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Awakening to Spirit Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

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contents 14

10 newsbriefs

14 healthbriefs

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.

18 globalbriefs 28 healingways

16

30 consciouseating

34 healthykids 38 greenliving

20

41 inspiration

42 naturalpet

45 calendar

52 resourceguide

advertising & submissions how to advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please visit www.natampa.com or contact us at 727—865—9339. Ads due the 15th of the month.

Editorial submissions Advertisers email articles and news briefs to dwilson@ natampa.com. Editorial due the 10th of the month. We reserve the right to edit all submissions if necessary. calendar submissions Advertisers email calendar events to dwilson@natampa. com by 15th of the month for magazine. Everyone go to natampa.com to submit events on-line for inclusion in web based calendar. regional markets Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 727-865-9339. For franchising opportunities call 239—530—1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

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24 AWAKENING TO SPIRIT 24

Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

by Richard Davenport

28 HEAVENLY SCENTS How to Make Your Own Natural Oil Fragrances

by Kathleen Barnes

30 SWEETLY VEGAN No-Bake Holiday Treats Worth Celebrating

by Judith Fertig

28

34 GENEROUS

PINT-SIZED GIVERS

Teaching Kids How to Care and Share

by Jennifer Jacobson

36 AIRPLANE YOGA Six Easy Stretches Ease the Journey

by Cynthia Bowman

38 GREEN CONGREGATIONS 41

Faith Groups Join in Preserving All Creation

by Avery Mack

40 SHARON SALZBERG ON MINDFULNESS

Simple Ways to Be in the Present Moment

by April Thompson

41 RECIPE FOR A

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Fail-Proof Ingredients for a Glorious 2016

42

42 EAT, BARK AND BE MERRY

Healthy Holiday Treats for Our Pets

by Sandra Murphy

natural awakenings

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letterfrompublisher

W

elcome to another beautiful December on the West Coast of Florida! This special issue of Natural Awakenings Tampa Bay presents a special look at the powers of prayer and meditation.

I am proud to announce the introduction of two inspiring new features in this issue. These monthly features include a “Business Spotlight” (page 27) and a “Community Spotlight” (page 13) and are filled with timely insights on practitioners and other health related businesses in the Tampa Bay area.

Opportunity abounds this 12th month of 2015 to observe special holiday traditions completely harmonious with goals of natural health and well being. I remember so clearly my childhood excitement during the holidays. The seeming miracle of Santa’s arrival on the 25th and the glee my sisters and I felt when tearing into our gifts. Before long we knew that mom and dad had orchestrated those festivities, but the excitement and the spirit of that special time is alive in me to this day.

Enjoy this special time for sharing; empower one another with love, appreciation and hope. During December, we recognize the Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and other special days, and with ever-expanding consciousness, embrace the New Year and the opportunities it brings to become the highest and best versions of ourselves. Happy holidays to one and all.

As always, open your mind and read on.

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Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice.

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Publisher/Sales: Debbey Wilson, dwilson@natampa.com Phone: 727.865.9339 • Fax: 727.864.5599 Editor: Cheryl Hynes

with Jodi

©Courtesy NASA-JPL-Caltech

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contact us

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© 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

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

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

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

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newsbriefs

The Truth about Cancer A Global Quest

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Do I Want a Divorce or Phenomenal Love?

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ll of us have tremendous richness within us—potential that, when tapped, can help us find greater success and fulfillment in our relationships and our lives. However, few people today learn how to access their own inner potential. Conversations with Cupid, Relationship Rescue Formula is devoted to giving the keys to the kingdom back to ordinary people so they can live extraordinary lives.

Most of us know when we buy a computer, we should read the instruction manual or take a course. However, when it comes to our psyches, we often simply expect that they will run themselves. Relationship Rescue Formula can be thought of as an operating manual for the psyche or as a map for the journey. It describes six inner guides, or archetypes, that help us on our way. When we learn how to access this inner support, we also become less fearful about the future.

It becomes clear that we have within us everything we need to handle whatever challenges we encounter on the path.

Find your truth with Lea Osborn, relationship expert.

Call now for free coaching appointment when space allows, 303-378-5378. Free info at LeaOsborn.com. See ad page 47.

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ovie Night at Your Life Spa starts on December 3, and takes place every Thursday, 6 to 8pm, through February 11, 2016 (excluding Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve). The nine-part docu-series explains in depth the history, truths and treatments of cancer from the perspectives of 28 doctors, 11 scientists, 9 survivors and 1 FDA dragon slaying attorney.

In episode 1, travel back in time over 100 years to the turn of the 20th century, which lays the foundation as to why cancer has reached epic proportions worldwide. Learn why, despite the billions of dollars spent on cancer research over many decades and the promise of a cure which is forever just around the corner, cancer continues to exponentially increase.

Learn: The truth about the history of chemotherapy and how the original “chemos” were based on the mustard gases of the world wars. Meet the doctors who have been persecuted and destroyed for curing cancer and learn their heartbreaking stories. Children who have been forced chemotherapy against their wishes. Meet a lady who was diagnosed with “terminal” pancreatic cancer 40 years ago and is still alive because of the Hoxsey treatment being used in Mexico. Hear about the hope that advanced cancer treatments give.

Cost: Love Donation. Location: 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. RSVP 727-322-3190. For details, visit YourLifeSpa. com. See ad page 41.

Transformation Foundations Open to New Clients

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ichael Quinn, owner of Transformation Foundations, has been practicing massage for more than five years. His specialized training focuses on injury prevention and rehabilitation, neuromuscular/trigger point therapy, relaxation, and sports massage. His love and passion for health and physical fitness drove him to acquire both his personal training and health coaching certifications in early 2015.

Transformation Foundations is not just about physical transformation, but spiritual and lifestyle transformations as well. Raising spiritual awareness, instilling positive and optimistic belief systems, and teaching others how to lead healthier, happier lives is what Quinn hopes to achieve with each and every client.

No matter what your goals may be, or what obstacles may be preventing you from achieving them, Transformation Foundations’ services can help. They are now accepting new massage therapy, personal training, and health coaching clients.

For your free consultation, call 727-643-1412 or visit TFServices.net. See ad page 21.

Pure Elements Healing Offers Holistic Medicine

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erry Kott of Pure Elements Healing is a licensed Acupuncture Primary Care Physician and a graduate of Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine. She is also a licensed practitioner of Herbal Medicine, an Advanced Food Healing Level II instructor, and certified in Pranic Psychotherapy and Spiritual Coaching.

Acupuncture is a highly effective healthcare system and the oldest continually practiced form of medicine in the world. Gentle and noninvasive, it has helped millions to get well on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Kott believes that the body is whole—mind, body and spirit—and all aspects of the individual need to be observed and treated for complete wellness.

Kott connects with Divine Spirit to maximize healing and utilizes energy medicine to balance, harmonize and transform the body’s energy processes by clearing and energizing the aura and chakras.

Kott considers it imperative to address digestive health—the root of all wellness. She specializes in returning the body to balance with healing digestion using acupuncture, energy medicine, food healing, herbal medicine, spiritual guidance and essential oils. She teaches her patients how to take charge of their health by incorporating healing into their everyday lives.

Location: 6105 Memorial Hwy., Ste. J, Tampa. Call 813-8332299 or visit PureElementsHealing.com. See ad below and page 45.

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Hypnosis-NLP Hospice Fundraiser January 2 - 4

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our Unlimited Mind” 12th annual fundraising events for Hospice is sponsored by UP Hypnosis Institute at their new Tarpon Springs location in Terrace Plaza, 1810 S. Pinellas Avenue (Alt. 19), Suite G, as part of World Hypnotism Day celebrations. Drop in for a while or stay for the entire event. All three days include continuous educational seminars, demonstrations, and Q&A panels with Patricia V. Scott, Ph.D., Dr. Eric Rosen, Debbie Lane (2007 Hypnotist of the Year) and many other experts on hypnosis, NLP and mind-body therapies.

Learn how these techniques are being used for chronic pain, stress, immune response, sports, weight, smoking, memory, confidence, anxiety, cancer, allergies and more. Quantum physics, neuroplasticity of the brain, and the power of belief and attraction will be discussed and there will be refreshments, goodie bags and door prizes for everyone. Private sessions with professional hypnotherapists with a minimum donation of $50 to The Hospice Foundation through UP Hypnosis Institute ($125-$250 value) during these events.

Scott, event sponsor and President of UP Hypnosis Institute, is a Certified Medical Hypnotherapist (since 1992), Certified Master Trainer for the International Association of Counselors and Therapists and Life Fellow with the International Medical & Dental Hypnotherapy Association.

For more information, call 727-943-5003, email UPHypnosis@ yahoo.com or visit UPHypnosis.com. See ad page 21.

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‘Tis the Season at Yoga Village

C

elebrate and experience how a yoga practice can benefit you, especially now during these festive yet sometimes stressful times of the holiday season.

Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, Yoga Village has a number of amazing classes and workshops to help you better manage the impact of “stress” in your life (see Calendar of events this issue). It’s a perfect time to give yourself a new experience—a more relaxed and healthier you.

For new clients, Yoga Village offers the “Explore the Village” pass for $45. It allows you to take unlimited yoga classes for 30 days. Explore, find out which style of yoga best fits you. For the experienced practitioner or for those ready to jump right in, Yoga Village is offering a special Holiday Season membership package for the year. Take advantage of this special offer and give the gift of yoga to reward yourself or someone you love.

Yoga Village is a community—a place for spirit to grow. It’s a haven where you can drop into your heart, stretch, move, flex, and bring your mind, body and spirit into harmony.

For more information, visit AYogaVillage.com.

See ad page 37.

communityspotlight A Love Affair with Personalized Health Care

by Linda Sechrist

F

ounder and Medical Director of Peaks of Health Metabolic Medical Center, Tracie Leonhardt, D.O. has walked thousands of miles in the shoes of individuals who suffer from Type II diabetes and its multiple side effects.

Officially diagnosed with the disease in 2003, Leonhardt’s medical steps to reverse it proved futile despite the highdose insulin and other six medications she took. Unhappy with the traditional “standard of care”, the Largo resident’s quest for a solution motivated her to research more innovative methods of treatment. Along the way she studied Bariatric medicine (weight loss). Via invaluable information she learned about how good nutrition, diet control, exercise and supplements influence the body, she not only lost nearly 100 pounds, but also was able to stop taking medications for diabetes.

Leonhardt’s success fueled her passion for continued studies of the metabolic and hormone systems. Fortunately, this led her to a discovery that proved beneficial to her as well as her patients—Type II Diabetes is reversible in certain patients.

“I changed my lifestyle and re-

versed it eight years ago. This journey completely renewed my love of medicine because it took me back to physiology, delving into what the body needs to function optimally, and the fact that a patient’s health puzzle is complicated so there is no “one size fits all” quick fix. I like putting puzzle pieces together and it’s why I decided to expand my practice and include what I learned.

Today, due to my ongoing research, in addition to counseling patients regarding diet and lifestyle solutions, I can offer them a very effective natural product that helps to restore and preserve beta cell function of the pancreas, lowers blood sugar and increases the energy level. It’s only been available for the last several years”, says Leonhardt, who has studied, practiced and taught medicine in the area for many years.

Actively involved in her community, the 1992 graduate of Southeastern University (Nova University) serves on the board of Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society. She completed her internship at Suncoast Hospital in Largo, and her Residency in Emergency Medicine at Midwestern University in Chicago, Illinois in 1996. Her 14-year

tenure in emergency medicine at Northside Hospital began in 1996. While working in the Emergency Department in various positions such as Associate Medical Director, Medical Director and Chairperson, Leonhardt also worked closely with first responders in the field as a medical control physician for over 10 years.

“At the center, we practice medicine from a functional integrative perspective, which means we specialize in looking at all the possible pathways and deficiencies that lead to individual’s health challenges. We dig deep and don’t rely on the “same old” answers because that isn’t what patients want anymore,” advises Leonhardt.

Peaks of Health Metabolic Medical Center, 1120 S. Belcher Rd., Ste. 2, Largo.

727-826-0838, PeaksOfHealth.com.

See ad page 9.

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healthbriefs

People Double Up on Calories After the Holidays

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espite the popularity of New Year’s resolutions, scientists have found that post-holiday food shopping decisions don’t necessarily reflect intentions to eat healthier or lose weight.

Scientists from Cornell University tracked resolutions and after-holiday food shopping habits of 207 families. They classified about 20,000 food products as either “healthy” or “less-healthy”.

Calories and dollars spent were also tracked.

Analysis of 37 weeks of activity that included the extended winter holiday period and into the new year found that additional food expenditures and calories began about a week prior to Thanksgiving and peaked during Christmas celebrations. Compared to the rest of the year, this increased shopping averaged just over $16 more a week, about $4 of which was spent on healthy foods.

Food expenditures then continued to increase after the holidays to about $25 more a week compared to the average—showing a 24 percent increase. However, $13 of this was spent on healthier foods.

Calorie levels also increased. “Total weekly per-serving calories increased by 440 during the holiday period relative to the baseline period, and nearly 91 percent of this increase was due to additional purchases of the more calorie-dense foods,” the researchers reported.

“Even more intriguing is that contrary to well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions, additional weekly per-serving calories purchased increased to 890 in the post-holiday period relative to the baseline, more than doubling the 440 calorie increase evident in the holiday season,” the researchers observed. Of this, 63 percent of the additional calories were from high-calorie foods.

Asbestos Found in Crayons and Children’s Toys

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esearch from the Environmental Working Group’s Action Fund has determined that some popular children’s toys contain a chemical that previous research has linked to lung disease and lung cancers. The researchers tested 28 boxes of crayons and 21 crimethemed toys at the Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina. They found that four of the crayon brands and two of the crime-scene toys contained asbestos.

All of the asbestos-containing toys were manufactured in China. The products included the Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brands of crayons, the EduScience Deluxe Forensics Lab Kit and the Inside Intelligence Secret Spy Kit. The latter two brands contained asbestos within the fingerprint powders.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asbestos from all sources is responsible for up to 15,000 U.S. deaths each year.

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Digital ‘Blue Light’ Reading Disrupts Sleep Rhythms

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ecent findings from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, has determined that reading from a lightemitting tablet or computer before bedtime will disturb sleep and may change the circadian rhythms that govern the body’s clock.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, tested 12 people for two weeks. On five nights during one week, the subjects read ebooks on an iPad for four hours before bedtime. Another week, they read from printed books for the same duration.

During the five days of iPad reading, the participants fell asleep later and spent less time in rapid eye movement (REM)-stage sleep. The light-emitting tablet altered the circadian rhythm, changing the body’s natural sleeping pattern. The researchers also tested other blue-light emitting devices, including laptops, tablets, other eReaders, cell phones and LED monitors.

“We found the body’s natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from these electronic devices,” says neuroscientist Anne-Marie Chang, Ph.D., one of the study authors.

Dr. Charles Czeisler, Ph.D., a leading sleep researcher, remarks, “In the past 50 years, there has been a decline in average sleep duration and quality. Since more people are choosing electronic devices for reading, communication and entertainment, particularly children and adolescents who already experience significant sleep loss, epidemiological research evaluating the longterm consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed.” natural awakenings

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healthbriefs

Superfruit Antioxidants Found in Chilean Maqui Berry

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esearch from the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Center has confirmed that the South American superfruit maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) can aid the cardiovascular system and reduce blood sugar. Clinical trials found a group of antioxidants, called delphinidins, significantly reduced levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, which is linked to atherosclerosis and other heart diseases.

The clinical research found that the delphinidins contained in the maqui berry, known as the richest natural source of the antioxidant, aid the health of blood vessels by increasing nitric oxide and decreasing platelets linked with thrombosis, the clogging of arteries that can cause strokes. The researchers also found that the superfruit may help counteract skin aging from ultraviolet radiation-B (UVB) exposure.

Meditation Linked to Telomere Integrity in Cancer Patients

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aintaining telomere length has been directly linked to longer lifespan in a number of studies. A telomere is the structure at the end of a chromosome that protects it from deteriorating or fusing with other chromosomes. Its length is being used to measure the potential success of integrative therapy for recovering cancer patients; now University of Calgary research has found that mindfulness meditation helps.

The researchers tested 88 breast cancer survivors with a previous diagnosis of stage-one to stage-three breast cancer.

The patients’ telomere lengths were tested after either group-support therapy or mindfulness meditation training that included gentle hatha yoga exercises. Results showed that while the control group’s telomere lengths decreased over time, both the mindfulness group and the support therapy group were on average able to maintain their telomere length throughout the testing period.

Potatoes Don’t Pack on Pounds

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esearch from scientists at the University of California, Davis has mashed the notion that potatoes cause weight gain. The researchers tested 90 overweight people divided into three groups, with all of them eating five to seven servings of potatoes each week over a three-month period.

Two groups reduced their calorie intake by 500 calories per day, with one group eating low-glycemic index (GI) foods and the other group eating high-GI foods. The third group had no calorie restrictions.

Despite the increased potato consumption during the study period, all three groups showed slight weight loss and reduced body mass index.

The researchers concluded, “Potato intake did not cause weight gain.”

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

Hear Ye!

Dutch Court Upholds Climate Action as a Human Right Perhaps establishing a new global precedent for a state’s obligation to its citizens in the face of a growing climate crisis, a Dutch court has ruled that the government has a legal duty to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020. The decision came in response to a 2013 lawsuit launched by the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Urgenda Foundation and 600 Dutch citizens that argued the government was violating international human rights law by failing to take sufficient measures to combat rising greenhouse gas emissions.

A statement from the court reads, “The state must do more to avert the imminent danger caused by climate change, also in view of its duty to provide care to protect and improve the living environment.”

In the United States, the youth-led movement Our Children’s Trust (OurChildrens Trust.org) is suing state governments and what they dub “the ruling generation” as accountable for climate inaction. As 350.org co-founder and Communications Director Jamie Henn noted after the ruling, “If the Netherlands sets a precedent, it’s a whole new ball game.” Other countries are weighing the situation, as well.

Source: BBC

Interactive Government

White House Responds to Online Petitions President Obama has made it a priority to open a direct channel for people to be heard via online petitions. Jason Goldman, chief digital officer at the White House, says that his staff has responded to dozens of requests to take action on a variety of issues in recent months. “We want to make sure those responses aren’t the final page, but rather the start of an ongoing conversation,” he says.

Change.org has chosen to integrate with the We the People platform, meaning the future signatures of its 100 million users will count toward the threshold of 100,000 for getting an official response from the administration.

“The process of hearing from us about your petition is going to look a little different,” says Goldman. “We’ve assembled a team of people responsible for taking your questions and requests and bringing them to the right people, whether within the White House or in an agency within the administration that may be in a position to say something about your request.”

Visit Petitions.WhiteHouse.gov.

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Fungus Among Us

Mushrooms Offer Pesticide-Free Insect Control Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading mycologists, invented a fungus (mushroom)-based pesticide in 2006. An industry executive states, “This patent represents the most disruptive technology we have ever witnessed.” This “smart” pesticide provides a safe and nearly permanent solution for controlling more than 200,000 species of insects.

Entomopathogenic (insect-destroying) fungi are altered so they don’t produce spores. This actually attracts the insects, which then eat them and turn into fungi from the inside-out. The invention has the potential to revolutionize the way humans grow crops.

Source: Earth. We Are One. View the patent at Tinyurl.com/FungusPesticidePatent.

Uncommon Devotion Religion in America Shows Resilience

On any given Sabbath, four of 10 Americans travel to a place of worship, a number that hasn’t fluctuated dramatically in the past half-century. Gallup polls report that more than 81 percent say they identify with a specific religion or denomination; 78 percent say it’s an important part of their lives; and 57 percent believe that religion is able to solve today’s problems.

While recent attendance may be off, Americans are no less likely to attend services today than they were in the 1940s and early ’50s, just prior to the ultra-religious following decade. The reason, says Gallup’s Frank Newport, is that U.S. religious worship is cyclical.

Today’s practicing religious communities “tend to consist of the seriously committed, not just those swept along by obligation,” reports Christian Smith, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame and coprincipal investigator of the National Study of Youth and Religion.

Those that worship regularly are more likely to be older, female and Southern; they also are better educated and stronger financially than those that don’t, according to Newport. At the same time, Mitchell Marcus, a University of Pennsylvania professor, characterizes his Ph.D. students as religiously curious, often devout and eager to talk about their beliefs.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor natural awakenings

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Mushroom Magic

Fungi Clean Up Toxic Wastes For waterways, soil or even radioactively contaminated areas, the powerful use of mycelium to sequester contaminants is receiving significant attention. Leading American mycologist Paul Stamets, the pioneering founder of Fungi Perfecti, has been working for years with mycore mediation, using mycelium to clean up waste sites. Stamets has an eight-step plan for cleaning up radioactive poisoning and thinks fungi could remediate radiation at the melted reactor sites in Fukushima, Japan.

The Ocean Blue Project (OceanBlueProject.org), based in Corvallis, Texas, uses locally grown oyster mushroom spores lodged in a coffee grounds mixture.

Then they create a “bunker spawn” that’s put into a river to restore polluted aquatic habitat. As the mushrooms grow, they break down toxins and remove pollutants from the river. Mycore mediation also helps with weed control.

Source: Permaculture.co.uk

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Spirituality is Beneficial for Cancer Patients

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ccording to a new review of research published in the journal Cancer, a strong religious or spiritual belief system may improve a cancer patient’s prognosis physically, emotionally and mentally.

Researchers from Florida’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and North Carolina’s Wake Forest School of Medicine reviewed clinical studies that included more than 44,000 cancer patients. The first review focused on physical symptoms and found that patients with stronger religious and spiritual beliefs reported fewer cancer symptoms and better physical health.

They also showed enhanced capabilities in managing their daily lives.

“These relationships were particularly strong in patients that experienced greater emotional aspects of religion and spirituality, including a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as a connection to a source larger than oneself,” states Heather Jim, lead author of the first review.

The second review focused on mental health and found reductions in anxiety, depression and distress among those with greater spirituality. Lead author Dr. John Salsman comments, “Also, greater levels of spiritual distress and a sense of disconnectedness from God or a religious community were associated with greater psychological distress or poorer emotional well-being.”

In the third review, the researchers found that patients with a stronger spiritual well-being reported better social health, as well.

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Good Tithings

Lend a Hand to Causes While You Shop

December Deadline for Florida Solar Ballot Initiative

A total of 683,149 certified signatures are required to put the Florida constitutional amendment, Limits or Prevents Barriers to Local Solar Electricity Supply, on the November 2016 ballot. Petitions must be signed and submitted by the end of December to insure that this happens.

Floridians for Solar Choice, a grassroots citizens’ effort to allow more homes and businesses to generate electricity by harnessing the power of the sun, is promoting this constitutional amendment that would give Florida’s families and businesses the right to choose solar power. Volunteers from organizations including the League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Retail Federation, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Christian Coalition of America and Florida Tea Party are supporting the signing of petitions and collecting signatures at family and faith gatherings, concerts and farmers’ markets.

Although sunshine is abundant, currently, Florida is one of only five states in the nation that prohibit citizens from buying electricity from companies that will put solar panels on personal residences or business. This prohibition limits customer choice and blocks the growth of this abundant, clean, homegrown energy source.

Past legislative efforts to overcome barriers to solar choice have been blocked by large, monopolistic utility companies such as Florida Power and Light (FPL) and Duke Energy. These power companies do not want to lose their exclusive hold on Florida’s electric customers or their income.

Floridians for Solar Choice supporters believe that Florida citizens should have the right and freedom to choose solar power generated electricity if and from whom they want. “Don’t be fooled by the confusing language of Consumers for Smart Solar, an organization that put forth its own solar power constitutional amendment. On the surface it appears pro-solar, but instead will only maintain the status quo. The group, mostly backed by the state’s utility companies, is using the oldest political ploy in the book by trying to confuse people,” says Susan Glickman, Florida director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization behind Floridians for Solar Choice.

To sign the petition, get more information, or print copies to circulate, visit FLSolarChoice.org

This holiday season, every gift purchased through GoodSearch. com can earn a donation of up to 30 percent of its value for a favorite charity, along with money-saving coupons for the customer. More than 2,500 national retailers are participating in the program, including Apple, Target, Toys “R” Us, Ralph Lauren, Macy’s, 1-800-Flowers, PetSmart and Expedia.

Instead of limiting qualifying purchases to a particular product and charity, the campaign includes nearly every product in the store. The donation goes to the charity or school of the shopper’s choice with the cooperation of the organization’s GoodShop, which has raised more than $9 million for charities ranging from The American Red Cross and ASPCA to local homeless shelters and schools.

Each Internet search through the website also earns the charity about a penny. With GoodDining, meals at more than 10,000 restaurants earn donations, with more than 100,000 charities and schools benefitting. UNICEF has used money from GoodSearch and GoodShop to provide clean drinking water to more than 200,000 children.

natural awakenings

December 2015

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PEMF Whole Body Recharger

by Patrick McCabe, ARNP, CRNA, MS

T

he Russians won the space race with Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight around the Earth. Even though his whole trip lasted only an hour and fortyeight minutes, when he arrived back to Earth he suffered greatly with depression, bone loss, muscle degeneration, decreased metabolism and impaired perception. Since that historic flight, “Zero Field Studies” have confirmed that if living cells do not receive the electromagnetic fields of the Earth, they die.

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) acts like a spark or impulse that keeps the cells of the body charged at an ideal voltage or energy level. The 70 trillion cells in the human body are like little batteries where the cell membrane converts the Earth’s magnetic pulse into electrical potential energy which “charges” the cells. This energy drives cell metabolism and helps to enhance oxygenation, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and overall absorption of nutrition and essential elements into the cell and removal of wastes out of the cell. Without this energy, the cell voltage weakens and disease and illness set in.

While we can always go outside

and lay on the Earth to get this energy, over the past 300 years the Earth’s magnetic field has declined by more than 50 percent. Many theorize that we are in the process of a pole shift over the next couple of thousand years. On top of that, people spend too much time indoors, wear insulated shoes, drive insulated cars and walk on paved roads. The other problem is that we get too much of the unhealthy PEMFs, such as electro-smog or dirty electricity, from power lines, computers, cell phones, smart meters, TVs, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.

These unhealthy energies block the natural frequencies from the Earth that are vital for life.

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What is PEMF Therapy? All energy is electromagnetic in nature and nothing happens in the body without an electromagnetic exchange between cells. We are all familiar with the electro-cardiogram (EKG) and electroencephalograph (EEG) which measure the electromagnetic activity of the heart and brain. When electromagnetic activity ceases, life ceases. Electromagnetic energy controls our chemistry.

Disruption of this energy in cells causes impaired cell metabolism, and if our cells are not healthy, our body is not healthy—in whole or in part.

What are some basic cell functions, and how do electromagnetic fields facilitate them? All cells need energy to function. Cellular energy requires ATP which is fundamental to all cells as well as to bodily function—it is necessary to sustain life itself. ATP regulates cell metabolism by transporting chemical energy within our cells. Low ATP levels cause cells to be sick and decrease their ability to heal, regenerate or function properly. Through the increased motion of ions and electrolytes, magnetic fields help cells increase their energy (or “charge”) by up to 500 percent.

What is the history of PEMF and has it been studied or approved for any conditions? Although electromagnetic therapy became widely adopted in Western Europe, its use in North America was restricted to animals. Veterinarians became the first health professionals to use PEMF therapy, and this was usually to heal broken legs in racehorses. From that success, professional sports doctors took note. Using PEMF off label, they used the veterinarian devices on professional athletes. This ultimately led to legally licensed devices for human use in the United States.

In 1979, the FDA approved PEMF devices that were non-invasive to stimulate bone growth.

In 2004, PEMF devices were approved by the FDA as an addition to cervical fusion surgery in patients at high risk for non-fusion.

In 2011, PEMF therapy obtained FDA approval for brain cancer. A study published in 2006 found melanomas shrunk by 90 percent within two weeks of using TTF (tumor treating fields), a form of PEMF treatment. It has been demonstrated that cancer cells function at a significantly lower voltage than regular healthy cells and are weakened by electromagnetic stimulation.

NASA was awarded patents US 6,485,963 B1 and US 7,601,114 B2 for their research on PEMF. As an adjunct to the NASA tissue repair patent, PEMF was also used to stimulate the growth of stem cells.

As clinical evidence continues to mount and patients drive the demand for effective yet safer medical therapies, more devices will be approved in the very near future. Since the FDA cleared the first therapeutic PEMF device over 30 years ago, there have been no safety alerts issued, reflecting the overall safety of short sessions of therapeutic PEMFs.

The benefits of PEMF therapy have been documented in multiple peerreviewed clinical studies for a wide

range of medical conditions. Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trials using PEMF therapy have shown beneficial effects for chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, cervical osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis of the knee, lateral epicondylitis, recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery, recovery from interbody lumbar fusions, persistent rotator cuff tendonitis, depression and multiple sclerosis.

While no two PEMF devices are the same, you must keep in mind they

are not all created equally and there are specific benefits to certain devices over others. There are also ideal frequency ranges and signal types to take into consideration.

For more information or to try a free session on the new Bemer PEMF device, call 727-518-9808 or visit OrthoLiving.com. Orthomolecular Nutrition & Wellness is located at 9225 Ulmerton Rd., Ste. 312, Largo. See ad page 4.

Other benefits that PEMF studies have indicated:

• Reducing muscle tension

• Improving the uptake of nutrients

• Improving tissue healing

• Reducing blood pressure

• Increased circulation

• Reducing pain

• Helping nerve function

• Enhanced muscle function

• Increasing energy

• Helping liver function

• Decreased inflammation

• Improving clotting factors

• Balancing the acupuncture meridians

• Stress reduction

• Slowing the development of arthritis • Improving sleep

• Bone healing

• Stimulating the immune system

• Making soft tissue more flexible

• Blood oxygenation

• Helping the body to detoxify

• Reducing arthritic changes

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natural awakenings

December 2015

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AWAKENING TO SPIRIT Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

by Richard Davenport

By its intimate connection with divine love, Spirit infuses human experience with qualities of amazing grace—unexpected clarity, vision, wisdom, peace, compassion, emotional release, inspirational epiphanies, deep understanding and comprehensive healing of mind, body and soul.

W

hile society abounds with scientific research, products and practices that promise to enhance our mind or body and the mind-body connection, without Spirit in the mix, neither rises to its full potential. A heart open to a higher power exponentially multiplies the effects of this crucial connection.

“Just as a candle spreads light in a darkened room, people who are living in-Spirit give off a higher energy that can bring light to our hearts and minds.

In other words, we can be inspired just by being in their presence,” according to renowned bestselling author Wayne Dyer, Ph.D.

Experiential, non-verbal and lifechanging encounters with the unbounded power and presence of Spirit in prayer and meditation are difficult to analyze in the same way as mind-body

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science. However, Dyer points to the works and outcomes of Spirit as visible evidence of how it lifts us up.

We see individuals with rapturous hearts sending out signals that they love the world and everyone in it. Those that live in Spirit tend to see the world as a friendly place, are at peace with themselves, appear to be open and accepting rather than judgmental and harsh, and often report being healed of all sorts of diseases, relationship challenges, career fluctuations and questions of purpose and direction. They attest to how Spirit shines a triumphant light in the midst of dark nights of the soul, redefining the essence of life itself and declaring us worthy in our innermost reaches.

Personal Healing

When a 19-year-old woman entered basic military training at Lackland Air www.natampa.com

Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, and was undergoing initial medical and psychological screening, she was identified as having body and mind issues that would require her to be separated from the service. These problems included organ failures and spinal misalignment, as well as severe consequences of an emotionally abusive upbringing. It was determined that she could not handle the physical and mental demands of military life. Because the policy was to not treat such problems if identified upon entering the service, authorities allowed her to remain in training until her separation from the Air Force could be processed.

The woman was impressed and also distressed by the finality of the verdict and assessment tools used by mind and body experts among the medical staff.

In talking with a chaplain on the base, she came to understand that she could choose to appeal her case to another jurisdiction, a “higher” court of Spirit.

Focusing on the voice of divine love, she grew to see Spirit as more than a higher power. She saw Spirit as a higher authority. She surrendered to divine love’s authority as ultimate law, supremely qualified to reorder her whole being.

She trusted that aligning with spiritual power could change her view of her identity and the seemingly inescapable consequences of genetics, environment and human history denying her desire to serve her country in this way.

Listening to a higher witness testifying on her behalf and identifying her authentic being as the magnificent expression of the magnificent Creator, she felt encouraged to the point that her mind and body stopped arresting her progress and became more effective servants, responding with greater freedom and joy. One limitation after another fell away, and the military and medical authorities seemed pleased with her progress as she neared completion of training. Finally, performing a mile-and-a-half run within a required time remained the only obstacle to graduation, and she was still 45 seconds too slow.

This helpful passage from the Hebrew prophet Isaiah became central to her prayer and meditation as she approached her last running attempt:

Young people will get tired;

strapping young men will stumble

and fall.

But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength.

They will soar on wings as eagles.

They will run—never winded, never weary.

They will walk—never tired,

never faint. ~Isaiah 40: 30-31 (The Voice)

She passed her final attempt with 18 seconds to spare, running on eagles’ wings.

So, how can we all discern such a divine witness to our original authentic being amidst loud testimony of all the voices and labels shouting in our head and body, including those imposed by others?

Prayer and Meditation

There are two approaches to listening to the voice within, whether we name it God, higher power, Spirit, grace, Eternal One, or divine love or Love.

Complementary, rather than mutually exclusive, both approaches require a capacity, gained through patient practice, of quieting the inner and outer chatter and learning to hear that which calls us to be more than what human experience suggests is possible. It’s who we are in the eyes of grace.

Sanford C. Wilder, of Grafton, Illinois, author of Listening to Grace, offers personal growth and develop-

To feel Spirit’s presence, we must surrender our own sense of how it will work, its timeline and the impact on our ego or status quo.

As with anything worthwhile, conscientious practice is essential. ment programs through EducareUnlearning.com that encourage prayer and meditation that emphasize listening. He practices both approaches and makes distinctions between them.

“When I pray, I am directing my thoughts toward God, listening and often affirming what I know to be divinely true. I am yearning to surrender my will and affections in conscious connection with the divine such that I or another receives a blessing,” shares Wilder. In such prayerful listening, he hopes to

gain something, often a new insight and corresponding manifestation.

“When I meditate, my intention is to sacrifice every thought, concept, image and feeling to God, the only consciousness. I trust that listening and observing with nonattachment helps me release conscious and unconscious conditioned thought patterns permeated by a human sense of self.” Through meditative listening, he hopes to release everything rather than receive anything, accepting that everyone is equipped and able to be open to, witness and experience nonstop blessings.

Helen Mathis has been an educator in the Philippines and Swaziland as well as the U.S., including an instructor of religion at Principia College, near St. Louis; she is now part of a Centering Prayer Circle in Stockton, California.

She explains that centering prayer may be seen as a hybrid that embraces both prayer and meditation, nourishing what’s beneath the preoccupied self to awaken a deeper and vastly more authentic self.

Mathis appreciates what Cynthia Bourgeault explores in her book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, that, “This confusion between small self and the larger Self… [the] ‘True Self,’ ‘Essential Self’ or ‘Real I’—is the core illusion of the human condition, and penetrating this illusion is what awakening is all about.”

Like Bourgeault, Mathis believes that it’s not about the absence of thoughts so much as detaching from

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our thoughts, trusting that we can let go and be safe, consent to surrender human will and forgo personal agendas. Only then can spiritual sense come into play.

“The goal is to awaken to, open to and get in touch with our innermost being and Spirit,” Mathis affirms.

“Clearly, centering prayer assumes we each have a spiritual awareness of the divine within us that acts, as Bourgeault puts it, as ‘a kind of interior compass whose magnetic north is always fixed on God.’”

Core Shift

We often approach a Spirit dimension with the attitude of “what it can do for me.” The higher practice that mystics

and other deep thinkers of various faith traditions ultimately arrive at instead centers on transforming our whole self to align with Spirit’s purpose for us, which changes everything.

Reverend Dr. Michael Beckwith, founder of the New Thought Agape Spiritual Center, in Los Angeles, and a spiritual mentor to Oprah Winfrey, believes, “The relationship we have with the infinite is more about how we are to serve it than it is to serve us.”

Beckwith describes three primary stages of realizing the power and purpose of divine Spirit expressed as our spirit. The first is that of a victim (feeling powerless, unable to effect change). The second is when an individual learns the existence of universal law that responds to our thinking, emotions and attitude; we learn how to use it to stabilize life structures and demonstrate health and well-being.

“Ultimately, in stage three, we become a vehicle of life in service to life.

Instead of using the law, the law uses us.

Life fulfills its own nature through us,” he says. “All of life is conspiring for our freedom, liberation, wholeness and health.”

He urges us not to stop and stag-

nate at stage two, using divine laws only to manifest personal conveniences, stuff and even people for our use; this can hijack views of abundance into materialism and consumerism. He quips, “We are not here to go shopping.”

Dwelling in Spirit

Grace and Spirit work in us, through us and between us, yet we can’t simply summon them up or outline their outcomes.

To feel Spirit’s presence, we must surrender our own sense of how it will work, its timeline and the impact on our ego or status quo. As with anything worthwhile, conscientious practice is essential.

Life, defined by Spirit, gives fresh strength and impetus to mind and body.

All three are vital elements of the dance of life.

Richard Davenport is a spiritual life educator (HigherGroundForLife.com) and the founding executive director of an inclusive nationwide Bible and spiritual life community (BibleAndSpiritualLife. org). Now based in St. Louis, MO, he is a retired Air Force chaplain, having served at Lackland and other U.S. Air Force bases on three continents.

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businessspotlight LifeWorks Wellness Center

Where a patient’s healing journey begins

by Linda Sechrist

S

tage IV cancer of any kind doesn’t have to be a death sentence.

Chronic illnesses don’t have to be life debilitating. Neither do the only answers to every health challenge have to be a prescription medication with side effects, or surgery. At LifeWorks Wellness Center in Clearwater, the answers to the majority of A to Z health conditions, that millions of individuals suffer from, are generally natural and address the root cause rather than simply suppressing the symptoms. And, every patient’s healing journey begins with a thorough, hour-long consultation, not including 30 minutes of new patient paperwork.

“What significantly sets us apart from other medical centers is that we don’t do band aid medicine,” says Michele Lussier, LifeWorks Wellness Center marketing director. She explains.

“When someone who is suffering from frequent migraine headaches is meticulously evaluated and receives their consultation, they aren’t told, ‘take this medicine and your headaches will go away’. Our approach to symptoms,

such as headaches, is to find out what’s going on in the body to cause them. The headache is the tip of the iceberg. There is almost always a real and discoverable cause, or causes, for chronic pain, fatigue, heart disease, hormone problems, menopause, memory loss, sleep problems, obesity and autoimmune diseases, which are some of the major health challenges that people from all over the country come here to find answers for.”

The center, founded in 1997 by David I. Minkoff, M.D. and his wife Sue Minkoff R.N., is still true to the original mission—a healing center, where patients are offered the best medical care possible in an environment where they are treated like family. After much research and collaboration with other like-minded physicians as well as several years of continued education, the Minkoff’s found proven natural treatments and modalities such as herbals, homeopathics, vitamins and minerals. Today, Dr. Minkoff and George E. Springer Jr., DC head up their team of health professionals and use a diagnos-

tic tool known as Autonomic Response Testing, which determines the body’s specific deficiencies and stressors. Their revolutionary and effective treatments include ozone therapy, pulsed magnetic field therapy, thermography, chelation, prolozone therapy, bioidentical hormone therapy, and more.

“Some people call this alternative medicine, a name given by health professionals who originally wanted to set themselves apart from conventional western medicine. I see our practice as traditional medicine, much of which has been around for thousands of years.

Conventional medicine, now the alternative, is far removed from what we pride ourselves in—practicing a doctor/ patient healing relationship that helps people to get well,” says Minkoff.

LifeWorks, 301 Turner St., Clearwater.

To make an appointment call 727566-6789. For more information visit LifeWorksWellnessCenter.com.

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cret in the fragrance industry is the unlabeled presence of toxic chemicals not only in perfumes, but in any personal care product that includes a scent. Lab tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by the EWG confirm the presence of parabens that interfere with hormone production, cancer-causing phthalates, and synthetic musks that have been linked to hormone disruption, among many other ills.

healingways

Naturally Safe Scents

HEAVENLY SCENTS How to Make Your Own Natural Oil Fragrances

by Kathleen Barnes whiff of sweetness can communi- ronmental Working Group (EWG). “A cate a personal signature of tranmajor loophole in the [U.S.] Food and quility, alertness or romance, or it Drug Administration’s federal law lets can cause a bout of miserable sneezing, manufacturers of products like shampoo, wheezing or nausea for those in the lotion and body wash include nearly vicinity and even the unwitting wearer. any ingredient under the term fragrance without actually listing the chemical.”

Commercial Chemicals Companies that manufacture personal “When you see ‘fragrance’ on a personal care products are required by law to list care product label, read it as ‘hidden the ingredients they use, but fragrances chemicals,’” warns the Washington, and trade-secret formulas are exempt.

D.C.-based nonprofit watchdog Envi What’s known as a dirty little se-

A

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“Opting for natural scents from organic essential oils not only offers a toxin-free alternative, the oils’ aromatherapy benefits have time-proven therapeutic value,” suggests Dorene Petersen, president and founder of the American College of Healthcare Sciences, in Portland, Oregon.

Recent research from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica, in Brazil, confirms that lavender oil has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and pain-relieving properties similar to those of a mild-dose narcotic. Plus, it smells heavenly, says botanical perfumer Roxana Villa, of Woodland Hills, a California-based spokesperson for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

“Considering the part of the plant used will give you an idea of its therapeutic value,” says Villa. “A root base will be good for grounding. Since bark is like skin, oils such as birch will benefit skin and muscles. Oils from flowers are excellent for anything related to the head and mind.”

Oregano and cinnamon oils have powerful antifungal properties, even against Candida-type fungi resistant to prescription drugs, according to Brazilian research from Universidade Federal. A groundbreaking study from the Slovak University of Technology, in Slovakia, even suggests that rosemary oil can kill cancer cells.

These are all scents that can be the foundations of do-it-yourself perfumes.

Customized Blends

“It’s fun to experiment with organic essential oils and create that unique blend that becomes a personal signature,” says Charlynn Avery, an aromatherapist with Aura Cacia, in Norway, Iowa. She explains that essential oils have three basic “notes” and blending them correctly will result in a fragrance suited to last throughout the day.

“The base note is heavier and lasts the longest. Patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, cedarwood and jasmine hang around longer in the atmosphere and on the wearer,” she explains. Blending the base with a slightly lighter middle note like lavender, rosemary or clary sage and a light and short-lasting top note like orange, lime or peppermint will create a complex and pleasing blend.

“That’s the beauty of the art of it,” says Avery. “You can create synergistic blends that harmonize and complement the attributes of each to such an extent that you may not be able to detect the scents of the individual oils.”

There are no hard and fast rules, but our experts offer a few guidelines

for creating our own unique blends that will be well-received as holiday gifts.

Use a base of oil like jojoba or sweet almond to create a perfumed oil.

Note that oils undiluted by a carrier can burn the skin.

For oil-based blends, use a ratio of 50 drops of bottom note oil, 30 drops of a middle note and 20 drops of a top note in two ounces of carrier oil.

Another option is to use an alcohol base of either isopropyl rubbing alcohol or 85-proof vodka to make a spray perfume; the alcohol will evaporate quickly.

Alcohol-based blends generally last longer, especially with fragile citrus oils.

A usual ratio is 10 to 20 drops of essential oil per ounce of alcoholbased carrier.

Oil-based blends are ready to use almost immediately. Alcohol-based blends should age a week or two at least and will become more strongly scented in time.

Store fragrances in bottles in a dark, cool place. Bottles with tiny rollon caps are commercially available.

“It’s very much trial and error to arrive at a preferred scent, so be creative and keep careful notes of experiments and improve on them as you gain experience,” counsels Avery. “If you crinkle your nose at patchouli, you probably won’t like an oil blend with it, either.

Choose scents you like.”

GIFT BLEND FOR MEN Western cultures value “manly” Earth scents like sandalwood and cedarwood, while in other cultures, flowery scents are acceptable for men.

An appealing woodsy blend for an American male blends cedarwood, clary sage and lime.

Kathleen Barnes is author of numerous natural health books including Food Is Medicine. Connect at Kathleen Barnes.com.

The 1-2-3s of Blending Oils Base Notes Middle Notes Top Notes sandalwood lavender orange jasmine bergamot lemon myrrh geranium grapefruit vetiver rosemary eucalyptus patchouli tea tree lime cedarwood clary sage peppermint A general ratio of 50 percent base note oils to 30 percent middle notes and 20 percent top notes is recommended.

Source: courtesy of AuraCacia.com natural awakenings

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SWEETLY VEGAN No-Bake Holiday Treats Worth Celebrating

by Judith Fertig

“

V

isions of sugar plums” have been part of holiday mindsets since the advent of Clement Moore’s classic 19th-century poem commonly known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.

We love to give and receive special treats and our tastes are evolving. Instead of yesteryear’s sugary bonbons loaded with calories that we’ve come to regret, today’s preferred confections focus more on naturally sweet dried fruits, bestquality chocolate, healthful coconut and crunchy nuts. Vegan, gluten-free delicacies from chefs and culinary experts the world over help us celebrate the season in a deliciously healthy way, including those we highlight this month.

“Christmas isn’t Christmas without a traditional pudding,” says Chef Teresa Cutter, author of Purely Delicious. Cutter is founder and director of The Healthy Chef company, in Sydney, Australia, which creates functional foods for taste and optimal health. Her no-bake desserts such as miniature Christmas puddings and carrot cake take only minutes to make.

Emily Holmes, a Queensland, Australia, wellness coach who blogs at Conscious-Foodie.com, says her favorite is Holmes’ Chocolate Cherry Mini-Cupcakes. She serves them with a pot of peppermint tea.

Houston-based Joshua Weissman is the author of The Slim Palate Paleo Cookbook and blogs at SlimPalate. com. He shares his philosophy on holiday treats: “My first thought is that I don’t want to feel guilty after eating it.

My second is that I still want it to taste and look good.” His Almond Butter Pumpkin Pie Truffles fit the festive bill.

In New York City, noted vegan cookbook author and Pastry Chef Fran Costigan is an expert in all things chocolate, including her Chocolate Orange Sesame Truffles. “When you make something really delicious with real ingredients, your mouth knows it, your brain knows it, your body knows it. You feel satisfied,” she says.

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

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

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Photo by Stephen Blancett

consciouseating

No-Bake Festive Vegan Desserts looks like fine crumbs.

Spoon the mixture into a large bowl.

Add the orange juice, and then mix again. Pudding mix should come together when lightly hand-squeezed.

Divide into 6 small puddings. Line the base of 6 small decorative molds with plastic wrap and firmly press the puddings into them.

Teresa Cutter’s Healthy Christmas Puddings Yields: 6 to 8 small puddings 8 oz fresh pitted dates—approximately 10 to 15 dates, depending on their size Zest from 1 orange 9 oz dried apricots, chopped 1½ cups almond meal/ground almonds 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp ground ginger 1 to 2 Tbsp orange juice 3 oz white chocolate, melted, for decoration (optional) Combine dates, orange zest, apricots, vanilla, ground almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a food processor.

Process until mixture is combined and

Once firmly packed in the mold, invert the pudding and remove the plastic wrap.

Melt white chocolate in a small bowl set over a simmering pot of water.

Spoon a little white chocolate over the tops of the puddings if desired and garnish with goji berries, fresh cherries or another fanciful topper.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve puddings with chilled mango coconut custard.

Mango Coconut Custard 1 mango, chopped ½ cup coconut milk Juice from ½ orange Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled with the puddings.

Teresa Cutter’s No-Bake Carrot Cake Yields: 16 servings 2½ cups (9½ oz) shelled walnuts 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed or whole chia seeds ½ cup (2 oz) rolled oats (or gluten-free almond meal) 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp sea salt 1 cup (6½ oz) of 12 large fresh dates, pitted ½ cup (3 oz) dried chopped apricots or pineapple (sulfur-free) 2 large raw carrots, grated Zest from 1 orange 2 tsp vanilla bean paste Combine walnuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, orange zest and sea salt into a food processor and run it until mixed and finely chopped. Add dates and apricots. Process again until thoroughly mixed.

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Add grated raw carrot and vanilla and then process again until combined. The mix should now form a nice dough.

Topping 3 oz melted dark chocolate Process nuts and cacao powder in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground and the mixture is fully combined. Slowly add the dates until the mixture sticks together.

Spoon into a bowl. Add and knead oats through the raw carrot cake mixture.

Press cake firmly into a 6-inch round baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, allowing at least 2 hours for the cake to rest.

It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Enjoy as is or garnish with macadamia nut cream, a drizzle of honey and walnuts.

Note: Other raw nuts can substitute for walnuts—try pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts.

Macadamia Nut Cream Combine 1 cup of raw cashew nuts or macadamia nuts with ½ cup of orange juice or coconut water and a little vanilla. Blend in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix until smooth and creamy.

Press the mixture into the bottom parts of a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Emily Holmes’ Chocolate Cherry Mini-Cupcakes Yields: 2 dozen mini-cupcakes Cake 1 cup raw, shelled, skinned nuts (such as almonds) 1/3 cup cacao powder 4 fresh dates, pitted Filling 2 cup shredded coconut 1 cup dried cherries 6 fresh dates, pitted ¼ cup coconut cream ¼ tsp vanilla powder Pinch of sea salt

Process filling ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Spoon the filling onto the cupcake base in the muffin cups and then top with melted dark chocolate.

Place into the refrigerator to set, where it also stores well until served.

Joshua Weissman’s Almond Butter Pumpkin Pie Truffles Yields: About 12 to 16 (1½-inch) truffles Warm winter spices mix with fragrant pumpkin and almond butter to make seasonal truffles hand dipped in fresh vanilla bean-infused white chocolate.

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Filling ¼ cup canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling) ¼ cup almond butter ¼ cup vegan cream cheese ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼-½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp fresh grated ginger 1 Tbsp coconut flour 2 packets stevia (like Sweetleaf packets) Coating (vanilla bean white chocolate) 2 oz food grade (not for skin care) cacao butter broken up into small pieces for melting ¼-½ vanilla bean pod, cut in half lengthwise to scrape out the interior, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 20 drops stevia (like Sweetleaf Steviaclear drops) In a medium-sized bowl, combine everything for the filling, including pumpkin purée, almond butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coconut flour and stevia. Mix thoroughly until smoothly incorporated and no cream cheese chunks are left.

Chill by refrigerating the mixture for 10 to 20 minutes or freezing it for 2 to 5 minutes.

Roll chilled filling mixture into medium-to-small-sized balls a little less than an inch in diameter and place them on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place balls back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes so the balls harden enough to allow dipping.

Heat a double boiler or small pot that fits into a medium pot of gently boiling water over medium-to-low heat.

Scrape out the vanilla bean pod, conserving vanilla beans for adding once the cacao butter is melted.

Place cacao butter in the top of a double boiler and melt and add stevia.

Then add vanilla beans and mix well.

Turn the heat to low to keep warm and melted. Pull out the hardened filling shaped into balls and one at a time drop them into the white chocolate mixture and roll them around until they’re fully covered with mixture using fingers or a small spoon.

Carefully spoon out each truffle using a spoon, gently tapping the spoon on the inside of the saucepan to slough off excess cacao butter that may pool on it.

Take special care not to drop the truffle.

Gently place each treat back onto the tray. Repeat the whole process until all the coated balls are on the tray.

Let them cool at room temperature and serve immediately or place them in the refrigerator to harden and serve later.

Chilled, truffles will keep for 3 to 5 days.

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December 2015

33

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healthykids

Generous Pint-Sized Givers Teaching Kids How to Care and Share

by Jennifer Jacobson

A

mong a parent’s greatest rewards is seeing their children grow up to be productive, contributing members of society, including knowing how to give back and enrich the communities in which they live. Children can start participating in the giving process as toddlers. Having them observe regular charitable acts can make a strong impression and catalyze later independent initiatives.

Learning how to give and developing the associated skill set is a lifelong journey. Giving becomes a way of life—of looking at the world and determining how to help the causes they feel passionate about. Here’s how to take those crucial first steps.

Ask kids how they’d like to help. If giving to a cause is new to the household, explain that the family has many opportunities. Then engage children in a conversation about the general areas they may feel strongly about supporting—perhaps individuals or families in need, animals or wildlife habitat—and start a list of those that the family is interested in.

Next, start researching related local organizations, facilities and institutions, and matching them to the topics on the list. Ideas may include food kitchens, pet shelters and animal

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rescues, nature parks, senior citizens’ residences, camps for low-income or physically or mentally challenged children, zoos, museums, aquariums and local libraries.

Make a game plan. Get creative about how to actually help the selected causes. Talk it through together, map out activities—like visiting, donating funds or materials or participating in fundraising efforts—and post the results somewhere at home that is highly visible. “Gamify” it to some degree with tasks that turn into goals that turn into accomplishments that result in chits.

Quick tasks can make a big difference. Clear the clutter. Every six to 12 months, launch an all-family household closet cleaning day that includes the toy chest and maybe the garage. Add nonperishable healthy food items they’ve picked out while grocery shopping.

Make a “donate box” positioned where kids can add to it and deliver the donations often, even if it’s small.

Find ways to raise money for donations. Organize a family or neighborhood yard sale or organic bake sale that involves kids at all stages of the project, and give all or a portion of the proceeds to a selected charity.

Associate getting with giving. For birthdays and holidays, include a

handwritten “certificate of giving” that specifies the amount of money available for them to gift to their favorite charity. Take the child to the charity site to make the monetary donation in person, if possible. For non-local organizations, write a check and have the child include a letter with their thoughts and mail it.

Volunteer to do community service. Public gardens need weeding, historic buildings need painting and food banks need hands. Find goodwill tasks that are age-appropriate and engaging.

Grow the mindset. Tell real-life stories about kids or groups of kids that have found creative ways to give back. Encourage empathy by sharing appropriate stories of struggle. Ask kids, “How would you want people to help you in this situation?” Explain the action the family is taking and the resulting benefit to the recipient.

The conversation might be, “We don’t need to store all this stuff when someone else could really use it.” Or, “I bet there is a kid out there who would really like playing with this toy.

I know you used to love it, but how about if you pass it along to someone else so they can enjoy it as much as you have?” Keep the focus on the people in need and your child’s ability to share an experience through an item.

Establishing an impermanent connection to material things can help kids understand the importance of nurturing relationships over acquiring goods.

Develop a language of giving in the household by creating opportunities to incorporate it into regular conversation. Appropriate comments could share concepts such as seeing ourselves as stewards of the planet and the things we think we own; it’s our duty to help those in need when we have abundance; and if there is ever a time when we are without, we hope that others will think of us and help us.

Teaching children how their thoughts, words and actions impact those around them is a lesson that bears repeating.

Jennifer Jacobson lives in Seattle and has served on the boards of several influential nonprofits and other organizations focused on conservation, education and community.

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December 2015

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fitbody

Airplane Yoga Six Easy Stretches Ease the Journey

by Cynthia Bowman

T

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he majority of the symptoms we can experience during flying—stiffness, poor circulation and swollen feet—are due to lack of movement rather than the altitude or pressurized cabin air. Knowing this can make healthy flying easier.

Drinking lots of water and moving about and stretching every two to three hours on long flights is key; trips to the bathroom naturally help fulfill this. We also can keep blood from collecting in our lower extremities by finding a way to elevate our legs and feet periodically. Wiggle all 10 toes, shift positions and go for these six discreet airplane yoga stretches.

Etiquette tip: Do the first two stretches at the back of the plane with adequate space and a wall to lean on. Don’t do these in the aisle; hanging on to someone’s seat back rocks it and can be annoying.

A quad stretch involves the shoulders, upper legs, calves and ankles, while elevating each foot and getting the blood moving. Hang on to a wall, grab an ankle and bring the heel as close to the butt as possible.

Then rotate the ankle in a circular motion. Do this as long as it feels worth doing, and then switch arms and legs.

A calf stretch is a simple way to target calf and hamstring muscles, as well as ankles. Stand facing a wall, placing both hands Quad Stretch at shoulder height on the wall for

Calf Stretch

Upper Body Stretch

Neck Stretch

Twisting the Torso

Bending Forward

balance, elbows bent. Take one foot forward and rest it on its heel, with toes pointing up and resting on the wall. Lean forward to the point of feeling a good stretch in the calf.

Stretch 30 seconds per foot, gradually going deeper into the pose after a few breaths.

Etiquette tip: The next four stretches can be done in an airplane seat or in the back of the plane.

The upper body stretch targets wrists, hands, arms, shoulders, back and the upper body in general. Sit upright with feet firmly planted on the floor. Lift arms up and interlace fingers before turning palms to face the ceiling. Relax the shoulders and neck. The arms shouldn’t be covering the ears and can be adjusted by moving them a few inches forward or back.

Tall individuals may need to bend their elbows, which still allows for stretching of the upper body.

Neck stretches release tension and stiffness by tilting the head from side-to-side. Don’t make circular motions, as they can cause neck and spine compression. If holding the head to assist a deeper stretch, be considerate of neighbors by pointing the raised elbow forward to cradle the neck instead of resting it on a seatmate.

Twisting the torso benefits both the spine and back muscles.

Yogis believe that twisting motions also massage internal organs.

While twisting, hang on to the armrest with both hands and sit as upright as possible, with legs together and feet firmly planted.

Don’t bounce into the pose or shift or lift buttocks off the seat, but make slow, fluid movements.

Bending forward while seated gives the back, neck and legs a good, deep stretch.

All of these movements work well while we’re in the air and are equally useful on road trips, in the office or whenever we need a break.

Cynthia Bowman is a freelance writer in Los Angeles, CA, who specializes in travel, culture and lifestyle topics. Visit JoyJournist.com.

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December 2015

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greenliving

Green Congregations Faith Groups Join in Preserving All Creation

by Avery Mack

T

he simple act of switching on a bulb can light a room; preaching that humans are caretakers of the Earth can enlighten a community. “How are we faithful to God’s creation?” asks Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., author of Grounded: Finding God in the World— A Spiritual Revolution, in Alexandria, Virginia. “The connection between the natural world and the world we live in helps us understand the remarkable responsibility we have to the planet.”

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Along with an emotional bottom line, many people pose a greater question: What is the cost to our spiritual life if we act selfishly? “We need to know what is sacred and what matters for generations to come,” says Bass. “This is an exciting time for communities of faith to work together.” Churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith groups are sending a message to their congregations and communities: We need to care for what the Creator has given us.

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photo courtesy of View Dynamic Glass

Showing the Way

“We wanted to reduce reliance on foreign oil, support local businesses, buy American-made and be cost-effective,” says Rabbi David Freelund, of the Cape Cod Synagogue, in Hyannis, Massachusetts. “Going solar made sense.

We leased panels, joined a renewable energy credit program and now generate 90 percent of our energy.”

The synagogue also upgrades equipment to more efficient levels when it’s time for replacement, composts waste, maintains a garden to supply a local food pantry, switched to LED lights, zoned their facility’s heating and cooling and follows a single-stream recycling program. “We seek to lead by example. Members ask, ‘What else can we do?’ As Jews, our mission is not fulfilled unless we lift up others toward the divine,” says Freelund.

Windows often make up a large portion of a building of worship, but can be the least energy-efficient components. Members of Colorado’s Steamboat Christian Center, in Steamboat Springs, used to wear sunglasses or change seats during services to escape the sun’s glare and heat. After installing smart glass windows, everyone can now fully concentrate on the sermon.

“The glass tints like transition sunglasses, based on available light or preprogrammed preferences,” explains Brandon Tinianov, a senior director with View Dynamic Glass, the company

that supplied the new windows. “It also reduces heating and cooling costs.”

Laying Down Burdens

“Clutter represents postponed decisions,” says Barbara Hemphill, author of Less Clutter, More Life, in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Lack of time, interest and energy keep us from passing along what we no longer want or need. For most of us, 80 percent of what we keep, we never use.”

That includes paperwork, another specialty of her Productive Environment Institute. When the United Methodist North Carolina Conference Center’s new building was ready, there was plenty to sort through before moving.

“We estimate seven tons of items were recycled. It became an example for individual churches,” says Hemphill.

Her own church, Mount Zion Methodist, in nearby Garner, has cleared out two storage rooms. Items were reclaimed, auctioned or donated to a shelter. “We gained Sunday school rooms in return,” she says.

Practice Makes Perfect

Awareness of the environment and

eco-friendly living is a concept religions agree on. At the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, in Sterling, Virginia, an education program encourages community members to recycle, plant trees and lower water and energy usage. Including their Sunday School, they reduced their overall carbon footprint by 13 percent and energy consumption by 21 percent.

Interfaith Power & Light is active in most states and can help implement such user- and eco-friendly changes.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the director of outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, in Falls Church, Virginia, suggests thinking larger and encourages members to ask for changes in public policies by lobbying their representatives. In 2016, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago will promote a Green Ramadan. During Ramadan, members re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance.

Greener than most, The Garden Church, in San Pedro, California, has no building. “People tell me, ‘The outdoors is my church;’ I take them at their word,” says founding Pastor

We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. ~Pope Francis Anna Woofenden. “We have a central table surrounded by gardens. About 90 percent of what we grow is vegetables, the rest is flowers. This church is a living sanctuary, a place to belong, a place of community. God’s love is made visible as people are fed in body, mind and spirit.”

“Eco-friendly teaching represents a new spiritual imagination of how to live well in the world,” observes Bass.

“Faith makes a difference.”

Connect with the freelance writer via AveryMack@mindspring.com.

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December 2015

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wisewords

Sharon Salzberg on Mindfulness Simple Ways to Be in the Present Moment

by April Thompson

N

reality and pushing away what’s happening.

photo by Fabio Fiippi

ew York City-born Sharon Salzberg experienced a childhood full of loss and upheaval, losing her parents and living in five different household configurations. In college, she discovered the power of meditation to transform suffering and cope with life’s neverending changes.

Born into a Jewish family, Salzberg first encountered Buddhism in 1969 in an Asian philosophy class, inspiring her to undertake an independent study program in India, where she was initiated into the practice via an intense 10-day retreat. “It was very difficult and painful. I sometimes doubted that I’d succeed, yet I never doubted that there was truth there,” she says.

Upon her return home, Salzburg dedicated herself to the path of vipassana- (insight) meditation, becoming a renowned teacher and co-founding the Insight Meditation Society, in Barre, Massachusetts. Today she teaches and speaks to diverse audiences worldwide about the power of mindfulness. Salzberg has authored nine books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, Real Happiness at Work and Lovingkindness.

Is it possible to be mindful without having an established meditation practice?

Yes, theoretically, but I suspect it’s hard. I honor my own meditation practice for making mindfulness highly accessible for me. It doesn’t take many hours of prep work and is open to everyone. It’s really a practice, like strength training—you have to exercise the mindfulness muscle to reap the benefits.

What’s the best way to arrange time for meditation, and what can motivate us to practice regularly?

Mindfulness is the quality of awareness.

When we are mindful, our perception of the present moment isn’t so distorted by bias, adding our own storyline to

Having a sense of structure has helped me the most. I believe strongly in the value of a daily practice, however simple or short. We can ritualize certain practices to help remember to pause and be mindful. For example, every time the phone rings, let it ring three times and use that as a trigger to breathe. When you’ve finished writing an email, take a few conscious moments before sending it. There are lots of ways to cut through the momentum of the busyness and craziness of our lives to return to mindfulness.

Make a commitment to practice for a certain period of daily time for a month or two, and then reassess. Look

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How do you define mindfulness?

Tampa Bay Edition

for changes during the active course of daily life and query: How am I speaking to myself or to others? Am I more present? Am I more at ease in letting go?

It’s important to look for these subtle changes rather than to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves such as being mindful all day.

Do you have other enabling practices for people new to the state of living mindfully?

Movement meditation is a good place to start; if you’re walking somewhere, try to be more present and feel your feet against the ground. Also, just focus on one thing at a time; instead of multitasking, just drink the cup of tea.

We can also use breath to focus concentration. The breath is a tremendous tool, it’s always with us. If you’re in a contentious meeting and tempers flare, you don’t have to pull out a meditation cushion and sit in a funny position; you can work with your breath right where you are.

How can meditation help to ease suffering?

Sometimes, we think we can ease suffering by only having pleasant feelings and beautiful thoughts. Rather, we can ease suffering by changing the way we relate to our thoughts and feelings. If something unpleasant is happening, most of us flip into an internal monologue about how, “Bad things always happen to me,” or “This is my fault,” or “I shouldn’t feel this.” We compound our suffering by adding judgment and by pushing away discomfort. Instead, we can learn to observe our reactions and release them.

We also tend not to feel pleasure fully or think that something else or more should be happening instead of simply enjoying the moment. We wait for some sense of intensity in order to feel alive, rather than experiencing the ordinary to the utmost. Meditation trains us to be present with pleasant, unpleasant and neutral experiences and stay connected, no matter what’s going on.

Reach freelance writer April Thompson, of Washington, D.C., at AprilWrites.com.

inspiration

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR Fail-Proof Ingredients for a Glorious 2016

Take 12 whole months.

Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate and jealousy.

Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 different parts, but don’t make up the whole batch at once.

Prepare one day at a time with these ingredients: Mix well into each day one part each of faith, patience, courage and work.

Also add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity and kindness.

Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation and one good deed.

Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play and a cupful of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.

Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile and serve with quietness, unselfishness and cheerfulness.

You’re bound to have a happy new year. ~ Author Unknown natural awakenings

December 2015

41

naturalpet

Eat, Bark and Be Merry Healthy Holiday Treats for Our Pets

by Sandra Murphy

A

s with families everywhere, special taste treats are on the menu for many dogs, cats and wild birds during the holiday season.

Owners are cautioned not to share rich, unfamiliar foods from the table that can be detrimental to an animal’s health.

Better fare are homemade treats of organic, safe and tasty ingredients—true gifts from the heart.

Homemade assures the quality of ingredients, avoids unhealthy additives and allows the giver to adjust for individual taste or food sensitivities.

Most healthy recipes can be made from readily available ingredients.

Wild Birds

Offer them a variety of seeds and fresh water. Always use unsalted, unseasoned seeds. Mix harder-to-crack striped sunflower seeds with the smaller black oil version to attract the largest number of birds. Organically grown peanuts in the shell, dried fruit, oranges, pomegranates or rehydrated raisins offer a burst of energy. Impale round fruits, halved, on a small dowel rod attached to the feeding table to hold them in place.

Note that oats go to waste, shelled sunflower seeds spoil and cracked corn attracts raccoons. Pass on any kind of popcorn.

DIY Suet

Mix one part organic peanut butter with five parts organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) corn meal.

Smear into a pinecone to hang from a branch or directly on tree bark for woodpeckers and wrens to 42

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enjoy. Don’t use low-fat peanut butter because birds need to pack in the calories in order to stay warm.

Cats

Organic catnip, fresh or dried and baked into a crunchy treat, will bring kitty running. In recipes, avoid canned tuna because of bisphenol A (BPA) concerns; also minimize the frequency and portion of tuna and salmon treats due to mercury accumulation in the fish.

Unseasoned tuna or salmon packed in water in a pouch is a better choice.

Many recipes labeled for dogs can be converted for cats by making them into smaller bites.

Dogs

“When possible, I put organic and local foods, non-GMO, hormone-and antibiotic-free, grass-fed and humanely raised properties at the top of my list. A healthier dog means fewer vet

visits and more years together,” says Tonya Wilhelm, a dog trainer in Toledo, Ohio. “Buy in bulk from a co-op or farmer and maybe share with friends to get the best price.”

Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrating removes moisture from food while retaining nutrients, and comprises a distinct cooking method.

Stephanie Raya, resident chef at Excalibur Dehydrator, in Sacramento, California, recommends, “For safe chicken and pork, pre-cook before dehydrating. Beef can be dehydrated from a raw state. My Boston terriers also love dehydrated, sweet potato chips.”

A number of commercial dehydrated meat and fish jerkies have been recalled (search DogFoodAdvisor. com/?s=treats). Homemade treats offer superior control of ingredients.

“When I make my pets’ treats, I know what’s in their food, including the herbs used for flavor,” says Raya. After she’s ensured that the food is thoroughly dried, she packs it in vacuum bags and stores them away from light. She notes that dehydrating takes longer than

baking, but is cost-effective at 25 to 50 cents an hour. Veggie options include dehydrated zucchini chips, butternut squash chips, cherry tomato bites, matchstick carrots or peach or other fruit slices.

Make it Festive

A cat’s sense of smell is 10 to 15 times better than ours, but is still modest compared to dogs that out-sniff us by a factor of 30 to 60 times; that’s why putting wrapped treats under a holiday tree or in a stocking is a bad idea. Store them securely and then bring them out when it’s time to open gifts. Use blue tissue paper for easy-to-open Hanukkah gifts, red or green for Christmas (bows, yes; ribbons, no). For dogs that love puzzles, placing treats inside a wrapped box adds to the fun.

Remember that rich or unfamiliar foods can make pets sick. Instead, gift them with their own healthy, safe treats from known ingredients so that everyone has a happy holiday.

Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.

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December 2015

43

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

2 tsp brewer’s yeast 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, drained Combine ingredients in medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Spread on a nonstick 1/8-inch-thick drying sheet.

Dry at 155° F until thoroughly dry and then cut into strips.

Cheesy Crunchies

Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephanie Raya, Excalibur Dehydrator 1 tsp cinnamon, ground 1½ cups organic old-fashioned oats (aka rolled oats)

2 cups whole wheat flour ¼ cup cornmeal ½ cup cheese (any grated cheese) 1 egg 1¾ cup filtered water ½ cup fine-grated Parmesan cheese

Boil or bake sweet potato. Allow to cool before removing the peel if baked.

Heat oven to 350° F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix all ingredients except Parmesan.

Knead dough until thoroughly mixed.

Roll dough into shapes (like sticks or squares) or use cookie cutter. Roll shapes in the Parmesan. Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 155° F approximately 4 to 6 hours or until dry. For cats, make much smaller shapes.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephanie Raya, Excalibur Dehydrator

Roxanne’s Beef Jerky Strips for Dogs 3 cups ground lean grass-fed beef 1 cup flour

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Use a mixer to blend all ingredients together except the oatmeal. Once combined, fold in oats with a spoon.

If dough is too wet, add more flour.

Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Dog Biscuits Yields: 36 biscuits 1 sweet potato, boiled or baked ¼ cup peanut butter, low in fat, sugar and salt 1 egg 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp coconut oil

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Roll out cookie dough to ¼-inch-thick sheet and cut with any shaped cookie cutter. Fill cookie sheets.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until biscuits are hard to the touch.

Cool and place in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy of Livia J. Washburn, Trick or Deadly Treat.

calendarofevents

See monthly, by the day and hour, what’s happening in the Bay area. So many educational and uplifting events to assist with personal and planetary health: enjoy seminars, lectures, workshops, book signings, beauty and nutrition events, leading edge health solutions, spiritual connections, for singles, couples and families. Printed calendar is a gratis feature exclusively for advertisers who make this magazine possible. Non-advertisers are free to use on-line calendar at natampa.com, click on submit calendar tab.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 Acupuncture for Pets – 6:30pm. Dr. Sandra Truli Springer, VMD, Holistic Veterinarian. Did you know pets can love acupuncture? Learn how this 2,000-plusyear-old practice can benefit your pet from this Tampa Bay area holistic house-call veterinarian. Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 Pat Daly Shares Self-Publishing Experience – 2pm. Through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (e-books) and Create Space, Amazon’s book publishing arm, Pat has two publications and is working on a third. Come with questions and to hear about her journey. She will bring copies of her book The Women in His Life: What Jesus Saw in Them, available on Amazon. PatriciaDalyWrites.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 Holiday Appetizers & Munchies – 11am. Debby DeGraaff, natural foods chef & author, shows how to make tasty dishes that are sure to get the party started. Chickpea Salsa, Sweet & Creamy Ginger Dip & Tomato Red Pepper Mousse-all dairy & gluten-free! Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

The Truth about Cancer, A Global Quest: Movie Night at Your Life Spa – 6-8pm. Nine-part docuseries explains in depth the history, truths and treatments of cancer from 28 Doctors, 11 Scientists, 9 Survivors and 1 FDA dragon slaying attorney.

Episode 1: Travel back in time over 100 years to the turn of the 20th century. Prevent and heal cancer by understanding exactly what it is, how it forms, and what is currently offered by most mainstream doctors as treatments. You’ll learn in plain English the

truths about cancer, your choices, and tools to assist you on your wellness journey. Love Donation. 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. 727-322-3190.

YourLifeSpa.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 World Religions Seminar – 10am-12:30pm.

Instructor Mary Dawn Pyle, Professor of Religion and Ethics, St. Petersburg College (retired), and the American School of Ecuador, presents “Ancient Taoism”. A monthly college-level seminar series on the world’s major religions. Unity Church of St. Petersburg, 6168 1st Ave. N., St. Pete. Suggested offering $15 per seminar/church members, $20/nonmembers. Call to reserve your seat, 727-344-1515.

Essential Oils 101: Making Healthy Gifts – 11am12:30pm. Make healthy gifts to share with friends and family! Machelle Perkins, D.O.M. and Liz Dalbo will get your creativity going with Young Living Essential Oils and healthy gift giving this Christmas. Free. 7600 Bryan Dairy Rd., Ste. C, Largo. RSVP 727-541-2211.

Yoga for Low Back Decompression and Hip Pain – 1:30-3:30pm. With Wanda Howe, eRYT500 & Heather Benton, eRYT500. Join these two experienced teachers in a workshop to help alleviate pain and find the balance between strength and flexibility! Learn techniques to ease tight hips and relieve lower back compression. Receive a copy of the sequence to add to your home practice. $30. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd., Seminole. Info, Wanda 727-432-3018, Heather 727-480-3004. Registration yoga4all.com/workshops.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 Yoga Therapy: Healing Knees – 1-4pm. Doug Warner 500 RYT. Does knee pain hold you back

from everyday activities? Learn to align, support and strengthen your knees from a whole body perspective in this therapeutic workshop. We’ll explore foot, ankle, hip and low back postures that contribute to knee issues. Through gentle movement, selfdiscover muscular imbalances that may contribute to your pain. $35/in advance; $40/at door. St. Pete Yoga, 2842 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, Tampa. Sign up 727894-9642, Info@StPeteYoga.com, StPeteYoga.com.

DIY Jams for Gift Giving – 4pm. Presented by Vicki McWhorter, Clearwater Canning Company.

Homemade jams as holiday gifts are sure to please.

Make your holidays even sweeter by making your own.

Learn how & take home a gift for a friend or family member! Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

Discover the Healing Secrets of Yoga & Yoga Nidra – 6:30-9pm. Learn from Yogi Amrit Desai (Gurudev) as he provides masterful techniques that are designed to empower you to manage your stress no matter where you are, what you are doing or who you are with. Come experience new insights that will empower you to initiate a whole new way of dealing with stress related problems such as depression, anxiety and conflicts.

Experience the powerful technique of Yoga Nidra sleep based meditation to be free of self-destructive habits and behaviors. $35/Advance; $40/Door. Yoga Village, 2760 Daniel St., Clearwater. 727-712-1475, info@ayogavillage.com, ayogavillage.com/events.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7 HAPPY HANUKKAH Reiki I & II Class Certification – 10am-2pm.

Reiki I Dec 7. Reiki II Dec. 14. CEUs available for LMT, Provider Number MCE 50-13619, for Reiki credits. Reiki is a non-invasive & practical tool for regeneration, transformation and healing. Rev.

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Maria Antonieta Revello, Reiki, Karuna & Qigong Master, Light Therapist, NLP practitioner. Member of ICRT, ILA. Info & to reserve your space, 813334-7424, reikishrine@gmail.com.

Thyroid Problems? Free Seminar – 6pm. Fatigue?

Weight gain? Thinning hair? Feeling cold? Anxious?

Brittle nails? Brain fog? Drs. John & Alexa Parker, DC, D.PSc provide answers. Synergy Integrated Health, 4343 W Henderson Blvd., Tampa. Seating limited, Reservations, 813-254-5200, TampaThyroid.com, SynergyFixMe.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 A Positive Mind for Positive Health – 6pm. When we tap into our true potential, we can gain health, joy and the ability to be a contribution to our planet.

Presented by Claudia Fontanini. $10/Sugg’d donation. Call to register 813-962-2128.

Vegan Holiday Sides – 6:30pm. Brad Myers, The Vegabond Chef, demos how every cook needs a few trusty veggie sides in their back pocket, especially around the holidays. Learn from the best! Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 The Truth about Cancer, A Global Quest: Movie Night at Your Life Spa – 6-8pm. Episode 2: Cancer Facts and Fictions, Breast Cancer, Hormones, Skin Cancer & Essential Oils, opens with a profound quote from Mark Twain, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.” What is cancer? We all have cancer cells in our body. The immune system is the answer. Epigenetics states the way we live, eat, sleep, and handle stress has everything to do with our gene expression. Essential Oils and Skin Cancers- Frankincense Oil and its effectiveness against cancer. BEC5– devil’s apple, which is selectively toxic to skin cancer cells. Love Donation. 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. 727322-3190. YourLifeSpa.com.

What’s New in Holistic Health? – 6-8pm. Open House with organic wine and food. We can only accommodate the first 50 people. Please call to reserve your spot! Orthomolecular Nutrition & Wellness Center, 9225 Ulmerton Rd., Ste. 312, Largo. RSVP 727-518-9808. OrthoLiving.com.

Controlling Holiday Weight Gain – 6:30pm.

Presented by Liat Golan, RD, LD/N, Bee Well Nu-

WHOLE FOODS MARKE T IP, L .P.

WHOLE FOODS MARKE T IP, L .P.

Art of Letting Go Class – 6-8pm. Unforgiveness is one of the biggest blocks to healing. Learn to move on from that reoccurring relationship, sleep better at night, improve your quality of life from cancer, lose weight, manage stress, decrease pain, improve digestion & much more! Presented by Kerry Kott, Doctor of Oriental Medicine and spiritual teacher.

Attendees are guided through meditation and forgiveness exercises. $15/Love donation sugg’d. All proceeds donated to charity. Unity of Tampa, 3302 W Horatio St., Tampa. Space is limited. RSVP 813833-2299. PureElementsHealing@gmail.com. PureElementsHealing.com/forgiveness.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

SAVE TIME FOR THINGS THAT MATTER.

trition. Is it possible to celebrate the season without packing on pounds? You bet! Take home simple strategies for preventing holiday weight gain. Free.

Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 Couples Weekend Getaway & Workshop – 7pmSun 2pm. Dec. 11-13. Join Richard & Diana Daffner, authors of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples, for a romantic beach getaway. Bring greater joy, intimacy and passion to your relationship. Celebrate your love. Connect with your beloved on a soul level. $695/couple. Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota. More info, other dates & locations, brochure, 941-349-6804, IntimacyRetreats.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 Holiday Healing Workshop – 10am-1pm. Give yourself the gift of self-care during this holiday season.

Join us at Pure Elements Healing for this restorative, healing workshop. Learn how to meditate or deepen your existing practice, connect with the Spirit realm, let go of unhealthy attachments and enjoy the utilization of specific acupuncture points to go deeper within.

Feel refreshed and at ease to enjoy the holidays with grace. $110. Limited to 6. 6105 Memorial Hwy., Ste. J, Tampa. RSVP required, 813-833-2299. PureElementsHealing.com/classes-workshops.

DIY Apple Cinnamon Ornaments – 11am. Presented by Kristin Marr, Live Simply. Fun for the whole family! Make great smelling apple cinnamon ornaments to decorate your tree & home. Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

PLACE YOUR ORDER ONLINE. PICK UP IN STORE. AVAILABLE NOW - DECEMBER 29

Holiday Meals • Entrées • Sides • Party Platters

VIEW OUR MENU AT SHOP.WFM.COM

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Arthritis, Fibromyalgia & Other Self-Attacking Disorders – 1-4pm. Jill Voorhis 500 RYT. Join us for a yoga workshop to learn specific practices for the body and mind to not only address the symptoms of these challenges, but transform the underlying foundations that cause them. $35/in advance; $40/ at door. St. Pete Yoga, 2842 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, Tampa. Sign up 727-894-9642, Info@StPeteYoga. com, StPeteYoga.com.

Inner Song/True Voice – 1:30-3:30pm. Sangeet (Lessa) Sklover, Kundalini yoga teacher, creative artist, singer & educator focuses on the use of music meditation, Kundalini yoga, intuition enhancement, imagery, vibrational wellness and sound healing to honor the little soul voice inside that we all need to share with ourselves and the world. Come experience the gift of Kundalini yoga in its rich use of music and Naad to vibrate what we wish to create in our world. $25/Advance; $30/Door. Yoga Village, 2760 Daniel St., Clearwater. 727-712-1475, info@ ayogavillage.com, ayogavillage.com/events.

Therapeutic Series for Tight Hamstrings – 3-4:45pm.

With Heather Benton, RYT500. This therapeutic sequence focuses specifically on tight hamstrings, calves and hips. Learn to stretch properly to enhance performance and keep your body healthy. Open to all levels of fitness. Receive a copy of the sequence for home practice. $25. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd., Seminole. Info, Heather 727-480-3004. Advance registration required, yoga4all.com/workshops.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 Mala Making Workshop – 11am-1pm. With Theresa Rubbo. Learn the traditional Buddhist technique of making and using a mala. Design and make your own mala from a huge variety of beads, and it will then will be filled with your unique and special energy. This is also a great opportunity to make a gift from the heart for someone you care about. $15 plus the cost of the beads. Lotus Pond, 6201 Lynn Rd., Tampa. Register 813- 961-3160, yogalotuspond.com/workshops.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 Looking Deep into Your Sleep – 5-8pm. Is the stress keeping you awake? Are you unsure of the exact source of your insomnia? Wish you could fix your sleeping pattern, but don’t know how? Come join us to learn how hormones and food sensitivities could be the cause of sleeplessness. Learn about a home monitor system to test specifically how you sleep by monitoring: snoring, movement, breathing

and waking up. Let us help you prepare yourself for the wonderful but stressful holiday season. Sponsored by NaturalMed Therapies, Pharmasan Labs, ALCat, and Sleep Image. Free. NaturalMed Therapies, 7600 Bryan Dairy Rd., Ste. C, Largo. RSVP 727-541-2211. NaturalMedTherapies.com.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16 Do I Want a Divorce or Phenomenal Love? – 6pm. With Lea Osborn, relationship expert, Jungian therapist, coach, and author of soon to be released book, Conversations with Cupid, Relationship Rescue Formula. All of us have tremendous richness within us— potential that, when tapped, can help us find greater success and fulfillment in our relationships. I’ll let you in on “three massive mistakes most couples make,” and open for Q&A time. $25/ Advance; $30/Door. St Petersburg, Space is limited, call me now for details/reservations 303-378-5378.

LeaOsborn.com.

Thyroid Problems? Free Seminar – 6pm. Fatigue?

Weight gain? Thinning hair? Feeling cold? Anxious?

Brittle nails? Brain fog? Drs. John & Alexa Parker, DC, D.PSc provide answers. Synergy Integrated Health, 4343 W Henderson Blvd., Tampa. Seating limited, Reservations, 813-254-5200, TampaThyroid.com, SynergyFixMe.com.

The Reynolds’ Kitchen – 6:30pm. Dr. Paul & Cara Reynolds use the principles of Chinese medicine to combine flavors & color to feed all of your organs in this dairy & gluten free cooking class. Special holiday date! Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

Hypnosis for Happy-Healthy Holidays – 6:308:30pm. Join us for this fun, experiential class where you’ll learn to stay relaxed, happy & in control during the holidays. Be ready for the challenges that come with this time of year. Enjoy the festivities & start 2016 feeling even better. $20. UP Hypnosis Institute, 1810 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. G, Tarpon Springs. 727943-5003. UPHypnosis.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 The Truth about Cancer, A Global Quest: Movie Night at Your Life Spa – 6-8pm.

Episode 3: Cancer-Killing Viruses, Cancer Stem Cells, GMOs, Juicing & Eating the Rainbow. This action-packed episode focuses on a multitude of self-inflicted toxoids such as vaccines, GMOs,

cosmetics, pesticides, herbicides, mercury, BPAs, root canals, dental amalgam, aspartame, electromagnetic fields (EMFs), and fluoridation. Love Donation. 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg.

727-322-3190. YourLifeSpa.com.

The Magic of Honeybees – 6:30pm. Presented by Rebecca Conroy, Rebecca’s Bees. Even in a largely urban world, honeybees connect us with the flowers & life around us. Learn the importance of honeybees in our lives & local environment & find out how you can take a direct role in connecting with the world through honeybees. Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

Winter Solstice – 7:15-9pm. With Lisa Recchione, eRYT500. Winter Solstice with a Gong Celebration, yoga, warm tea and Indian food! Come experience this astrological event while allowing the pure vibrations and energy of the gong to help you reach a profound state of meditation and healing. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd., Seminole. Advance registration required to allow for food and tea prep. Walk-ins welcome depending on availability. $25. Info, Lisa 727595-6036. Registration yoga4all.com/workshops.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Beating the Holiday Blues – 11am. Presented by John Gow, NFP Wellness. Tis the season to be jolly!

Everyone is happy at holiday time, right? Wrong.

Truth be told, many people feel lonely, sad, anxious & depressed at this time of year. How can this be? John Gow will explain why & offer tools to prevent the blues & help you get through the holiday season happily. Free. Nature’s Food Patch, 1225 Cleveland St., Clearwater, 727-443-6703, naturesfoodpatch.com.

4th Annual Holiday Open House – 11am-2pm. This season, give the gift of wellness! Join Natural Balance Massage Therapy & Wellness Center in their 1800 sq. ft. wellness sanctuary for a holiday celebration. They will educate you on their services and assist you in balancing your body, mind and spirit.

Raffles, retail savings, gift certificate & service specials, chair massages and light hors d’oeuvres will be offered. Free gift with $100 purchase while supplies last. Free. 350 Alt. 19 North, Palm Harbor.

727-785-7071. NaturalBalanceMT.com.

Healthy Feet – 1:30-4:30pm. Join yoga therapist Nancy MacDonald for an anatomy workshop focused on healthy feet. You will learn: Anatomical

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alignment of the feet on and off the mat. Healthy feet exercises. How shoes affect not only the feet but the knees, hips & overall posture. Learn the most important stretch you can do for overall feet and leg health. With over 2000 hours of training Nancy wants to share with you her in-depth understanding of anatomy and how the mechanics of movement impact daily life. $40. CEUs 3 hours/ yoga teachers. Lotus Pond, 6201 Lynn Rd., Tampa.

813-961-3160, Workshop tab YogaLotusPond.com.

Reflexology Certification Program Weekend – (continues Dec. 20) This weekend is part of a 12-month, 300-hour program available for LMTs, acupuncturists and licensed health professionals with massage in their scope of practice to train to become Certified Reflexologists. Sam Belyea, program director, guides students through balancing the systems of the body using the technique of Reflexology. Each weekend includes additional topics such as business development, meditation, and self-care. $2100/Year; $175/Weekend. The Foot Whisperer Reflexology Institute, 4810 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa. Details 813-831-9420, FootWhisperer.com/reflexology_training.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 Master Class – 8:30-10:15am. Jaye Martin, 500 RYT & international lead trainer. Bring ease to your holidays through a rejuvenating pranayama practice.

Join in a practice that prepares the body and mind for deeper breath actions. Learn to use the breath as a vehicle to connect to our essential nature and capacity for love, passion and authentic power to inspire and make a difference. $30/Advance; $35/Door. Yoga Village, 2760 Daniel St., Clearwater. 727-712-1475, info@ayogavillage.com, ayogavillage.com/events.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 New Year’s Eve Gong Immersion & Meditation – 6:30-8:30pm. 9:30-11:30pm. Gail (Updesh Kaur) Dutton, Kundalini teacher & trainer, 500 RYT. Come join us and welcome in the New Year with consciousness; clear away the negative thought patterns of the past year, set your intentions for 2016 and meditate to create and celebrate your new vision. Allow the sacred vibration of the gong to clear away the blocks and bring in the New Year. $25/Advance; $30/Door. Yoga Village, 2760 Daniel St., Clearwater. 727-712-1475, info@ayogavillage.com, ayogavillage.com/events.

PLAN AHEAD SATURDAY, JANUARY 2 Free Hypnosis-NLP Seminar Benefits Hospice: Mind-Body Cohesion – 1-3pm. Join Patricia V. Scott, Certified Medical Hypnotherapist, for free seminar followed by Q&A. Goodie bags & Door Prizes for all. Private hypnosis session with minimum donation to Hospice during event. UP Hypnosis Institute, Terrace Plaza, 1810 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. G, Tarpon Springs. 727-943-5003. Details UPHypnosis.com

SUNDAY, JANUARY 3 Free Hypnosis-NLP Event Benefits Hospice: Your Unlimited Mind! – 1-6 pm. Learn how hypnosis & NLP are used in behavioral & medical issues with top local experts. Drop in or stay all day. Goodie bags & Door Prizes. Private hypnosis sessions with minimum donation to Hospice during event. UP Hypnosis Institute, Terrace Plaza, 1810 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. G, Tarpon Springs. 727-943-5003. Details UPHypnosis.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 4 Free Hypnosis-NLP Seminars Benefit Hospice – 1 pm & 6 pm. Free seminars with Patricia V. Scott, Ph.D. Discover how hypnosis & NLP can be used for personal growth or as a full- or part-time career.

Goodie bags & Door Prizes. Private hypnosis session with minimum donation to Hospice. UP Hypnosis Institute, Terrace Plaza, 1810 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. G, Tarpon Springs. 727-943-5003. UPHypnosis.com.

THURSDAY, january 7 The Truth about Cancer, A Global Quest: Movie Night at Your Life Spa – 6-8pm. Episode 4: Excitotoxins that Fuel Cancer, Nature’s Pharmacy and Healing Cancer with Sound & Light.

Love Donation. 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. 727-322-3190. YourLifeSpa.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 Celebrate the New Year with Your Beloved – 7pm-Sun 2pm. Jan. 8-10. Couples vacation retreat & Tantra Workshop. Join Richard & Diana Daffner, authors of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples, for a romantic beach getaway. Bring greater joy, intimacy and passion to your relationship. Connect with your beloved on a soul level. $695/couple.

Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota. More info, other dates, brochure, 941-349-6804, IntimacyRetreats.com.

Olive from Orlando. Learn all about foods, how they affect health, dehydrating, sprouting, juicing, recipes, more. Class counts toward CPNHS Certified Professional of Natural Health Sciences certification (813-695-4372). $250 or $225 early bird. Flyer at WOW-Simplified.com under ASNHS topic.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23 2nd Annual Healthy Foundation Seminar – 8am12:30pm. Join Dr. John Young, M.D. & guest speakers Dr. Steven Wycoff, DC, Dr. Sandra Lilo, DDS and Jenny Hrbacek, RN. If you’re sick of being sick and disappointed with run-of-the-mill treatments, these speakers have new solutions for you.

Only 250 seats available! $10. Holiday Inn, 3535 Ulmerton Rd., Clearwater. Tickets, 800-753-9907, HealthyFoundationSeminar.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 Couples Weekend Getaway & Workshop – 7pmSun 2pm. Jan. 29-31. Join Richard & Diana Daffner, authors of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples, for a romantic beach getaway. Bring greater joy, intimacy and passion to your relationship. Celebrate your love. Connect with your beloved on a soul level. $695/couple. Siesta Key Beach. More info, other dates & locations, brochure, 941-349-6804, IntimacyRetreats.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra Teacher Training – 8:30am-4:30pm. Feb. 6-10. With Jennifer Reis, senior faculty at Kripalu Center. Not-to-bemissed training for yoga teachers, therapists, counselors, health professionals, parents, and everyone interested in guiding others to relax and heal. Learn the 8 stages of Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra & how to deliver them. Learn about the effects of chronic stress. Learn how to tailor sessions for specific population groups, students, themes and seasons.

Learn how to lead Before & After Divine Sleep practices to transition and integrate. Lotus Pond, 6201 Lynn Rd., Tampa. 813-961-3160, Workshop tab YogaLotusPond.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 Let Food Be Thy Medicine – Jan 9-10. With Chef

saturday, december 26 Happy kwanzaA FRIDAY, jANUARY 1

hAPPY nEW yEAR!! natural awakenings

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ongoingevents sunday 25 Years of Teaching Meditation – 10-11am Sun; 6:30-8:30pm Weds; 6-7pm Fri. Learn three unique pre-Buddhist approaches to practicing meditation; techniques used by the earliest Yogis designed to awaken into the freedom and fullness of yourSelf.

Practice the fundamentals, avoid common pitfalls, and get guidance creating a practical, sustainable, life-changing practice. No experience needed. St. Petersburg Yoga, 2842 Dr. MLK St. N., 727-8949642, info@stpeteyoga.com, StPeteYoga.com.

Mindfulness Meditation and Buddhist Teaching – 10am-Noon. In the spirit of Thich Nhat Hanh with Fred Eppsteiner. Mindfulness practice helps one to cultivate compassion, develop inner peace and experience joy in daily life. 6501 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, Info tampa-updates@floridamindfulness. org or visit floridamindfulness.org.

Sunday Celebration Service – 10:30amNoon. Meditation 9:15-10am; Free Reiki & Healing 10am. Join our radically loving spiritual community as we share inspiring music & empowering messages which can transform your life. NBO Center embodies, express & practices oneness with all! New Beginning Oneness Center, 210 S. Pinellas Ave. (Alt 19 & Boyer), Tarpon Springs. Info 727-415-3600.

Candlelight Meditation – 6pm. Let yourself drift in a sea of peaceful music, beautiful imagery, and candlelight that creates an atmosphere of tranquility and serenity for you to soak in. This is gently guided meditation mixed with intervals of sacred silence, all underlined with soft, heavenly music. Sanctuary at First Unity Spiritual Campus, 460 46th Ave. N (at 4th St.), St Petersburg, 727-522-2222.

monday Yoga for Cancer Survivors – 10:30am Monday & Wednesday; 9:30am Thursday. Yoga and movement can enhance quality of life as a complement to medical treatments. Gail Newfield will teach us how to relieve some common side effects during and after cancer treatments. We will focus the mind, breathe deeply and move gently to renew the mind, body and spirit. Sign up 727-514-3051, treeoflifeyoga.org.

learning how to overcome your “Monkey Mind” negative self-talk. You will learn the foundations of Ontological coaching, as well experience what it is like to “be coached”. Bring your life challenges, desires, and dreams and we’ll get you on the road to your success! $30 per person per month; 3 or 6 month commitment required. Contact Coach Dianne 727-481-1646 or coach@diannekipp.com.

Create Your Ideal Healthy Body! – 6:30-8:30pm.

Mind-Body Cohesion© System developed by Patricia V Scott combines Hypnosis, NLP, Pivotal Response Conditioning & more for weight, diet, cravings, confidence, exercise motivation. Initial 5 classes: $155 prepaid; $175 same day; $135 Members. UP Hypnosis Institute, 800 Tarpon Woods Blvd, Palm Harbor, 727-943-5003, Info@ UPHypnosis.com, map uphypnosis.com.

Spirit Speaks – 7pm. 4th Monday. Join Emily Rivera Andrews, inspirational speaker, intuitive guide and energy healer for an evening filled with enlightened messages from beyond. Emily will make direct connection with Spirit and answer questions from the audience. $22. Wings Bookstore, 4500 4th St. N, St. Pete, 727-522-6657, WingsBookstore.com.

Awaken to a New Way of Being – 7-9pm. 3rd Monday. The gift of Vibrational Alignment will be shared during this group session to release limiting energies and miscreated thought so that your current experience can shift from lack to abundance, from fear to love, from illusion to truth. Each session Divinely Guided and facilitated by Omaji, with the intention of aligning you with your True Self. Wings Bookstore, 4500 4th St. N, St. Pete, 727-522-6657, WingsBookstore.com.

Gentle PM Yoga – 7-8:15pm. Instructor Nancy MacDonald E-RYT500 helps you let go of the day and find the peace within through gentle yoga postures and smooth stretches; excellent class for those with back pain or old injuries. Feel confident in finding the tools from a back pain specialist and yoga therapist to give yourself the gift of yoga to help relieve stress, balance emotions, and bring flexibility to the body, mind and heart. Aromatherapy is offered. All levels. Easy/Gentle. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd, Seminole. Nancy 727-542-0116.

Pre-registration Yoga4All.com.

Inner Wisdom Coaching Circle – 6-8pm. Join Coach Dianne Kipp in a “telecoaching” group each month to discover your internal wisdom, while

Attention Coaches and Want-a-Be Coaches! – Join Coach Dianne Kipp, experienced, certified and mentoring coach on a monthly “coaches conversation call” to build community, exchange ideas and gain insight to solving difficult client challenges.

Details 727-481-1646, diannekipp.com.

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Tampa Bay Edition

tuesday Inspiration Radio – 7:30am. Listen to Dr Tracie J Leonhardt, DO, on 1110 AM; call in with questions on topic of the day.

Qigong – 11am-Noon. An ancient Chinese exercise and healing technique that involves meditation, controlled breathing and movement exercises. $10/ Energy Exchange. New Beginning Oneness Center, 210 S. Pinellas Ave. (Alt 19 & Boyer), Tarpon Springs. Info 727-415-3600. Look for us on Meet-up & Facebook.

Kids and Teens Yoga Classes – 4-5pm Tuesday Kids 5-12. 5-6pm Wednesday Teens 13-17. With Paula Allen (aka Pollyzoom), learn yoga poses along with breathing, relaxation and meditation exercises to reduce anxiety and stress, develop body and mind strength and build self-esteem. $10/class.

Membership & Class Pass options available for individuals and families. Tree Of Life Yoga, 6800 Gulfport Blvd., Ste. 205, S Pasadena. 727-514-3051, TreeOfLifeYoga.org.

Kids Mindful Yoga – 4-5pm. Also Thurs. Kids ages 5 to 9 can learn the fundamentals of Mindfulness in body, breath, mind & life through yoga. Taught by our Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Yoga Instructor, and Mom of two. Parents can relax at the same time in their own separate Restorative class. 4-5pm, St. Petersburg Yoga, 2842 Dr. MLK St. N., 727-894-9642, info@stpeteyoga.com, StPeteYoga.com.

Free Beginners Yoga Class – 5:45-7pm. New to yoga or need a brief review of the basics? Join us for this class or any other one class for free. Open to all levels.

5:30-6:45pm. First class in studio (limit one) is FREE to Pinellas residents. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, Info, Marty 727-392-9642, yoga4all.com.

Acupuncture Intern Clinic $25 + Cost of Herbs – 6-8pm. Students spend about an hour or two using the Chinese medicine system of evaluation to see what herbs and herbal formulas to recommend for you. They are supervised by one of our experienced acupuncture & herbal practitioners. Appointments only. St. Petersburg Health & Wellness, 222 2nd St. N., St. Pete, 727-551-0857, stpetehw.com.

Reiki I & II Usui System – 6-10pm. Class Certification and CEUs available for LMT, Provider #MCE 50–77, for Reiki credits. Rev Maria Antonieta Revello, Reiki, Karuna & Qigong Master. Reiki II, Thursday. RSVP 813-334-7424.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. ~Maya Angelou

wednesday Reiki Share – 10am-2:30pm. Also 3rd Sat. Experience the most profound, powerful & gentle relaxation technique. It helps re-establish healthy frequencies to cells and tissues bringing back health.

Call 813-425-2596 Dr Marta Alarcon, 813-334-7424 Maria, reikishrine@gmail.com.

Inspiration Radio – 11:30am-Noon. Listen to Dr. Tracie J. Leonhardt, DO, on 1110 AM; call in with your questions on the topic of the day. Also listen daily for her metabolic health minute of the day.

Joel Chudnow Hosts Hawk Health Hour – Noon1pm. Wholistic Health Educator and Natural Lifestyle Counselor Joel Chudnow is back on the radio and web, interviewing and showcasing wholistic healthcare professionals in Tampa Bay. WMNF 88.5 HD4 and live streaming HawkRadio.com.

Past Life Regression and Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy – 1-4pm. Shellie Brown, Past Life Regression Specialist, Certified Reconnective Healer and Certified Shamanic Practitioner, has been practicing hypnotherapy for seven years, specializing in past life regression. This technique has been proven to be effective for thousands of people worldwide, regardless of age, gender, personality, etc. New Beginning Oneness Center, 210 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. 195, Tarpon Springs. Call 727-935-4891.

Tai Chi & Qi Gong – 4:30-6pm. Dao Yin and warm-up exercises 4:30pm. Qi Gong and Tai Chi sequences 5pm. Instructor Dr. Justin Fontanini has extensive experience and knowledge of these ancient arts. Donation. Reservations, 813-334-7424 Maria, 813-968-2128 Acupuncture & Natural Therapies, reikishrine@gmail.com.

Hatha Yoga: Align and Strengthen – 5:30-6:45pm.

Continue your journey of yoga with alignment and strength. Yoga therapist and E-RYT500 instructor Nancy MacDonald’s knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics allows the practice to unfold with structure yet playfulness. Understand the ease within the postures even as they begin to challenge you.

Deepen your understanding of the yoga postures, develop greater flexibility and awaken the mindbody connection. Private instruction available. Aromatherapy will be offered. Easy/all levels. Nancy 727-542-0116. Pre-registration Yoga4All.com.

Herb Student Clinic $10 + Cost of Herbs – 6-8pm.

Students spend about an hour or two using the Chinese medicine system of evaluation to see what herbs and herbal formulas to recommend for you.

They are supervised by one of our experienced acupuncture & herbal practitioners. Appointments only. St. Petersburg Health & Wellness, 222 2nd St.

N., St. Pete, 727-551-0857, stpetehw.com.

Hypnosis & NLP Master Class (Public Welcome) – 6-9pm, Last Weds. Master Class for professional development (3 CEUs). Hypnotists expand skills with scripts & practice time & others participate as practice client. $30 UPHI Associates; $35 UPHI Members; $40 General Public). UP Hypnosis Institute, 800 Tarpon Woods Blvd, Palm Harbor, 727-943-5003, 866-5377746, Info@UPHypnosis.com, map uphypnosis.com.

Interested in Yoga Teacher Training? – 6:15pm Free Info Session. 7pm Free Yoga Class. Learn about our 200hr YA Certified Yoga Teacher Training Program, now enrolling for January 2016. Teaching teachers, creating communities and lifelong friends for over 11 years. Exceptional teachers from Kripalu Center, Stockbridge & Boston, MA and well know local teachers. Lotus Pond, 6201 Lynn Rd., Tampa.

813-961-3160. YogaLotusPond.com.

Group Meditation with Intuitive Jennifer Farmer – 7-8:30pm. 4th Wednesday. Meditation is one of the most natural ways to reduce or even eliminate anxiety and depression from your life, and with practice you will lead a more rewarding and fulfilling life. It also opens the doorway to improved intuition and higher awareness. Love Offering. Wings Bookstore, 4500 4th St. N, St. Pete, 727-522-6657, WingsBookstore.com.

Restorative/Yin Yoga – 7-8:15pm. Join Nancy MacDonald E-RYT500, Certified Restorative Yoga teacher as she guides you in the peaceful practice of restorative/ yin yoga. Postures will be held so the body can unwind and unfold naturally. Yoga4All, 8836 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, 727-542-0116, Shantivinyasa.com.

thursday Mindfulness Meditation & Practice – 7-8:45pm. In the spirit of Thich Nhat Hanh. Mindfulness practice helps to cultivate compassion, develop inner peace and experience joy in daily life. UU St Pete, 719 Arlington Ave N, St Petersburg, Info floridamindfulness.org.

A Course in Miracles – 7pm. A modern day expression of the demonstrations and teachings of Jesus as the path to happiness, love and joy; course focuses on letting go of thoughts and pictures in our minds that cause us to suffer. $5 Donation, First Unity, 460-46th Ave N, St Pete, 727-527-2222 x101 or FirstUnity.org.

friday Every Friday Yoga – 9:30-10:40am. With Osiris Albrecht. Bring your mat and enjoy healthy stretch

and relaxation. Call for location, RSVP and to ensure class is happening. Osiris 813-545-3261.

Glimpsing Your Soul – 6:30-8:30pm, 4th Fri. Join inspirational author and teacher Laurel Geise as she leads the group in a past life session opening energetic doorways to explore the many dimensions of you. She will guide you through the exploration of the eternal nature of your soul. $33, Wings Bookstore, 4500 4th St N, St. Pete, WingsBookstore. com, 727-522-6657.

Couples Beach Retreat & Workshop – 7:30pm Fri-1:45pm Sun. Transform your relationship through sacred intimacy and conscious loving.

Discover Tantra. $595/couple, Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, IntimacyRetreats.com; Dates, other locations, brochure, call 1-877-282-4244.

saturday Qi Gong: Supreme Science Qi Gong – 9-10am.

Val Mirea, DOM, AP leads this group class through powerful and relaxing qi gong positions and techniques. $10. St. Pete Health & Wellness, 222 2nd St. N., St. Petersburg. RSVP 727-551-0857.

Passion 4 Pets Workshop – 10am-Noon. 3rd Saturday. Explore the world of your pets with Annette Pederson. Each month, a different topic. We will address animal CPR, nutrition, emergency planning, alternative healing modalities and more from local practitioners, experts and speakers. Meetings are for pet owners. $10/Energy Exchange. New Beginning Oneness Center, 210 S. Pinellas Ave., Ste. 195, Tarpon Springs. For more information, call 727-935-4891.

Reiki Share – 10am-2:30pm, 3rd Sat. Experience the powerful & gentle relaxation technique. It helps re-establish healthy frequencies to cells and tissues bringing back health. 813-765-5166 Maritza, 813-4252596 Dr Marta Alarcon, or reikishrine@gmail.com.

Self-Hypnosis Training: Your Unlimited Mind! – 1-4pm, Last Sat. Patricia V Scott, Certified Master Trainer, teaches how to discover untapped potentials, using the power of your Unlimited Mind. $45 prepaid; $55 same day; $35 Members, includes CD/materials, UP Hypnosis Institute, 800 Tarpon Woods Blvd, Ste A-1, Palm Harbor, 727-943-5003, 866-537-7746, Info@UPHypnosis.com, map uphypnosis.com.

Glimpsing Your Soul – 6:30-8:30pm. 4th Friday.

Join inspirational author and teacher Laurel Geise as she leads the group in a past life session opening energetic doorways for you to explore the many dimensions of you. $33. Wings Bookstore, 4500 4th St. N, St. Pete, 727-522-6657, WingsBookstore.com.

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Romantic Vacation Workshops

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communityresourceguide

...connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide visit www.natampa.com or call 727.865.9339.

ACUPUNCTURE Jade Tree Wellness Center Tom Elman, AP, LMT 3039 - 49th St. N, St. Petersburg (727) 344—8690 JadeTreeWellness.com

Happy, Healthy, Whole! Acupuncture, Herbs and Massage to help you feel better. We treat everything from asthma to emotional issues, from Acid Reflux to Fibromyalgia. Free Consultations! See ad page 13.

Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Chris Dziubinski, DOM, AP, L. Ac 12952 N Dale Mabry Highway Tampa, FL 33618 (813) 935-CARE (2273) MindBodySpiritCare.com

Florida Board Certified Acupuncture Physician offering acupuncture therapies for the whole family. Established, comfortable, caring and professional integrative medicine clinics in South & North Tampa. In-network with most medical insurances; accept payments from HRA, HSA and FSA.

Natural Med Therapies

Machelle Perkins, D.O.M. 7600 Bryan Dairy Rd # C, Largo, 33777 (727) 541—2211 NaturalMedTherapies.com National & state board certified with 15+ years experience in Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Cold Laser & more.

Bio-Puncture and Mesotherapy to treat pain, ADHD, anxiety, depression. Lab testing, most insurances. Free Nutritional Consultation.

alternative medicine LIFEWORKS WELLNESS CENTER

Dr. David Minkoff Dr. George Springer & Sue Morgan, ARNP 301 Turner Street, Clearwater (727) 466—6789 LifeWorksWellnessCenter.com Specializing in natural hormone replacement therapy: the natural, bioidentical way and other safe, natural nutritional solutions for menopause symptoms, including weight loss, acupuncture, chelation, allergy elimination, and walk-in care.

See ad inside front cover.

Peaks of Health Metabolic Medical Center

Tracie Leonhardt, DO 1120 Belcher Rd. S., Ste. 2, Largo, Fl 33777 (727) 826-0838 PeaksOfHealth.com

Dr. Leonhardt is Board Certified & Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. Offers a personalized program for each individual patient.

Hormone replacement therapy, weight loss, thyroid, GI issues, Diabetes, infrared sauna, IV nutrition, Anti-aging, Chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, and toxicities. See ad page 9.

Professional Herbalists Training Program

Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies 222 2nd St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 551—0857 AcuHerbals.com

allergies KATE NUCCI, CCHT

The Allergy Detective (813) 424-0335 Kate@KateNucci.com FloridaAllergyDetective.com Tired of not feeling your best?

Using applied kinesiology and acupressure we find and desensitize your sensitivities and allergies. No pills or injections. Gentle and safe.

Free consult. Guaranteed results.

See ad page 14.

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Tampa Bay Edition

The 2-year program meets one weekend each month for class and Wednesday nights for our hands-on student clinic. This program is designed to create clinical herbalists in a combination of Chinese and western herbalism.

Many open classes. Designed to meet American Herbalists Guild standards.

See ad page 18.

Pure Elements Healing

Kerry Kott, DOM, LAc 6105 Memorial Highway, Suite J Tampa, FL 33615 (813) 833-2299 PureElementsHealing@gmail.com PureElementsHealing.com

Kerry uses intuition and professional experience creating a truly unique experience! Acupuncture, Pranic Healing, Food Healing, Herbs, Oils, Crystals, Angel Healing, Spiritual Guidance. Insurance Accepted. See ad pages 11 and 44.

www.natampa.com

Orthomolecular Nutrition & Wellness 9225 Ulmerton Rd., Ste. 312, Largo (727) 518-9808 OrthoLiving.com.

Offering the latest in pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy for healing, enhanced metabolism, detoxification, optimal vitality. Call for a free session on the new Bemer PEMF device. See ad page 4.

astrology Astrology for Your Soul

Aluna Michaels, M.A., Esoteric Astrologer Dunedin (727) 239-7179 AlunaMichaels.com Second-generation astrologer and Soul Evolutionist practitioner.

Over 25 years of experience.

Insightful, unique perspective on goals and issues. “Together we will unveil your soul’s purpose.”

attorney Law Offices of Steven A. Culbreath, P.A. Steven A. Culbreath Esq. 111 - 2nd Avenue N.E., Suite 900 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 456-6463 steve@saculbreathlaw.com ImmigrationLawTampaBay.com

Member AILA/prestigious AV-rating. Authored articles on U.S. immigration law, visa strategies, legislative / regulatory updates, demystifying government agencies, insight into government practices. Visas, Greencards, Citizenship.

blood analysis Stewart Analysis, Ltd.

Brandi Stewart Microscopist/ Insured Wellness Counselor 15511 N.Florida Ave. Suite 2, Tampa (863) 860-6643 brandi@stewartanalysis.com StewartAnalysis.com Specializing in Live and dry layer blood evaluations utilizing applied dark field microscopic technology for health, education and nutritional improvements. Locations available throughout Florida.

chiropractic Natural Living Chiropractic & wellness center Dr. Paula Giusto 2102 S. Mac Dill Ave., Tampa (813) 253—2565 NaturalLivingChiropractic.org

Family chiropractic care, wellness care, nutritional counseling, neuromuscular massage therapy.

Jin Shin Jyutsu & craniosacral therapy.

herbalist

dentists

Rose Kalajian—Herbalist

Beata carlson, DDS

2701 Park Dr. Suite 4, Clearwater, Fl. 33763 (727) 712—3837 NaturalAndCosmeticDentistry.com

Dianne M. Kipp, BSN, PCC, CTT

ICF Certified Coach & Business Culture Consultant Dianne M. Kipp & Associates, LLC (727) 481-1646 coach@diannekipp.com DianneKipp.com

Wanting to achieve the best in your personal relationships, professional or business goals? Try coaching with a certified coach.

You will be amazed at the results!

Coaching Courageous Living choices & senior executives for over 8 years. Complimentary Personal Values Assessments & Intro-session available.

colon Hydrotherapy RENEW LIFE

Bonnie Barrett 28469 US Hwy 19 N. #402, Clearwater (727) 461—7227 RenewLifeFla.com, Lic# MA14802 MM12728 25 years experience. Expert in colon hydrotherapy using pressure points, abdominal massage, essential oils, and lymphatic drainage.

All disposable tubing used. Very comfortable and relaxing room with private bathroom. Raindrop massage available also.

counseling Willing Heart Counseling

Kerry Knesl, LCSW 105 S. Albany Avenue, Tampa FL 33606 (813) 468-5858 Kerry specializes in relationship issues, depression/mood disorders, eating disorders, addictions, anxiety, women’s issues, self-esteem, adolescent issues, grief, military family issues, work stress, and gay/lesbian issues.

Specializing in growing the herbs used in my clinic practice and in the Herbal Remedies I formulate.

Consultations are available for humans, dog, cats, and horses.

Promoting health through the use of Herbs. See ad page 30.

Natural, Holistic, Aesthetic Dentistry. Careful Silver filling removal. Non-metal crowns, bridges and partials. Be pampered in our Spa-like atmosphere. See ad back cover.

David F. Doering, DDS

coaching

Natural Health Hut Clinic and Herb Farm (813) 991—5177 ImHerbalist.com

hypnosis

Doering Family Dental 1201 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa (813) 933—5365 TampaDentalCare.com

Kate Nucci, CCHT

Cosmetic and restorative dentistry. Conservative approach to periodontal (gum) treatment. See ad page 15.

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist Transpersonal Hypnotherapist (813) 424-0335 Kate@KateNucci.com KateNucciHypnotherapy.com Hypnotherapy is a gentle and very effective tool that allows you to re-pattern your beliefs, attitudes and behaviors to create success in your life. Contact now for free consultation. See ad page 16.

Paul T. Rodeghero DDS

Clearwater Family Dental 215 S Myrtle Ave., Clearwater (727) 442-3363 MyClearwaterFamilyDental.com

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES HYPNOSIS, INC.

Our practice is a full service family practice. We welcome patients of all ages and can handle any concern that you may present to us. See ad page 23.

Ray Behm, DDS

127 N. Garden Ave., Clearwater 33755 (727) 446—6747 BehmNaturalDentistry.com Improve your overall health with holistic dentistry! Materials are tested for compatibility with your body. We remove toxic metals, treat root canals, and strengthen teeth and gums with state-of-the-art ozone treatments.

See ad page 28.

Patricia V. Scott, President (727) 943—5003, (866) 537—7746 UPHypnosis@yahoo.com, UPHypnosis.com Professional Hypnosis & NLP Certification Training, Weekly classes & Private sessions (Smoking, Weight, Stress, Sports, Habits), Clinical/Medical Hypnotherapy available w/referral. Speaking Services & Corporate Programs.

See ad page 21.

integrative medicine St. Petersburg Health & Wellness

Les Cole, MD 222 2nd St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 202-6807 StPeteHW.com.

Board certified in Anti-Aging/ Regenerative and Integrative/ Holistic Medicine. Specializing in men’s & women’s health, bio-identical hormones, weight, diabetes, hypertension, thyroid, fatigue, stress, gut health, chelation, IV vitamin C, nutrition.

See ad page 18.

Energy Medicine Joyce M. Claflin, LMT (MA46691)

Certified Samassati Colorlight Practitioner & Eden Energy Medicine St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (941) 445-2213 jmcheavenly444@gmail.com jmcheavenly.com

Joyce offers Colorlight Therapy and Energy Medicine to release negative thoughts, balance emotions and change limiting beliefs. These techniques carry information which can penetrate the DNA, change energy fields and reset the body’s matrix.

Experience is the teacher of all things. ~Julius Caesar

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integrative medicine Mind Body spirit Care Ron N. Shemesh, M.D. 12952 N Dale Mabry Highway Tampa, FL 33618 (813) 935—CARE (2273) MindBodySpiritCare.com

Integrative & holistic medicine for women & men: Natural Hormone Therapy, Anti-Aging, IV Chelation, Nutritional Vitamin Therapy, Fatigue & Stress Management, Weight Loss, Yoga, Nutritional Counseling. Affiliated with St. Joseph Hospital. Most insurance accepted.

lifestyle coaching Sarah Boughanmi, LLL, LLM, ESQ (QC.)

1-844-64-LIGHT (54448) LifeGlowOrganics.com,LifeGlowHealth.com FloridaHealthRetreat.com We help you attain a holistic and sustainable lifestyle for: health, beauty, rejuvenation, detox, and wellness. Specializing in produce/sprouts, coaching and retreats.See ad page 49.

SUZANNE P. PERSONS, Ph.D., LMHC MH#0423 / since 1982 Psychotherapy / Consultation 1700 Park Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33710 (727) 804—1706

EMDR Therapy for stress, trauma and change. Counseling for people with grief, loss, esteem issues; relationship communication, life assessment, direction and goals, father/daughter relationships.

organic produce Tampa Bay Organics

Erica Stamps (813) 949-1112 TampaBayOrganics.com hello@tampabayorganics.com Tampa Bay Organics delivers fresh, delicious 100% Certified Organic Fruits and Vegetables directly to your home or office.

Customize your delivery schedule and produce preferences to fit your lifestyle! www.TampaBayOrganics.com. See ad page 14.

meditation Meditation on the Inner Light and Sound 1-877- MEDITATE SantMat.net

Learn how to live in alignment with the soul’s purpose and to experience greater harmony within, with others, and with the environment. Always free, never a charge.

spiritual center new beginning oneness center MaryLou Houllis, Spiritual Leader 210 S. Pinellas Ave. Suite 195 Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 (727) 935-4891 NBOCenter.com

A New Thought Spiritual Community empowering messages, inspiring music, offering tools to transform your life! Sunday celebration service 10:30 a.m.

psychotherapy Lois A. Miller, L.C.S.W., PA

238 E. Davis Blvd. Suite 302, Tampa (813) 258-3906, Fl. Lic. swooo1738 info@mytherapywithheart.com MyTherapyWithHeart.com Integrative and holistic psychotherapy for individuals and couples. Treating anxiety, depression, grief, relationships, trauma, transitioning and more, using EMDR, EFT, mindfulness, and other modalities. See ad page 18.

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Tampa Bay Edition

veterinarian animal alternatives holistic health care Dr. Anne Lampru 238 E. Bearss Ave., Tampa (813) 265—2411 AnimalAlternatives.org

Dr. Anne Lampru has practiced holistic veterinary medicine since 1983. Believing that each pet is unique, she tailors a health restoration or maintenance plan to their individual needs.

See ad page 43.

Medicine River Animal Hospital Shawna L. Green, DVM 15235 Gulf Boulevard Madeira Beach, FL 33708 (727) 299—9029 MedicineRiverAnimalHospital.com

Compassionate health care catered toward the needs of your pet offering preventative medicine, surgery, dentistry, senior wellness, and more.

See ad page 42.

weight loss HCG ACCELERATED DIET

LifeWorks Wellness Center Sue Morgan, ARNP Sue Minkoff, RN 301 Turner Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 466 6789 LifeWorksWellnessCenter.com Experience this revolutionary, medically supervised weightloss program, where patients lose 14-20lbs in 24 days.

See ad inside cover.

wellness spa tutoring THE LEARNING CONNECTION TLC, INC.

Annette Primiani, B.S., M.S., Director 1156 N.E. Cleveland St., Clearwater, FL 33755 (727) 443-5353 LearningConnectionTLCInc.com tlcinc@earthlink.net The Learning Connection, T.L.C. Inc.,voted #1 Best Tutoring Service for 6 years in a row, is celebrating its 19th anniversary! We offer a wide variety of educational services for Pre-school to Adults.

We produce results!

See ad page 38.

www.natampa.com

Your Life Spa, your success

Holistic Wellness and Energetic Therapies Jeanine Miami 9657 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines Plaza, St. Petersburg (727) 322-3190 YourLifeSpa.com Ask to hear my story how I resolved cancer and bursitis naturally. I opened an affordable spa for everyone to have the best health and well-being! See ad page 41.

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