor for Whole Dog Journal, has trained dogs, cats, horses and a pot-bellied pig.

She’s particularly pleased to have transformed a terrier, previously deemed unadoptable by a shelter because of his biting, into a happy, stable patron of New York’s Central Park. Positive dog training literally saved his life.

“Dogs like to obey. It gives them security.” ~ James Herriot, author, All Creatures Great and Small

natural awakenings

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naturalpetpages

The Adoption Spot Baldwin County Humane Society

BLONDIE

8 months, Female, Yellow Lab Mix Blondie and her sister were rescued minutes before being euthanized. A bit shy at first, she warms up quickly and is very sweet and loving.

Spayed, micro-chipped, up to date on shots.

Retraining/Renaming Bad Behaviors With patience and know-how, jumping up on people can turn into dancing the conga.

Grumbly growling noises can turn into “Whisper,” or “Tell me a secret.”

Excessive barking can be interpreted as bored whining: “There’s nothing to do!” Or, your pet could be answering another dog that you can’t hear. Changes in weather also can make a dog anxious and vocal. Of course, he may just want attention. If you find the reason, it’s easier to find the cure.

Is a dog shy or fearful? “Don’t put him in a situation beyond his comfort zone,” counsels Cara Shannon, an expert in curbing aggressive dog behavior in Austin, Texas. “Let him observe from a safe distance, but not interact, perhaps watching his surroundings with you from inside the car.”

She also relates the story of a fearful foster dog that learned nose work (scent discrimination) and can find a small vial of essential oil hidden in a room. “The praise she receives gives her confidence to try other new things,” observes Shannon.

Stilwell remarks, “Learing to cope with newness is a huge benefit for any animal.”

Sandra Murphy is a freelance writer at StLouisFreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.

Connect with positive trainers: Victoria Stillwell, Positively.com; Linda Michaels, WholisticDogTraining.com; Pat Miller, PeaceablePaws.com; M. Shirley Chong, ShirleyChong.com; Patricia McConnell, PatriciaMcConnell.com; Cara Shannon, BuddysChance.com/Caravacchiano.html.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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CALLIE

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Sponsored by: A Friend of the Haven For adoption information: HavenForAnimals.org, 251-929-3980

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7 months, Female, Rottweiler Mix With a cropped tail and sweet face, Punkin Head loves other animals, children and anyone that shows her love and attention. She needs a fenced yard, loving home and a family to keep her forever. Spayed and up to date on shots.

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North Baldwin Animal Shelter

DEMPSEY

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Sponsored by: Go Play Pet Service GoPlayPets.com For adoption info: NorthBaldwinAnimalShelter.com, 251-937-8811

petbriefs “Dogtor J” Discusses Food Intolerance Renowned veterinarian Dr. John Symes will lead Food Intolerance in Pets (and Their People) at 3 p.m., November 13, at Virginia's Health Food, in Mobile. Through professional conferences, articles, television and radio show apDr. John Symes, "Dogtor J" pearances, Symes, better known as “Dogtor J,” educates pet owners about the art of feeding cats, dogs and themselves for optimum health.

The discussion will focus on the abnormal activity of the body's immune system due to food intolerance. According to Symes, “Gluten, dairy products, soy and corn are doing an incredible amount of harm to a phenomenal number of people and animals.”

Symes will outline the G.A.R.D. diet, which he coined and developed, and discuss the importance of eliminating monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartate (NutraSweet) from human and animal diets. According to Symes, these elements, “affect everyone negatively to some extent, but produce serious reactions in those who are already in a downward spiral from other [health related] factors.

"In 2000, I learned that I suffer from celiac disease, commonly known as gluten intolerance," said Symes. “When I saw what the elimination of gluten from my diet, and subsequently dairy, soy and corn, did to vastly improve my own health, the next step was testing similar dietary changes on my [animal] patients. For over a decade now, I have watched symptoms simply vanish."

Symes consults through his practice at Beltline Animal Hospital, in Mobile and globally online. Location: Virginia’s Health Food, 3952 Airport Blvd., Ste. B, Mobile. For more information visit DogtorJ.com. See ad on page 31.

Fundraiser Supports Local Animal Welfare The Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) will hold their 17th annual Christmas by the Bay fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m., November 18, at the Fairhope Civic Center. Tickets are $40 per person. Amenities include gourmet hors d’oeuvres from Baldwin County's finest restaurants and entertainment

by Jeanine “Dr. Jazz” Normand, playing the twinkling glamour piano.

“Christmas by the Bay is a fun event and a great way to kick off the holiday season for a very worthy cause,” said BARC! Executive Director Sonja Presley.

The event raises funds for homeless cats and dogs facing euthanasia at city/county shelters and for many programs and services provided by BARC! “The past two years have been devastating for many families along the Gulf Coast,” said board Secretary Christine Sherwin. “Downturns in the economy, followed by the BP oil disaster, have stretched our resources and left even more pets surrendered or abandoned by their owners.”

The silent auction offers a great opportunity to get unique Christmas or Hanukkah gift items. One of the main items available is beach condo space. Guests may also sponsor a homeless pet in honor of someone on a gift list.

The nonprofit BARC!, the only animal welfare organization serving all of Baldwin County, is volunteer driven and operates solely on grants and donations.

Location: Fairhope Civic Center, 161 North Section St., Fairhope.

For more information, call 251-928-4585, visit the BARC! office at 306 Magnolia Ave., Fairhope or BaldwinHumane.org.

Pet Pictures with Summer Santa SouthPaws Pet Spa will be open during the Fairhope Merchant's annual Open House from 1 to 5 p.m., November 20. Visitors will have an opportunity to participate in a Christmas Open House and the Summer Santa fundraiser for the Baldwin County Humane Society.

Pets and people are welcome to have pictures taken with Summer Santa. The suggested donation for one 8-by-10 photograph is $25. Donations benefit the Baldwin County Humane Society’s no-kill, foster adoption program. Photo opportunities are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Christmas Open House includes a chance to preview SouthPaws’ holiday merchandise and learn about holistic foods and products. The spa’s retail space offers Solid Gold health products, natural products for pets, collars, leashes and gift items for the special people and puppies.

SouthPaws Pet Spa also offers a complete line of grooming services and training, based on individual needs: particular psychology, background, breed, traits and lifestyle of human companion. Owner/trainer/groomer Lynn Post-Anderson has 40 years of experience with pet styling, behavior modification and nutrition counseling.

For more information, contact SouthPaws Pet Spa, 6 S. Bancroft St., Fairhope, at 251-928-0759. Contact Lynn Anderson at South PawsPetSpa@gmail.com, Facebook at SouthPawsPetSpa or SouthPawsPetSpa.com. See ad on page 26. natural awakenings

November 2011

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naturalpetpages

The Power of Pets

by Gabrielle Wyant

As many animal lovers attest, there is something powerful about animal companions. They provide love, comfort, joy, support and for some people, the ability to transform lives.

A

t the age of 12, Orange Beach resident Claudia Pillon discovered the powerful bond that can occur between animals and humans on the day she brought her Shih Tzu, Whitey, home. “I had never experienced or imagined a bond so profound,” Pillon recalls.

Whitey remained Pillon’s best friend well into adulthood. Almost 20 years after Whitey’s passing, Pillon, who is now married with two young children, a dog and two cats, still mourns her first four-legged companion.

“I have since shared my life with several pets, and I love and appreciate them all. But Whitey is a profound part of me,” says Pillon.

“Our bond is on a soul level, and every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of her walking next to me.”

A History of Benefits

Historically, humans have experienced physical and emotional benefits from relationships with many types of animals.

For example, the ancient Greeks used Hippotherapy (physical therapy on horseback) to rehabilitate injured soldiers. About 5,000 years ago, Egyptians tamed African tabby wildcats to hunt rodents. As early as 1792, animals were incorporated into the treatment of patients with mental illness at York Retreat, in England.

Through the treatment of his patients, the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Edward Creagan learned of the tremendous healing power of pets. “When I see my patients for the first time, I always [make note of] the name 30

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

of their pet. Mention a pet and the patients attitude will change. The atmosphere becomes a place of healing, peace and serenity.”

According to Creagan, when we look into the eyes of an animal, stroke a pet or speak fondly of an animal companion, there is a surge of hormones deep within the center of the brain. These hormones evoke feelings of peace and tranquility.

Statistics show this hormone surge decreases blood pressure, lowers the pulse rate and lessens depression. “If you have a heart attack and you have a dog, you have a greater chance of living longer after the attack,” says Creagan. “Studies of elderly patients having meals in front of an aquarium have shown that healthy weight is gained and the volume of food consumption increases.”

Animal Assisted Therapies & Activities

The term "pet therapy" was first used in the 1960s; however, the term is now considered misleading and should be avoided.

Today, the correct terms are Animal Assisted Therapies (AAT) and Animal Assisted Activities (AAA). While both programs involve a wide variety of animals, including dogs, cats, monkeys, horses, dolphins, aquarium fish, hamsters and gerbils, they have very different guidelines.

AAT programs are tailored to a particular person or medical condition. This is a goaldirected intervention that is carried out by a professional with specialized expertise.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

AAT is designed to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional and/ or cognitive functioning.

AAA involves casual occasions of pets visiting people. The same activity can be repeated with many people in several different places and circumstances. In these programs, volunteers accompany skilled therapy animals on visits to individuals in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, convalescent centers and schools, institutions, libraries or shelters.

AAA has a profound impact on people of varying ages and backgrounds. Subjects of these stories include a child whose reading skills dramatically improved by reading aloud to a dog nestled in her lap; a seemingly incorrigible prisoner who trained dogs to help the hearing-impaired and, as a result, transformed his own life; and a traumatized Iraq war veteran who literally could not function without the loving attention of a dog attuned to his every mood.

According to Kathleen Thompson, director of the Baldwin County-based Pawsitive Therapy program, “Animals just know what they are supposed to do. They sense people that need them and they just send in joy.”

Pawsitive Therapy volunteers have been visiting nursing homes and assisted living facilities since 1993. One of the group’s canine volunteers, a hound mix named Tiger, loves going on visits. “He is drawn to certain people and senses he is needed,” said Thompson.

Many facility directors tell Thompson, “Oh my goodness, [that person] never says a word until you come. Your dog opened up something that made them want to connect.”

Children & Communication Skills

Children also respond positively to relationships with animals. Studies indicate that owning a pet enhances a child’s self-esteem and teaches responsibility, awareness of feelings and respect towards other living beings.

Pet ownership can also aid in the development of communication skills. “I don’t think a verbal exchange is a necessity when communicating with animals,” says Anthony Nicholas, of Creola. “Since I was young, I’ve felt that animals could sense my intentions and mood.”

Nicholas recalls interacting with Kodo, his aunt’s red husky/wolf mix, as a kid. At the

A pet is a medication without side-effects that has so many benefits...I've seen how instances of having a pet are like an effective drug. It really does help people.

Dr. Edward Creagan, Mayo Clinic age of 6, Nicholas’ initial instinct was to show Kodo an abundance of affection. “Before I could even make a move toward him, I sensed that this was about all he could handle at the moment... as if he was saying, ‘This is close enough for now, let me read you for a bit.’ So there we stood, watching each other,” says Nicholas. Eventually, Kodo became friendly and approached Nicholas for a cuddle and some petting.

That is Nicholas’ strongest memory of Kodo, “Other than him stealing the turkey off the counter on Thanksgiving Day! At that moment, I got the distinct ‘feeling’ that he was hungry.” Nicholas believes the channels of perception demonstrated by Kodo are inherent in all animals, but that humans are a little less likely to acknowledge them.

More Than a Best Friend

For Stephen Hearon and Renee Adcock, they had little choice but to acknowledge the perception, sense and actions of their animal companion who inexplicably appeared at the end of the couple’s driveway. Hearon appeared with a little ball of fur in his arms one morning. “I said ‘No, no, no, I do not want a dog,’” says Adcock who had been working long hours since Hearon was diagnosed with liver cancer and unable to work.

“All I saw was more work,” she says of the stray. But after several attempts were made to find a home for the dog, the fourlegged stranger gained the name Oakleigh, and Adcock had given in. “Oakleigh became a constant companion for Stephen, day and night. However, it seemed she had little respect for me. She simply would not mind me.”

When Hearon appeared small strokes and seizures, it became apparent that Oakleigh had an innate ability to sense and respond to their onset. “She stood in his path to stop him from walking and leaned on his leg until he sat down. While Stephen was unconscious, Oakleigh moved close to his face and watched until he regained composure,” Adcock recalls.

Hospice was eventually called in and Oakleigh stayed on the hospital bed at Hearon’s feet for two weeks, leaving only to eat. “Oakleigh and I were with Stephen as he took his final breath. Knowing Stephen was gone, Oakleigh got off the bed, came to me and lay down by my feet. She has not left my side since. She minds no one else,” says Adcock. “I believe Stephen gave her the job to take care of me. I believe God put that little ball of fur, with the eye color of Stephen, at the end of our driveway.”

While the term pet therapy is considered misleading by some professionals, animal lovers do not question the therapeutic benefits that pets have on so many human lives every day. Creagon confirms what so many pet owners already know: “A pet is a medication without side-effects that has so many benefits. I can't always explain it myself, but for years now, I've seen how instances of having a pet are like an effective drug. It really does help people.”

Gabrielle Wyant is a contributing writer and editor for Natural Awakenings magazine.

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Where a Holistic Approach

Meets Traditional Care For Your Pets Specializing in

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Food Intolerance in Pets (and Their People) 3 PM on Sunday, Nov. 13 Virginia’s Health Food•3952 Airport Blvd #B, Mobile

Dogtor J discusses the science of feeding cats, dogs and ourselves for optimal health.

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November 2011

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DE COM CE ING MB IN ER 32

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

UPLIFTING HUMANITY

Simple ideas to celebrate the holidays & create peace in our hearts.

Featuring a Conscious Giving Gift Guide, How to Pick a Green Christmas Tree, Fun Party Foods and more!

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

available for adoption. Free. Eastern Shore Plaza, Spanish Fort. The Haven: 929-3980.

calendarofevents

All Calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com to submit entries. Mark Your Calendar events are $40.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Paint and Pals Fundraiser – 6:30pm. Participants are guided step-by-step while painting a masterpiece on a canvas that is pre-sketched by a professional artist. Half of the class fee goes to the Haven. $40.

Register online. Paint and Pals, 28600 Hwy 98, Daphne. 654-2313. PaintAndPals.com.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Port City Craftsmen Fall Show – 9am-5pm, Nov 4. 11am-4pm, Nov 5. Beautiful handmade art and crafts for holiday gifts. $2 admission. Shriners Abba Temple, corner of Schillinger and Hitt Rd, Mobile. Contact Nelda Stanley: 251-633-2268 or 251-786-2900.

Leeann Carey Yoga’s Yaapana Master Intensive Workshop: Foundation – Nov 4-6. 9am-6pm. Yoga therapy is explored from a restorative perspective using both stimulating and pacifying treatments.

Correct physical and emotional imbalances and restore general wellbeing. Learn traditional supported yoga with all recommended props and with current yoga methodologies and class development.

Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

MaxMOMS of South Alabama – 11:30am12:45pm. Topic: Cooking and Recipe Share. During these monthly meetings moms are encouraged in learning, leading and maintaining maximized lives through the 5 Essentials; Maximizing our Mind, Nerve Supply, Nutrition, Exercise and Minimizing Toxins. Childcare is available. Free. Mars Hill Café, Mobile. Facebook: MaxMOMS Mobile. Contact: JenniferBucknell@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Heritage Harbor Days – 9am-6pm. Nov 5-6. All ages. Heritage Harbor Days is an exciting celebration designed for the family and features entertainment, food, history and heritages. Exhibits/events include Heritage Village, wooden boat show, Chuck Wagon Cook and a Celebrate America Concert with US Navy Band. Heritage Park, Foley. 251-943-1300.

Lhula@CityOfFoley.org. HeritageHarborDays.com.

Adult Roles & Responsibilities: Righting Wrongs and Protecting Kids – 10am-12:30pm. Dr. David Roberts identifies some of the challenges facing children and teens and offers ideas and suggestions on providing more effective support and communication. Parent, teens, all professionals and volunteers working with youth are welcome. $20 per person or family. Conscious Mile Spiritual Center, 1230 Montlimar Dr, Mobile. Dr. David Roberts: 251-457-4170.

The Haven Open House – 10am-2pm. Kick-off National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (Nov. 6-12). Includes adoption, tours, in-service demonstrations and refreshments. Free. The Haven, 559 S. Section St, Fairhope. 929-3980.

S’mores & More Historic Family Hike – 3-6pm.

Enjoy a family hike while going on a historical journey back to Civil War times. Learn about animal and plant life along the Delta. Roast hot dogs and marshmallows for S’mores. Free event.

Registration required. Park entrance fees apply. $3/adult. $2/children 6-12. Free/children under 6.

Blakeley State Park, Highway 225, Spanish Fort.

Kim Wright-Knowles: 251-689-2985. KimWright@ FreshAirFamily.org.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Creating Health Using Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils – 10am-12pm. Questions or health issues will be addressed with therapeutic essential oils.

We will have personal experiences using the oils.

Conscious Mile Spiritual Center, 1230 Monthlimar Drive, Mobile. Free. Sue Sides: 251-232-2292.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Childbirth Preparation Classes - Katrina Breeland offers a 6-week series of childbirth classes that help prepare parents for late pregnancy, labor, birth and breastfeeding. Classes meet six consecutive Wednesdays for 2 1/2 hours in West Mobile. Katrina: 251-554-5704. KatrinaBreeland@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Petsmart's National Adoption Week-end – 11am3pm. Nov 11-13. 3-day event hosted by Petsmart Charities.The Haven will showcase dogs and cats

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12

New Yoga Location Kickoff Event – 9:30am. Kula Yoga Community is celebrating a new Pay What You Can Yoga location near Old Shell Rd and Hillcrest Rd. An energizing yoga practice followed by refreshments and an opportunity to meet the teachers. Pay what you can. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mobile. 251-202-YOGA. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

Cooking With Essential Oils – 10am-12pm. This month's essential oil workshop topic is cooking with essential oils. Taste foods cooked in essential oils. Free. Conscious Mile Spiritual Center, 1230 Montlimar Dr. Judith Wilson: 251-656-6696.

Reiki II Certification Class – 10am-5pm, Nov 12 and 10am-1pm, Nov 13. This two day class includes a light lunch, workbook and hands-on practice. Class size is limited. Register: 251-979-9851.

Date Night at Quiet Mind! – 5:30-6:45pm. No yoga experience necessary. Make a date with a partner, teenager, sibling or friend and get ready to spend quality time together in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere. This month, learn breathing techniques (pranayama), leading into a short meditation and concluding with yoga nidra (guided meditation). Donation. Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio, 2065 Old Shell Rd, Midtown Mobile. Ginger: 251-476-6463. QuietMindMassageTherapy.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

10th Annual Mobile Renaissance Faire 10am-5pm, November 12-13

Experience Lords and Ladies, Knights and Brigands of the Renaissance and Middle Ages.

Performing are Jousting Knights in full armor on war horses, falconry, jesters, jugglers, magicians, blacksmiths, fire breathers and sword swallowers. Included is themed food and drink, merchants with Renaissance wares, themed rides and more. Abba Temple Shrine (Mobile Shriners Lodge), 7701 Hitt Rd, Mobile. GCRenFaire@ aol.com. mzrf.us.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Introduction to Geocaching – 2-4pm. Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunt. This is an

SCIATICA? BACK PAIN? HIP PAIN? POOR POSTURE? Relaxing 20 minutes daily on the Sacro Wedgy®

may be all you need. Placed under the sacrum (tailbone), it allows the hips to suspend and relax, letting go of nerves and ultimately “rebalancing.”

Try the SACRO WEDGY® For individual self-care and therapists.

Only $29.95.

www.sacrowedgy.com 251-653-9258 or 800-737-9295 natural awakenings

November 2011

33

November is Native American Heritage Month NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.gov lists celebrations. updated game of Hide-and-Seek. Participants use a GPS-enabled device to find a hidden container.

Learn about geocaching and get hands-on experience on the trails. Free. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort. Kim Wright-Knowles: 251689-2985. KimWright@FreshAirFamily.org.

Food Intolerance in Pets (And Their Humans) – 3pm. Dogtor J discusses the science of feeding cats, dogs and ourselves for optimal health. Virginia's Health Foods, 3952 Airport Blvd, Mobile. 251-3437110. DogtorJ.com.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15

America Recycles Day: Electronic Recycling – 10am-2pm. The Fairhope Public Works department hosts Electronic Amnesty Day. Recycle electronics (cell phone, television, computer) and drop off items behind the Fairhope Museum of History. Loading and unloading assistance is available. For more information: 251-990-0192. Visit kab.org.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

Kirtan with Sean Johnson – 7pm. Hearts open with the Sean Johnson Wild Lotus Band. New Orleans inspired sacred Sanskrit music, call and response chanting and storytelling. $15. Plantation Antique Galleries, Mobile. 251-202-YOGA. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 Turkey 10 Miler and 5K Run/Walk – 8:30am.

Both races start together, flat certified courses, out and back. Preregister by noon, 17th to save money.

Awards in 10 miler 3 deep in 5-yr age groups; in 5K top runner in each group. Nice post race party. $25 day of race. Dead Lake Landing, Creola. Poet City Pacers, PCPacers.org.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Haven Resale Yard Sale – 8am-1pm. Fall yard sale to raise funds for the Haven. 100% goes to The Haven. Shop accepting donations of gently used items for the sale. Free. The Haven, 357 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. 929-3980.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Half Day Meditation Retreat – 9am-4pm. 25 minutes of seated meditation followed by five minutes of walking meditation on the hour and half hour. Please arrive late or leave early during the walking mediation. Donation appreciated. Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio, Midtown Mobile. 251476-6463. Yoga@QuietMindMassageTherapy.com.

Vegan Holiday Cooking – 1-3pm. Vegan for the holidays. Learn how to cook healthy and delicious plant-based meals for the holidays. Participants will cook and taste a variety of healthy vegan versions of holiday favorites. $25/per person or $40/two.

Virginia’s Health Foods, Mobile. 251-510-2418.

Tracey@ShantiWarrior.com. ShantiWarrior.com.

Outdoor Yoga at Japanese Gardens – 3pm. Take time before the holidays with an all levels practice.

Lead by David, cultivate a sense of grounding and peace with outdoor yoga. Bring mat and a dish for following potluck picnic. Pay what you can.

Intersection of Zeigler and Forrest Hill, Mobile.

251-202-YOGA. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 Hikes for Tikes – 10am-12pm. All ages. Ideal for toddlers and preschoolers. Stroller friendly. Hike and Seek with the little ones at Mobile Botanical Gardens. Scavenger hunt is followed by an autumn inspired craft. Free. Mobile Botanical Gardens, Mobile. Kim Wright-Knowles: 251-689-2985.

KimWright@FreshAirFamily.org.

Local Food Production Initiative Meeting – 6:30pm. Chris Nelson, vice president of Bon Secour Fisheries, discusses challenges of local seafood producers/distributors as a result of the BP oil spill and the continued pressure of imports competition.

Free. Fairhope United Methodist Church Christian Life Center, Morphy Ave (east of Section St), Fairhope. 928-4646. EdFairhope@Bellsouth.net.

FairhopeLocalFood.org.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25 Post Thanksgiving Yoga Detox – 10am. Use this rigorous and detoxifying practice to sweat out Thanksgiving toxins. Kula makes the holidays more tranquil by providing this class in two locations. Bring a towel and plenty of water. Pay what you can. Mobile Botanical Gardens and Eastern Shore Dance Academy, Daphne. 251-202-YOGA. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Mantra Weekend Workshop: A Path to Abundance and Spiritual Evolution 7-9pm, December 9 10am-6pm, December 10-11

Join Satyabhama from New Orleans for Namadeva Acharya's intro workshop, which gives great background information on the mystical Sanskrit language that works directly through the chakras.

Nantra methods for addressing life's problems and puja also presented. $200. Plantation Antique Galleries and Meditation Center of Mobile. 251604-3924. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

ongoingevents All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication and adhere to guidelines. Go to HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com to submit entries.

sunday Discounts on Supplements – Every Sunday get 15% off supplements at Fairhope Health Foods, 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope.

251-928-0644.

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread – Inspirational quotes. We all need a little inspiration from time to time. ShantiWarrior.com/DailyBread.

Conscious Mile Spiritual Center Service – 10am.

Make every step, every choice, every word, a conscious one. New Thought Spiritual Center, 1230 Montlimar, Mobile. Rev. Sherrie Quander, 251-3430777. CMSpiritualCenter.org.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Explore your spiritual pathway with Mobile Unitarian Universalists, 6345 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. UUFM.org.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Questioning, understanding and growing together spiritually as we enjoy the adventure of life. Center for Joyful Living, 60 N Ann St, Mobile. 251-391-6960.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Sunday Worth-ship Celebration – 10:30am. Find, strengthen and celebrate a connection with Divine Spirit. Donation. One mile north of US Hwy 104.

Unity on the Eastern Shore, 22979 US Hwy 98, Montrose. 251-990-8934. UnityEasternShore.org.

Sunday Worship – 11am. Celebrate Spirit in this special and sacred space. Between Hillcrest and Knollwood. Unity Mobile, 5859 Cottage Hill, Mobile. 251-661-1788.

New Foundation Class – 2:15pm. All levels. 75 minutes. Learn and practice the basics of yoga in a slow paced class format. Focus is given to proper alignment and form in essential yoga poses. This is a great introduction (or re-intro) to yoga practice. $15. Yoga Birds, 209 S Section St, Fairhope. 251990-3447. YogaBirds.com.

Open Table: A Community of Faith Worship Service (United Church of Christ) – 5pm. Weekly progressive Christian worship. Free. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1050 Azalea Rd, Mobile. 251-545-1011.

Ellen.OpenTable@gmail.com. OpenTableUCC.org.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

monday Tai Chi – 7am daily. Mon thru Fri. Tai chi routine is done with Qi Gong and martial art applications.

A traditional mind, body and spirit exercise. $5/day, $20/week, $60/month. The Yoga Center, 809 Gulf Shores Pkwy, Gulf Shores. GulfShoresTaiChi.com.

Yoga with Dana – 12pm. Create your own practice during this gentle yoga flow class with Dana Goudie, E-RYT. Modifications suggested, making practice more challenging for those wanting to move deeper.

Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio, Midtown Mobile. 251-476-6463. QuietMindMassageTherapy.com.

Yoga with Chris G. – 5:45pm. Chris Garrett leads an energizing blend of Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga.

Recharge the body, ease stress and refocus the mind after a long day. Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile.

251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Tropical Power Hour – 6:15pm. Fit beginner and intermediate. Get hot and sweat. This class, a hy-

brid of Vinyasa based flow and Power yoga, is set to funky fun music. Great for weight loss. Water and towel required. $15. Packages available. Yoga Birds, 209 S Section St, Fairhope. 251-990-3447.

YogaBirds.com.

La Leche League Enrichment Meeting – 6:30pm.

Last Mon. La Leche League provides encouragement, information and support for nursing and expectant mothers. Free. Call for location. 251689-2085.

Pranic Healing and Meditation – 6:30pm. Experience healing for your mind, body and soul. Specific physical and emotional ailments will be address, followed by the Meditation on Twin Hearts. Release stress and balance the aura. Classes available. CEU's -LMTs and nurses. Mobile. Deana: 251-454-0959.

tuesday Ten Percent Tuesday – Get an extra 10% off purchases. Back to Health Nutrition and Natural Foods, Foley. 251-970-2225. BackToHealthNutrition.com.

Reiki and Hypnotherapy Sessions – Tues and Thurs by appointment. Promote peace, serenity and physical well-being. Call to schedule an appointment or for more info on training and CEUs. Foley.

251-979-9851. RioBarlow@ymail.com.

Rise and Shine Yoga – 6:30-7:45am. Tues and Thurs. Start the day with an invigorating Hatha Yoga practice. Class includes a mixture of flow yoga, pranayama, restorative and meditation. Fellowship, coffee and some of mom's homemade bread follows. $7/drop. $50/ 10 class package. $75.00/family.

Trinity Yoga Studio, Highway 98 East, Foley. 251987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

Chair Yoga – 8:30-9:30am. A Vinyasa flow class that is designed for those with a limited range of motion, yet all are welcome. All poses executed while standing or sitting in a chair. $7/drop. $50/10 class package. $75.00/family. Trinity Yoga Studio, Highway 98 East, Foley. 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

Relax/Renew/Restore with Carolyn Hall – 9am.

Open-level. Carolyn's 40 plus years of yoga experience will take you to postures to restore and renew your body and spirit. All yoga props provided. Includes asana, meditation and pranayama techniques. $10/75 minute class. 2nd Floor David's Gallery, Gulf Shores. 251-975-8687.

Vinyasa Flow with Tracey, RYT-200 – 9:30am. 75 min. All levels. Tracey incorporates yogic philosophy and breath work. These challenging and soothing flow of postures are designed to increase inner and outer strength and flexibility while stilling the mind and opening the heart. Quiet Mind Massage.

Midtown Mobile. 251-476-6463. ShantiWarrior. com. QuietMindMassageTherapy.com.

Gym and Learn – 10-11:30am. Preschoolers aged 3-6 learn basic fundamentals such as reading and writing in our fun classroom, then go into the gym for even more fun tumbling and learning gymnastics in our giant air-conditioned facility.We are USA Gymnastics certified. $119/6-week session. $40/annual membership. Planet Gymnastics, 900 Schillinger Rd.S, Mobile. 251-650-0699. PlanetGymnastics.com.

La Leche League Series Meeting – 10:30am.

Second Tues. La Leche League provides encouragement, information and support for nursing and expectant mothers. Free. Call for location. 251689-2085.

Energize and Relax Yoga – 6-7:15pm. Tues and Thurs. This class emphasizes flow yoga with Pranayama and some Kundalini. Meditation follows

the energizing portion to calm in preparation for the day. $7/drop. $50/ 10 class package. $75.00/family.

Trinity Yoga Studio, Highway 98 East, Foley. 251987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

LA Hikers Meeting – 6-7pm. First Tues. Free and open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort. LAHikerMeetings.Blogspot.com.

Positive Parenting Class – 6-8pm. Kids don’t come with a set of instructions. Learn tools and skills to create a happy, healthy family. Free. The Family Center, 601 Bel Air Blvd, Ste 100, Mobile. 251479-5700. Kids101@comcast.net.

Sierra Club Meeting – 6-8pm. First Tues. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort.

Vinyasa Flow with Dianna Wells – 6pm. Openlevel. A fun, inventive mix of traditional and twisted yoga flows set to music from new age to the Rolling Stones. All yoga props provided. Includes asana, meditation and pranayama techniques. $10/75 minute class. 2nd Floor David's Gallery, Gulf Shores.

251-975-8687.

Mobile Bay Canoe and Kayak Club Meeting – 7-8:30pm. First Tues. For pro-paddlers and those brand new to the sport. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort. BayKayaker.

Blogspot.com.

CWG Mobile Group – 7-9pm. Second and fourth Tues. Read and discuss books by Neale Donald Walsch. Joy N Love, 171 Crenshaw St, Mobile.

251-382-4215. cwg_mobile_group@yahoo.com.

Spiritual Cinema Group – 7-9pm. First, third and fifth Tues. View and discuss spiritual DVDs. Contact Heiner: 251-607-9089.

wednesday Tropical Power Hour – 7:45am. Fit beginner and intermediate. Get hot and sweat. This class, a hybrid of Vinyasa based flow and Power yoga, is set to funky fun music. Great for weight loss. Water and towel required. $15. Packages available. Yoga Birds, 209 S Section, Fairhope. 251-990-3447.

YogaBirds.com.

Vinyasa Flow with Kathy Keane – 9am. Openlevel. Find your perfect balance with this flow class that is sure to please the novice and the experienced yogi. Includes asana, meditation and pranayama techniques. $10/75 minute class. 2nd Floor David's Gallery, Gulf Shores. 251-975-8687.

Positive Parenting Class – 9:30-11:30am. Kids don’t come with a set of instructions. Get the tools and skills to create a happy, healthy family. Free. The Family Center, 601 Bel Air Blvd, Ste 100, Mobile.

251-479-5700. Kids101@Comcast.net.

Lunchtime Vinyasa with Tracey – 12-1pm. All levels. Feed the soul, quiet the mind and restore vitality through a challenging sequence of Asanas. Designed to increase strength, balance and flexibility. Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio. Midtown Mobile. ShantiWarrior.com. 251- 476-6463.

Unusual Film Series – 2pm. Third Wed. Adults only. Thought provoking cutting-edge films shown on big screen in meeting room. Free. Popcorn and drinks included. Foley Public Library. 251-9437665. FoleyLibrary.org.

Guided Meditations – 5:30pm. Nonprofit, nonreligious meditation. Relax your body, rest your mind and find inner peace. Guided meditation with venerable monks from around the world via Skype. $10 suggested donation. Meditation Center of Alabama, 3821 Airport Blvd, Suite C, Mobile. 251-623-4485.

MeditationCenterOfAlabama.Weebly.com.

International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) – 6-7:30pm. Second Wed. Ongoing discussion and support group affiliated with IANDS. Discussion expands to include intuition, after death communication, consciousness studies and related areas of interest to attendees. Free. West Regional Branch, Mobile Public Library. 251-340-8555.

Guided Meditation with Rosie Bluum – 7pm.

Practice guided meditation at Rosie Bluum and experience an inner journey which heals the heart, mind, body and soul. Nurture the spirit. Free. Rosie Bluum, 6 A South Bancroft, Fairhope. 251-5175626. RosieBluum.com.

thursday Anusara-Inspired with Melanie Buffett – 9:15am.

Pre-requisite: experience in Foundations or Intermediate level. Practice poses and explore Asana through the radically affirmative Anusara Method and it's Universal Principles of Alignment®. Access the highest potential of body, mind and heart. $15.

Yoga Birds, 209 S Section St, Fairhope. 251-9903447. YogaBirds.com Vinyasa with Tracey – 9:30am. All levels. Discover an inner light. Unite body, mind and spirit in this energizing and centering raja yoga inspired practice. Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio. Midtown Mobile. ShantiWarrior.com. 251476-6463.

Gentle Yoga with Dana – 12pm. Dana leads a calming yoga class to ease stress while soothing and quieting the mind. Find bliss in the land of "ahhhhs".

Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Energy Healing – 5-6pm. Experience energy healing from trained practitioners. $10 suggested donation. Meditation Center of Alabama, 3821 Airport Blvd, Suite C, Mobile. 251-623-4485.

MeditationCenterOfAlabama.Weebly.com.

Yoga with Chris M. – 5:45pm. Join Chris McFadyen for some energizing yoga that will calm your mind and both enhance & refocus your body.

Relocate your passion and humor after a long day!

Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Guided Meditations – 6:30pm. Nonprofit, nonreligious meditation. Relax the body, rest the mind and find inner peace. At MCA facilities, via Skype, guided meditation takes place with venerable monks from around the world. $10 suggested donation. Meditation Center of Alabama, 3821 Airport Blvd, Suite C, Mobile. 251623-4485. MeditationCenterOfAlabama.Weebly.com.

Gym and Learn – 10-11:30am. Preschoolers, ages 3-6, learn the basic fundamentals of reading and writing in a fun classroom and have fun the gym while tumbling and learning gymnastics. USA Gymnastics certified facility. $119/6-week session. $40/annual membership. Planet Gymnastics, 900 Schillinger Rd.S, Mobile. 251-650-0699. PlanetGymnastics.com.

Yoga with Tracey – 4pm. Tracey's refreshing energy challenges. A strong emphasis on alignment and focus yet mind calming. Sink into the joy.

Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

natural awakenings

November 2011

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friday Fab Fifteen Friday – Get an extra 15% off purchases.

Back to Health Nutrition and Natural Foods, 1600 N McKenzie, Foley. 251-970-2225. BackToHealthNutrition.com.

Weekly Meal Delivery – Vegan Personal Chef Services. Get your orders in. Weekly menus posted Monday. Orders must be placed by Friday for delivery the following week. View menu and place orders: ShantiWarrior.com.

Vinyasa Yoga with Ginger – 12pm. Ginger Dunaway leads a fluid series of poses to increase strength, flexibility and balance in the body and mind. Class is instilled with yogic philosophy meant to connect one more deeply with this ancient tradition. Quiet Mind Massage Therapy and Yoga Studio, Midtown Mobile.

251-476-6463. QuietMindMassageTherapy.com.

Yoga with Adrienne – 5:45pm. Relax and renew at the end of a long work week. Enhance balance, strength and suppleness with Adrienne. The mind will experience pure delight! Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile.

Coming in December

251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Sunset Yoga for Charity – Approx 6pm-Sunset.

Second and fourth Fri. Yoga classes taught by local teachers. Donations collected and donated to charity of instructor choice. Bring your own mat. Fairhope bluff

by Marietta Johnson statues. 251-379-4493. Schedule details: MindAndMotionYoga.com.

saturday Market on the Square – 8am-12pm. Oct 1-Nov 19. The fall harvest is in with fresh greens, fall corn, squash, peppers, sweet potatoes and much more. Locally produced goods like seafood, wine, handmade candles, pottery available. Listen to live music, frolic in the fountain and have breakfast at Spot of Tea. Cathedral Square, Downtown Mobile.

Saturday Morning Yoga – 9am. Beverley, Adrienne, Faye or Angela start the weekend with a revitalizing class. Experience joy and zest as the day is kick started!

Synergy Yoga and Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Silent Meditation with Rosie Bluum – 9am. Release all tension in the mind, body and Spirit through silent meditation at Rosie Bluum. Experience a profound connectedness to all that is within. Free. Rosie Bluum, 6 A South Bancroft St, Fairhope. 251-517-5626.

RosieBluum.com.

Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC) Pet Adoption – 10am-2pm. Third Sat. Adoption event.

PetSmart, Eastern Shore Center, Spanish Fort. 251928-4585. BaldwinHumane.org.

Tropical Yoga Birds – 9:15am. Fit beginner and intermediate. Get hot and sweat. This class, a hybrid of Vinyasa based flow and Power yoga, is set to funky fun music. Great for weight loss. Water and towel required. $15. Packages available. Yoga Birds, 209 S Section, Fairhope. 251-990-3447. YogaBirds.com.

Restorative Yoga – 11am. 75 min. This passive practice of yoga is a profound sequence of restful, nourishing postures, breathing techniques and simple meditations. Poses are supported by yoga props: bolster pillows, blankets, straps and blocks. Effective for stress management. $15. Yoga Birds, 209 S Section St, Fairhope. 251-990-3447. YogaBirds.com.

classifieds Rates for classifieds start at $20 per month. Listings must be received by the 10th of the month prior to publication. Email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com for details. Volunteer opportunities are listed for free as space is available.

FOR SALE CURRENTLY PUBLISHING NATURAL AWAKENINGS MAGAZINES – For sale in Birmingham, AL; North Central FL; Lexington, KY; Santa Fe, NM; Cincinnati, OH; Tulsa, OK; Northeast PA; Columbia, SC; Southwest VA. Call for details 239-530-1377.

OPPORTUNITIES GROW ALABAMA AREA MANAGER – Promote the availability of locally and sustainably grown farm products to new subscribers and service existing customers. Base pay plus commission. Call 205-266-5130.

Uplifting Humanity

Simple ideas to celebrate the holidays and create peace in our hearts.

JOIN THE GREEN CLEAN TEAM! – Green Clean provides environmentally friendly, nontoxic cleaning services. If interested in becoming part of our team, please call 251-508-3796 for an interview.

LICENSED HAIRSTYLIST NEEDED. – Eastern Shore. Call 251-377-0796 for details.

SALES REPRESENTATIVES – Natural Awakenings is looking for commission-based sales reps. Must be passionate about healthy and green living and have sales experience. Call or email for details: 251-990-9552, Publisher@Healthy LivingHealthyPlanet.com.

SERVICES COLOR THERAPY – Learn to use colors in all parts of your life and create changes you desire.

Discover how they affect moods, emotions and why you’re drawn to certain colors. Rosie Blu:

251-990-9552

251-517-5326. RosieBlu.com.

MARI ASSESSMENTS – MARI is a comprehensive system using colors and symbols to create a visual snapshot of the self. Reveal your inner voice, find guidance through personal issues and better understand your true self. 251-517-5326 or 251-752-6509. MARIByRosie.com.

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS? Gone! Guaranteed! The Delta Institute, Dr. Diana Sturm, Certified EFT Practitioner. Private sessions and workshops. 251-219-4574. DeltaInstitute.net.

YOGA WHEN AND WHERE YOU WANT IT! – YogaSource offers classes at your home or business for fitness and relaxation. Single or groups. Props provided. 251-202-YOGA. Kula YogaCommunity.org.

VOLUNTEER OPPS AZALEA CITY CAT COALITION – Volunteers needed in any capacity: transporting cats, trapping and adoption events. Contact Susan Young: 251-648-7582. SusanYoung@ AzaleaCityCats.org.

BARC! –Baldwin County Humane Society needs customer service volunteers from either 9am-12pm or 12:30-4pm, Mon-Thur. Duties mainly include greeting customers and answering the phone. For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visit BaldwinHumane.org or call 251-928-4585.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF SW AL – Volunteers needed Tues-Sat, 8am-4pm. No experience necessary. Must be at least 16. 251-476-7171 ext 231 or JTidwell@HabitatSWAlabama.org.

naturaldirectory

DENTISTRY

Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community.

To find out how you can be included in the Natural Directory, email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com to request our media kit. Rates begin at $36 a month.

ART FAIRHOPE ARTIST GALLERY 18 South Section St, Fairhope 251-990-8763 FairhopeArtistGallery.BlogSpot.com Come and be inspired by local affordable art in this uniquely creative atmosphere. Look for “ART” and a golden palette above the door. Open Mon-Sat 10-5. Classes offered.

CHILDBIRTH SERVICES KATRINA BREELAND Made for Love Childbirth Classes and Doula Services 251-554-5704 Facebook.com/MadeForLoveMobile DONA and Birthing from Within™ trained doula and mentor offers a holistic and mindful approach to childbirth preparation.

ASTROLOGY CHURCHES

ROSIE BLUUM Astro-Numerical Analysis 6A Bancroft, Fairhope 251-517-5626, RosieBluum.com Understand the numerical and astrological influences in place at the time of your birth.

Discover why it’s not just about your Sun-sign.

Learn more about yourself and your life with a personalized and/or compatibility chart. See ad on page 11.

B-BUTTERFLY SALON 103A North Bancroft St, Fairhope 251-990-9934 BButterflySalon.com

A certified organic salon offering organic products and services including hair color, perms and shampoo. Keeping you and the Earth beautiful. See ad on page 2.

WARLOCKS HAIR SALON Low Light Laser Therapy 2A South Church St, Fairhope 251-929-1899

Thinning hair? Laser therapy is an exciting new treatment for hair restoration. A non-invasive, nonchemical solution to hair loss.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

60 N Ann Street Mobile, AL 36695 251-391-6960 Questioning, understanding and growing together spiritually as we enjoy life’s adventure. Center for Joyful Living in Mobile.

Sundays, 10:30 a.m.

CONSCIOUS MILE SPIRITUAL CENTER OF MOBILE Sundays at 10am 1230 Montlimar, Mobile 251-343-0777, CMSpiritualCenter.org Rev. Sherrie Quander invites you to visit a loving, inclusive spiritual community where we aim to make every step we take, every choice we make, every word we speak a conscious one. See ad page 18.

OPEN TABLE: A COMMUNITY OF FAITH (UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST) Now gathering at 1050 Azalea Rd at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Mobile 251-545-1011, OpenTableUCC.org

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! Pastor Ellen Sims and the congregation invite you to join them on Sunday evenings at 5:00 p.m. See ad on page 2.

HIGH FIVE GREEN Helen Howard 251-246-9082 HighFiveGreen.com

CLEANING SERVICES We work from home and love it! We’re on a mission to help you do the same! Work in the health and wellness industry from your laptop and phone. Free website and training.

IAOMT Protocol 225 W. Laurel Ave, Foley 251-943-2471, DrDaytonHart.com Free book for new patients: Mercury Free Dentistry.

Offering ozone; laser (no-suture) gum surgery; testing for compatible materials and cavity-causing bacteria; examine for gum disease and bacteria; laser cavity diagnoses; saliva pH check; oral galvanic screening; no fluoride used. See ad on page 9.

ESSENTIAL OILS

CENTER FOR JOYFUL LIVING

BEAUTY

DR. DAYTON HART, DM

GREEN CLEAN, LLC

JUDITH Z. WILSON, MEM. #759523 Healthy Living With Essential Oils 251-656-6696, AromaLife@bellsouth.net YLWellness.com/AromaLife Workshops held the 2nd Saturday of every month, 10 a.m., 1230 Montlimar Drive, Mobile. Join us and learn how essential oils can help you. Call 251-656-6696 for more information.

LAURIE AZZARELLA, LMT, CRR Young Living Educator, Sponsor #327923 251-625-0080, LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com WellnessPurposeAbundance.com/yl/123 Experience the healing, uplifting and detoxifying benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils and supplements. Contact us for personal consultations, in-home classes, household products, health supplements, diffusers, group presentations and business training.

FOODS AND NUTRITION BURRIS FARM MARKET & BAKERY 3100 Hickory St Loxley, AL 36551 251-964-6464

Nicoll Mastin 251-508-3796 Green Clean, LLC provides environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning services for residential properties. Regular and deep-cleaning services are available, as well as green cleaning products and kits. See ad on page 9 and 19.

natural awakenings

On Hwy 59 on the way to Gulf Shores. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh baked strawberry shortcake, ice cream and much more. Your “first and last” stop to the beach, or any other time.

November 2011

37

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ

MEDITATION

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 Café 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

MEDITATION CENTER OF ALABAMA

Comprehensive health food store and organic café, featuring organic food, free-range meat, vegan options and organic wine. Store open 7 days a week. Serving the public 35 years. See ad on page 21.

3821 Airport Blvd. Suite C, Mobile 251-623-4485, 251-404-7902 MeditationCenterOfAlabama.Weebly.com Nonprofit, nonreligious. Relax your body, rest your mind, find inner peace. Guided meditation with venerable monks from around the world via Skype 5:30 p.m., Wednesdays; 6:30 p.m., Thursdays. Energy healing by trained practitioners at 5-6p.m., Thursdays. $10 suggested donation.

VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ II

PET CARE

3952 Airport Blvd, Mobile 251-345-0494 Café 251-345-0495 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

ROSIE BLU

Comprehensive health food store and organic café, featuring organic food, free-range meat, vegan options and juice bar. Store open 7 days a week. Serving the public 35 years. See ad on page 21.

HEALING ARTS MARQUERITE DILLON, RN, BSN, HCN Holistic Mind-Body Therapy 4313 Momote Dr, Mobile 251-463-1570, Dillon@mobilehypnosis.co MobileHypnosis.co

Achieve goals, control cravings and conquer personal challenges with natural and holistic therapy. Individual and group sessions available.

Smoking cessation sessions at Synergy Yoga in Mobile, see calendar for dates.

PRANIC HEALING IN MOBILE Deana Lannie 251-454-0959

Free healing nights and group meditations every Monday. Pranic Healing classes and the advanced technique of Superbrain Yoga.

Pet Therapy 422 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope 251-517-5326, RosieBlu.com Rosie Blu carries the following natural pet products: ecoPure Naturals, Bonealicious locally made treats, Green Hope Farms Animal Wellness, Animal Healer Margrit Coates‘ CDs and DVDs, Dr. Bach’s Pet Rescue Remedies and 222 Waters.

PHOTOGRAPHERS VICTORIA WEBB PHOTOGRAPHY

251-716-9699 VictoriaWebbPhotography@hotmail.com VictoriaWebbPhotography.com Lifestyle portraits and wedding photography.

REFLEXOLOGY LAURIE AZZARELLA, LMT, CRR

251-625-0080 Daphne, AL 850-380-4943 Pensacola, FL LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com, WellnessPurposeAbundance.com/yl/123 Certification in Ingham Reflexology through the International Institute of Reflexology. 16 CEUs per workshop. These workshops provide education in better health naturally. Young Living Essential Oil Education also available.

REIKI AND HYPNOTHERAPY Rio Barlow 251-979-9851 RioBarlow@ymail.com

Promote peace, serenity and physical well-being.

Offering Reiki therapy and hypnotherapy sessions by appointment.

38

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

SOUND THERAPY MARTHA UMPHREY

251-752-8122 MarthaUmphrey@yahoo.com Offering sound therapy as a natural solution for tinnitus or diminished hearing due to injury, stroke or aging.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING MIDDLE EARTH HEALING AND LEARNING CENTER 20205 Middle Earth Rd, Citronelle 251-866-7204 MiddleEarthHealing.com

Middle Earth is an evolving education center, modeling permaculture, sustainable living and the interconnection of the health of the planet and the health of her inhabitants. See ad on page 11.

YOGA JULIE WILKINS YOGA 251-554-4856 JWilkins75@gmail.com JulieWilkinsYoga.com

Do you have a small group of four to five people and an open space? I will bring yoga to your place of business or home.

Fitness-based, stress management, gentle yoga.

YOGA BIRDS

209-A South Section St, Fairhope 251-990-3447 YogaBirds.com Fairhope's yoga studio with classes for everyone: Anusara-Inspired®, Foundations, Vinyasa Flow, Tropical Yoga Birds, Restorative, Chair Yoga, weekend workshops and more. View full schedule and sign-up for classes and special events at YogaBirds.com. See ad on page 39.

THE YOGA CENTER

2nd Floor David’s Gallery 809 Gulf Shores Pkwy, Gulf Shores 251-975-8687 or 251-609-6999 KAKeane47@gmail.com Inventive, fun and funky yoga. Various styles taught for all levels. Informal and inclusive.

Group classes, private sessions, Tai Chi and Thai massage.

This logo indentifies businesses that have signed on as Providers for the Natural Awakenings Discount Network. Learn more about the discounts they will be offering at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. See back cover.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

YOGA & PILATES RESOURCES Synergy

Relax. Refocus. Recharge.

yoga & Pilates

Quiet Mind Massage Therapy & Yoga Studio Group Classes

Private Lessons

Dana B. Garrett MS, ACSM, RYT PhysicalMind Institute Stott IM and IR Certified

www.synergyoga.net 3152 Old Shell Road, Suite 2 Mobile, Alabama 36607

www.quietmindmassagetherapy.com

O Y

M

D

IN

2065 B Old Shell Rd at Upham

B

D

251.473.1104

(251) 476-MIND (6463)

SPIRIT

Trinity Yoga

Enjoy Yoga in a Rural Setting!

Rise & Shine Yoga Chair Yoga Energize & Relax Yoga 21441 Highway 98 East in Foley 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541 natstrinityyoga@gmail.com

Integrated Fitness Exercise Studio

Providing personal training, small group training and group classes

Fitness-Based Yoga & Pilates Specialty Classes Include:

Youth Exploring Exercise & Nutrition

Explore Your Core Lynette Staggers, LPTA, RYT-200 www.IntegratedFitness-Fairhope.com 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope 251-554-4121 natural awakenings November 2011 39

Finally!

Your Healthy Living, Healthy Planet DISCOUNT Network!

Thank you to our Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) providers!

NAN members can receive special discounts from our network providers. Memberships will be available in December.

BEAUTY & SKINCARE Glow Wellness Studio 20% discount

Made in the Shea

Free shipping on online orders

Warlocks Hair Salon 10% off laser therapy

CHIROPRACTIC Chiropractic Life Center

ESSENTIAL OILS

Healthy Living with Essential Oils Blissful Massage

Green Clean

15% off every 4th cleaning service, 10% off cleaning kits with each deep clean service

Green Solutions

20% off one-year recycling services

Reliable Water Treatment

20% off massage and pilates sessions Birthing From Within Childbirth

Laurie Azzarella

$10 off any massage session

$75 off an essential oil starter package

FITNESS & YOGA 5th Line Gyrotonic Studio

Meditation Center of Alabama

RESTAURANTS

15% off classes, 20% off 6-month programs

Lil Green Diaper Service 2 weeks of free service

My Baby Wears Cloth

Free diaper with purchases of $75

RECREATION

Sunflower Cafe Sunflower Cafe II

Buy 1 block of classes, get a 2nd 1/2 off

FOODS & NUTRITION

Salt Removers Inc

Lopez Family Chiropractic

15% off first month’s tuition

MEDITATION

Grassroots Holistic Health Coaching

Trinity Yoga

20% off class packages

10% discount

Hermes Enchanted Garden Montessori-Influenced Childcare

15% discount, 20% discount on your birthday

$50 off 8-week classes

Alabama Paddle Sports Bangkok Thai Cuisine (3 locations) 20% off stand up paddle board and

15% discount, 20% on your birthday

EDUCATION/SCHOOLS

Rosie Bluum

Preparation

Pneuma Yoga and Movement Studio

Rosie Blu

15% off Air Conditioner Salt Remover

Elements Therapeutic Massage

20% off first session, $10 off all birthday Buy 6-mo membership, get 1 month free parties

Fairhope Health Foods Virginia's Health Foods

15% discount

PREGNANCY & BABY PRODUCTS/SERVICES

10% discount, free shipping on orders over $150

1/2 off initial exam, 15% off office visits, 10% discount 10% off supplements and supplies Planet Gymnastics

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS & SERVICES

MASSAGE & BODYWORK

20% off nutritional supplement or organic food item

Shanti Warrior

10% off personal chef services and wellness coaching

15% discount at dinner with entree order kayak rentals

10% discount

Thai Orchid

15% discount at dinner with entree order

PET CARE Beltline Animal Hospital 15% discount on first visit

Heavenly Hounds

$10 off training sessions

South Paws Pet Spa

5% off products, 10% off services

See NaturalAwakeningsNetwork.com for details on network providers and offered discounts. Use MBAL in the keyword search to find local providers.

We are now building our Mobile/ Baldwin Provider Network. Promote your business and become part of a network dedicated to healthy living.

It's FREE if you enroll by December 1, 2011!

To become a NAN Provider, call 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.