NALAMAG FEBRUARY 2016

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

The Power of Friendship It Sustains, Nourishes and Supports Us

QIGONG Helping Veterans

FREE

The Truth About Mardi Gras Beads MARDI GRAS without the Grains

Cope in New Orleans

Mindful Minutes for Little Ones

Yoga Helps Kids Focus and Relax

February 2016 |

S.E. Louisiana Edition

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February 2016

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newsbriefs eventspotlight healthbriefs globalbriefs recipeforsuccess ecotip ecospotlight coverstory community spotlight healthykids inspiration consciouseating wisewords classifieds calendar resourceguide

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

14 THE REAL MARDI

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GRAS TRADITION

What Is in Those Beads?

16 QIGONG FOR VETERANS

Helping Cope in New Orleans

by Todd Nichols

18 MINDFUL MINUTES FOR LITTLE ONES

Yoga Helps Kids Focus and Relax

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by Julianne Hale

20 THE POWER

OF FRIENDSHIP

It Sustains, Nourishes and Supports Us

by Judith Fertig

23 DEEP LISTENING

Our Wholehearted Attention Is Our Greatest Gift

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by Kay Lindahl

24 YOUR MOUTH

TELLS A STORY

Functional Dentistry Connects Oral Health to Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease

by Linda Sechrist

26 ANCIENT GRAINS

FOR MODERN PALATES

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Gluten-Free and Eco-Friendly Grains Gain Favor

by Judith Fertig

30 ALYSSA MILANO’S

ANTI-AGING SECRETS

Her Natural Lifestyle Choices Keep Her Young

by Gerry Strauss

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February 2016

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letterfromtheeditor “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

contact us Publisher Melissa Burbank

Editor-in-Chief Coco Kunstman

Design & Production Chelsea Rose

Distribution Big Art's Distribution

Cover Artist Mike Buck Photography

Editors Michelle Bense Lauren A. Pirosko Sara Peterson

Natural Awakenings S.E. Louisiana Edition:

Friendship. That word holds a great deal of

meaning for me. Throughout the years I have found that friends are the family you choose and have created quite a family. In the South it is a more common practice to call loved ones Aunt or Uncle without having any actual blood relationship. It is an endearment that I have adopted into my life. I have built my family out of friendships. The words, to me, have become entwined.

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”

–Henry Ford

I think about “Aunt” Tammy and “Uncle” Steve and my “cousins” Megan and Me-

lissa. People I celebrate with, cry with, lean on and believe in my heart are family.

It is in this way that my sister, Aubrey, is my best friend first and sister second. A best friend is the person you call when you have just done something stupid and you want to laugh about it with someone. A sister could simply be someone who stole your doll when you were little. As I have come to find out, not everyone has the friendships with their siblings that I have been fortunate to develop. I try to imagine what my life would be like if I could not text my brother the lyrics to "Walking on Sunshine" and wait for the verbal assault to ensue, as the memory of Aubrey and my musical torture we inflicted upon him as a child resurrects itself from his memory. It is not a life full of the friendship and laughter I enjoy now.

Tell NALAmag what you think Publisher@NALAmag.com Ph: 504-975-0344 Fax: 504-910-3011

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

–Helen Keller

Psychologists have tried to study the meaning of the word friendship and the im-

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 for a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

pact is has on people's loves and psyche for years. The black and white description of the word is a relationship, one rung above association. But if Sex and the City taught us anything it is that friendships go far beyond that dry denotation. I will always remember a line in the final episodes where Mr. Big announces to Carrie’s three friends that he knows they “are the loves of her life.” Like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, these strong bonds of friendship rise well above the average shopping adventure. For me, it is the people I surround myself with that wrap me in love, respect and friendship.

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.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’”

© 2016 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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

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Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink.

100% compostable

–C.S. Lewis

As we move into this month of festivities, it is the best time to celebrate with

those chosen individuals we deem friends. It is a time to laugh together and honor the city’s best and oldest tradition—celebrating with friends.

Coco

Coco Kunstman, Editor-in-Chief 4

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newsbriefs Dr. Mendoza Expands Practice to Include Akashic Records and Past Life Regression

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r. Marilyn Mendoza has been a practicing psychologist for the past 30 years.

In addition to her services as a grief, bereavement and trauma counselor, Mendoza has extended her work to include Akashic records (the Book of Life) and past life regressions through hypnosis.

The Akashic records are a concept of interconnection and central conscientiousness. According to novices like Edgar Cayce it is this system that acts as the central storehouse of all information for every individual who has ever lived upon the earth. Mendoza believes these services help people achieve a deeper and more spiritual understanding of themselves. Traditional psychotherapy focuses on our present lives and helps us develop a better understanding of ourselves and our interactions with the world around us.

According to Mendoza, using the Akashic Records and past life regressions, one can achieve an even deeper understanding of who they are as a soul living a human life. She believes the way we interact and respond to problems is based on our past, whether it be from this life or a past incarnation. In this light Mendoza has found it is often necessary to go further back in time to discover the root of a problem and achieve healing.

Mendoza has seen how, using the Akashic Records and past life regression, deep emotions and experiences can be unlocked and healed. She believes one can explore relationship issues, illnesses, phobias, recurring nightmares, sleeping problems or the fear of death as well as many other issues. Alternatively, Mendoza says some people simply want the experience and to help them on their journey of self-discovery.

Additionally, Mendoza explains that many of her clients comment that knowing about past life experiences has been a benefit for overcoming their fear of death. Mendoza believes the safety in the knowledge that souls have been here before also helps put this life into perspective. Since the publication of her book We Do Not Die Alone (2008) and her work in hospice, her focus has been on helping medical personnel and the public overcome their fears of death.

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February 2016

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newsbriefs Mardi Gras Without the Grain?

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ating gluten-free in New Orleans can be a challenge. As we all learned from Mean Girls, butter is not a carb, thank the gods. Even with blessed butter, finding good gluten-free bakeries in New Orleans can still be a challenge. At no time is that more important than King Cake season.

However, many local bakeries offer specific gluten-free items or can make them upon request. Breads on Oak also offers a host of delicious gluten-free options, from cinnamon raison rolls to cookies. Shake Sugary is a neighborhood favorite in the Marigny and Bywater offering weekly gluten-free specials. SucrĂŠ is a growing NOLA favorite. All of their delicious macarons are gluten-free and they even have a special Mardi Gras macaron for those who need a gluten-free way to celebrate the season.

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Shelly Wilson To Speak in NOLA

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helly Wilson is an author, intuitive medium and conscious creator who is passionate about helping people wake up to their greatness. Residing in Oklahoma, Wilson holds a bachelor's degree in business, with a minor in psychology. She supports others as they navigate their own journey into consciousness to experience aliveness. She offers private readings, intuitive coaching, small business coaching, reiki sessions and teaches workshops. Wilson’s books, 28 Days to a New YOU (2013), Connect to the YOU Within (2013), and Journey into Consciousness (2013) are available in paperback and eBook. She is the host of "Incomparably Comparable with Shelly Wilson" on VividLife.me Radio.

This month Wilson will hold events in the New Orleans area around the Metaphysical Resource Center and Unity of Metairie. Topics include Mindfulness, Awareness and Spirit to Journey into Consciousness.

See the event calendar for a full list and details. For more information, visit ShellyRWilson.com.

eventspotlight

Buddhist Monks' Upcoming Visit to New Orleans

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ibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Gomang Monastery of South India are creating a Sand Mandala for World Peace. The public is invited to witness the creation of the sand mandala from March 10 through 12, and the mandala will be completed during the final Dissolution Ceremony on March 13.

The monks will be joining Tibetan House for the Candlelight Vigil acknowledging Tibetan Uprising Day, March 10, at the Labyrinth at Audubon Park, in New Orleans. The Tibetan House and the New Orleans Healing Center will sponsor the monks’ visit.

Sand painting is an ancient art form of Tibetan Buddhism. The term “mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning cosmogram, or “world in harmony.” The sand mandala is carefully constructed from dyed sand particles as a vehicle to generate compassion, to realize the impermanence of reality and to create a social/cosmic healing of the environment. At the Dissolution Ceremony, the monks will perform the ritualistic ceremony of destroying the sand mandala that took five days to create, teaching the lesson of impermanence. Everyone who attends will be given his or her own piece of the mandala in the form of a bag of sand.

The Drepung Gomang monks are presently on tour in the U.S. to share the compassion and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, to demonstrate the artistic accomplishments of the people of Tibet, and to generate funds to insure the survival of the Tibetan culture. Drepung Gomang Monastery uses all donations to house, feed and educate nearly 2,000 monks living and studying at the monastery, including orphans and refugees fleeing Chinese-occupied Tibet.

For more information, visit TibetanHouse.com and DrepungGomang.org.

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healthbriefs

Kids Get Fewer Cavities When Mothers Chew Xylitol Gum

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esearch published in the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry has concluded mothers that chew natural xylitol gum regularly will significantly reduce oral infections of mutans streptococcus bacteria in their infants. Five research teams and 11 randomized studies of 601 mothers and their children showed 46 percent fewer infections of the bacteria, which is the central species responsible for dental caries and periodontal disease. The studies included children that were 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months old.

Other research supports the claim of xylitol’s beneficial nature. A study from the University of Manchester, in England, analyzing data from 4,216 schoolchildren, showed that using toothpaste containing xylitol with fluoride resulted in 13 percent less tooth decay than using toothpaste with fluoride only.

Note: Xylitol is toxic to dogs; if ingested, consult a veterinarian.

Olive Oil Compound Kills Cancer Cells

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Yoga • Pilates Private Sessions TRX Workouts Corporate Services Yoga Teacher Training

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esearchers from Rutgers University have found that an ingredient in olive oil will kill cancer cells in under an hour. The researchers tested a compound called oleocanthal, a central component of extra virgin olive oil, and found that it caused the premature death of cancer cells in the laboratory by puncturing cancer cell vesicles, called lysosomes.

“We needed to determine if oleocanthal was targeting that protein and causing the cells to die,” says Paul Breslin, Ph.D., a professor of nutritional sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers and co-author of the study, published in Molecular and Cellular Oncology.

The research also found that the olive oil compound didn’t damage healthy cells. Breslin states that the compound merely “put them to sleep” for a day, after which they resumed their normal, healthy functioning.

Senior author David Foster, Ph.D., of Hunter College, points out that additional studies are necessary to determine if the compound halts tumor growth. “We also need to understand why it is that cancerous cells are more sensitive to oleocanthal than non-cancerous cells,” he says.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month

Kids Learn Social Skills Through Pretending and Joking

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esearch published in the journal Cognitive Science has found that toddlers with parents that played with them using humor and fantasy gained increased skills for learning, imagining and bonding, along with thinking in abstract ways.

The researchers tested children between 16 and 24 months old in two phases. The first utilized action play among 25 kids and the second utilized verbal play among 40 children. The parents and children pretended to do activities such as washing their hands with no soap or creating situations using a toy.

During the second phase, the children and parents played around jokingly by using words, identifying things in funny ways and making believe they were doing things.

The researchers found that joking and pretend play allowed the kids to distinguish cues that helped them communicate and develop skills to understand intentions. The study also found that older toddlers relied more on verbal cues to understand pretending and joking communications.

Bifidobacteria Probiotic Fends Off Colds and Flu

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n a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that supplementing with bifidobacteria probiotics will reduce colds and flu. The study followed 581 college students for six weeks as they prepared for their final exams. During the study period, the students consumed a placebo or a daily supplement with one of three probiotics, including Bifidobacterium bifidum.

The students given the bifidum supplement experienced significantly fewer cold or flu infections, and when they did succumb, the infection was generally less severe. The other probiotic supplements did not reduce colds or flu compared to the placebo for the six weeks.

High-Fructose Sweetener Aggravates Asthma and Bronchitis

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large study from the New York Medical College and the University of Massachusetts found that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is linked to a greater risk of asthma and chronic bronchitis. The research included 2,801 people between the ages of 20 and 55 years old. The scientists utilized health data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2003 to 2006 to compare people with a history of chronic bronchitis.

The study measured the types of soft drinks consumed, eliminating risks related to known asthma relationships such as smoking. The researchers found those that drank five or more HFCS-containing sodas per week had an 80 percent increased incidence of chronic bronchitis.

Greater intake of HFCS has also been linked with higher risk of other health conditions, including diabetes and obesity.

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A DV E RTO R I A L

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The cold, damp winter days are upon us. Don’t let chapped or dry, flaky skin get in the way of your daily life. Natural Awakenings Advanced Healing Skin Cream, a soothing therapeutic balm made with exclusive Manuka Honey from New Zealand, is the ultimate skin moisturizer for everyone in your family. Order one for the office, too!

Therapeutic Qualities

Natural Awakenings Advanced Healing Skin Cream combines botanicals and a unique blend of essential oils for a deep moisturizing therapy. It soothes and relieves dry, itchy or cracked skin quickly while restoring moisture and provides ultra-hydration protection and soothing comfort to wounds, sores, cuts and burns. Manuka Honey also relieves the pain and itch of psoriasis and other skin conditions.

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Restore Your Skin to Natural Youthful Beauty You’ll love Natural Awakenings’ therapeutic cream’s clean, fresh botanical fragrance.

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Hydration is a Must

The skin has a water content of 10 percent to 30 percent, which gives it a soft, smooth and flexible texture. The water comes from the atmosphere, the underlying layers of skin and perspiration. Oil produced by skin glands and fatty substances produced by skin cells act as natural moisturizers, allowing the surface to seal in water. Natural Awakenings Advanced Healing Skin Cream, applied after a shower or bath as daily maintenance, will improve the appearance of skin and heal unwanted conditions. Natural Awakenings Advanced Healing Skin Cream also combines pure botanicals and a unique blend of essential oils for a deep moisturizing therapy.

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Manuka Honey is gathered in the wild back country of New Zealand from the native Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium). The bees don’t use the pollen from a variety of other flowers or plants, so the content of the honey is very consistent. A 2013 study in the European Journal of Medical Research used active Manuka Honey under dressings on postoperative wounds for an 85 percent success rate in clearing up infections, compared with 50 percent for normal antibiotic creams.

globalbriefs

Seeing Change

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

Young Children Can Unlearn Racial Stereotyping

Green Goalposts

Super Bowl Eco-Stadium Gains National Spotlight The 50th Super Bowl will take place February 7 at the brandnew Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara, outside San Francisco, and the anniversary isn’t the only thing that’s historic. As part of a trend toward sustainability in athletic facilities, it’s the greenest and most technologically advanced professional football stadium in the U.S. The structure is designed to support sustainability, located on a site with accessible public transportation plus a bike path to encourage fans to pedal to and from games.

Its predominantly open and airy, environmentally friendly building plan also takes advantage of the Silicon Valley climate. One outstanding feature is the green roof atop the suite tower on the west side of the stadium. Another is the three solar bridges connecting the main parking area to the stadium that generate energy from hundreds of solar panels.

All of the wood used was repurposed from a local airplane hangar at Moffett Field, in Mountain View, California, and other reclaimed building products were used where possible. Reclaimed water sources serve potable and non-potable uses, including playing field irrigation. The local suppliers providing farm-to-table food menus also are required to practice composting and recycling to the greatest extent possible.

For more information, visit LevisStadium.com.

Nice Spice

McCormick Going Non-GMO McCormick, the world’s largest spice company, plans to eliminate almost all genetically modified (GMO) ingredients from their product line by 2016. In response to increased consumer demand for healthier options, 80 percent of its overall gourmet herb and spice business in the U.S. will be both organic and non-GMO by 2016, as well as all McCormick-branded herbs, spices and extracts sold in the U.S.

They will voluntarily label the updated products to inform consumers as part of a commitment to transparency and consumer education. The first product introduced, a non-GMO vanilla extract, is already available.

McCormick also uses steam treatments in its processing to preserve the health benefits of spices instead of the ionizing irradiation used by competitors. Although food radiation is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, some studies link it to significant health problems.

“Our consumers are increasingly interested in quality flavors with pure ingredients in their food,” says McCormick President and Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Kurzius. “Our efforts prove that we are listening to consumers and are committed to continuing to evolve.”

New research by Paul Quinn, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Delaware, and his collaborators across the globe, have found a simple exercise that can undo the unconscious racial biases that may begin to develop as early as infancy.

Quinn learned that 3-month-olds begin showing a visual preference for the same race they see most often in their daily lives. By 9 months, infants not only distinguish racial categories, but also become less able to tell different individuals apart if they are members of a less-familiar race.

In the experiment, the scientists morphed together photos of African and Asian faces to create ambiguous images that looked equally African and Asian. As a result, Quinn reports, “At 9 months, they didn’t respond to the differences between the African and Asian categories, but instead they had two less discriminatory broad categories; ‘own race’ and ‘other race’. We think it might be a precursor to an initial ‘in group/out group’ differentiation and suggest that perceptual and social processing of faces may overlap, even in infants.”

Source: LaboratoryEquipment.com

breathe

Source: NaturalNews.com natural awakenings

February 2016

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recipeforsuccess

ecotip Eco-Cappuccino

Reducing Coffee Shop Waste

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lavor is synonymous with Louisiana cooking. Our Cajun spices are literally great on everything. As loyal as New Orleans is to the household name of Tony Chachere’s, nothing beats making your own. This also has the added bonus of knowing exactly what/how much you are putting into the spice. Sodium levels are a concern for many when buying prepackaged spice mixes. Take a look at the delicious, salt-free mixture below to start your Mardi Gras feasting off right.

1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp dried oregano 1 Tbsp garlic powder 2 Tbsp sweet paprika

Mix them all together in a glass spice jar and get to cooking!

For many, getting a coffee to go at a favorite spot on the way to work or while dropping the kids off at school and running errands is a weekday ritual. It also warms up the body on cold mornings in northern regions this time of year. The java might taste even better if we reduce the amount of waste traditionally involved. Here are a few ways to better cherish Earth’s resources.

Avoid the paper cup; carry a reusable thermos or insulated bottle instead as a matter of routine. Author and activist Beth Terry, in her book Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Habit and How You Can Too suggests both stainless steel beverage containers and mugs. She also recommends glass mason jars and points out that EcoJarz recently began making stainless steel caps and lids instead of plastic. Learn more at MyPlasticFreeLife.com. Terry further cites the unhealthy aspects of continual use of paper cups because, “Many are lined with plastic, and the plastic lids are often the equivalent of Styrofoam.”

If caught without a favorite reusable container, Treehugger. com’s Katherine Martinko recommends at least giving an old paper cup one more turn. “It’s not a zero waste solution, but if you’ve already got a paper cup in your car or kitchen, you might as well extend its life. Wash and hand it over the next time you get a coffee,” she suggests. “It will still do the job.”

For those that add cream, milk or sugar to coffee, consider the waste involved just in the plastic and wood stirrers provided by the shop that are tossed in the trash after serving their one-time function. “Avoid all of them,” advises Terry. “Carry a clean utensil in the car,” such as a bamboo tableware or a spork (combination spoon and fork). Cutting down or weaning off of dairy, sugar and especially sugar substitutes is another healthful move.

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ecospotlight

How Your Old Jeans Are Warming Houses A group of organizations are using worn-out denim to create insulation for homes

by Kelly Bryant

J

ust a few months ago I was very proud of myself for weeding out old, ill-fitting, well-past-theirprime items from my closet by actively engaging with a fashion blog’s spring-cleaning checklist. Not only did I pat myself on the back for parting with pieces to which I had become irrationally attached, but I was also careful to separate the out-going clothing into two piles—trash or charity.

I sent one bag off to donation and the other to the dumpster with little thought as to what would eventually happen to either.

About a week later I stumbled upon the startling fact that Americans toss 82 pounds of clothing each year, resulting in 11 million tons sitting in landfills. And they don’t just stay there for a year or two.

Because most textiles are not biodegradable, they’ll stay on this planet for 200 years. The donation pile doesn’t fare much better: One out of every 10 items of clothing donated is resold. The rest is either shipped off to be sold in other countries or goes to those growing landfills. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling so smug about that whole closet cleaning operation.

Cotton Incorporated is working with Bonded Logic, Inc., manufacturers of UltraTouch Denim Insulation, to give

beat-up (not in a trendy way) jeans a second life, and one that is impactful to boot.

This year the program, which started in 2006, focused its efforts in New Orleans, which is still recovering from the massive amounts of destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It’s hard to believe it has been a decade since that natural disaster flattened and flooded the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. What’s even harder to wrap one’s head around is the significant rebuilding still left to be done after all of these years. FEMA estimates Katrina’s overall damage at $108 billion, the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

While the rest of the country may have moved on, New Orleans residents are still coping with their losses.

Through Habitat for Humanity’s Build-A-Thon, 10 homes were built in 10 days using the insulation made from the denim donations. Previous community recipients have included those in the Gulf Coast region spanning from Texas to Mississippi.

This year Sheryl Crow teamed up with the campaign to actively encourage denim donations, but the celebrity involvement didn’t stop there. Actor Anna Sophia Robb helped out alongside 600 other volunteers during the ac-

tual build. Robb also had the honor of presenting New Orleans resident Karen Walker with a key to her new home on the city’s America Street.

According to a Blue Jeans Go Green spokesperson, it takes about 500 to 1,000 pieces of denim to make enough insulation for a home, depending on its size. So far the program has collected more than 1 million pieces of denim, helping to produce over 2 million square feet of the insulation.

Considering the statistic floating around claiming the average person owns seven pairs of jeans, donating a fallen pair instead of tossing it in the trash can have a big impact on the environment.

To date, Blue Jeans Go Green has diverted 600 tons of denim from landfills. Now if only someone could find a way to repurpose the horrendous club wear I wore in college. Then I could sleep a little easier at night.

Kelly Bryant is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer covering fashion, pop culture and parenting for a variety of national publications.

Give beat-up (not in a trendy way) jeans a second life, and one that's impactful to boot. natural awakenings

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coverstory

The Real Mardi Gras Traditions: What is in those Beads?

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ardi Gras and beads go together so seamlessly that it almost seems like one word on the tongue. The tradition of catching Mardi Gras beads at parades is so ingrained in the culture that no one really stops to think about where the beads have come from or what effect they can have on your health or the health of your family.

In the late 1800s, during the early years of Mardi Gras as we know it, Rex threw treats such as sugar-coated almonds into the crowd. This tradition stemmed from a similar English Renaissance era festival custom in which candied nuts were thrown into a crowd. Not long after this tradition was started, food was replaced with glass beads. New Orleanians will probably agree this was due to the fact that you cannot leave sugar anything lying around or the roach apocalypse will soon ensue.

Up until the late 1960s Mardi Gras beads' most common form was a string

of multicolored glass beads imported from then Czechoslovakia. Some parades still hand out these “vintage” beads to parade goers. They are now manufactured in India, but have the same stylistic elements of the original necklaces. In the mid 1960s these glass beads were replaced with the less expensive and more durable plastic beads that we know today. They were first supplied from Hong Kong, then Taiwan, and now most come from China. This shift to plastic beads allowed riders to be supplied with a greater number of throws as the popularity of Mardi Gras expanded around the globe. As many

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parade goers will attest, the single plastic Mardi Gras beads have lost their luster. Most end up on the ground. The Chinese workers who manufacture the beads are led to believe that these beads are real jewelry that will be sold in jewelry shops.

The majority of the Mardi Gras beads are made in China from polystyrene (Styrofoam) and polyethylene, two petroleum-based products. There have been repeated studies of the beads by HealthyStuff.org. The results showed that many beads tested very high in lead and other potentially hazardous chemicals, including bromine and chlorine. These chemicals are used as halogenated flame-retardants, but within the human body they are endocrine (hormonal) disruptors. This is the result of materials such as plastic manufactured from melted computer boards and other recycled plastic waste being utilized in the production process. Other toxicities, including arsenic and cadmium, have been found as a result in testing as well.

These listed toxins exist throughout the beads, not just in the coatings.

At this point you may be asking why these throws are permitted or why local government has not addressed the health concerns through regulation.

Louisiana law does not address them, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does not consider them children’s toys, subject to the CPSC’s more stringent regulation. Following passage of Proposition 65, California requires businesses to inform Californians about exposure to certain chemicals.

And you might find vendors of Mardi Gras beads will not ship to that state as a result of their stringent public health regulations. Regarding the CPSC, the sense is that no changes will be made until a documented health problem is reported to the Commission.

Meanwhile, you can do your part in making Carnival in New Orleans healthier and greener by these tips. n Keep Mardi Gras throws out of the mouths of loved ones. n Wash hands after handling beads and throws. n Catch and release—the only current way to reduce is to recycle. n Give your throws to Options Inc., an organization that works with the mentally disabled. They sort Mardi Gras beads for reuse as part of their work programs. n If you are a krewe member, be the change and insist on a full disclosure regarding the products you handle and share (Remember, the Chinese workers are put at risk too.) n Be original and buy from local artisans or a charitable reseller of throws. n Simply throw less and throw green.

Throwing tons of plastic beads is a relatively new phenomenon—not a Carnival tradition.

If you suspect toxicity from beads (as in lead exposure) please report the exposure to the CPSC and tell your pediatrician. For more information on the potential toxicity of Mardi Gras beads, see Healthystuff.org’s full report at Tinyurl.com/MardiGrasReport.

Mardi Gras is really about friends, family and community—the joie de vivre, not all the stuff. Happy Mardi Gras, and remember it is Purple, Gold and GREEN.

N othing is impossible,

the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’ ~Audrey Hepburn

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communityspotlight

QIGONG FOR VETERANS Helping Cope in New Orleans

by Todd Nichols

T

odd Nichols has actively shared Qigong and Power Breathing at Veteran Facilities for five years with outstanding results. Anger and alcoholism are the norm for veterans, and Nichols is breaking through by getting them high naturally. Additionally, Nichols shares qigong at several drug rehab centers and even with baker-acted patients.

No mistake in life has troubled me more than not serving in the military. After missing that opportunity, I’m sharing qigong at the Veterans Hospitals. The biggest challenge in teaching Veterans Qigong is

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to gain their trust. An individual who never wore their uniform cannot understand what they endured. Veterans immediately want to know if you’re one of them. In the beginning this was unnerving.

Veterans Administration (VA) facil-

ities are tough places. I’ll never forget my first time teaching and being let in the locked door as it quickly shut behind me. One vet in a wheel chair was trying to escape. Chairs were full of sand so they couldn’t be thrown. Doctors and social workers were coming in during my class and interrupting. Many veterans were medicated and dealing with obvious challenges. Some appeared physically fine, but their mind waged an emotional war inside. One large man was sitting in a state of shock and sat staring straight ahead making a low-pitched sound. Direct exposure to mental health struggles

of veterans has enlightened me.

Most Americans are unaware that 22 U.S. vets commit suicide each day. I hope my experiences help tutor other qigong instructors.

“One of the best things to happen to me was to be sentenced to 6-month drug rehab center where Mr. Todd literally was breathing new life into us.”

—Timothy Stewart, U.S. Veteran.

When vets do qigong breathing in a group, trust issues and whether I’m a vet or not becomes less important. Old mind patterns are temporarily bypassed, as the feeling of QI is so strong that it gives a natural high. Many vets report this has been invaluable to replace harmful addictions. My VA teacher’s position actually came from a referral from Westcare of St. Petersburg, Florida, a 98-bed mental health and “Substance Abuse Center.” Some vets I met at the VA also ended up in drug rehab and therefore they saw me at both places.

“For four years running Todd’s Qigong program has uplifted the spirit of many."

—Robert Neri, Westcare Rehab, Chief Clinical Officer.

Recovering heroine addicts need a powerful approach and I quickly realized I needed to wow them immediately with qigong, to make a memorable, quick, and powerful statement.

My grand slam is the Breath-Empowerment and the 9-Breath Method exercises as this group of people is challenging to gain trust. They are guarded and apprehensive. I draw them in and challenge them to take huge breaths, swallow it and hold it in their belly. A crammed room becomes momentarily silent, smiles and then scattered giggles.

I love to see students’ resistance turn to wonder. They tell me, “I feel electricity, and my body is warm and tingling.”

Without the breathing tools, many would give up before benefiting from the immense healing rewards. Teaching qigong at the VA was not very respected in the beginning. Now it has grown from a single class to two classes each week. The doctors, nurses and social workers now respect the group and do not disturb our class. Qigong at Westcare has been received so well that it has grown from one to three classes every week. It is now a part of their curriculum. There is no doubt in my mind that the need for more instructors in this field of qigong is a must.

QI REVOLUTION comes to New Orleans Convention Center, February 19 to 2. Two-and-a-half days of qigong training for $99. Open to public; fire, police and military servicemen admitted free. For more information, call 800-298-8970 or visit QiRevolution.com.

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February 2016

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and violent solutions are modeled, yoga empowers children to pause and take a breath so they can own what’s happened, move through it and move on.”

“I like yoga because it makes me feel like there is calm all around me,” says 8-year-old Biko Cooper.

Dee Marie, the Boulder, Colorado, founder and executive director of Calming Kids, a nonprofit program that integrates yoga into the classroom to foster a nonviolent atmosphere, says, “When a child learns through yoga how to feel a sense of themselves and begins to understand their self-worth and stand tall in their power, they can begin to regulate their breath and their emotions.”

These invaluable skills stay with children through adulthood.

healthykids

Mindful Minutes for Little Ones Yoga Helps Kids Focus and Relax

by Julianne Hale

A

merican kids’ school, after-school and weekend schedules now rival the hectic pace of their multitasking parents. Like their adult counterparts, youngsters need time to decompress from the pressures of life and be present in their own skin, and yoga provides the tools to accomplish this.

Most adults take to their yoga mat to create harmony in their body and mind, increase flexibility and balance, build muscle tone and strength, and because it makes them feel great. These same benefits apply to children as their developing bodies and minds respond to yoga on a deep level, both on and off the mat.

Start with Watching Breath “Breathing and mindfulness practices are important for children,” explains Mariam Gates, the Santa Cruz, California, creator of the Kid Power Yoga Program and author of Good Morning Yoga and the upcoming Good Night Yoga. “There is so much that children are not in control of in their everyday lives; to give them a way to physically 18

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process their experience, to self-soothe and find their own internal source of strength, is crucial.”

“Having kids experience simply paying attention to their breath as it comes all the way in and moves all the way out can serve them well in every area of their lives going forward,” says Gates. In the classroom, it transfers to learning skills benefited by the ability to focus.

From toddlers to teens, children can have a difficult time processing and controlling their emotions, which are vital life skills. Carla Tantillo, founder of Mindful Practices, a Chicago-area wellness organization, has found that yoga and the practice of mindfulness help children express themselves in constructive ways.

She observes, “In any situation, especially in communities where reactivity, impulsiveness

Step into Yoga Together

Educators are starting to take notice of yoga’s benefits for children, including those with attention deficit disorders or autism, but yoga practice is still rare among school-age children. As encouragement, “Make it fun,” advises Gates.

“It’s essential to create experiences that feel accessible and enjoyable for kids.

They must feel empowered to do it themselves and take over the experience.”

Six-year-old Carmen Wheeler likes doing yoga with her dad. “Yoga gets me feeling strong and it really calms me down,” she says. Music can help children relax and focus during their practice. Soothing basic instrumentals are good to start; an Internet search for yoga music for kids reveals many options.

Parents can assist by incorporating yoga into a child’s daily bedtime ritual. “Do whatever they are willing to do with them,” counsels Marie. “Start by lying on the bedroom floor, doing stretches and focusing on breathing. Then move to the bed and teach some relaxation and visualization techniques.”

Marie cautions parents against insisting that their child’s yoga practice mirror their own. “We have to meet children where they are.” Adults think that yoga has to look a certain way, but sometimes children don’t necessarily want to do the postures

Cultivating Mindfulness in the Classroom

by Julianne Hale

W

hen Scott Frauenheim, director of the Chicago International Charter School (CICS) West Belden, noticed that some students in his kindergarten through eighth grade urban classrooms were not fully engaged, he decided to focus the 2014-2015 school year on mindfulness for both students and faculty. He enlisted the help of Mindful Practices, a Chicago-based school wellness organization founded by Carla Tantillo.

Using the strategies Tantillo recommends in her book Cooling Down Your Classroom, teachers were taught to involve students in mindful minutes—short bursts of simple yoga poses, breathing exercises and other techniques—to

we’re familiar with. The best teaching reaches each individual child in a way that resonates with them because yoga is a lifestyle, not an exercise regimen,” she says. Yoga novices and parents that prefer specific guidance can take advantage of local studio classes for children and families or use DVDs, online streaming services and instruction books.

Kevin Day, age 5, regularly starts his days with a Boat pose. “I like it because you can do it with a friend,” he says.

Lisa Flynn, the Dover, New Hampshire, founder and chief executive officer of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, is optimistic about the future. “In 10 years, I envision social and emotional learning, yoga, and mindfulness integrated at every school and mandated by educational policy,” she says. In addition to improved physical, social, emotional and cognitive health and wellness of the students, teachers and parents, she foresees “a positive shift in the overall school climate.”

Julianne Hale is a freelance writer and Natural Awakenings franchise magazine editor in Cleveland, TN.

cultivate mindfulness. The initiative proved to be powerful and helpful, explains Frauenheim. “Soon students were able to identify areas of personal need throughout the day and cultivate mindfulness within themselves using what they learned.”

The program concluded last year, but CICS West Belden teachers and students continue to use designated time to practice mindfulness in the morning and as a classroom mental reset when they notice that students are distracted or unfocused during the day. Mindful Practices’ innovative programs have achieved similar success in other elementary, middle and high schools in the Chicago area.

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February 2016

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THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP It Sustains, Nourishes and Supports Us

by Judith Fertig

For a reason, a season or a lifetime, friends help us cope with challenges, motivate our best work and celebrate life. Friendships take many forms, crossing generations and self-imposed boundaries, and even spring up between unlikely confidants.

C

hildhood friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck collaborated on the Oscar-winning screenplay for Good Will Hunting. Fierce tennis competitors Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki like to get together for a gal-pal getaway after a major match.

Country music artists Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood married following an 18-year friendship; “We had a lot more in common than I ever dreamed we did,” says Brooks.

Rafts of research confirm how friendship enriches us. Carlin Flora, of New York City, spent years as a Psychology Today writer and editor before penning Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are. She notes that among the varied and perhaps unforeseen benefits, friendships can help us “shed pounds, sleep better, stop smoking and even survive a major illness.”

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An ongoing, two-decade-plus study of nearly 1,500 seniors by the Flinders University Centre for Ageing Studies, in Australia, found those with a large network of friends outliving others with the fewest friends by 22 percent. The University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center also reports people with five or more close friends as 50 percent more likely to describe themselves as “very happy” than those maintaining fewer confidants.

“Friends past and present play powerful and often unappreciated roles in determining our sense of self and the direction of our lives,” says Flora. “Even in a supposedly meritocratic society, friends give jobs and assignments to each other, so having friends that share your career interests and aspirations can get you much farther than you could ever get on your own.”

Make New Friends, Keep the Old Today, making and keeping friends can be challenging, due to distance, frequent life changes, overprotective parenting and substituting social media for more intimate face time. It all makes friendship more fluid than we might realize, says Shasta Nelson, the San Francisco founder of GirlFriendCircles. com, a women’s friendship matching site and author of Friendships Don’t Just Happen: The Guide to Creating a Meaningful Circle of Girlfriends, plus the upcoming book, Frientimacy, about deepening such relationships.

“Most of us replace half of our close friends every seven years,” says Nelson. Although this might seem alarming, she considers it a natural ebb and flow. “We all need a couple of very close friends, while others that come and go might just be what we currently need—at work or school, among firsttime parents, in a new neighborhood, starting a job, in retirement or during some other life change,” she says.

Canadian Greg Tjosvold, a married middle school teacher in Vancouver, Canada, has enjoyed great friendships with women, including his wife, partly because he doesn’t relate to men’s generally competitive nature and interest in sports. But when a close female friend moved away, he wanted to expand his circle to include men. He joined a group called The Barley Brethren that sample craft beers and talk about life. Although not into suds, he values “having a safe and enjoyable place to discuss deep issues, victories and temporary setbacks.” He admits, “That’s over-simplification, though.” Finding a group of men he can feel a part of has validated him, making this unique man still feel like one of the guys.

Nelson categorizes the concentric circles of developing friendship as starting with a mutually agreeable acquaintance or contact, and then moving emotionally closer with someone that we find similarities with. Then the original bond can enter the confirmed friend category. A group of friends, like a longtime book club, can constitute a community. The highest level is the committed friend that has evolved into a trusted and valuable life companion.

Sarah Huntsman Reed, a medical counselor in Kansas City, Missouri, has such a lifelong friend. She met Doug Reed, now a pharmacist, when both were in their high school musical, Once Upon a Mattress. Reed had a great sense of humor, Sarah remembers. “He’s still the most honest yet kindest person I’ve met,” she says. Soon, their mothers became friends, too, and the two teens would pair up for family weddings. Then she went to college and married and he moved away; yet they stayed in touch through mutual friends and their moms, catching up in person when he returned to his hometown.

Seventeen years after they first met, by which time Sarah was divorced, the two discussed taking their friendship to the next level and soon married. “It was a big decision to commit, because we knew so much about each other,” she says. “But we prefer each other’s company, and it was the best thing we ever did.”

Safety Net In trying times, friends can surround us with positive energy, says Madisyn Taylor, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the spiritual blog DailyOm, in Ashland, Oregon. “The people we love form a protective barrier that buffers and shields us from many of the world’s

Hallmarks of good friendship include staying in touch and being consistently positive and vulnerable, so as we reveal ourselves over time, we can be authentic with each other.

more crippling blows,” including receiving hurtful slights from others.

How we make friends has been altered by today’s social landscape, which includes working parents and Amber Alerts. The days of children freely roaming their neighborhood discovering friends to play with are, unfortunately, over, says Jennifer S. White, a Toledo, Ohio, blogger and author of The Art of Parenting: Love Letters from a Mother.

“My long-term friendships from childhood were all built around being neighbors and playing together just because we wanted to,” recalls White.

With today’s safety concerns and work-life challenges, parents now set up playdates, a more structured, less organic way of fostering childhood friendships, and they must be proactive to ensure success.

White has some misgivings about this modern-day approach. “When I think about that one little gleaming seed of truth at the heart of why, it’s often because I don’t think it’s fair that I have to be a popular ‘playdate mom’ for my kid to have some friends.”

Besties and Buddies Automatic playdates—with siblings—often enhance family ties through lifelong friendships. Sally Ekus is a culinary talent representative in Florence, Massachusetts.

Her younger sister, Amelia, is the general manager of Twitter Cafe, in New York City, and lives in Brooklyn. Both foodies have knife-and-fork tattoos. Sally is more into meal ingredients and preparation, while Amelia loves pouring wine and making sure everyone is comfortable.

“Together,” says Sally, “we create total hospitality, from lavish Passover seders to Friday nights with friends.”

She notes that her sister is the only other person who understands what the world looks like through the Ekus girls’ perspective.

Some adults might never meet faceto-face, but become friends via social media. American Jamie Schler, co-owner of the Hotel Diderot, in Chinon, France, with her native-born husband, says, “Social media [especially Facebook posts] is how I meet and make personal friends and keep in touch on a daily basis. As an expat, this is important because I often feel far from family and friends

How to Make Good Friends

by Shasta Nelson

Three Necessary Ingredients

Both friendship and romantic bonds are developed when three things occur: We feel satisfied, which happens when an interaction has more positivity than negativity. We feel safe, which comes when we commit to consistent time with each other.

We feel seen, which we experience when we practice revealing ourselves and expressing vulnerability.

Here’s a formula for creating meaningful connections: Positivity + Consistency + Vulnerability = Frientimacy.

Two Steps

It usually takes most people six to eight interactions with someone new before they start feeling like friends.

The sooner they schedule such occasions, the sooner the rewards. c Be open to making new friends. c Make the first move; repeat.

One Ratio

To keep a friendship going, remember that it has to have a positivity-to-negativity ratio of at least five-to-one. That means sharing five times more fun and feel-good moments than stressors that can range from disappointments and frustrations to jealousies. By definition, to be and keep a good friend requires that both parties bring satisfying positivity to the relationship.

Source: Adapted from Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Intimacy by Shasta Nelson; scheduled for release in March.

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Everyone from contemporary scientists to ancient philosophers agrees that having strong social bonds is probably the most meaningful contributor to happiness. ~Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project that understand me, share common interests and ideas and speak the same language—and I don’t necessarily mean English.” Her high-tech circle ranges from hometown pals to new friends in the food community and political forums. She raves, “It’s a place where I find them all at the same time!”

Nelson remarks, “No one is saying Facebook should replace visits, nights out and phone calls, but in a world where most of us wish we felt closer to

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a few more people, it doesn’t hurt to use every tool at our disposal for creating connections.”

Differences in age needn’t be a hurdle in forging friendships. Candelaria Silva-Collins, an arts marketing professional in Boston, attended area social gatherings where she regularly encountered a museum director and his wife. “They seemed like a fantastic couple,” she says, and began a friendship with the older woman, despite their being from different generations. “My friend teaches me a lot about being vital and vibrant,” she says.

Expanding Circles

Becoming friends with people of different ages, languages and social standing gives us a spiritual workout, advises Nelson.

With a master’s degree in divinity, Nelson views friendship as a type of health club in which we develop our empathy, forgiveness and compassion muscles through practice. “Friendships are the way we become better people,” she says.

Furthermore, the process, especially with people unlike us, leads to a better world. “Being able to inherently care for people we know makes it easier to do the same for people we’ve not met yet,” says Nelson. World peace happens one friend at a time.

Freelance writer Judith Fertig also blogs at AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot. com from Overland Park, KS.

inspiration

Effective Listening Practices

DEEP LISTENING

P

by Kay Lindahl

Our Wholehearted Attention Is Our Greatest Gift

Pay attention to the environment. Stop other activities to listen. Clear your desk. Turn off background noise or move to a quiet corner.

by Kay Lindahl

Be present. Listen with an open, appreciative and curious mind rather than evaluating what’s being said. Put your own agenda aside.

erhaps one of the most precious and powerful gifts we give another person is to really listen to them with quiet, fascinated attention and our whole being; fully present. Deep listening occurs at the heart level, and we must ask ourselves how often we listen to each other so completely.

Such listening is a creative force. We expand, ideas come to life and grow and we remember who we are. It brings forth our inner spirit, intelligence, or true self, and opens up the space for us to thrive.

Sometimes we have to do a lot of listening before another’s inner being feels replenished. Some people just need to talk and go on and on, usually in a superficial, nervous manner. This often happens because they have not been truly listened to. Patience is required to be a listening presence for such a person long enough that they get to their center point of tranquility and peace. The results of such listening are extraordinary.

Some would call them miracles.

Listening well takes time, skill and a readiness to slow down to afford time

for reflection and to let go of expectations, judgments, boredom, self-assertiveness and defensiveness. When two people listen deeply to one another, we sense that we are present not only to each other, but also to something beyond our individual selves; something spiritual, holy or sacred.

Once we experience the depth of being listened to like this, we naturally begin to listen to be present with another.

We notice what occurs when we interrupt someone and when we don’t. We watch what unfolds when another stops speaking and we ask, “Is there anything else?”

Listening is an art that calls for practice. Imagine if we all spent just a few minutes each day choosing to practice the art of listening; of being fully present with the person we are with.

Being truly listened to and understood yields a sigh of contentment and joy.

Kay Lindahl, of Long Beach, CA, is the author of The Sacred Art of Listening, from which this was adapted with permission from SkyLight Paths Publishing.

Stop talking. One person speaks at a time without interruption.

Listen for understanding. No one is required to agree with or believe what they hear. Let empathy and compassion take the lead; put yourself in their shoes.

Ask for clarification. It can help a listener understand what’s being expressed.

Pause before speaking. Allow the speaker to complete their thought, and then wait a few seconds before responding. Also ask, “Is there anything else?” There almost always is.

Listen to yourself. Inquire of your inner voice, “What wants to be expressed next?”

Signal that they’ve been heard. Encouraging body language includes empathetic facial expressions, nodding and sympathetic postures.

Adapted from The Top Ten Powerful Listening Practices on the author’s website SacredListening.com.

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February 2016

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thrive One of the most

beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

by Linda Sechrist he focus of functional medicine— whole person health care—easily expands to include dentists trained in oral systemic health. Currently embraced by a small percentage of today’s farsighted dentists and doctors, this relatively new field of prevention and wellness views the mouth as a key portal when considering the status of the whole body. Similar to the way doctors of Oriental medicine assess the heart’s pulse to help diagnose health issues throughout the body, these systemic health dentists consider the gums, tongue, teeth and throat to be key signals of overall health.

American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH) Executive Director Bobbie Delsasso was a periodontal hygienist for more than 30 years before becoming a consultant and public speaker on the larger perspective.

“I taught patients about the importance of good nutrition and alerted them to consult their physician regarding what their mouth health might indicate about their body’s health,” she says. While the academy educates dental professionals to understand the internal workings of nutrition and what the mouth reveals about overall well-being, “Less than 6 percent of physicians even learn adequate basics of nutrition in medical schools,” she notes.

Cardiovascular Health Links

Beyond nutrition, academy curricula for dentists now include such titles as Arteriology and Vascular Inflammation – The Oral/Systemic Connection, based on a course designed for medical professionals by physician Bradley Bale and Amy Do24

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neen, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, co-founders of the Bale/Doneen Method for the prevention of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Mike Milligan, a doctor of dental medicine, founder of Eastland Dental Center, in Bloomington, Illinois, and AAOSH president, explains that heart attack and stroke are triggered by an inflammatory process which can be initiated or exacerbated by periodontal disease and abscessed teeth.

Thomas Nabors, a doctor of dental surgery and an authority in molecular analysis and genetic risk assessment for periodontal diseases, provides clinical proof that supports the growing association between medicine and dentistry.

“Since our inaugural AAOSH conference [in 2010], Bradley, Amy

and Tom have continued to provide the current science and clinical backdrop to the oral/systemic connection to cardiovascular wellness,” says Milligan.

Respiratory Health Links

Other vital advances in oral systemic health involve treating airway concerns such as snoring and sleep apnea. “Snoring is typically caused by muscles and tissues relaxing in the throat and mouth, resulting in decreased space in the airway passage and vibration of tissues. Eventually, individuals can develop sleep apnea, which can also result in hypertension and other problems,” advises Milligan.

In sleep apnea, the sleeper’s breathing pauses often or produces hypopnea, slowed or shallow breathing for 10 or more seconds at a time. Fewer than five episodes per hour is normal, with five to 15 considered mild apnea, 15 to 30 moderate and more than 30 severe.

Although 20 percent of Americans may have sleep apnea—typically associated with insomnia, tiredness and less oxygen in the body—95 percent of affected individuals go undiagnosed.

To help, Milligan suggests that before going to bed we lower the thermostat in the bedroom and avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, watching television or working on a computer.

Improved breathing helps assuage snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, hay fever and nasal congestion. Milligan cites Patrick McKeown’s work, explained in his book The Oxygen Advantage.

An authority on the Buteyko Breathing Method, McKeown explains how improved breathing dramatically improves oxygenation, releases more energy and supports lifelong health and well-being.

Muscle retraining using orofacial myofunctional therapy can help prevent sleep apnea and also abate temporomandibular joint disorders. This new field is concerned with orofacial functional patterns and postures when teeth are apart, their status 95 percent of each day and night. It also retrains muscles to keep the tongue at the roof of the mouth and the lips together to prevent breathing through the mouth, correct swallowing function and eliminate poor oral habits such as thumb sucking.

Three mechanical treatments for sleep apnea include mandibular advancement oral devices used to move

the lower jaw forward, a continuous positive airway pressure machine to aid airway functioning, or surgery, which is the last resort. “The real opportunity for catching and preventing this is with children 5 to 10 years old, when their jaws are developing,” says Milligan.

He further cites links discovered between the mouth and brain. “Oral spirochetes, which normally live in the mouth, have been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Judith Miklossy, from the International Association for Alzheimer’s, spoke at an AAOSH

conference about the link between oral bacteria and dementia, and Garth Ehrlich, Ph.D., professor of microbiology, immunology and otolaryngology at Drexel University College of Medicine, addressed rheumatoid arthritis and certain types of cancers.

All of these links are more than enough reasons why good oral hygiene is essential to good health,” says Milligan.

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

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February 2016

25

consciouseating

Ancient Grains for Modern Palates Gluten-Free and Eco-Friendly Grains Gain Favor

by Judith Fertig

A

ncient grains are making a comeback. Grown since Neolithic times about 10,000 years ago, varieties of barley, corn, millet and rice have helped assuage the hunger of many communities.

Today, yellow millet, dark red wholegrain sorghum, brown quinoa and exotic black rice can help alleviate food shortages.

According to Harry Balzer, an expert surveyor of food and diet trends with The NPD Group, concerns about grains and gluten have prompted about a third of Americans to try to cut back on both since 2012. About 1 percent of the population has celiac disease, estimates the Celiac Disease Foundation, but many more prefer not to eat gluten. Many ancient grains are naturally gluten-free, including amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, rice and teff.

“Some think that a grain-free way of eating is healthier and also better for the planet,” says food writer Maria Speck, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and Simply Ancient Grains.

“But that may be too simplistic, a characteristic of many diet trends.”

Better for Our Health

Whole grains fill us up and provide fiber, both necessary for maintaining optimum digestion and weight, says Kathleen Barnes, a widely published natural health expert in Brevard, North Carolina.

Eating more whole grains has been previously associated with a lower risk of major diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, based on studies by the University of Minnesota and Lund University, in Sweden. Qi Sun, assistant professor in the Harvard School

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

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of Public Health department of nutrition, agrees that whole grains are one of the major healthful foods for prevention of major chronic diseases. He’s the lead author of a new Harvard study of data associating consumption of whole grains with a 9 percent reduction in overall mortality and up to 15 percent fewer cardiovascular fatalities during two 25-year-long research initiatives that followed 74,000 woman and 43,000 men.

The researchers cited substituting whole grains for refined grains and red meat as likely contributors to longer life.

“Whole grains are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, beneficial fiber and even some protein,” observes Speck. With a German father and a Greek mother, she grew up in two cultures where grains are a part of everyday meals. “We eat them because they taste good.”

Better for Local Farmers

Sourcing and eating more organic and GMO-free whole grains (absent modified genetics) can help support local farmers, Speck maintains. Choose barley from Four Star Farms, in Massachusetts; heirloom grits from Anson Mills, in South Carolina; quinoa from White Mountain Farm, in Colorado; or heirloom Japanese rice from Koda Farms, in California.

Better for the Planet

Ancient grains require fewer natural resources to plant, grow and harvest.

According to the Water Footprint Network, a pound of beef, millet and rice require 1,851, 568 and 300 gallons of water, respectively, to produce.

Substituting grains in diets is a sustainable alternative to meat, and they grow on grasslands that now inefficiently support livestock. According to University of Cambridge Professor of Engineering David MacKay, it takes about 25 times more energy to produce one calorie of beef than one calorie of natural grain.

Ancient grains can add variety and flavor to meals and a wealth of them are as close as the gluten-free aisle of a neighborhood grocery or health food store.

Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFood AndLifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

Favorite Ancient Grains

by Maria Speck

I

t’s best to cook up a batch of ancient grains ahead on the weekend for use during a busy week. To inject more color and flavor, add a pinch of saffron to turn the cooking water golden, or cook the grains in pomegranate juice.

Cooked grain keeps in the refrigerator for up to seven days, ready to enhance salads, soups, yogurt or desserts.

Amaranth. The seed head of pigweed, amaranth can be baked into a custard or added to a soup. Grown by the Aztecs, iron- and protein-rich amaranth can be popped raw in a skillet like popcorn, and then added as garnish to soups and salads.

Buckwheat. The seeds of a plant related to rhubarb and grown in northern climates, buckwheat can be ground into flour for savory French crepes or simmered whole in soup.

Quinoa. Grown at high altitudes, quinoa has become a popular addition to salads or yogurt, as well as its own side dish.

Millet. A tiny, drought-tolerant grain, millet can be added to bread dough for texture or cooked as a healthy breakfast with toasted almonds and cardamom.

Teff. From Ethiopia, the flour of this tiny grain is fermented and used to make the flatbread known as injera. Try a teff waffle with caramelized pineapple.

Photo by Erin Kunkel © 2015

Source: Adapted from Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck.

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Cooking with Ancient Grains temperature or overnight (or chill, covered, for up to 2 days).

The next morning, make the porridge: Add 1 cup of half-and-half, the maple syrup and ground cardamom to the saucepan with the rice, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Photo by Erin Kunkel © 2015

Cardamom-Infused Black Rice Porridge with Blueberries and Pistachios Yields: 4 to 6 servings Black Rice ¾ cup black rice 2 whole green cardamom pods 1½ cups boiling purified water Porridge 1 cup half-and-half, plus more as needed 3 Tbsp maple syrup, or more as needed ¾ tsp ground cardamom 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 4 to 6 Tbsp pomegranate seeds, for garnish 3 Tbsp lightly toasted chopped plain pistachios, for garnish Start the rice the night before: Add the rice and cardamom pods to a large, heavy saucepan. Pour over the boiling water, cover and let sit at room 28

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Remove the cardamom pods, if preferred. Add the blueberries and simmer gently until they are warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

To finish, add ¼ to ½ cup more halfand-half to reach a desired consistency.

Taste for sweetness and adjust with more maple syrup if needed.

Divide between 4 to 6 breakfast bowls.

Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds and 1 teaspoon of chopped pistachios. Serve warm.

Greek Millet Saganaki with Shrimp and Ouzo Millet 1¼ cups purified water ¾ cup millet 1 bay leaf Pinch of fine sea salt Saganaki 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (1 small) 1 clove garlic, peeled and slightly crushed 1 small hot green chili, minced (optional) ¼ tsp fine sea salt 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 (28-oz) BPA-free can whole tomatoes, crushed in a bowl ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ½ cup green pimiento-stuffed olives, halved if large

Photo by Erin Kunkel © 2015

Uncover, decrease the heat to retain a lively simmer, and cook, stirring once occasionally, until the rice is tender with a slight chew, 5 to 7 minutes.

4 oz coarsely crumbled Greek feta cheese (about 1 cup), preferably made from sheep’s milk Shrimp 1 lb jumbo shell-on shrimp from a reputable fishmonger, deveined and patted dry (or substitute firm tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces) Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 /3 cup ouzo or other aniseflavored liqueur ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley To prepare the millet, bring the water, millet, bay leaf, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan.

Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover, remove the bay leaf and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the saganaki. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, garlic, chili and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens and turns light golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it darkens, about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes with their juices and the pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Decrease the heat to maintain a light boil and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes.

Stir in the millet and green olives.

Taste for salt and pepper and adjust (keeping in mind that olives and feta cheese are typically salty).

Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle with the feta and cover to allow the cheese to soften.

To prepare the shrimp (or tofu), season them with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add the shrimp. Cook, undisturbed, until the shrimp or tofu pieces turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes, and then flip them with a spatula and cook until the shrimp are just opaque throughout or the tofu has warmed through, 1 to 2 more minutes, depending on the size.

Add the ouzo and cook until it’s syrupy, about 30 seconds. Using a spatula, briskly remove the shrimp from the pan and arrange on top of the millet.

Sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once.

All recipes adapted from Simply Ancient Grains or Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, by Maria Speck, courtesy of Ten Speed Press.

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wisewords

Alyssa Milano’s Anti-Aging Secrets Her Natural Lifestyle Choices Keep Her Young

by Gerry Strauss

A

lyssa Milano has grown up, and most of us have grown up with her. From her days as preteen tomboy Samantha Miceli on Who’s the Boss? to witchy woman Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed, the actress has been a vibrant, relatable and beautiful persona we’ve come to know via television. She was even named a UNICEF ambassador in 2004. Today, with a young family, her Touch licensed sports apparel line, and the wisdom that accompanies adulthood, her commitment to a natural, eco-friendly lifestyle has become another hallmark of her life.

What connection do you see between eating organic foods and maintaining the energy level that your busy life requires?

I think everything that you put into your body has a connection to how well we function in daily life. As a mom of two, eating organic is a priority; when organic is not an option, it’s about finding the healthiest accessible choices.

I eat tomatoes like other people eat fruit and love papaya. I would put avocado on anything. I also like to cook with healthful herbs and spices like garlic and onions, which is natural for an Italian like me. We keep genetically modified foods out of our house.

Which fitness habits embodied by others have you made your own?

In my Who’s the Boss? days, Tony Danza and Judith Light were always active 30

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and athletic. Tony would bring in a tap dance teacher and Judith a private trainer during lunch breaks. Being tutored on the set, I had no physical education classes or sports activities, so it was super-important for me to see how self-motivated they were to stay fit and in shape. Their example instilled a desire to take care of myself as an adult.

What role does nature play in your daily life?

I love being outside in my organic garden three or more times a week.

Also, the kids and I regularly head outside, which is an easy place to keep them happily and healthfully occupied without my having to jump through hoops.

As an advocate of breastfeeding, which benefits do you think are especially good for mother and child?

In the beginning, a primary benefit is giving your child quality nourishment, including healthy antibodies and other goodies to support health. As they start eating solids, it’s still about maintaining that intimate connection until they’re ready to be weaned and you’re ready to surrender this last physical bond.

moment, doing the best I can every day. I’ve also learned to be kind to myself when I’m failing to do so or something is annoying me due to some unfortunate imbalance.

How do you and your husband keep both your friendship and love vibrant?

We work hard at maintaining a good and healthy marriage, which can be tested in tough times. I believe that it’s vital to have the ability to laugh; you have to find humor in things, reminding yourself and each other that there is something funny in every daily activity, no matter how mundane or hard. When there’s no time to eat together or be intimate, shared laughter is an easy thing to achieve together. Done daily, it can only make the marriage stronger.

We enjoy date nights once or twice a week when my parents take care of the kids. I’ll put on mascara and change out of yoga pants, even if we’re just hanging out together.

Then we do little things like asking how each other’s day went and caring about the answer. We also look for ways we can help each other throughout the week.

What actions does your family emphasize in being stewards of the Earth?

We try to be as eco-friendly as possible, including having lights on timers, conserving water and being kind to animals. I cannot stress how important it is to visit a farm and organic gardens and orchards with children so that they see where their food comes from. We can’t take good food for granted.

In addition to a naturally healthy lifestyle, what else do you credit for your enduring youthfulness?

How do you balance family life with your acting career?

My secret is happiness. I’ve always said that as long as my laugh lines are deeper than my frown lines, I’m living a good life.

It’s a hard balance for anyone, especially one who’s detail-oriented and a bit of a perfectionist, like me. The most important thing is to be in the

Gerry Strauss is a freelance writer in Hamilton, NJ. Connect at GerryStrauss@aol.com.

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FOOD CHOICES MAKE A DIFFERENCE

classifieds To Place a Classified Listing Email to publisher@NALAmag.com. Must be received by the 10th of the month prior to publication. $1 per word. $20 minimum.

Must be prepaid.

OPPORTUNITIES AFLAC – The largest provider of supplemental insurance in the world is now hiring Benefits Consultants. Interested candidates, send your resume to Melissa_Burbank@us.aflac.com.

YOUNG LAVENDER BUDS – A company dedicated to teaching the public about the power of essential oils and how to incorporate them into daily life. To become a distributor and educator, contact Coco Kunstman: 504-344-7320 or Coco@YoungLavenderBuds.com.

Visit: YoungLavenderBuds.com.

RENTALS

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Cultivate a healthy business by advertising in Natural Awakenings’

March Food Matters Issue

BROADMOOR IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION-HOLISTIC WELLNESS ROOMS FOR RENT – 130-sq-ft counseling rooms are ideally suited for counselors, play therapists, nutritionists and social workers to see clients. 120-sq-ft holistic treatment rooms are newly renovated and available for massage therapists, acupuncturists, Reiki masters and other body workers to see clients. Contact 504-4814666 or Wellness@BroadmoorImprovement.com.

ECLECTIC/RETRO BUILDING FOR RENT – 2,200 sq-ft free standing building near City Park Ave in Lakeview, Zoned S-LB2. Most suitable for creative venues. Email: kevseib@gmail.com.

SERVICES ALTERNATIVE HEALING BY BRUCE BRUKEY – 25 years experience. Breakthrough technique. Proven success. Complimentary Consultation. Sliding fee scale. Results driven. 504-265-9311.

REMODELING/ROOFING/SIDING – 504 Contractor offering free estimates. Ask for free iPad with new roof. 504-373-1779. 504Contractors@gmail. com. 504Contactors.com.

S U P P L E M E N TA L I N S U R A N C E F O R SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS – If you are interested in finding out more about providing supplemental benefits such as accident, disability, dental, vision, cancer, heart, or life policies for yourself and your family, as well as providing benefits to your employees at absolutely no additional cost to you as a business owner, contact Melissa Burbank at 504-975-0344 or Melissa_Burbank@us.aflac.com.

SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES VEGETARIAN MEETUP GROUP – Meets at least once a month for a veggie meal. See calendar of events at Meetup.com/vegetarian-515/ members/7165804/.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES BOYS HOPE GIRLS HOPE – Providing children with arms-around care, safe homes and environments, a first-class education, opportunities to learn more about themselves and the world, and academic, financial and spiritual support through college, Boys Hope Girls Hope empowers children to realize the potential that is within them. Volunteer/ donate: BoysHopeGirlsHope.org.

GIRLS ON THE RUN – Inspiring girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. To become involved, visit gotrnola.org.

YOUTH RUN NOLA – Creates and empowers a community of healthy young leaders through running. For more information about volunteering as a coach, running buddy or one of the many other opportunities, email Denali@YouthRunNOLA.org or visit YouthRunNOLA.org.

Love is life. And if you

miss love, you miss life.

To advertise or participate in our next issue, call

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~Leo Buscaglia

calendarofevents

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Note: All Calendar events must be received via email by February 10 for the March issue. $15/Event Calendar or $10/Ongoing Calendar listing. $25/PlanAhead Events, $99/MarkYourCalendar. Qualified, free, community-wide events are listed for free as space is available. Submit entries to Publisher@NALAmag.com.

Call 504-975-0344 for more information.

Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program – 5:30pm. Dr Debbi Hannan presents: The Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program at Chiropractic Health Center. Free.

101 Clearview Pkwy at Airline Dr, New Orleans.

504-454-2000.

Throat Chakra Class – 7pm. With Paul Martinez and Brenda Aranda. Examine, reflect on, and work with the throat chakra, the voice of the body that allows expression. If out of balance, health and well-being are affected.

When in balance, our personal truth can be expressed into the world. Wear something blue. $10 suggested donation.

Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans. 504-885-7575.

Deep Tissue Massage Clinic – 6:15 & 7:45pm. Also Feb 16. Help a student with their education at our student massage clinic. Deep Tissue is muscle specific and really works out the kinks. $30. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/ appointment: 504-293-0972.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Deep Tissue Massage Clinic – 12:45 & 2:15pm. Also Feb 5, 10, 17 & 19. Help a student with their education at our student massage clinic. Deep Tissue is a full body massage that really gets out the kinks. $30. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/appointment: 504-293-0972.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Swedish Massage Clinic – 6:15 & 7:45pm. Also Feb 11. Help a student with their education at our student massage clinic. Swedish is good for overall relaxation and increased flexibility. $30. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/ appointment: 504-293-0972.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7 Carnival Celebration with Rev Christy Snow – 11am.

A festive, fun and dynamic Sunday service featuring the powerful, inspiring music and message of Rev Christy Snow, dynamic speaker and master of Native American flute. Love offering. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans.

504-885-7575.

Divine Breath Meditation – 6pm. Join Revs. Christy Snow and Jack Fowler for a special Taize Prayer Service; chanting, Native American Flute, inspired words and music designed to take you within to the sacred center of yourself. Become immersed in the Divine Breath of God and experience the part of you that is eternal, timeless and always connected to the Source of Life. Love Offering. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Vets, 504-885-7575.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Exploring Body Intelligences and How We Heal – 9:30-11:30am. Join Donna Caire to explore our bodies’ amazing abilities to heal, nourish, cleanse and be our ally. Held monthly on 2nd Friday – take any or all –

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program – 5:30pm. Dr Debbi Hannan presents: The Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program at Chiropractic Health Center. Free. 101 Clearview Pkwy at Airline Dr, New Orleans. 504-454-2000.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Spiritual Significance of Mardi Gras – 7pm. With Paul Martinez and Brenda Aranda. Carnival season has a long spiritual history that seems to have been nearly lost in the midst of all the parties and parades. This class will examine this rich history and discuss its relevance to our spiritual lives today. $10 suggested donation.

Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans. 504-885-7575.

Journey Into Consciousness Workshop – 1pm.

Author/intuitive Shelly Wilson offers her perception and interpretation of what has assisted her powerful spiritual journey into consciousness. Messages from angels, spirit guides and loved ones in spirit will also be shared. $15 suggested donation. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans. 504-885-7575.

C. G. Jung Society Presents: An Evening with Guest Artist Candy Chang – 7:30pm. Hosted by Jungian Analyst Constance Romero. Chang will discuss the healing power of interactive public art and communal space. Look for her TED Talk. $15, $10/students, members/free. Parker UMC, 1130 Nashville, New Orleans. Jungneworleans.org. each explores a different bodily system. February’s focus: kidneys and bladder. For women. $25/pay as able. Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation, 71667 Leveson St, Abita Springs. 985-892-8111 WomensCenterForHealing.org.

Swedish Massage Clinic – 12:45 & 2:15pm. Also Feb 26. Help a student with their education at our student massage clinic. Swedish is good for overall relaxation and increased flexibility. $30. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/ appointment: 504-293-0972.

Messages from Spirit – Shelly Wilson, author, Spiritual Growth Coach and Medium will present a message gallery on Feb 12 and teach two classes on Feb 13. $85 for all three if purchased in advance. Metaphysical Resource Center, 1708 Lake Ave, Metairie. Info: 504708-8353 or MetaphysicalResourceCenter.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Gardening in Tight Spaces – 9am, gates open; noon, workshop. Patios, small yards and other tight spaces can be made into attractive green spaces.

Learn how with Emily Mickley Doyle, the lead gardener with the ReFresh Project. Parkway Partners, 1137 Baronne St, New Orleans. 504-620-2224.

ParkwayPartnersNOLA.org.

Saturday Morning Massage Clinic – 9:15 & 10:45am.

Help a student with their education at the Student Massage Clinic. Feb 13: Deep Tissue; Feb 21: Swedish; Feb 27: Neuromuscular Therapy. $30. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/ appointment: 504-293-0972.

Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT) – 10am-noon. With Julie Flores. For women: Presentation on Past Life Regression Therapy and Healing, QHHT as taught by Dolores Cannon. Connecting with the higher self to explore your personal connection to your soul group and spirit guides. $20/pay as able.

Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation, 71667 Leveson St, Abita Springs. 985-892-8111.

WomensCenterForHealing.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Foundations Of Yoga Course – 7:45-9:15pm. Fourweek course with Lauren Sloan. $60. Wild Lotus Yoga Uptown, 4842 Perrier St, New Orleans. 504-899-0047.

WildLotusYoga.com.

markyourcalendar Deep Theta Meditation Deep Theta Meditation along with instructional videos, journeying within, use of sound frequencies. Sessions are always different, tapping into different meditation and reflection practices

February 3, 10 & 17 6:30-8:30pm Southshore location: Journey into Wellness, 3939 Houma Blvd, Bldg 3, Ste 15, Metairie

February 15 • 6:30-8:30pm Northshore location: The Healing House, 1101 Village Walk, Covington

$15/energy exchange 504-931-6494 Facilitator: Cindy Daigle NolaBotanics.com

Center for Enlightened Transformation

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Practices In Self-Care Course – 7:30-9pm. Fourweek course with Farah Gokturk. Learn short, simple, proven self-care techniques to integrate into your daily routine. $90. Limited to 10 people. Wild Lotus Yoga Uptown, 4842 Perrier St, New Orleans. 504-899-0047.

WildLotusYoga.com.

Reiki I and II – Feb 20-21. 10am-5pm. With Reiki Master and Instructor Sunny Robichaux. Learn this light touch technique which uses practitioner’s energy flow for health and healing. Techniques for working on self and clients. 12 CEUs for LMTs. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/ register: 504-352-0039.

Parenting Workshop – 6-7:30pm. A breakthrough parenting workshop hosted by Pediatrician Dr Lisa Defusco and Holistic Health Coach Matthew Ancira. Combining mindfulness, awareness and practical parenting knowledge will allow for reduced stress, more meaningful family relationships and mindful interactions within the family dynamic. $75/person or $125/couple. Location TBD. Info/register: MatthewAncira.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Women’s Full Moon Drum Circle – 7-8:30pm.

Celebrate the energy of the full moon. Find your own natural rhythm. Monthly drum circle for adult women and teen girls. No experience needed. Bring your own drum or rattle - or share ours. An alcohol free event; donations appreciated. Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation, 71667 Leveson St, Abita Springs.

985-892-8111. WomensCenterForHealing.org.

Psychic Fair – Noon-6pm. Mediums, psychics, healers, astrologer, aura photos, crystals, essential oils, jewelry and more. Free admission. Metaphysical Resource Center, 1708 Lake Ave, Metairie. Info: 504-708-8353 or MetaphysicalResourceCenter.com.

Conscious Connected Breathing Workshop – 2:305pm. With Jack Fontana. Relieve stress, fear and anxiety naturally. $54. Wild Lotus Yoga Uptown, 4842 Perrier St, New Orleans. 504-899-0047. WildLotusYoga.com.

Calendars Local Directory Digital Editions Distribition Locations Submissions

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program – 5:30pm. Dr Debbi Hannan presents: The Ideal Protein Weight Loss Program at Chiropractic Health Center. Free. 101 Clearview Pkwy at Airline Dr, New Orleans. 504-454-2000.

Living the Unity Principles – 7pm. These powerful principles are simple to talk about yet can be challenging to fulfill in our daily experience. Join our open discussion on these timeless truths and how to implement them in your life. $5 suggested donation. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans. 504-885-7575.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Family Yoga Workshop: One Mind, One Body, One Family Equals Love – 4-5:15pm. With Charlotte Mabry. Parents and kids ages 6-10. $20/per family. Wild Lotus Yoga Uptown, 4842 Perrier St, New Orleans.

504-899-0047. WildLotusYoga.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Spiritual Cinema: Songcatcher – 7pm. A powerful film about a woman whose drive to pursue the things she believes in leads her on an unexpected path to self-discovery in 1907. Frustrated and determined to get academic recognition, a musicologist heads to Appalachia with a recording device and writing materials.

PG-13; adult themes. $5 suggested donation. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans. 504-885-7575.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Basics of Ortho-Bionomy – Feb 27-28. 10am-5pm. Focus on Extremities with registered instructor of Ortho-Bionomy, Peggy Scott. Improve posture, flexibility and balance; reduce pain. Energetically based positional release techniques for working with shoulders, hips, knees, elbows, hands and feet. Blue Cliff College, Clearview Mall, across from food court, Metairie. Info/registration: 504-352-0039.

Psychic Fair – Noon-6pm. Mediums, psychics, healers, astrologer, aura photos, crystals, essential oils, jewelry and more. Free admission. Metaphysical Resource Center, 1708 Lake Ave, Metairie. Info: 504-708-8353 or MetaphysicalResourceCenter.com.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Mindfulness for Kids – 11-11:30am (4-7yr olds) & 11:45am-12:30pm (8-12 yr olds). Whitney Stewart will present two mindfulness meditation classes for children, based on her book Meditation is an Open Sky. Free.

Tibetan House, 4900 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans.

504-897-9339. TibetanHouse.com.

All in One Place. Anytime.

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SE Louisiana

NALAmag.com

Integrative Breathwork Journey – 2-7:30pm. With Patricia Stout, LCSW, Certified Breathwork Facilitator.

For women: A transformative musical trance journey.

Allows safe access to altered states of awareness, beyond ego-mind realm. Experience shift in deep unconscious thought and behavior patterns. $45/pay as able. Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation, 71667 Leveson St, Abita Springs. 985-892-8111.

WomensCenterForHealing.org.

plan ahead ongoingevents markyourcalendar Blue Cliff College Massage Dept.

Continuing Education CEUs for LMTs March 5 & 6

Healing Touch: Level I Mary Frost, RN, HTI

March 5 & 6

Massage Cupping Intro

Annie Garic, ACE Educator

March 5-7

Massage Cupping Certification Annie Garic, ACE Educator

March 12 & 13

Hot Stone Massage

Derrie Bergeron, LMT

March 19 & 20

Series of Shiatsu Series Spring- Renewal Carlene Banister, AOBTA

BCC Clearview Mall, Metairie

504-293-0972

PeggyS@BlueCliffCollege.com

Beginner Children’s Karate Class – 5-5:45pm. Build self confidence, self discipline. 8132 Willow St, New Orleans. Info: Sensei King Lam: 504-866-2241.

sunday Sunday Morning Meditation – 9am. Join Mike Wittenbrink as he leads a group meditation designed to bring you silence and stillness as you embrace the new week. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

A Course in Miracles – 10am. A discussion of an in-depth study of the principle ideas of the text by the same name. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

Science of Being – 10am. Text by Baron Eugene Fersen.

As humans enlightened their bodies, minds, and spirits in the physical world with the pure knowledge of the flame of inspiration and love, more would be revealed to mankind through the "all" knowing that resides with their absolute soul. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

Sunday Celebration Service – 11am. With Jack Fowler, Spiritual Director. Contemporary service with music and heartfelt talks to celebrate the divine presence in all of life. Love offering. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie. 504-885-7575. UnityOfMetairie.com.

Unity of New Orleans Sunday Service – 11am.

A loving family of spiritual seekers who honor all paths to God. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

A Course in Miracles – 1pm. Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Ave, New Orleans. Malcolm Fugler: 504-220-3223.

Weekend Recovery – 2pm. Vinyasa flow class with breathing emphasis releases toxins and balances your senses. Transform NOLA, 8422 Oak St, New Orleans.

985-640-2648.

monday Aerial Yoga – 9-10am & 6:15-7:15pm. $25. Bliss Body NOLA, 5717 Crawford St, Harahan. 504-262-8860.

BlissBodyNola.com.

TRXpress – 8:30am. And Wed &rdquoz??? All core, all the time fitness class works the body as a whole. Transform NOLA, 8422 Oak St, New Orleans. 985-640-2648.

Stronger, Leaner, Longer – 5:30pm. Pilates-based strength class builds muscle and tones. Group screening required. Transform NOLA, 8422 Oak St, New Orleans. 985-640-2648.

Beginner Adult Karate Class – 6-6:50pm. Learn personal safety, self confidence, keep physically fit. 8132 Willow St, New Orleans. Info: Sensei King Lam: 504-866-2241.

Basic/Beginners Aikido Class – 6:15-7:15pm. Benefits include self-defense, flexibility, strength, balance, stress reduction, concentration, community and fun.

First class free. NOLA Aikido, 3909 Bienville St, Ste 103 in Mid-City, New Orleans. 504-208-4861.

Info@NOLAAikido.com.

Introduction to Nichiren Buddhism – 7-8:15pm. Learn how to activate your greatest potential, increase compassion and achieve absolute happiness. Free. SGI-USA Buddhist Center, 1331 Prytania St, New Orleans. 504-310-2011.

tuesday Strong and Flexy Yoga – 8:30am. And Thurs. Expect an energizing, well-rounded flow that strengthens, lengthens and relaxes. Transform NOLA, 8204 Oak St, New Orleans. 985-640-2648.

Classical Tai Chi Yang Style – 8:30-9:30am. With Sifu Tommy. Long form and rolling techniques based on classical Tai chi yang style. All levels. $100/month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna. 985-630-2859.

Crescent City Farmers’ Market/Uptown – 9am-1pm.

Open-air market with fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, seafood, baked breads and pies, bedding plants, dairy products and freshly cut flowers. 200 Broadway St, parking lot of Uptown Square, New Orleans. 504861-4488. CrescentCityFarmersMarket.org.

Qigong/Dao-In – Noon-12:45pm. With Debra Howard. Qigong translates as qi (cultivation through skillful practice); dao-in is self-care. Experience myriad ways to balance one’s qi and life. Bring a mat. $5/class. New Orleans Healing Center, 372 St Claude Ave, 4th Fl, New Orleans. 985-467-0900.

DC@AffordableHealingArts.com.

Yee Chuen Do – 5-7pm. With Sifu Tommy. A self-defense system based on classical tai chi. All levels.

H ow wonderful

it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Natural Awakenings Magazine

504-975-0344

Advertise on our website!

NALAmag.com natural awakenings

February 2016

35

$100/month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna.

985-630-2859.

Okinawan Karate Weapons Class – 6-7 pm. 8132 Willow St, New Orleans. Info: Sensei King Lam: 504-866-2241.

Key to Ultimate Success – 6:30pm. Mike Wittenbrink talks on how Powerpath Letters are the secret to ultimate success, to obtaining success of body, mind, heart and soul. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

Meditation Class. 7-8pm. Build your daily practice.

Beginners welcome. $10/drop-in or $30/30-day. Tibetan House: 4900 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans.

TibetanHouse.com.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Class – 7-8pm.

Last Tue of the month. Learn EFT, or “tapping”, a gentle, self-administered acupressure technique for diminishing or clearing physical and/or emotional pain.

Affordable Healing Arts in the NOHC, 2372 St Claude Ave, Ste 220, New Orleans. RSVP: Gail Gillespie: 504-442-8762.

wednesday Meditation Class – 9-10am. Build your daily practice. Beginners welcome. $10/drop-in or $30/30-day.

Tibetan House, 4900 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans.

TibetanHouse.com.

Tai Chi and Qigong – 10:50-11:50am. With Marilyn Yank. Nine beautiful movements from traditional yang style. Classes include gentle stretches, deep breathing exercises, and meditation. All levels. $12/drop-in, $40/4 classes. NOLA Aikido, 3909 Bienville, New Orleans.

504-610-3672.

Prayer and Healing – 11am. Facilitated by Harriet Stafford. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

German Coast Farmers’ Market/West Bank – 2:306pm. Open-air market offering fresh produce, rotisserie and fresh meats, fresh pastries/breads, sausage, kettle corn, cracklings, prepared foods, soy candles, goat milk soap and lotions. Arts and crafts fourth Wed. St Charles Plaza Shopping Center, 12715 Highway 90, Luling.

GermanCoastFarmersMarket.org.

Beginner Children’s Karate Class – 5-5:45pm. Build self confidence, self discipline. 8132 Willow St, New Orleans. Info: Sensei King Lam: 504-866-2241.

Embrace the Emptiness-Community Meditation – 6pm. With Jack Fowler, Spiritual Director.

Ride the wavelengths of music, beautiful images and affirmative prayer into the sacred inner self for healing and transformation. Love offering. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie. 504-8857575. UnityOfMetairie.com.

Basic/Beginners Aikido Class – 6:15-7:15pm. Benefits include self-defense, flexibility, strength, balance, stress reduction, concentration, community and fun.

First class free. NOLA Aikido, 3909 Bienville St, Ste 103, in Mid-City, New Orleans. 504-208-4861.

Info@NOLAAikido.com.

A Course in Miracles – 6:30pm. Facilitated by Mary Beth Ellis. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans. 504-899-3390.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

A Course In Miracles: Disappearance of the Universe – 7pm. Join Jack Fowler, Spiritual Director at Unity of Metairie, on a journey into mind blowing yet liberating spiritual concepts, which guides one to see the world through the eyes of love instead of fear. Love Offering.

Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie (behind Parran's PoBoys). 504-885-7575.

Beginner Tai Chi Class – 7-8pm. Reduce stress, balance, mind and body. 8132 Willow St, New Orleans.

Info: Sensei King Lam: 504-866-2241.

Discovering Tibetan Buddhism Class – 7-8pm. $10/ drop-in or $30/30-day. Tibetan House, 4900 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans. TibetanHouse.com.

Essential Oils 101 – Noon-1pm. Learn the basics of essential oils and how to live a cleaner, natural life. Free. Light lunch provided. NOLA Float Tanks, 3013 20th St, Metairie. RSVP: 504975-0344 or Melissa@YoungLavenderBuds.com.

YoungLavenderBuds.com.

Qigong – 7-8:00pm. $17. Bliss Body NOLA, 5717 Crawford St, Harahan. 504-262-8860. BlissBodyNola.com.

Crescent City Farmers’ Market/French Quarter – 2-6pm. Fresh produce, pastured meats, seafood, dairy, breads and baked goods. Live music.

1235 N Peters St, New Orleans. 504-861-4488.

CrescentCityFarmersMarket.org.

Classical Tai Chi Yang Style – 8:30-9:30am. With Sifu Tommy. Long form and rolling techniques based on classical Tai chi yang style. All levels. $100/month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna. 985-630-2859.

Vitality Holistics

thursday Qigong/Dao-In – Noon-12:45pm. With Debra Howard.

LLC.

TAYLOR TIDWELL THAI YOGA MASSAGE INTEGRATIVE TABLE MASSAGE NEW ORLEANS | 504.390.6257 WWW.VITALITYHOLISTICS.NET

36

SE Louisiana

NALAmag.com

#LA8103

Qigong translates as qi (cultivation through skillful practice); dao-in is self-care. Experience myriad ways to balance one’s qi and life. Bring a mat. $5/class.

New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Ave, 4th Fl. 985-467-0900. DC@AffordableHealingArts.com.

Crescent City Farmers’ Market/Mid-City – 3-7pm.

Rain or shine. Farmers’ Market, American Can Co Bldg, 3700 Orleans Ave, New Orleans.

Women’s Choir Experience – 5-6:30pm. With Sarah Lessire and Patricia Stout. Vocal meditations, intentional songs and sound/movement improvisations. Women and girls 13 and up, no experience needed. Monthly $15-$20 donation. Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation, 71667 Leveson St, Abita Springs. 985892-8111. WomensCenterForHealing.org.

Yee Chuen Do – 5-7pm. With Sifu Tommy. Self-defense system based on classical Tai chi. All levels. $100/month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna.

985-630-2859.

Oneness Meditation – 6-7pm. Learn this calming meditation technique for health and happiness. Free.

3900 General Taylor St, New Orleans. 504-249-5130.

A Course in Miracles – 7pm. St Tammany Parish Hospital, 1202 S Tyler St, Covington. Malcolm Fugler: 504-220-3223.

Handstand and Flexibility Training – 7:15pm. Gives everyone the support, time and repetition to build confidence upside down. Transform NOLA, 8422 Oak St, New Orleans. 985-640-2648.

Tai Chi and Qigong – 7:30-8:30pm. With Marilyn Yank. Nine beautiful movements from traditional yang style. Classes include gentle stretches, deep breathing exercises, and meditation. All levels. $12/drop-in, $40/4 classes. NOLA Aikido, 3909 Bienville, New Orleans.

504-610-3672.

friday Meditation Class – 10-11am. Build your daily practice. Beginners welcome. $10/drop-in or $30/30-day.

Tibetan House, 4900 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans.

TibetanHouse.com.

Yee Chuen Do – 5-7pm. With Sifu Tommy. Self-defense system based on classical Tai chi. All levels. $100/month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna.

985-630-2859.

Meditation and Restorative Yoga – 6:15pm. Sitting meditation, then restorative yoga practice to release tension. Transform NOLA, 8422 Oak St, New Orleans.

985-640-2648.

saturday Vietnamese Farmers’ Market – 6-9am. More than 20 vendors set up shop on blankets spread with produce; beyond the courtyards are shops selling Vietnamese baked goods and imported groceries.

14401 Alcee Fortier Blvd, New Orleans East.

GoGreenNola.org/farmersmarkets.

Camellia City Farmers’ Market – 8am-noon. Featuring baked goods, herbs, vegetables, honey, jams, poultry, crafts, flowers, eggs, plants, soap and trees.

333 Erlanger, Griffith Park, Slidell. 985-640-7112.

CamelliaCityMarket.org.

Covington Farmers’ Market – 8am-noon.

Offering fresh produce, fresh baked breads, prepared foods and plants. Covington City Hall, 609 N Columbia St, Covington. 985-966-1786.

CovingtonFarmersMarket.org.

Crescent City Farmers’ Market/Downtown – 8amnoon. Open-air market offering fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables, seafood, baked breads and freshly made pies, bedding plants, dairy products and fresh flowers. Cooking demos by local chefs. 700 Magazine, corner of Girod, New Orleans. 504-861-4488.

CrescentCityFarmersMarket.org.

localdirectory Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, email Publisher@NALAmag.com to request our media kit. Call 504-975-0344 for more information.

DENTIST

ACUPUNCTURE

CYPRESS DENTAL, INC.

FAMILY ACUPUNCTURE & WELLNESS

3138 McIlhenny Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-248-8400

Erin Kenning, MSOM, Dipl.OM, LAc, LA Lic.# ACA.200039, NAET specialist 9531 Jefferson Hwy., River Ridge 504-715-2317 NolaFamilyWellness.com

Offering services including cosmetic dentistry, full-mouth rehabilitation, minimally invasive dentistry, mercury safe environment, non-titanium implants, laser dentistry and treatment for complex conditions; obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, head, neck and facial pain and TMJ dysfunction. See ad on page 2.

Have Allergies been getting the best of you? Are you tired, congested and ready to be over it? We can help! Call today for a free 15-minute consultation.

See ad on page 24.

MIKE ROBICHAUX, DDS

AARON J. FRIEDMAN, M.D.

Integrated Pain and Neuroscience German Coast Farmers’ Market/East Bank – 8amA Holistic Approach To Dentistry 504-300-9020 noon. Open-air market offering fresh produce, rotisserie PainIsAPuzzle.com meats, fresh meats, fresh pastries/breads, sausages, you are a person who… kettle corn, cracklins, prepared foods, soy If candles, D r. F r i e d m a n o ff e r sWe help m epeople d i cmove al • places a high value on your oral health, goat milk soap and lotions. Arts and crafts second Sat. toward wellness. acupuncture as part of a comprehensive • believes that the health of the mouth is intimately related to Ormond Plantation, 13786 River Rd, Destrehan.

985toaggressively pain.

We are the health of the whole body, and integrative approach and practice 359-0190. GermanCoastFarmersMarket.org. • is looking for a dental practice that listens to you without Acupuncture is proven toconservative be benefi cial

1101 Robert Blvd., Ste. A, Slidell 985-641-8058 1101 Robert Blvd., Ste A MikeRobichauxDDS.com Slidell, La 70458

minimally-invasive dentistry.

judgment and will help you get what is important to you, Gretna Farmers’ Market – 8:30am-12:30pm. to many pain conditions, including • understands that excellence is a choice that is made each day, Featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, baked fibromyalgia, headaches, low back maybe we are a fit forandyou! goods, dairy, native fruit wines and gardenthen plants. pain arthritis.

Located in the old train depot, 300 Hueywww.mikerobichauxdds.com P Long Ave, between 3rd St & 4th St, Gretna. 504-362-8661.

GretnaFarmersMarket.com.

ANIMAL

Offering a holistic and patient-centered approach to dentistry, because we believe the health of the mouth and overall health cannot be separated. We help those we serve make decisions that are in their best interests, based on their values and goals, by providing Mike Robichaux, DDS state-of-the-art information within a trusting relationship. See ad on page 12.

985-641-8058

Westwego Farmers’ and Fisheries Market – 8:30am12:30pm. Open year round, rain or shine. Featuring fresh produce, seafood, bakery items, dairy, plants, prepared foods and handcrafted items. Plus live music and kids activities. Free parking. 484 Sala Ave, corner of 4th St, Westwego. 504-341-3424 Ext 209.

Mandeville Trailhead Community Market – 9am1pm. Fifty-plus vendors weekly: gourmet foods, art, produce and plants. Tai chi at 9:30am. Parking lot of the Mandeville Trailhead on the St Tammany Trace, off LA59, Mandeville. 985-845-4515.

Complimentary Yoga Lessons – 10am. Our gift to you. Join instructor Patrick Somers to set the intentions of health, balance, joy and well being for 2016. Unity of Metairie, 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie (behind Parran's PoBoys). 504-885-7575.

Sitting Meditation Group – 10-11am. Practice zazen (sitting meditation) as well as walking meditation.

Instruction and discussion also available. 3909 Bienville St, Ste 103, in Mid-City, New Orleans. Brian: Xernaut2@gmail.com. 504-644-7351.

Yoga and Guided Meditation –10-11:30am. Yoga nidra with Katrina Zech. Experience pure rejuvenation and deep relaxation through movement, breath and mindfulness practice. $15 donation. Unity Temple of New Orleans, 3722 St Charles Ave, New Orleans.

UnityTempleNewOrleans.com.

Yee Chuen Do – 12:30-2pm. With Sifu Tommy. Self-defense system based on classical Tai chi. All levels. $100/ month; unlimited classes. 31 5th St, Gretna. 985-630-2859.

HOLISTIC MEDICINE

EDUCATION BLUE CLIFF COLLEGE

JANICE E. POSEY, DVM

Clearview Mall, Metairie 504-293-0972

315 Lee Ln., Ste. 104, Covington 985-898-3623 Offering a holistic, integrative approach to healing your beloved pet through acupuncture, herbal medicine/nutritional supplements, and food therapy. We treat the patient, not the symptoms. See ad on page 8.

CHIROPRACTIC CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTER & HOLISTIC WELLNESS SERVICES Dr. Debbi Hannan 101 Clearview Pkwy. at Airline, Metairie 504-454-2000 HannanWellness.com

Train for an exciting, new career as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Earn an Associates degree upon completion of advanced massage training. Inquire about financial aid.

See calendar for information about our $30-student massage clinic. Visit our retail shop for massage supplies: Biotone & Therapro Cremes & Oils, aromatherapy products, books & more.

Monthly specials! See ad, page 19.

ESSENTIAL OILS YOUNG LAVENDER BUDS

Experience the difference! We offer total wellness care: Chiropractic, detoxification, nutrition, endermologie, DRX-9000 nonsurgical spinal decompression, cold laser, EB-Cellular Cleanser, Far Infra Red Sauna and the Ideal Protein Diet plan. See ad page 7.

Coco Kunstman Independent Distributor Young Living #1491684 504-344-7320 Coco@YoungLavenderBuds.com YoungLavenderBuds.com Learn the basics of essential oils and how to live a clean and natural life.

This is your first step towards a chemical free and healthy lifestyle.

Learn the basics and set yourself on a path to healthy living. All classes are always free. See our class schedule in the calendar section. See ad, page 5.

natural awakenings

February 2016

37

YOUNG LAVENDER BUDS

Melissa Burbank Independent Distributor Young Living #2946391 504-975-0344 Melissa@YoungLavenderBuds.com YoungLavenderBuds.com Learn the basics of essential oils and how to live a clean and natural life.

This is your first step towards a chemical free and healthy lifestyle.

Learn the basics and set yourself on a path to healthy living. All classes are always free. See our class schedule in the calendar section. See ad, page 5.

YOUNG LAVENDER BUDS

Denise Woltering-Vargas Independent Distributor Young Living # 3096166 504-376-9492 Denise.Woltering@gmail.com YoungLavenderBuds.com Learn the basics of essential oils and how to live a clean and natural life.

Take your first step towards a chemical free and healthy lifestyle. Learn the basics and set yourself on a path to healthy living. All classes are always free. See class schedule in the calendar section. See ad, page 5.

FITNESS BLISS BODY

5717 Crawford Street New Orleans, LA 70123 504-262-8860 BlissBodyNola.com

DR. IINA ESTER

Health and Fitness Coach 504-758-9192 LiveFreeLaughHardFitness.com Exercise scientist specializing in fitness and nutrition interventions. I specialize in private outdoor and in-home training, designing a program based on your interests, goals, and barriers to being active. For group programs, see calendar section. See ad, page 22.

SE Louisiana

Grandmaster King Lam 8132 Willow St, Uptown New Orleans 504-866-2241 KingLam1199@gmail.com KingLamTaiChi-Karate.com Asian Arts to improve health, fitness, personal safety and rejuvenate energy. Achieve a better mind, body and spirit. Serving the New Orleans community for 46 years. See ad, page 5 and calendar for classes.

TAI CHI-GRAND MASTER Sifu Tommy 31 5th St. Gretna, LA 985-630-2859

All levels welcome. $100/month unlimited classes (at 6 classes/week, that’s up to 24 classes a month or just over $4 apiece). See calendar for classes.

GREEN LIVING

NALAmag.com

THE WELLNESS CENTRE OF BR DR. KARIN NIELSEN, ND, CCT 1528 Delplaza Dr, Ste B, Baton Rouge 225-229-6107 WellnessCentreBR.com

Offering full body thermography; detects abnormalities in the earliest stages, to find underlying causes of disease as it looks at the entire body’s behavior after being stressed.

Consultations/follow-up care is offered as well. See ad, page 6.

WOMEN’S CENTER FOR HEALING & TRANSFORMATION 71667 Leveson St., Abita Springs 985-892-8111 WomensCenterForHealing.org

Beautiful nonprofit center for w o m e n ’s s p i r i t u a l i t y, e c o psychology and community building. Workshops, speakers, events, healing circles, support groups, and on-site professional mind/body/spirit services, for women, by women. Rent space for your workshop or office. See ad, page 13.

SOUTH COAST SOLAR

2605 Ridgelake Dr, Metairie 504-529-SUN9 SouthCoastSolar.com Since 2007, South Coast Solar has helped more than 500 clients start saving money with solar energy using best-in-class products and installation practices. 100 percent locally owned and operated.

See ad, page [??].

HOLISTIC HEALING CENTERS

Yoga- Aerial, Prenatal, Ball, Meditation, Workshops and Programs with Master Instructor Laura Ates. Mat Pilates, Reformer and Chair Pilates, Barre and TRX with expert Mary Mang.

Facials and massages too!

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KARATE/TAI CHI/QI GONG

AFFORDABLE HEALING ARTS 2372 St. Claude Ave. 2nd Floor Upper, Ste. 220 985-467-0900 AffordableHealingArts.com

AHA! is a Community of Healing Arts Practitioners in a Healing Arts Center for the Professional Practice of Alternative, Complementary, Integrative, and Indigenous healing arts by independent practitioners in a shared space environment. See our website, contact a practitioner, make your appointment today! See ad, page 16.

NOLA FLOAT TANKS Flotation Therapy 504-352-6418 NOLAFloatTanks.com

Flotation therapy is a breakthrough treatment involving 800 lbs of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) poured into 200 gallons of water in a small shallow pool. The benefits of just a one-hour session are significant as they relieve stress, reduce blood pressure, ease joint and muscle pain and enhance one’s mood. See ad, page 28.

HOLISTIC PRACTICES ANAYA AKIM

Wild n’ Divine Healing Empowerment Healing 318-232-2093 WildNDivineHealin.g.com Are you ready to welcome happiness back into your life? Using Kundalini Reiki, Intuitive Coaching, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and more, you will be guided to empowerment.

I welcome you to embark on an adventure of self-love and manifesting the life you deserve!

THE ENERGY EXCHANGE

Marlene Chaplin 3940 Monroe St, Mandeville 985-778-0299 • 504-258-5416 AllThingsHealing@aol.com Return to yourself by experiencing heart centered healing through Reiki, Healing Touch, Chakra Balancing, Intuitive Coaching, The Art of Emotional Freedom and more. Take a trip of self-love returning home. Offering sessions and classes.

MATTHEW ANCIRA - MATTEO

Corporate & School District Mindfulness Trainer/Holistic Health Coach 504-457-1717 • MatthewAncira.com Higher Purpose Healing L3c Corporate and school mindfulness sessions bring increased productivity, better attendance and overall employee health and satisfaction.

Awakens the potential in every individual increasing the strength and effectiveness in the organization.

Holistic health coaching for individuals provides freedom from depression, anxiety, chronic pain and helps individuals and couples to realize their gifts and full potential.

MARILYN A. MENDOZA, Ph.D. 504-363-0203 Mamphd12@yahoo.com MarilynMendoza.com

Dr. Marilyn Mendoza, author of We Do Not Die Alone, announces the expansion of her clinical practice to include Past Life Regressions and Akashic Record Readings. For more information or to make an appointment call: 504-363-0203. See ad, page 36.

FRANK A. TRUPIANO, LCSW

Center for Akashic Studies and Holistic Counseling 1581 Carol Sue Ave, Grenta 504-392-3498 AkashicLight.org Yo u r l i f e i s w a i t i n g t o b e transformed! Experience the power of holistic healing for mind, body, and spirit. Reiki, EFT, The Sedona Method, Psych-K, Hypnotherapy, meditation, Akashic Record readings and classes. Relationship and individual life coaching also available.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE KEVIN F. DARR, M.D.

Covington Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute 985-892-5117 CovingtonOrtho.com Comprehensive orthopedic care, including today’s most innovative and best practices to achieve optimal orthopedic function and performance. Traditional orthopedic treatments and surgery, plus minimally invasive alternatives using state of art technology and integrative orthobiologic therapies.Currently taking patients for Cell Therapy study. See ad, page 2.

INTEGRATED PAIN AND NEUROSCIENCE 504-300-9020 PainIsAPuzzle.com

Eric Royster, MD, and Aaron Friedman, MD, offer the most comprehensive treatment experience for patients suffering from chronic pain, from acupuncture to more invasive techniques offered exclusively at IPN. New Orleans, Chalmette, Westbank and Slidell locations. See ad, page 27.

IRENE SEBASTIAN, M.D., Ph.D

401 Veterans Blvd., Ste. 203, Metairie 504-838-9804 IreneSebastianMD.com Experience the difference that Homeopathic Medicine and Functional Medicine can bring to your health.

Most conditions can be treated using these safe, natural approaches. Safe, less drugs, stimulates innate healing.

See ad, page 15.

NATURAL FOODS & SUPPLEMENTS

YOGA TRANSFORM NOLA

NUTRIVERUS POWDER Jeanie Leclere 504-888-4464

Boost your immune system and increase energy levels with a whole-food supplement that combines a matrix of glyconutrients with organic plant- and foodsourced vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. An amazing product. Call for free sample.

NATURAL MEDICINE

Mia Oramous, E-RYT 500/ACE PT 8422 Oak St, New Orleans 985-640-2648 TransformNOLA.com 200-hour yoga teacher training begins February 2 0 1 6 ; Yo g a A l l i a n c e certified and affiliated with Rolf Gates Yoga. Private sessions available. Yoga and TRX workout classes offered throughout the week. Sign up for our email list and receive 7 Yoga Poses for Strength eBook free.

KARIN NIELSEN, ND, CCT

225-229-6107 1528 Delplaza Dr, Ste B, Baton Rouge WellnessCentreBR.com

WILD LOTUS YOGA

Offering non-invasive health a s s e s s m e n t s , To t a l Thermography, Lymphatic Therapy and many detox therapies. Specializing in chronic fatigue, Fibromyalgia and Lyme disease for men, women and children. See ad, page 6.

SPIRITUAL CENTERS

4842 Perrier St, Uptown 2372 St Claude Ave, Downtown 504-899-0047 WildLotusYoga.com Voted Best Yoga Studio 11 years.

Intro Offer: 30 Days Of Yoga For $33 (first time local residents), Intro To Yoga Courses + Over 60 classes a week including Prenatal, Kids, Tweens & Teen classes. See ad, page 24.

UNITY OF METAIRIE

Jack Fowler, Spiritual Director 3939 Veterans Blvd, Metairie 504-885-7575 (behind Parran’s) UnityOfMetairie.com Loving, energetic spiritual family honoring all religions, paths and lifestyles! Do you like what Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle and Wayne Dyer have to say? You’ll love Unity of Metairie. Relevant Spirituality for Everyday Life! Join us Sundays 11am. See ad, page 25.

UNITY TEMPLE OF NEW ORLEANS 3722 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans UnityOfNewOrleans.com

The New Orleans home of practical Christianity. We honor all paths to God and welcome all who seek love, peace, and wisdom.

Services on Sun & Wed 11 am; A Course in Miracles class Wed 6:30pm. See ad, page 17.

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Publisher@NALAmag.com

natural awakenings

February 2016

39

Qi Revolution

Comes to New Orleans

Qigong Breathing and Food Healing

$99 Life-Changing Seminar 2-Days 1 Night

Breathing Qi Energy Gives You Profound Healing Vibrations Reflexology for Pain Hands on Healing Tui Na Massage

In this seminar you’ll receive training in the art of using specific foods to reverse specific diseases.

Healing Postures & Power Breathing:

Friday Evening (6pm-9pm)

* Introduction to Qigong: Review of Chinese medicine secrets of Longevity. * Empty Force: Your energy field becomes so palpable - it feels like solid magnetism.

Food Medicine & Qigong 9-Breath Method:

Saturday (9am-6pm)

* Level-1 Qigong Form: Strengthening and gives pulsating warmth circulating thru body. * Food Healing Science: Using FOOD we stop the aging OXIDATIVE processes behind ALL Disease. * 9-Breath Method: ULTIMATE Breathing practice. Blissful waterfall of Qi removes stress & negativity.

Strength Training & Massage Qigong Style:

Sunday (9am-6pm)

* Qigong Strength Training: Use breathing to slow heart rate and recover faster in exercise. * Massage Tui Na & Reflexology: Acupressure Chinese Massage for reliving pain and energy blocks.

$99 for 2-Days 1 Night .

New Orleans Convention Center

16 CE Hours for Massage.

(800)-298-8970

Advanced Registration Required.

40

February 19-21, 2016

SE Louisiana

NALAmag.com

QiRevolution.com

Seating Limited.

Call us or visit online.