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Shaping the Future We Want Encouraging New Eco-Commitments
Dance your way to HEALTH Ritz Plaza
Rock Your Tastebuds! Global Vegetarian Recipes
Helping Kids Connect Ways to Model “We,” not “Me”
OCTOBER 2012 | New York City Edition | NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
Doctors at trump place longevity institute and medispa Taking Care of New Yorkers since 2001
Where Traditional Medicine
Dr. Kogan, M.D Board-Certified in Internal Medicine
meets Holistic Healing
Practicing Western and Eastern Medicine for over 10 years. 194 Riverside Boulevard (part of 200 Riverside Boulevard), New York, NY 10069 2
New York City Edition
212-580-0900 • www.DTPdoctors.com NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
THE TOXIN DESTROYER Intravenous Ozone Therapy
All Toxins, Virus, Bacteria, Fungus, Yeast and Parasites are Destroyed by Ozone Therapy, Safely!
A frequent guest on the Gary Null Radio Show, Dr. Howard Robins has been helping people using Ozone Therapy for over 21 years and is considered by many to be foremost clinical expert in North America on Bio-oxidative Therapies for the SAFE treatment of diseases and illness with over 175,000 treatments performed. DIV Ozone Therapy has successfully treated Herpes I and II, HIV, all forms of Hepatitis, Diabetic ulcers/neuropathy, Allergies, Chronic Fatigue, Candidiasis, MS, RA, Lyme Disease, Arthritis, Shingles,
Dr. Howard Robins
Acne, Psoriasis, HPV and now RSD/CRPS just to name a few diseases and conditions.
Please call and speak to Dr. Robins to find out more about this amazing treatment and/or go to www.ozoneuniversity.com.
When all else has failed DIV Ozone Therapy may be your only hope and the answer! The Healing Center
$50 off Initial Consultation with this Ad
The world leader in Bio-oxidative Therapies 200 W. 57th St. • New York, NY 10019 (corner 7th Ave by Carnegie Hall)
212-581-0101 DrHowardRobins@gmail.com natural awakenings
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letterfromthepublisher Dear Natural Awakenings Readers and Friends,
contact us Publisher Tina Woods CEO Sharon Bruckman Editor Alison Chabonaise Calendar Editor Janet Merryman Design & Production Julee Bode Natural Awakenings NYC P.O. Box 1995 Radio City Station New York, NY 10101 www.NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com To contact Natural Awakenings New York City Edition email publisher@naturalawakeningsnyc.com
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© 2012 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.
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New York City Edition
What a glorious way to head into fall as pictured on our cover with your arms open to possibility, inspiration and freedom with a sense of fashion and fun. This is the energy with which we wish you re-shape or build upon your future. In this great October issue we bring you many topics that cover various areas of life, from food, our global future, our children, and our selves. The fantastic thing about this issue and every issue is that the people you see pictured in our pages and mentioned in our articles are all passionate about leading a better way of life and helping you do the same. We have an abundant overload of resources to help you pave a new way in your future and all you need to do is connect with those you see in our magazine that spark a sense of inquiry within you. I have been fortunate to use Natural Awakenings Magazine as a resource to shape my path for the past several years, even before I saw the opportunity to take over as publisher. Since my mind said “yes” when I saw the opportunity to join Natural Awakenings as a publisher, it completely revamped the course of my life and began a series of outstanding events which allowed me to say “yes” over and over again and experience the abundance that life has to offer. What I hope this instills in you is the ability to take “action” in life when you see something that makes your heart says “yes”. It’s a quick internal response that your soul knows is right. So, as you flip through the pages of our magazine, take note when you hear “yes”, don’t second guess and connect with the people and information we are sharing with you. For they too are looking for those who say “yes” to what they do. If you listen to your heart, what do you have to loose?…If you don’t listen to your heart, what do you have to win? Feel Good, Live Simply, Laugh More,
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contents 9 newsbriefs 12 healthbriefs 14 globalbriefs 15 ecotip 22 healthykids 24 consciouseating 28 calendar 29 classifieds 30 resourceguide
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Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.
17 STEPPING RIGHT
18
HEALS THE BODY
by
by Jack Wiener, CDMT, LP
18 SHAPING THE
FUTURE WE WANT
Global Commitments to Catalyze Change by Brita Belli
22 CHILDREN FOLLOW ADULT EXAMPLES
Enabling “We” Instead of “Me” by Michael Ungar
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24 GLOBAL FLAVORS advertising & submissions How to Advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please go online at www.naturalawakeningsnyc.com or email publisher@naturalawakeningsnyc.com. Deadline for ads: the 15th of the month. Editorial submissions Email articles, news items and ideas to: publisher@naturalawakeningsnyc.com. Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month.
New Ethnic Vegetarian Recipes Rock Taste Buds
by Judith Fertig
24
Call For Cover Art & Photography
calendar submissions Email Calendar Events to: publisher@naturalawakeningsnyc.com. Deadline for calendar: the 15th of the month. regional markets Advertise your products or services in multiple markets! Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 212-726-1420. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.
Picture Your Art on Our Covers! Submit your artwork or photos to Natural Awakenings for the chance to be seen on one of our covers. For more information, including a list of monthly themes, submission terms and format requirements, visit: NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/covers natural awakenings
October 2012
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Natural Awakenings speaks with
Dr. Kogan
Founder of Doctors at trump place ON weight loss
F
all is upon us. All of a sudden the nights and mornings have become cooler. The days are shorter and the seasonal produce is changing. Our bodies try to adjust but very commonly we still succumb to the common cold, with its characteristic sniffles, nasal congestions, headaches, and mild cough. This and many other upper respiratory infections involving the throat or sinuses start trickling into the doctor’s offices. Many folks are looking for a quick fix and many are outright demanding the prescriptions for antibiotics. I strongly oppose frivolous use of antibiotics and think that many readers of Natural Awakenings will agree with me. Most of common upper respiratory infections and colds are viral in nature and can be prevented by clever wellness lifestyles and cured by natural remedies. Prevention starts with sleeping 7-8 hours daily, exercising regularly, drinking adequate fluids, and eating 3 healthy balanced meals and 2 snacks during the day. Wash your hands with liquid soap and water. I do not recommend using all these hand sanitizers out there. The use of these hand gels, lotions, and foams is yet another propaganda, another billion dollar contract with someone who manufactures these foams. Watch these thingies pop up in every school, bank, hospital, etc. People wind up with sticky hands, which are bound to collect more germs. People also get a false feeling that they don’t really need to wash their hands that often- now that they have smeared them with “magic gel”. Who conducted the research studying the bactericidal and viricidal properties of these commercial foams and gels? I’d be guessing: the sponsors of the studies were manufacturers themselves. Unfortunately, if you are a nervous person, the disease will get you even if you appear to be in best shape physically. This happens due to the deleterious effects of prolonged exposure to cortisol on our immune system. So, yoga, mediation, prayer or any other emotionally cleansing exercise should be part of your daily wellness mantra. At this time of the year it would also help to check your vitamin and mineral levels. Replenishing what you are deficient in will help to boost your immune system for the entire season. Intravenous vitamin drips are very popular in our office this time of the year as they provide a quick and sure way to deliver the vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract. 8
New York City Edition
But should you still get afflicted with the bug, here are a couple of my favorite natural remedies: Footbath for common cold: this is great for any viral cold presenting with runny nose, sniffles and nasal congestion. Fill up a medium to large foot bassinet with hot water. How hot? Well, make sure not to burn yourself, but make it sufficiently hot but still comfortable. Dissolve one heaping tablespoon of dry mustard powder in the water; dip your feet, making sure your ankles are fully covered with water. Close your eyes and relax for 15 minutes. Dry your feet thoroughly. Put warm cotton or wool socks on and get a good night sleep. You are sure to wake up feeling 95% better. Gogol-Mogol: a soothing cough remedy, used for centuries by all eastern Europeans, from the Polish to the Ukrainians. Every ethnic culture adds its own twist to the recipe but I will describe what I have been using throughout my whole life and with my patients who suffer from intractable cough. Bring 8 oz. of whole organic milk to a boil in a ceramic or glass container. Stir in one egg yolk. Add 1/3 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of honey. Stir vigorously. Drink one teaspoon at a time, slowly over several hours. This concoction coats the back of the throat, calms the cough, improves the hoarseness of the laryngitis. It may not good for your cholesterol, but it is only for a moment address the cough. Tea for unremitting influenza fevers: regular Lipton tea (decaf is fine) with one teaspoon of raspberry preserves. This infusion creates an antipyretic that has a fever-lowering effect, which is extremely effective, especially when you have maxed out on all the allowed Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen. Milk with baking soda: for a cough or a scratchy throat. Pre-boil an 8oz glass of whole organic milk in a glass or ceramic container and stir in 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drink slowly, over 15 minutes. Works wonders for adults and kids, even though it doesn’t have the best taste. I hope you all have a healthful and productive Autumn. For more information, please contact Dr. Kogan at 212-580-0900 or visit www.DTPdoctors.com See ad on page 2.
NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
newsbriefs A New Life With Rheumatoid Arthritis
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s Rheumatoid Arthritis affecting your morning routine? Would you like the strength and flexibility to move comfortably throughout your day? Perhaps you are overwhelmed by medications and their potential side effects. Naturopathic Dr Ivy Branin and Ruschelle Khanna co-owner of Brevi fitness have teamed up to design a fun and informative workshop that focuses on your health and helps uncover the underlying cause of your rheumatoid arthritis. If you don’t want to cover up your symptoms and prefer prevention of flare-ups with the least invasive treatment as possible, then their nurturing, straightforward approach is for you. In this workshop, you will learn about proper nutrition to prevent flare-ups and increase energy, maintaining optimal fitness and exercises to help with range of motion and stamina. They offer tips on navigating supplements effectively and managing side effects of medications naturally. Dr. Ivy Branin, ND is founder of Simplicity Health Associates with located in the Flat Iron District. She received her degree in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA, one of the leading schools of natural medicine in the country. She is passionate about natural health and living and has helped a wide variety of conditions including asthma, ulcerative colitis, anxiety and depression, rheumatoid arthritis, PCOS and infertility. Ruschelle Khanna is the co-Founder of Brevi Fitness in New York City. She uses her background in meditation, fitness and dance to create practical tools and custom wellness plans to help women feel stronger, more confident and fulfilled. Saturday October 13, 2012 2-4pm Studio Anya 49 West 24th Street New York, NY 10010 $65 in advance/ $70 at the door Ruschelle Khanna and Dr. Ivy Branin
Register at Skillshare.com by going to http://skl.sh/Opwcc1
For more information visit www.simplicityhealthassociates.com or brevifitness.com
New York’s Hudson Valley Furniture Artisans Love Green Practices
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e can all do something to reduce negative impact on the environment. This is what is done at Dancing Moon, LLC based in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Dancing Moon designs and builds high end limited edition furniture and accessories using reclaimed materials and environmentally friendly finishes as much as practical. The reason they decided to embrace green practices is simple: They care about the environment. Paul Fiorillo of Dancing Moon states “When the company was founded,one of the guiding principles we established, which our team has full heartedly embraced, is to follow a sustainable approach. Our green practices start from the design phase with selection of materials and design of assembly methods and extend to the manufacturing process and to shipping with selection of biodegradable shipping materials. We define ourselves as Responsible Earth Citizens.” Implementing a green policy requires more effort in specifying materials and finding resources for reclaimed materials and special finishes. The cost of the materials is also typically higher. Paul also states, “While performing our money making business duties we decided we did not want to do it at the expense of the environment. Folks own a product that has a minimum negative impact on the environment. The increased product cost is low. The added benefit is reclaimed materials add a unique character to each product which can’t be easily duplicated with new materials. The products style and quality is never compromised.” Dancing Moon delivers anywhere in New York City or near vicinity. View Dancing Moon’s current collection at DancingMoonFurniture.com. See ad on page 11.
COMING NEXT MONTH
Live Your Passion & Purpose Create your best life. Feel fit, energized and happier. Experts show the way in Natural Awakenings’ special November issue. For more information about advertising in Natural Awakenings, visit
naturalawakeningsnyc.com natural awakenings
October 2012
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newsbriefs Hope for RSD Pain Sufferers
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eflex-Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) produces a level of pain that is often debilitating. Until now, no cure has been found. Dr. Howard F. Robins, Director of The Healing Center, in New York City, believes the results he has seen with his patients using non-prescription, non-invasive protocols, are finally allowing RSD sufferers to live a normal, pain-free life. “Using Direct Intravenous Ozone Therapy (DIV) combined with lifestyle and dietary regimens, many of our patients are finally free of their torturous pain,” Robins reports. Used in over 36 countries by over 36,000 physicians worldwide, results are often published in German or other European languages and appear in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed.gov). Another strong proponent of DIV is Dr. Robert Rowen of Santa Rosa, California. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Rowen is internationally known for his work in the field of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. “Using an Ozone Therapy with The Healing Center’s protocol is an excellent way to help reduce or eliminate RSD pain,” says Rowen. “In fact, I know of no other method that works as well.” DIV also works to Chelate the body of all metals, including lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic and more and transform these metals into oxides,which flush and pass in the urine. Location: 200 W. 57th St., Ste. 807, NYC. For additional information, call the Healing Center at 212-581-0101, emailDrHowardRobins@gmail.com. See Ad on page 3.
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New York City Edition
Be Beautiful, Be Free Campaign Launches in Support of Safe Cosmetics
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reen Changes – a fresh collection of organic, fashion T-shirts partners with Pleasant Wayne – Eco Activist and spokes model for The Campaign For Safer Cosmetics (CFSC). With a mutual dedication to our earth and our future they have created a 100% organic cotton Fashion T-Shirt designed to direct people to the educational mission of the www.safecosmetics.org. The campaign, Be Beautiful. Be Free aims to raise awareness for the need to use cosmetics and personal care products that are free from dangerous chemicals. The design of the T-Shirt features a luscious set of lips and the message “Be beautiful. Be free.” This fashion T-shirt will join the Green Changes product line already available in select Whole Foods Markets in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and can also be customized with a Salon, Spa or Specialty Retailer’s logo for wholesale purchase. Empowered by Green Changes founder Justine Kawas, Pleasant Wayne’s dedication to the cause, and artwork from LaVO Marketing and Design, the Be Beautiful. Be Free. campaign is a shapely and eco-chic way to plant a seed in the community and create a local movement to show people that going green truly effects change. Green Changes was founded with the commitment to educate, engage and empower the community with the ability to make a difference through the use of their products, marketing alliances and natural resources. This eco-chic team of passionate activists is a continued example of Green Changes’ intention. For more information, contact Justine@greenchanges.org. See the current collection of fashions at GreenChanges.org.
NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
Do You Know Your Soul’s Intention for Your Love Life? Love is the energy we swim in, the fabric of our divine universe, and the essence of our DNA. Yet today you may find yourself feeling alone, unloved, or afraid-lost in the struggle of your life. How did this happen to you? When did you lose your connection to love and grace? Why are you alone when you came here to share your life with a soul mate? Sue Frederick answers all these questions and more in the pages of “I See Your Soul Mate” -- the consummate guide to finding and keeping your true love. Frederick delves into the depths of living intuitively to attract your soul mate. Under her expert instruction, you’ll learn tips and techniques that comprise the most advanced intuitive training available. This fun, hands-on guide will engage and enlighten you. “I See Your Soul Mate” is Now Available on Amazon.com
The Yoga Of Marketing
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inally there’s help for holistic practitioners and coaches who love what they do, but are at a loss for how to market their practice. Cathy Wilke, a holistic business coach, will teach The Yoga Of Marketing on Sunday, October 14th at One Spirit Learning Alliance at 247 West 36th Street. This is a full day workshop where holistic practitioners who are overwhelmed by marketing and social media will learn how to grow a clientele, promote their services and build a community around what they do without having to do anything that doesn’t align with their values. Cathy Wilke is the owner of Freedom and Fulfillment. She is dedicated to helping healers and coaches make a great living doing their great work. She runs classes and coaching programs throughout the year that are geared solely to holistic practitioners. For more information on They Yoga Of Marketing go to: http://wp.me/PRDw7-eX or call: 914-712-8680
natural awakenings
October 2012
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healthbriefs
The Phthalates–Diabetes Connection
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hat we place on our skin might increase the risk for diabetes, based on findings by researchers at Uppsala University, in Sweden. They noted a connection between phthalates found in cosmetics and plastics and the risk of seniors developing diabetes; even a modest increase in circulating blood levels of such chemicals doubled their risk. Monica Lind, associate professor of environmental medicine at the Section for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and Dr. Lars Lind, professor of medicine, analyzed new information from a study that involved more than 1,000 70-year-old men and women in Uppsala. The participants submitted blood samples for analysis of various environmental toxins, including several substances formed when the body breaks down phthalates. Even after adjusting for obesity, blood lipids, smoking and exercise habits, the researchers saw a definite connection between blood levels of some of the phthalates and an increased prevalence of diabetes. The Linds also found that certain phthalates were associated with disrupted insulin production in the pancreas. Most people come into daily contact with phthalates. These chemicals are commonly used as softening agents in plastics and as carriers of fragrances in cosmetics, personal care products, air fresheners and scented candles.
Breast Cancer Links to Environmental Toxins
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ew evidence that chemical pollution may be linked to breast cancer comes from a surprising source: a group of male breast cancer patients at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. Poisons in the camp’s drinking water, including benzene, a carcinogenic gasoline additive, perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), are regarded as a cause; conditions at the base are also blamed for unusual rates of leukemia and birth defects. The worst period of contamination of the base’s water supply began in the late 1950s and continued for more than 30 more years. Because men are simpler to study than women—their risk of developing breast cancer is not complicated by factors such as menstruation, reproduction, breastfeeding and hormone replacement therapy—the epidemiologists may be able to conclusively link industrial chemicals with an increased risk of the disease for both genders. Source: National Disease Clusters Alliance 12
New York City Edition
NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
Intravenous Ozone Therapy Offers Help for All
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ouldn’t it be great if there were a natural medicine that safely destroyed every bacteria, fungus, yeast and mold with virtually no adverse reaction? And what if it also destroyed every toxin, harmful free radical, and parasite in the body safely as well? One such treatment does exist and has been used by thousands of physicians in over 45 countries for over 70 years. Intravenous Ozone Therapy treatment consists of the use of medical grade oxygen and ozone gases safely injected into the vein. The extra “O” in the ozone molecule acts like a glue stealing an electron from anything in the body that it can latch onto. Healthy cells, which contain antioxidants, are not impacted but all pathogens are destroyed. Despite its effectiveness in studies published on OzoneUniversity.com and the National Library of Medicine (PubMed. gov), thistherapy is not well known. Dr. Howard Robins, DPM, explains, “It may be hard to believe but the pharmaceutical industry along with the FDA has suppressed information and its use here in the USA, along with state health departments, because of the money that would be lost if the use of antibiotics, antivirals and antifungal medicines were diminished due to the amazing benefits of this treatment.” “If you have a disease or condition that you haven’t been able to get rid of, Ozone Therapy will most likely be the answer, even for people that have suffered for years and have lost all hope,” says Robins. Source: Dr. Howard Robins of The Healing Center. Location: 200 W. 57th St., Ste. 807, New York. For additional information about Ozone Therapy, call 212-581-0101 or email DrHowardRobins@gmail.com. See Ad on Page 3.
ABCs Keep Colon Cancer at Bay
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hat do Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower have in common? According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, these cruciferous veggies are associated with a decreased risk of colon cancer. Throw in a good measure of A’s, as in apples, and people can also reduce their risk of distal colon cancer, report researchers from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research at the University of Western Australia and Deakin University, in Victoria, Australia. The investigation examined the potential link between fruits and vegetables and three cancers in different parts of the bowel.
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October 24 is Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Day
Vitamin D Curbs Depression
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he popularity of acupuncture in the United States is increasing steadily, according to a study of Americans’ use of the ancient Chinese energy-balancing technique, published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Researchers found that in 2007, 6 percent of adult Americans included acupuncture as part of their regular health care regimen, up 42 percent from 2002 (at that time, the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine also reported that 60 percent of adults surveyed considered acupuncture as a treatment option). Most commonly used for pain relief, acupuncture is based on the theory that needle stimulation of specific points on the body’s energy channels, called meridians, corrects imbalances and helps restore health. Some Western experts believe that the needles stimulate pain-sensing nerves, which trigger the brain to release endorphins, the body’s pain-relieving chemicals. Former President Richard Nixon is generally credited with popularizing acupuncture in the West after he toured medical facilities during his visit to China in 1972. New York Times reporter James Reston, who was traveling with Nixon and underwent an emergency appendectomy during the trip, wrote extensively about the post-operative pain relief he experienced.
ow levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression, particularly among those with a history of the disorder, according to what researchers believe is the largest such investigation ever undertaken. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists, working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, reviewed the relevant results of nearly 12,600 participants from late 2006 to late 2010. They suggest that patients with a history of depression could benefit from a vitamin D assessment.
All is connected... no one thing can change by itself. ~Paul Hawken
natural awakenings
October 2012
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globalbriefs
Food Fight
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Eco-Pioneer
Paying It Forward: Rachel Carson’s Legacy This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s seminal book, Silent Spring, which warned of the far-reaching dangers of deadly pesticides and was widely regarded as a catalyst for America’s conservation, clean air and water and environmental protection movements. Now author Laurie Lawlor and illustrator Laurie Beingessner bring her message to today’s youth in the children’s book, Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. Carson’s life—from her childhood fascination with nature to becoming a college graduate and biologist to writing Silent Spring before her death in 1964—is told in easyto-understand terms. An epilogue recounts her legacy for all generations. Carson encouraged readers to rethink fundamental values about the relationship between people and nature and not to suppose that, “Nature exists for the convenience of man,” as she put it. One of the vivid examples of life’s interconnectedness that Carson cited occurred in Clear Lake, California, between 1949 and 1957. To eradicate gnats, three sprayings of DDD, a cousin of DDT, were applied, killing western grebes that breed on floating nests. When scientists examined the dead birds, they found astounding levels of DDD and realized that it occurred because the birds fed on lake fish that fed on DDD-laden plankton, passing the toxic pesticide up the food chain in “a whole chain of poisoning.” Carson also warned of potential human cancers resulting from handling pesticides and eating contaminated fish. The state Department of Public Health consequently banned DDD in 1959 and the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants subsequently banned DDT for agricultural use worldwide in 2004. Along with the enactment of many environmental laws, Carson’s work helped spur the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The advent of Earth Day, in 1970, led Mark Hamilton Lytle to write in his biography of Carson, The Gentle Subversive, that, “No event could have done more to celebrate the ideals that Rachel Carson bequeathed to the environmental movement.” Her legacy lives on.
Green Gendering
Women Leaders Combat Climate Change A new study in the journal Social Science Research observes that, “Controlling for other factors, in nations where women’s status is higher, CO2 emissions are lower.” Christina Ergas and Richard York, sociologists at the University of Oregon–Eugene, found that the nations in which women have higher political status—based on how long they’ve had the right to vote and representation in parliament and ministerial governments—also have more ecologically sound outcomes than those that do not. Such outcomes included ratifying a greater number of environmental treaties, more scientific knowledge of climate change, a perception of environmental risks as more threatening and less optimism about the potential to solve problems by relying solely on technology. Source: Grist.org 14
New York City Edition
NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
No More Hidden GMOs California voters face a food-protection milestone this November when Proposition 37, a citizens’ initiative, appears on their ballots. If it passes, California will be the first state to require labeling of a wide range of foods containing genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. Determined to defeat this first-ever initiative, some of the nation’s largest biotech and agribusiness companies have poured millions of dollars into negative advertising. Even more alarming is that much of the money comes from sources most shoppers would not suspect. “Consumers might be surprised to find out that brands hiding under ‘natural’ façades are in fact owned by multi-billion-dollar corporations that are contributing bushel baskets of cash to defeating Proposition 37,” says Charlotte Vallaeys, director of Farm and Food Policy at The Cornucopia Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting sustainable, organic agriculture via research, investigation and education. According to Cornucopia, recent polls indicate that nearly 70 percent of California citizens support informational labeling. Proponents of Proposition 37 have contributed $3 million—a number dwarfed by the $23 million bursting from biotech and food manufacturer coffers to fight the measure. The California vote is crucial because many companies will find it more expensive to produce foods with GE labels for California while creating a different product line of foods for the rest of the nation. “Just as we’ve observed in Europe, where labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is mandatory, we fully expect that when given a choice, consumers will choose organic or non-GMO products,” said Cornucopia Co-Director Mark A. Kastel. To help consumers identify and support organic brands whose corporate owners have contributed to Proposition 37 and avoid product lines committed to its defeat, Cornucopia has compiled an online guide and is sponsoring a petition. Learn more and take action at Cornucopia. org/2012/08/prop37.
ecotip Good Idea
Eco-Checklist Tracks Personal Progress
Tech Trash
Africa’s E-Waste Is Skyrocketing The collective economies of Africa are set on a course to produce more electronic e-waste than Europe by 2017, according to Katharina Kummer Peiry, executive secretary of the Basel Convention on Hazardous Wastes. At a recent Pan-African Forum on e-waste in Nairobi, Kenya, she attributed the exponential increase to population growth and the increased availability of mobile phones, computers and accessories. More recycling could be advanced, she says, by the fact that significant amounts of valuable metals such as gold, silver, palladium and copper can be salvaged from electronic devices at less cost than smelting them from virgin ores. Source: TerraDaily.com
Number Please
Keeping daily to-do lists is standard practice for many life projects. Now, the environmentally conscious can periodically monitor their personal eco-progress via ChasingGreen.org/green-actions. The website helps people to become greener by suggesting many activities and ideas to consider and then check off when they have been accomplished, all while exchanging ideas with an interactive community. Eight categories—energy, health, heating and cooling, recycle and reuse, travel, water, miscellaneous and one-time actions—together contain more than 150 distinct actionable steps. Users can register or log-in using Facebook and save the latest additions to their progress report, then return at any time to monitor the successful greening of their lifestyle. For example, while many homeowners may have already insulated their dwelling, the energy section points out possible areas for improvement, including water pipes, roof, walls, window treatments, doors, ductwork, water heater and basement. Some tips in the miscellaneous section are timely for upcoming holidays, such as giving an eco-friendly gift, substituting an experience for a tangible gift and sending e-cards instead of traditional paper greetings. The travel section reminds the eco- and budget-conscious to check their cars’ tire pressure often, as underinflated tires put more rubber on the road, which demands more energy to drive and hurts gas mileage. When planning trips, a rail option is deemed better for the environment than driving or flying. Operators of the site, based in Walla Walla, Washington, state: “By offering small steps towards going green, we hope to give people a starting point and a source of inspiration. We are advocates of the proverbial, ‘Well, I can do that!’ moment.” Relevant articles on various topics offer additional eco-tips, enhanced by user comments and reviews.
Let Your Fingers Do the Blocking With the advent of online access at home and ubiquitous use of smartphones, the traditional printed telephone book is going the way of the dodo. Yet competing companies across the country are still churning out the archaic directories and delivering them unbidden to millions of people annually. Many receive multiple publications that, although they can be recycled, still add up to a tremendous waste of resources and an unnecessary burden on landfills. Now an industry-sponsored online opt-out registry, YellowPagesOptOut.com, has been established to provide a convenient way for residents to choose which directories they want to receive or to stop delivery. At least 12 weeks are required to process an opt-out request.
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10 STEPS to Your Personal Environmental Wellness We hear about environmental illness every day on the news. Some of these toxins seem so unavoidable, it can be overwhelming! Let’s focus on the things that you CAN do for yourself and your family to help minimize your exposure to toxins. Our whole staff got together to pitch in their favorite ideas on how to maintain environmental wellness.
Get exercise. “It’s a great way to help keep your body and mind strong, while improving your immune system and sweating out toxins,” explains Holistic Nutritionist and Personal Trainer, Judy Penta. Eat local and organic produce. “Choosing locally-grown, organic foods support your body, the local economy and the environment,” says Penta. “Berries are among my personal favorites for overall wellbeing. They are packed with anti-oxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties,” says Dr. Thomas Goforth, Family Medicine Physician. “And kale is another little food with big returns.” Focus on the good. Turn your attention to the positive things that are happening around you. Even if you’re in a bad mood, noticing the joyous laugh of a baby or the beauty of a tree whose leaves are turning deep crimson for autumn can put you back in a positive frame of mind. Sleep well. “Sleep’s role in overall wellness is greatly underrated. Especially in urban areas, this is a big health problem. The bedroom is for two things only: sleep and sex. Practice good sleep hygiene by turning off the TV or computer, dimming the lights and using relaxing music to create a peaceful environment,” explains Dr. Goforth. Take a technology holiday. Just one day a week try turning off your cell phone, powering down your laptop and step outside to enjoy nature. It’s helpful for your body, mind and spirit to have a break from being bombarded by information every minute. You may even notice that your stress levels go down and it’s easier to be “in the moment”. Reuse your bottle. “Try a stainless steel water bottle,” suggests Leah Barber our supplements advisor. This helps you prevent 16
New York City Edition
By Rashmi Gulati, MD Medical Director, Patients Medical
800 Second Avenue, Suite 900, NYC 10017
ingesting toxic chemicals from plastic bottles. It also decreases the amount of waste being sent to landfills. Detox your liver. “N-Acetyl Cysteine is a supplement that is great for supporting your liver in detoxification of heavy metals and other toxic chemicals,” recommends Barber. Additionally, I highly recommend doing a good liver cleanse 2-4 times per year. It helps keep your body in shape from inside-out. Enjoy detox foods. If doing a liver cleanse program sounds daunting to you, you can incorporate these foods in your daily meals to help your body detox every day: burdock root, dandelion greens, artichoke, turmeric, beets, and fennel. Choose clean meat. “If you choose to eat chicken, beef, pork or other types of animal protein, choose versions raised without the use of antibiotics, pesticides and hormones. This will help you avoid contaminating your own body with these toxic substances and support farmers who are using conscious farming practices,” adds Gina Guariglia, New Patient Coordinator. Clean green. “Choose ‘green’ or home-made natural cleaning products,” says Guariglia. These are surprisingly easy and fun to make with many household products you may already have. Are you ready to boost your environmental wellness? Partner with one of our holistic medical doctors to evaluate your whole body’s health and create a plan for total health. Mention this article to get $25 off your office visit with one of our out-of-network medical doctors before October 31st, 2012. For more information about Patients Medical call 347-2694762 or visit www.patientsmedical.com
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Stepping Right Heals the Body By Jack Wiener, CDMT, LP
53 years of teaching creative movement from three to ninety year olds, 32 years of practicing movement therapy with physically and emotionally impaired clients, and 21 years as a psychoanalyst dealing with diverse levels of anxiety has resulted in four incredibly simple actions that everyone, anywhere, at anytime can use to reclaim their birthright self.
I
t starts with the ground, rebuilding feet arches, strengthening ankles, stopping knee pain, squaring hips to find lower back pain disappearing. The actions are orthopedic in correcting misalignments; therapeutic in exposing the thinking that splits mind and body; and creative in allowing our natural emotional resonance to flow through the body. “You need to exercise” seems like good advice that everyone goes along with. We can however just as easily exercise in ways that end up hurting us as helping. The exercise advice is mostly concerned with promoting circulation, a fundamental function of muscles pulsing arteries to move the blood along and get the heart muscle to work better. There is nothing corrective in this advice. Consequently, a lot of people end up hurting themselves because of muscular misalignments that developed unconsciously in the process of growing up. Since day one, every time we trip or fall the vestibular system, our balance system tells muscles how to shift to maintain balance. This system doesn’t care about good alignment. It is programmed for survival. It sets up compensations: a slight shift to the left, a slight torque of the torso, a slight stiffening of the neck, that puts us in control. The sense of control sets up patterns. The most egregious contributor to habits of misalignments is the imperceptible absorptions of infancy and toddler-hood of a parent’s psychophysical energy, gait, sense of urgency, determined sense of mastery. This is the chameleon survival nature of our psyche. My point is that we can realign physically and emotionally. Reclaiming the Self –There are two irrefutable facts, the ground and all movement happens through muscles. The fol-
lowing four easily applied actions will over time realign the musculature; allow stress to pass through instead of tightening against. It is a steady, incremental process for reclaiming the kinesthetic sensibility – the source of our creativity and capacity for empathy. Four Actions – Stand over the flat of the heels. Shifting from side to side, front, and back will make sensing the flat clear. This begins to realign the 40 muscles and 27 bones in each foot to support a strong arch. Walking over the flat automatically shortens our stride and narrows the distance between the legs, centering the body for a more efficient transfer of weight through the 4th toe line on the sole of the foot. Depending on our sensitivity to motion, the resonance of motion from the flat through the back of the legs can quickly be felt, repositioning the pelvis over the feet as we step, to allow lower back problems to vanish. Apply this sense of motion through the musculature to any exercise, sitting or lying, and it will incrementally correct misalignments, protect against mindless following directions, and in turn join mind and body. Staying focused on the flat and its muscular resonance changes the disconnecting effect of thoughts and images into a creative process, as our deepest feelings filter through the body like sunshine through shadowy clouds. For more information, please contact Mr. Wiener at his office 212-724-2044 Author of Creative Movement for Children: A Dance Program for the Classroom (1969), and The Way of the 4th Toe: Into the Feeling Body (2011). Founder: School for Creative Movement (1962-1992). Small classes at present. Psychoanalyst. Jack Wiener Member and training analyst at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP); member of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP); the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education (IFPE); the American Counseling Association (ACA). natural awakenings
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“With growing populations depleting resources, how do we keep increasing and ensuring prosperity while we are already using more than we have?” queries U.N. spokeswoman Pragati Pascale. “It’s a conundrum.” Sustainable development, as defined by the U.N., includes fighting poverty, social inclusion (including advancing the status of women) and protecting the environment. Building a sustainable future for the planet, say those involved, means addressing all three simultaneously. It demands the kind of real, immediate action so evident at Rio+20.
Real Results
Shaping the Future We Want Global Commitments to Catalyze Change by Brita Belli
“W
e don’t need another plan of action or more treaties; what we need are people that will begin to implement the commitments and meet the goals that have already been created and established,” explains Jacob Scherr, director of global strategy and advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), about the new thinking that drove this year’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The June conference brought together international heads of state, business leaders, nonprofits and activists to prioritize and strategize sustainable development. Unlike the United
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Nations’ annual climate change conferences, which led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997—a legally binding treaty that set targets for greenhouse gas emissions the United States refused to sign—the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development is held once every 20 years. The theme of Rio+20 was simple and direct: The Future We Want. Moving away from political posturing and endless negotiating, the meet-up asked businesses, governments and charities to publicly declare their specific commitments and solicited the public’s ideas for realizing sustainability, all aligned with the priorities and opportunities of the 21st century. NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
By the end of the Rio conference, more than 700 voluntarily secured commitments, valued at more than half a trillion dollars, were earmarked to address everything from protecting forests and reducing ocean pollution to building rapid transit bus systems and increasing the number of women entrepreneurs in the green economy. The NRDC launched CloudOfCommitments.org to track and publicize new pledges and make them easily searchable by region or category. Some commitments are breathtaking in scope: n International development banks have pledged $175 billion to boost sustainable transportation in developing countries; n Bank of America promised $50 billion over 10 years to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and energy access; n The World Bank committed $16 billion to boost clean energy, access to electricity and cookstoves in developing nations; n The New Partnership for Africa’s Development promised to achieve energy access for at least 60 percent of Africa’s population by 2040; n The European Bank offered $8 billion by 2015 to support energy efficiency projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia; n Microsoft pledged to be carbon neutral across all its operations by the end of 2013;
“With growing populations depleting resources, how do we keep increasing and ensuring prosperity while we are already using more than we have? It’s a conundrum.” ~ Pragati Pascale, United Nations spokeswoman n The United States together with the Consumer Goods Forum (which represents more than 600 retail and manufacturing companies) committed to achieve zero net deforestation in their supply chains by 2020. “The real action, the real energy, was the 21st-century aspect [of Rio+20],” advises Scherr. “I call it the ‘network world’, recognizing the number of players today. It’s not just national governments; it’s states and cities, corporations and philanthropists. In addition to the official meetings and negotiations, between 3,000 and 4,000 other gatherings were going on between business people, mayors, civil society organizations and others, presenting myriad opportunities to make specific commitments. We’re moving to a different dynamic.”
Sowing Seeds
The inclusive atmosphere is reflected in another new U.N.-sponsored international sharing website, FutureWe Want.org, featuring visions and videos relating to sustainability and solutions to dire environmental problems, such as turning global warming-inducing methane from China’s farms into a usable energy source; predicting periods of drought in Ethiopia to prevent humanitarian crises; and investing in solar power to bring electricity to 1.4 billion
people around the world. More than 50 million people worldwide have submitted ideas for a more sustainable world, ranging from ways to increase public education to plans for stopping industrial pollution and better managing waste. “The huge public engagement in the conference is exciting,” says Pascale, “because that’s really how progress will happen. People have to force their governments to take action.” The NRDC dedicated website is part of a coordinated effort to hold governments, businesses and nonprofits accountable and inform the public. The new U.N. websites facilitate a thriving discussion of what sustainability means and how it can be put into practice. “We want to continue the overall campaign and build upon it,” says Pascale. “Whatever frustrations people have with businesses, nongovernment organizations (NGO) or governments, we need to harness that energy and keep that dialogue going to give people a voice in making sustainability happen.”
Results-Oriented Role Models
State-based examples of sustainable development in action speak to widespread needs in the United States. Here are examples of five models worth replicating. PlaNYC: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement of PlaNYC, on Earth Day 2007, signaled an historic moment. The people’s vision of a cleaner, healthier New York City, one that could accommodate 9 million predicted residents by 2030, aims to be a model for urban sustainable development. Its original 127 initiatives leave few sustainability stones unturned, including cleaning up brownfields, building more playgrounds and parks, increasing public transportation and bike lanes, implementing aggressive recycling, enforcing green building standards and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Two-thirds of the
initial goals have already been achieved; the latest update calls for 132 initiatives, including a new set of annual milestones. Speaking at the Museum of the City of New York in 2009, Daniel Doctoroff, the former deputy mayor of economic development and rebuilding for the Bloomberg administration, called PlaNYC “one of the most sweeping, most comprehensive blueprints for New York ever undertaken.” Most critically, all of its stated commitments are achievable (see Tinyurl. com/PlaNYC-goals). Evergreen Cooperative Initiative (ECI): Businesses and community groups in Cleveland, Ohio, determined that they needed to solve the problem of joblessness in low-income areas by creating living-wage jobs and then training eligible residents to fill them. They developed a new, cooperative-based economic model, based on green jobs that can inspire other cities with similar economic woes. The ECI is a community undertaking in which anchor institutions like the Cleveland Foundation, University Hospitals and the municipal government leverage their purchasing power to help create green-focused, employee-owned local businesses, which to date include a green laundromat, the hydroponic greenhouse Green City Growers, and Ohio Cooperative Solar, which provides weatherization and installs and maintains solar panels.
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The solar cooperative will more than double Ohio’s solar generating capacity from 2011 levels by the end of 2012 (see EvergreenCooperatives.com). CALGreen: Updated building codes may not generate much excitement until we consider that U.S. buildings account for a lion’s share of carbon dioxide emissions (39 percent), and consume 70 percent of the electricity we generate. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reports, “If half of new commercial buildings were built to use 50 percent less energy, it would save over 6 million metric tons of CO2 annually for the life of the buildings—the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road every year.” The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), which took effect in January 2011, sets the highest green bar for new buildings in the country. It requires that new buildings achieve a 20 percent reduction in potable water use, divert 50 percent of their construction waste from landfills, use paints and materials with low volatile organic compound content and provide parking for clean-air vehicles. Multiple key stakeholders have been involved throughout the process, including the California Energy Commission and the Sierra Club. “We really tried to bring together an entire spectrum of people and groups with different perspectives and expertise to build a consensus,” says David Walls, executive director of the California Building
Sustainable development in-
cludes fighting poverty, increasing social inclusion (including
advancing the status of women) and protecting the environment.
Standards Commission. “If we were going to put something in the code, we wanted to make sure it was right.” (See Tinyurl. com/CALGreen-Home.) Renewable Portfolio Standard: Texas leads the country in electricity generated from wind power. One complex, in Roscoe, features 627 turbines on 100,000 acres that cost $1 billion to build. Much of the rapid growth of the state’s wind industry can be credited to Texas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard, legislation passed in 1999 that mandated construction of renewable energy, including solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass and landfill gas, in addition to wind. It further mandated that utilities generate 2,000 megawatts of additional renewable energy by 2009, then 5,880 MW by 2015 and 10,000 MW by 2025. The 10-year goal was met in six years, and Texas has added many green jobs, increased tax revenues and provided security against blackouts, which is critical in the event of extreme heat or drought (see Tinyurl.com/TexasStandard). Edison Innovation Green Growth Fund: Clean technology is booming despite the economic recession and attracting serious investment funds. According to a report by Clean Edge, Inc., venture capital investments in clean technologies increased 30 percent between 2010 and 2011, from $5.1 billion to $6.6 billion. New Jersey entrepreneurs are upping their state’s potential in this arena with the
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NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
Edison Innovation Green Growth Fund. The program proffers loans of up to $2 million for companies, research facilities and nonprofits engaged in producing clean energy technologies, ranging from energy efficiency products such as LED lighting to solar, wind, tidal, biomass and methane capture. A condition of the loan is that a project must employ 75 percent of its workforce from New Jersey, or commit to growing 10 high-paying jobs (minimum $75,000 annually) over two years (see Tinyurl.com/NewJersey-EDA).
Grassroots Leadership
Elinor Ostrom, the political economist who won a Nobel Prize in economics but passed on just before the start of the Rio conference, dedicated her last blog post to considering the event’s impact. Titled “Green from the Grassroots,” the post stressed the priority of a multifaceted approach to curbing emissions. “Decades of research demonstrate that a variety of overlapping policies at city, subnational, national and international levels is more likely to succeed than single, overarching, binding agreements,” Ostrom remarked. “Such an evolutionary approach to policy provides essential safety nets should one or more policies fail. The good news is that evolutionary policymaking is already happening organically. In the absence of effective national and international legislation to curb greenhouse gases, a growing number of city leaders are acting to protect their citizens and economies.” She reported that even in the absence of federally mandated emissions targets, 30 U.S. states have passed their own climate plans and more than 900 mayors signed a climate protection agreement essentially agreeing to reach the Kyoto Protocol goals the federal government refused to sanction. Rio+20 built upon such bottom-up commitments and pushed states and businesses to go further than they’d ever imagined. “There was an incredible amount of energized activity,” concludes Scherr. “Many people came away feeling empowered and encouraged, because they saw that the sustainability movement is truly worldwide. That’s going to be the legacy of Rio.” Brita Belli, the editor of E-The Environmental Magazine, reports for Natural Awakenings.
FROST VALLEY YMCA GROUPS & FAMILY RETREATS
F
ar from the pressures and stresses of everyday life, where the demands of work, school, and social commitments take their toll, Frost Valley YMCA is a haven for groups and families. Frost Valley’s Main Camp and East Valley Ranch are located in two serene valleys cradled by the Catskill Mountains, and both offer the joys of nature and togetherness. Free of distraction—jobs and homework are on pause; iPhones don’t work; twitter means birdsong—families and groups have the space and quietude to connect deeply, in simple ways reminiscent of a bygone era. In a place as sheltered and nurturing as Frost Valley, ringed by mountains and trees that have endured for hundreds of years, families and groups remember their roots, and they are strengthened by their experience. For decades, and through the generations, Frost Valley YMCA has been home to family reunions, equestrian programs, health and wellness retreats, church groups, fly fishing groups, and more. Over the years, camp has changed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities. New additions include the Guenther Family Wellness Center, Geyer hall, Lakeview Lodge, Farm Camp, and East Valley Ranch, as well as new programs, amenities, and animals. But the traditions have remained: making fresh cider from apples in the orchard, or maple syrup in the maple sugar house, riding at dawn on the trails along the river, taking a hay ride to the farm, or going eye-to-eye with a great horned owl in the raptor Center. Those experiences, you can’t have anywhere else. Every weekend this fall, Frost Valley invites families to partake in a harvest full of events, including cider-making, fall foliage tours and hay rides. Here are some of Frost Valley’s most popular fall dates: Fall Family Farm Day 1:30 - 4pm Sunday, September 30th (Free) Halloween Carnival & Haunted Trails 9am - 10pm Join us for a day filled with fun and exciting fall activities and an evening of spooktacular Halloween games and haunted trails! Every Saturday in October! Quilt & Craft Weekend Friday - Sunday, October 26th - 28th Winter Sleepaway Camp Wednesday - Tuesday, Dec 26th, 2012 - Jan 1st, 2013
HERE IS A SAMPLING OF THE GROUPS FROST VALLEY SERVES: Girl Scouts come to Frost Valley for weekends throughout the school year. These weekends instill in young girls the confidence, poise, independence, and leadership skills that will set them well along the way toward a lifetime of success. Y Guides bring fathers and their children—both daughters and sons—to Frost Valley YMCA to enjoy quality time together away from the hectic pace of daily life. As they play together and explore the wonders of the natural world, they get to know each other in deep and lasting ways.
LiveSTRONG™ at the YMCA is a program where cancer survivors and their families come to Frost Valley YMCA to celebrate recovery and the journey to renewed health. Frost Valley YMCA fully funds these weekends for survivors and provides educational programs on healthy living. Teambuilding brings corporate and professional groups to Frost Valley for guided retreats and adventures courses. Focusing on conflict resolution, communication, and goal setting, groups learn effective and fun ways to work together towards mutual goals. East Valley Ranch is a secluded escape, fourteen miles from Frost Valley YMCA’s main camp. A charmingly renovated bed and breakfast-style ranch house with eleven beautifully appointed guest rooms that sleep from 2-4 people each, and a menu of wellness cuisine, it offers total privacy for your group. A world of your own to do (or do nothing!) just as you wish. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER: On the Web at www.frostvalley.org Phone: (845) 985 - 2291 Email: info@frostvalley.org natural awakenings
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healthykids
CHILDREN FOLLOW ADULT EXAMPLES Enabling “We” Instead of “Me” by Michael Ungar
“If you want to be miserable, think about yourself. If you want to be happy, think of others.” ~ Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
T
he phrase “connected kids” may describe youth consumed by Internet-dependent relationships. Yet these same young people still crave old-fashioned, face-to-face connections with the adults in their lives. With one parent or two, stepparents, a grandparent, aunts or uncles, older family friends, teachers and coaches—experience shows they all can help guide our children by showing the compassion that nurtures kids’ own caring instincts. Swedish futurist and author Mats Lindgren characterizes these young people, raised by the “Me Generation” (born in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s), The MeWe Generation, for their efforts to balance a culture of individualism and their need to belong. 22
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He notes, “Although the MeWes travel and experience more than any other generation before them, [in surveys] the small things in life still get the highest scores. A happy life is based on relations and companionship.” Family life, for better or worse, establishes the way children connect with others at school, in their communities, on the job, as citizens and as members of the human race. How can we help youngsters feel truly connected and learn to be responsible for themselves and others?
All Together Now
The cycle we want to start at home encompasses compassion, connection, responsibility and citizenship. The alternative is selfishness, alienation, exploitaNaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
tion and disenfranchisement; terms we hope will not apply to our children. If we want children to embody healthy and positive qualities and play an important role in family life and beyond, we need to understand how to enable kids to think “We” by outgrowing some of our own Me-thinking ways. To start, it helps to understand that when we ask nothing of our children— keep them from experiencing larger challenges and taking real responsibility for themselves and others—we risk spoiling them. Children that instead see and experience We-oriented caring for others and regularly participate in compassionate acts feel more attached to a community of family and friends. A child that feels noticed and embraced, and is then given opportunities to act independently of his parents, also will know what it means to be trusted. Parents convey, “I know you can do this.” A youngster that experiences this compassionate caring and trust will mimic such compassion, because it feels good to give and he wants others to acknowledge his worth. Also, having been allowed to suffer the consequences of some bad personal decisions (up to a point), he understands that his choices affect both himself and others. Given the opportunity to think things through for himself, he can make helpful choices instead of feeling forced to either resist or give in to what adults want. He knows how to show respect because he knows what it feels like to be respected. Acting responsibly follows naturally as a way to identify with others and demonstrate the strength of his connections and contributions to the welfare of others. It sews a child into the fabric of his family and community, which responds, “You are a part of us. You belong and we rely on you.” The child quietly says to himself, “I’m here” and “I count.” Listen closely and we will hear children asking permission to live their lives truly connected with us and with their widening circles of friends around the world. Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a clinician and research professor at the School of Social Work at Canada’s Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He based this article on his book, The We Generation: Raising Socially Responsible Kids, published by Da Capo Lifelong Books.
From Rude to Responsible: Ways to Foster “We” Thinking by Michael Ungar
E
ach age brings new opportunities to think “We” instead of “Me.” What children can contribute to the family and community will vary, based upon family values. Here are some starting points.
Age 5 and Under n Help with household chores, including
n Get ready for sports activities
and special interest classes
kitchen tasks and tidying their room
n Walk to school, where appropriate
n Choose activities they like and
Ages 12 to 18
politely ask to do them n Say “Thank you,” and be responsible for acknowledging gifts n Share toys and donate old ones
Ages 5 to 11 n Have responsibility (with supervision) for
a younger sibling’s care n Look after a pet n Learn commonsense use of
potential hazards like pocketknives and push scooters n Decide what to wear to school
n Obtain certification as lifeguards or junior coaches n Volunteer or seek paid work n Learn how to use power tools and lawnmowers n Accept responsibility for clothing choices and contribute money toward purchases n Plan events at school, such as a dance or preparation for graduation n Participate in religious or spiritual ceremonies that mark their transition to adulthood
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consciouseating
revealed how plant-based dishes can be sophisticated and even glamorous. Today’s latest cookbook evolution speaks to the newest generation of vegetarian cooks’ burgeoning interest in tasty ethnic cuisines, home gardening and farmers’ markets as well as meatless meals. Natkin has pulled it all together in Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution, with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes. From the standpoint of a well-traveled home cook, he also chronicles his travels and forays into flavorful, globally influenced recipes at Herbivoracious.com.
Why Vegetarian, Why Now?
Grilled Tofu and Pepper Tacos
Global Flavors
New Ethnic Vegetarian Recipes Rock Taste Buds by Judith Fertig
Celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month, Natural Awakenings visits the continuing evolutions of vegetarian eating habits and leading cookbooks.
A
ncient India and Egypt are known to have served up plant-based diets, but vegetarian cookbooks are a relatively recent American phenomenon. The genre debuted nationally in 1977 with Mollie Katzen’s groundbreaking classic, the first Moosewood Cookbook, sharing recipes gleaned from her restaurant and a collective coop in Ithaca, New York. Considered one of Five Women Who Changed the Way We Eat, by Health magazine, she has also hosted several PBS cooking shows. When Katzen first took up the cause, vegetarian cooking was earnest, if earthy, relying heavily upon such staples as brown rice, mushrooms and tofu. The options were limited for those that didn’t capitalize on a home garden or live in a cosmopolitan city. 24
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Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1970s, cookbook author and food blogger Michael Natkin remembers…“when vegetables were boiled until they begged for mercy.” Being a vegetarian then meant a commitment to a philosophy, not necessarily an expectation of flavor and pleasure. In 1981, an Indian actress and cookbook author introduced Americans to exotic vegetarian dishes from India in Madhur Jaffrey’s World of the East: Vegetarian Cooking. Still, without an Asian market nearby, hard-to-find ingredients like dhal (a lentil) or fenugreek (a seed) might have derailed attempts to make such recipes. By 1990, Chef Deborah Madison had contributed The Savory Way, which upped the quotient of colorful foods inspired by classic French cuisine. She NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
“Because vegetarian meals are good for you, tread more lightly on our planet’s resources and are kinder to animals,” Natkin responds. “The planet isn’t designed to support billions of meat-eaters. Plus, many are concerned about the methods of animal agriculture—think of industrial hog farms, for instance, which can be environmental nightmares. If you want to eat meat from smaller producers with higher ethical standards, it’s more expensive,” he says. “Even if you eat meatless only now and again, it’s better for the family budget, your health and the planet.” Natkin is well aware of the “dark days for vegetables,” when commerce dictated that varieties be chosen and grown primarily for their ability to withstand long-distance transport. Now, due to rising demand, more are grown for flavor, advises Natkin, and that makes vegetarian meals taste better and become more popular. Natkin further suggests, “If you want a sustainable diet, it must include foods that you like, not foods that you think you should like. They have to taste good, otherwise you won’t stick with it.” Natkin’s cookbook encompasses dishes from locales as diverse as India, Iran, Japan, Mexico and Thailand. His special touch is conceiving ways to convert traditional recipes to vegetarian variations while maintaining unique flavors and combinations of textures. From a deconstructed sushi to tofu tacos, Natkin coaxes the most flavor
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that… the great majority of Americans would rather be considered healthy, rather than wealthy.” ~ Mike Weisman, president, The Values Institute at DGWB out of his ingredients—from cooking pasta in red wine, making “meaty” soup stocks with dried mushrooms or Parmesan cheese rinds to teaching uses of condiments like Japanese sesame salt. “The least successful cuisine for translation into vegetarian cooking is American comfort food,” he notes. He always encourages cooks to think creatively, not literally, when translating a meat-based dish to a plant-based equivalent. Instead of trying to do a faux turkey for Thanksgiving, for example, he recommends serving a main dish that looks celebratory and mouthwatering, saluting the traditional role of the centerpiece turkey in a fresh way.
Growing Trend
According to a national 2012 Harris Poll, 47 percent of Americans eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. The Values Institute of DGWB, an advertising and communications firm based in Santa Ana, California, confirms the rise of flexitarianism, or eating meat on occasion rather than routinely, as one of the top trends of 2012. Finally, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman remarks, “When I ask audiences I speak to, ‘How many of you are eating less meat than you were 10 years ago?’ at least two-thirds raise their hands. A self-selecting group to be sure, but nevertheless, one that exists. In fact, let’s ask this: Is anyone in this country eating more meat than they used to?” Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFood AndLifestyle.blogspot.com. natural awakenings
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Life Flowing Through Us Michael Mongno, Ph.D
W
e come into the world innocent and ready for adventure. As children all is new for us with everyday discoveries. With good or even adequate parenting this newness stays with us and as we become properly socialized to lead productive lives. Before we know it we’re heading into our young adulthood and then it starts to hit us: we’re now supposed to be doing something with our lives. After all, isn’t this what we’ve been preparing for up to now? We now have to be someone or do something that our family, culture, religion, or country has entrained or instructed us to be/do. The problem is that for many, this just isn’t clear to us. We then might spend the next decade or so attempting to discover some meaning or purpose to our lives. Some actually do find a life calling while the rest of us often struggle with an emptiness or lack brought on by the original belief of needing to be someone extraordinary and do something special. However, what if all that wasn’t true? What if there was no one we “needed” to be or nothing we “needed” to do. What if simply just being was enough and there was no need for the attribution of any outside meaning? This may be hard to imagine, although many great philosophers and artists over time have attempted to point to it (e.g. John Lennon with his poignant anthem of the 70’s, Imagine). One way to look at our lives is that these are not ‘our lives” at all, but simply life living through us and there’s no separate I. Imagine instead that we are merely containers for life to live through us in any fashion it presents itself over time. We can be seen as open ended vessels with specific egos and personalities that keep us functioning in a world of survival, and that life itself is arbitrary or neutral and doesn’t have any agenda for us whatsoever or how “our” lives should turn out. In the truest sense, this way of thinking would take away our specialness as well as our guilt and make us all ordinary, or the same, equal, or perhaps even all one with each other. Let’s see how this belief system might play out in the world. First off, we certainly wouldn’t have any need for a public persona to present to the world as we wouldn’t need 26
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to prove anything to anyone, given that we’re all made up of the same ordinariness. And we would treat each other with loving kindness since we’re all one and the same. We would certainly take good care of our bodily vessels so that life could flow through us in a healthy way with ease and grace. And we would not need to judge ourselves or others since again life would have no agenda or presupposed goal as to how to live or what we needed to accomplish. We would find ourselves doing what would feel natural, organic, interesting or helpful as we went along, being guided by what/ how life needed to fulfill itself in any given moment. This living would be ultimately freeing and we’d find ourselves following an energetic movement of real interest and curiosity all the while trusting that by doing so all of our needs would be taken care of by life itself. For instance when making a decision, instead of the familiar listing of pros and cons or simply reacting from habit or emotions, you might sit quietly, take some deep breaths and tune into a deeper place within. Then ask the question or list the options and notice what happens in the body. Perhaps you’ll feel a little shift or tug or even some sense of relief when you hit on what would be of greatest benefit for all considered. Here the decision would come from you as the vessel being attuned to the greatest good and then following the next natural steps toward that end. This way of thinking also involves a manner of self-acceptance. It lets us off the hook for all we should have done or could have done differently in the past, since life flowing through us knows only the present moment and doesn’t keep an accounting of the past. We all have much great potential that will never get fully actualized this time around, that’s simply the way it is. Our early family of origin wiring has us predisposed to certain ways of being, reacting, and allowing, so that life can only work in and through the vessels that we are. It’s easy to go back and judge how we might have made better decisions, but most often we were only as capable emotionally (our most powerful driving force) as we were at the time, so the decisions we made were the only ones we
NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
could have really made all things considered. As we allow life to guide us, from this moment to the next, we also naturally let go of the need for someone/thing to follow. There’ll be no need for a guru, teacher, preacher or priest, not that any of these still might not offer insight or education that would allow for a more interesting flow. But we wouldn’t need them to survive in any absolute sense, nor would we need to hurt each other by attempting to prove which one is better or right. We’d spend time creating a healthy, peaceful, loving place to live where the abundance of the Universe could pour through each of us in an unlimited way. Maybe we could all try this out for a month or two. And if you don’t like the results then there’s still the old way based on ego, judgment, limitation, punishment and all the ensuing dramas of good vs. evil. You can be the judge, or actually perhaps let the love and forgiveness of your heart lead the way. In the end, you’ll know which feels better. Michael Mongno MFT, Ph.D, LP is a licensed psychoanalyst, relationship counselor and holistic practitioner in Manhattan. He brings a wealth of successful experience with a wide range of couples issues as well as down-to-earth wisdom and modern sensibility to what it takes to create healthy, loving and empowered relationships. Please visit PresentCenteredTherapies.com or call (212) 799-0001 for more information.
Experience fulfilling & lasting relationships! Relationship Therapy will help you to develop:
True AWARENESS of SELF and OTHERS Effective COMMUNICATION SKILLS TOOLS to RESOLVE OBSTACLES preventing real Intimacy LOVING, LASTING and EMPOWERING Relationships
As a seasoned Relationship Counselor & Couples Therapist, Dr. Michael Mongno brings years of success to his work with a wide range of couples issues as well as effective coaching for those single & in the dating world. Michael Mongno For information MFT,more Ph.D, LP
about advertising in PresentCenteredTherapies.com
Call 212-799-0001
Natural Awakenings, visit naturalawakeningsnyc.com natural awakenings
October 2012
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calendarofevents NOTE: All Calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month prior to publication and adhere to our guidelines. Email publisher@naturalawakeningsNYC.com for guidelines and to submit entries.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 Meditation Class – 7-8pm. Sahaja Yoga meditation. This class welcomes everyone, especially beginners, to the practice of meditation. Jan Hus Playhouse, 351 E 74th St. (between 1st and 2nd Aves.) 212-585-2730.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 Morning Fitness at Fort Tryon Park – 7:308:30am. Come to Fort Tryon Park and try something new! This free fitness program, led by trained professionals, utilizes walking, stretching and strengthening exercises. One hour duration, suitable for all levels. Wear comfortable clothing and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Heather Garden, Fort Tryon Park (Cabrini Blvd and Ft Washington Ave). NYCGovParks.org/events/2012/10/02/morningfitness-at-fort-tryon-park.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 Let Us Eat Local 2012—6pm. Come and join in on the 5th Annual Let Us Eat Local 2012 event. It’s a tasting benefit that celebrates locally grown foods. The Altman Bldg, 135 W 18th St. 212-741-3400.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4 Dance Your Way to a Healthy Body and Mind – Come join the mesmerizing and sophisticated moves of ballroom dancing as you dance your way to health! Every Thursday night, New Yorker Social Dance Club, one of New York’s premiere ballroom studios, invites you to this exciting social party. 335 W 35th St, 6th Floor. 212-216-9344 or NewYorkerSocialDance.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 Madison Square Eats – 11am-9pm. Attention neighborhood “foodists,” it’s your favorite time of year! This month-long outdoor market brings you 26 vendors from some of the city’s most raved-about eateries that include some favorites as well as some newbies to keep things feeling fresh. Stop by early and try it all! Worth Square, Madison Square Park. NYCGovParks.org/events/2012/10/05/mad-sq-eats.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 Health and Race Walking – 9:30-11am. This weekly moderate-to-brisk walk is led by the NY Walkers Club for people 18+ years of age, all abilities. It’s low impact and is perfect for those who want to get in shape, build muscle tone and strength and increase cardiovascular health, all while enjoying the park’s beautiful landscapes. North Meadow Recreation Center, Central Park. 212-348-4867 or JKing@CentralParkNYC.org.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7 The 2nd Annual Fit for All 5K – 9am. In its second year, Fit for All 5K will continue to bring awareness to the community about childhood obesity and the Y’s effort to combat the problem. It’s a fun-filled family event that raises the necessary funding to support this worthwhile program. Many give-aways, awesome prizes. Terrace Promenade South, River-
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side Park. NYCGovParks.org/events/2012/10/07/ the-2nd-annual-fit-for-all-5k.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 8 New York Columbus Day Festival – 11am-6pm. A dazzling day of bargains and fun, this festival features artists and crafters with general merchandise, foods and corporate displays. Whitehall St (from Beaver St to Stone St). FairsandFestivals.net/events/ details/new-york-columbus-day-festival.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9 Open Meditation Session – 6:30-8:30pm. Attend this two-hour meditation and breath session to learn some of the breathing techniques and the mission that is putting a smile on people’s faces across the world. Open to all. Art of Living, 286 5th Ave, 5th Floor. Contact Ashish Soni at 212-414-8222.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10 Community Meditation – 6:30-7:30pm. The tradition of Buddhist teachings is grounded in the practice of dana (generosity). This practice comes to us from the time of the Buddha when those who received the teachings reciprocated by donating food, clothing and medicine. Here at our center, we carry on the tradition of dana by offering the sessions free of charge. Allan Lokos. Community Meditation Center, 150 W 83rd St (Columbus and Amsterdam). Handicapped accessible.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 Dance Your Way to a Healthy Body and Mind – Come join the mesmerizing and sophisticated moves of ballroom dancing as you dance your way to health! Every Thursday night, New Yorker Social Dance Club, one of New York’s premiere ballroom studios, invites you to this exciting social party. 335 W 35th St, 6th Floor. 212-216-9344 or NewYorkerSocialDance.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 New York City Wine & Food Festival – This festive event features Try This, Coast 2 Coast Korean BBQ, Benoit Dinner and many more at Bank of America Tower, One Bryant Park, Manhattan. New. York.eventguide.com/events/e513400/htm.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR The Yoga Of Marketing Sunday, October 14th 9:30 am - 6:00pm A workshop for holistic practitioners who love what they do and need help getting their great work out into the world. One Spirit Learning Alliance 247 West 36th Street, 6th Floor For more info go to: http://wp.me/PRDw7-eX or call: 914-712-8680
www.freedomandfulfillment.com NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 MELT Beginners Series – 6:30-8pm. This is a fourweek series led by Edya Kalev and is geared to novice MELTers. We will explore the basic principles to rehydrate the connective tissue in your body. This provides better support for muscles, bones, joints, organs and nerves so that the body naturally works more efficiently from the inside out. The Breathing Project, 15 W 26th St, 10th Floor. 212-979-9642.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16 City Harvest’s 18th Annual Bid Against Hunger – VIP Hour at 6pm, Tasting and Silent Auction, 7:30-10pm. Last year, Bid Against Hunger raised over $1,000,000 to help provide food for more than 4.5 million of NY’s hungry. Come participate in this worthwhile tasting event at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W 18th St. 917-351-8725 or Events@ CityHarvest.org.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 The Big Apple Helicopter Tour – 8pm. See New York’s famous landmarks in a 15-minute helicopter tour. Landmarks include the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and beautiful Central Park. Downtown Heliport at Pier 6 and East River. New.York.eventguide.com/ events/e513473.htm.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 Dance Your Way to a Healthy Body and Mind – Come join the mesmerizing and sophisticated moves of ballroom dancing as you dance your way to health! Every Thursday night, New Yorker Social Dance Club, one of New York’s premiere ballroom studios, invites you to this exciting social party. 335 W 35th St, 6th Floor. 212-216-9344 or NewYorkerSocialDance.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 Free Acupuncture at Oriental Medicine Day Celebration – 5-8pm. Pacific College invites you to their Oriental Medicine Day celebration to get FREE acupuncture. Also included are oriental medicine workshops, a talk on autumn health tips and answers to your questions about oriental medicine. Pacific College, 915 Broadway. 212-982-3456, x226 or Outreach-NY@PacificCollege.edu.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Core Walking Workshop – 1:45-4:45pm. Core Walking helps you take your yoga practice off the mat and into your daily life! Walking is fundamental to who and what we are, and proper walking posture leads to improved breathing patterns. Learn to be conscious about your body with every step and it will help you expand your exercise horizons to every movement you make. Jonathan Fitzgordon. East Yoga, 212 Ave B (entrance of 13th St). 212-420-8411.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 Princess Grace Awards 2012 Gala – 6:30-10pm. National in scope, the Princess Grace FoundationUSA is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in theater, dance and film by awarding grants in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships. Ticket purchase required to attend. Cipriani, 110 E 42nd St. 212-499-0599.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR Dance Your Way To Health 2012 Saturday, Oct. 20th 2pm-6pm Ballroom dance your way to a healthy body and mind with the staff of New Yorker Social Dance Club. See the live and exciting performances to music outdoors. Experience the beauty of a dance fashion show and embrace the lifestyle that leaves many smiling inside and out. Raffles, Group classes, Pro Show- see more on page 5. Ritz Plaza Park 235 W 48th Street Rain Date: October 21
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 Fall Maintenance at Sherman Creek – 10am12:30pm. Help bring in the fall by raking leaves, making leaf mulch, as well as weeding and mulching trees and garden beds. Learn about NYRP’s effort to make our grounds-keeping operation more sustainable. Sherman Creek Park, Manhattan. 917291-6436 or Volunteer@NYRP.org.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28 Halloween in Central Park: Parade & Pumpkin Sail – 4-6:30pm. Wear your costume and bring a carved jack-o’-lantern before 5:30pm for spooky music, live entertainment, a parade, and NYC’s largest pumpkin flotilla at twilight. Visit the Conservancy’s website for jack-o’-lantern size, weight, and decoration restrictions. Charles A Dana Discovery Center, Central Park. For rain plans and directions, visit CentralParkNYC.org/calendar. 212-860-1370.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
MONDAY, OCTOBER 29
Our Energy Efficiency Paradox: Psychological Barriers To “No-Brainer” Solutions – 6-7:30pm. NYU’s Educating for Sustainability lecture series is pleased to invite you to a presentation by Columbia Professor Elke Weber. Professor Weber will analyze the psychological reasons for this paradox that stem from human cognitive and motivational limitations, but will also suggest ways to harness these limitations to facilitate greater adoption of such win-win solutions. New York University, Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square S, Room 802. 212-998-5910 or NYU.edu/rsvp/event/php?e_id=4220.
Pumpkin Festival – 11am-3pm. Join NYC Parks for Pumpkin Festival, NYC’s annual celebration of the fall harvest season in leafy Central Park! The festival takes the very best traditions of autumn and offers them all for free, including “Fright Night at the Movies Haunted House,” and “Pumpkin Patch” (kids take home a free pumpkin!). NYCGovParks. org/highlights/festivals/pumpkin-festival.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 Dream Big - A Celebration of Opportunity 2012 – 7pm. Since 1995, Futures and Options has empowered NYC’s underserved youth to explore careers through career development and paid, mentored internships. We reach out to teens at a formative time of their lives, guiding them to further their education and become contributing citizens. This event offers you for purchase “The Opportunity Card” that saves you 20% at a wide variety of shops and restaurants throughout the city and helps to continue this valuable program. Stone Rose, Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle. 212-823-9770.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 Dance Your Way to a Healthy Body and Mind – Come join the mesmerizing and sophisticated moves of ballroom dancing as you dance your way to health! Every Thursday night, New Yorker Social Dance Club, one of New York’s premiere ballroom studios, invites you to this exciting social party. 335 W 35th St, 6th Floor. 212-216-9344 or NewYorkerSocialDance.com.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 Bats at Belvedere Castle in Central Park – 5-6:30pm. Step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their benefits, habitats and nocturnal strategies in this live animal encounter program with conservation biologist Rob Mies. Free, no advance registration. Ages 4+ and up. Inclement weather may cancel. Belvedere Castle, Central Park. 212-772-0210 or Website@CentralParkNYC.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR AWAKEN FAIR The biggest/best loved body-mind-spirit-green event north of NYC!
Sunday November 11 10am to 5pm Doubletree Hotel 455 So. Broadway, Tarrytown NY 10591
www.AwakenFair.com Sponsors, Exhibitors, Speakers:
www.ThePractitioners.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31 Clayton Williams Boo Party – 4-6pm. The Clayton Williams Community Garden presents its annual “Boo Party.” There will be music and a candy give-away for children aged 13 and under. Candy, costumes, music and fun, and it’s all free! Clayton Williams Memorial Garden, 303 W 126th St, Manhattan. ClaytonWilliamsCG@yahoo.com.
EVENTS IN UPSTATE NY Frost Valley YMCA
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30 Journey to the Stars – 10:30am-4:30pm. This spectacular new Hayden Planetarium Space Show launches visitors through time and space to experience the life and death of the stars in our night sky. Travel 13 billion years into the past and witness brilliant supernovas that sent new kinds of matter coursing through the Universe, into the atoms of our own bodies and the air we breathe. Rose Center for Earth and Space, Central Park W (at 79th St). 212-769-5100.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR A New Life With Rheumatoid Arthritis
In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
Would you like the strength and flexibility to move comfortably throughout your day? Perhaps you are overwhelmed by medications and their potential side effects. Naturopathic Dr Ivy Branin and Ruschelle Khanna co-owner of Brevi fitness have teamed up to design a fun and informative ~John Muir workshop that focuses on your health and helps uncover the underlying cause of your rheumatoid arthritis.
Saturday October 13 2-4pm Studio Anya 49 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10010
$65 in advance/ $70 at the door Register at Skillshare.com by going to http://skl.sh/ Opwcc1 For more information visit
www.simplicityhealthassociates.com or brevifitness.com More information on page 10 of this issue.
2000 Frost Valley Road Claryville, NY 12725
www.FrostValley.org Sunday, September 30th Fall Family Farm Day 1:30 - 4pm Free!
Every Saturday in October Halloween Carnival & Haunted Trails 9am - 10pm
Join us for a day filled with fun and exciting fall activities and an evening of spooktacular Halloween games and haunted trails!
Friday - Sunday, October 26th - 28th Quilt & Craft Weekend
classifieds Traditional Ayurveda
Taos high desert Ayurvedic clinic offers Kindly priced panchakarmas and rejuvenating retreats. Friendly, quiet, private, secluded. www.auromesa.com
Natural Healing
Do you truly want to be healed? Healing naturally at home? Nature has all the answers. Visit www.Vibrantherbal.com
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communitydirectory Acupuncture Eastgate Acupuncture P.C. in Columbus Circle 1841 Broadway, Suite 907, NY, NY www.eastgateacupuncture.com 646-719-1883
Eastgate Acupuncture specializes in making alternative healthcare a great experience. With specialists in Pain, Injury, Fertility, Chronic Disease and Facial Rejuvenation we have the practitioner that is right for you. In network with BCBS and Cigna. See ad on page 13.
career counseling Barbara Distler, Psy.D.
DrBarbaraDistler@gmail.com 646-200-5104 • www.NextStepDoctor.com Feeling stuck or unfulfilled at work? Mid-career, just graduated, or recently retired? At NextStep Career Counseling, you will receive short-term, constructive, focused career development sessions by a licensed clinical psychologist. I have 20 years of experience and use authentic, research-based assessment tools. Let me help you figure out your next step. Midtown location.
fit body Apogee Power Pilates
49 W 23RD ST 2ND FL [BTW 5TH & 6TH AVE] New York, NY 10010 212-627-5852 • www.powerpilates.com Discover your inner strength, transform mind and body, increase stamina, improve your health and achieve a new and exciting physical well being. Transforming your body from the inside out with power pilates will improve your posture, abdominals, back and buttocks, while strengthening and toning your overall appearance. Chronic back pain and other debilitating physical ailments will decrease significantly as your range of motion and mobility improves. See ad on page 27.
New Yorker Social Dance Club 335 W. 35th Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10001 212-216-9344 • www.newyorkersocialdance.com
Learn the benefits and delights of social ballroom dancing and have an experience that is challenging but rewarding, productive but joyful and memorable. Each student is special and their needs unique. New Yorker Social Dance Club aims to thoroughly assess the interests, prior experience and future goals of each individual to be able to successfully address your specific needs and objectives to make Dance a Lifestyle choice you will never regret! See ad on page 5.
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Intuitive Guide DEIRDRE ABRAMI
holistic Counseling
INTUITIVE HEALER, SPEAKER & COACH 561-542-0271 • www.DeirdreAbrami.com
Private Intuitive Readings • Intuitive Development Training & Coaching
Providing invaluable
Michael Mongno Ph.D
phone readings for nearly 10 years
Licensed Psychotherapist, Relationship Counselor 212-799-0001 • PresentCenteredTherapies.com www.DeirdreAbrami.com An Experiential approach to emotionwww.MindBodySoulEvents.net al healing, personal growth and spiri561-542-0271 tual transformation.Deirdre@DeirdreAbrami.com Michael Mongno Conferences, Workshop & Classes is the founder of Present Centered Therapies. He has synthesized Gestalt therapy, Eastern spirituality and the best of Couples therapy into an effective, multi-dimensional approach to personal growth and relationship healing. See ad on page 27.
integrated medicine PATIENTS MEDICAL
800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 New York, NY 10017 347-269-4762 www.patientsmedical.com A Bridge to Health, Hope and Healing... Integrate the Best of Conventional Technology with Holistic Medicine. See ad back cover.
SVETLANA KOGAN, MD
Doctors at Trump Place Longevity Spa and MediSpa 194 Riverside Boulevard New York, NY 10069 212-580-0900 www.DTPdoctors.com Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Kogan has been practicing Western and Eastern Medicine for over 10 years. She has been taking care of New Yorkers since 2001, combining traditional medicine and holistic healing. Her work has been featured in the press repeatedly and can be seen at www.DTPdoctors.com. See ad on page 2.
INTO THE FEELING BODY JACK WIENER, CDMT, LP 98 Riverside Drive, Suite 1 New York, NY 10024 212-724-2044
Adults 35-70. An approach to creative movement refined over 53 years of teaching 3-90 year olds. Incredibly grounded in realigning the musculature that Incrementally corrects physical habits, and through improvisation to music alters emotional patterns that distort moving freely and feelingly. Reclaiming the flow of feelings through the body in a uniquely personal way. Six per class.
Deirdre Abrami is a 6th generation Intuitive Healer who is a nationally known spiritual advisor, teacher & former radio show host. After her near death experience in 2003 her passion became her purpose. Today she offers private phone intuitive readings, intuitive development courses & workshops. Her newest endeavor is her life-changing conference & event company MindBodySoulEvents.net. See ad on page 15.
Joan Carra, Psychic Medium Offices in NYC & Greenwich 203.531.6387 • PsychicJoanCarra.com
Joan guides you on your path drawing on her intuitive powers. As a medium, she can bring to life, friends on the other side. She is in five books including The 100 Top Psychics in America. Also visit JoanCarraTheMysticSongWriter.com.
LIFE COACH Life Solutions Coaching
Liz Carey, M.S. 845-225-5192 • www.leadership-connections.com Live the life you want. Live the life you DESERVE. Break old patterns of thinking and acting and open yourself to less stressful living, stronger and closer relationships, and a sense of meaning and purpose in your personal and work life. Liz has helped many people live a fulfilling life – let her help you too. Complimentary first session. Budget-friendly plans.
Natural Beauty Salon Mauricio Hair Studio
210 Fifth Ave. Suite 1102 New York, NY 10010 maurucio@mauriciohair.com 212-532-3030 • www.MauricioHair.com Mauricio is a cross-cultural hair artist who provides a holistic approach to the beauty industry—one that focuses not only on the physical but also on the overall well-being of his clients, through unique services, truly organic products, tailored experience and Zen-like environment that all work together to support the mind, body and soul. Mauricio’s private hair studio mission is to be the first of its kind: an innovative ecofriendly hair studio and ‘inner beauty salon’ that seeks to unlock every guest’s beauty.
Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley. ~Theodore Roethke NaturalAwakeningsNYC.com
Natural Furniture Dancing Moon LLC
Sustainable Delivery to NYC 845-291-1936 • www.DancingMoonFurniture.com Local Hudson Valley artisans create hand crafted furniture out of reclaimed materials and sustainable design and finishing practices are utilized. Their collection includes: chests, candle holders, unusual musical instruments, coat racks, key hooks, and pedestals. Their creative team intently works on new designs, creating new exciting products that are continuously added to their collection. See ad on page 23.
Naturopathic Doctor Simplicity Health Associates Dr Ivy Branin, ND 928 Broadway, Suite 301 New York, NY 10010 646-470-8458 www.simplicityhealthassociates.com
Dr Ivy Branin, ND, is a Naturopathic Doctor dedicated to making her patients feel great using natural therapies and methods. Although she sees a wide variety of conditions, her practice focuses on mood and sleep problems, autoimmune disease, gastrointestinal conditions, and women’s health.
OZONE THERAPY Dr. Howard Robins The Healing Center 200 W. 57th St., Suite 807 New York, NY 10019 212-581-0101 • DrHowardRobins@gmail.com If you have a disease or condition that you haven’t been able to get rid of, Ozone Therapy will most likely be the answer, even for people that have suffered for years and have lost all hope. If you are questioning if your condition can be treated, call or email Dr Robins contact information above. See ad on page 3.
WELLNESS Team Northrup
Rebecca Spath 845-389-6991 • rebecca.spath@usana.com Inspired by the work of Dr. Christiane Northrup? Interested in operating a home-based business in the health and wellness industry? Like to work for one of Business Week Magazine’s top 3 “Hot Growth Companies” and Forbes Magazine’s “Best Small Companies?” Contact Rebecca Spath at the number above for more information.
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