Natural Awakenings April 2015

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

FREE

SPECIAL ISSUE:

NATURE’S WISDOM

Spring House Greening Local Cottage Food Master a Martial Art The Lessons of Trees Dogs in Libraries

Celebrate Earth Day

April 2015

|

Tennessee Valley

|

Facebook.com/natvalley

SAFE, FAST, EASY & EFFECTIVE NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS ü NO Shots ü NO Hormones ü NO Cravings ü No Pre-packaged Food ü Doctor Supervised for Safety & Results

All Weight Gain Involves A Hormonal Component

With our NRF Technology and Ultimate Fat Loss System, we target your hormone imbalance and end your weight loss challenges.

NEW BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Treating the Whole Person, and the Whole Family KEITHLEY FAMILY MEDICAL, INC Dr. Larry M. Keithley, DO

Family Practice (Ages 3+) Osteopathic Medicine Holistic Medicine Minor Emergencies Minor Surgical Procedures Physicals (School, Sports, Employment) Drug Screens Diagnostic Services

Thyroid Testing Chronic Fatigue Allergy Shots Vitamin Shots (B12, B-Complex, D3) Gynecology and Hormone Shots Pregnancy Tests STD Testing

Hours by Appointment (Call for Walk-Ins)

WE ARE NOT A PAIN CLINIC

256-881-7579

8210 Stephanie Drive, Suite A Huntsville, AL 35802

natural awakenings

April 2015

3

contents 8 6 newsbriefs 8 healthbriefs 9 globalbriefs

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

16 greenliving

12 NATURE’S WISDOM

Its Lessons Inspire, 9 18 healingways

Heal and Sustain Us 8 20 naturalpet 22 fitbody 16 HOME-GROWN ORGANIC MADE EASY 23 inspiration 10 Time-Saving Tips for a Healthy Garden 24 consciouseating 26 wisewords 18 SPRING GREENING Easy Ways to Detox a House 27 calendar 29 classifieds 20 DOGS WITH LIBRARY CARDS 30 resourceguide Kids Love Reading 23 to Animals

12

by Christine MacDonald

by Barbara Pleasant

18

by Lane Vail

advertising & submissions

by Sandra Murphy

22 MASTERING

HOW TO ADVERTISE

THE FORCE

Display Ads due by the 10th of the month prior to publication.

To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 256-476-6537 or email Editor@Natvalley.com.

The Martial Arts Hold Deep Inner Lessons

by Eric Stevens

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS*

23 STRONG WINDS

Newsbriefs due by the 10th of the month. Limit 50-250 words.

Content limited to special events and other announcements.

No advertorials, please.

Articles and ideas due by the 5th of the month. Articles generally contain 250-850 words, with some exceptions. No advertorials, please.

STRONG ROOTS What Trees Teach Us About Life

by Dennis Merritt Jones

24 THE FOOD ARTISANS

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

NEXT DOOR

Calendar of Events and Ongoing Calendar listings due by the 10th of the month. Limit 50 words per entry. Please follow format found in those sections.

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

ADVERTISE WITH US TODAY 256-476-6537 -or- Editor@Natvalley.com *All submissions are subject to editing and will be printed at the publisher’s discretion. Article space often fills in advance. Deadline dates refer to the month prior to next publication and may change without notice due to holidays, shorter months, or printing schedules.

Facebook.com/natvalley Tennessee Valley Facebook.com/natvalley

4

20

Homemade Delicacies, Direct from Our Neighbors

26 HEALING JOURNEYS

Paul Stutzman Finds Universal Truths on His Treks

by Randy Kambic

22

letterfrompublisher This Earth Day, instead of talking about how we can save the Earth, let’s talk about how the Earth can save us.

Instead of focusing so fearfully on the problems that arise from us, as a society, making things, building things, growing things, eating things, disposing of things, and moving things around, let’s start instead with how we relate to the Earth as individuals.

Let’s start with the love.

To love the Earth, to be in love with it, is what matters. Start with the love and good things will follow. Take your healing from the Earth. Take your sustenance from it. The Earth is a supreme life-giver, and it has an abundance of life-sustaining energy ready and available for you.

Nature is good for us. Being in Nature is a remarkable tonic for our minds, bodies and souls. Children who spend regular time outdoors become smarter, more creative, and more socially successful. Adults who garden or walk in the woods are healthier, happier, and less stressed. There is a balancing effect upon us that Nature provides better than any other remedy. We are simply geared for, and wired into, Nature’s specific revitalizing powers.

Take off your shoes and dig your toes in the ground. Everything you need is there. All the energy you will ever need is right below your feet.

The soil isn’t just dirt, it is a life-giving, mood-elevating, health-boosting resource.

The Earth isn’t just a big rock with a bunch of living things on it. It is itself a living being. A living, feeling, conscious entity, with a sense of self, and a boundless capacity for love.

Allow yourself to live in that love for a while, and all of the problems that confront us will find solutions that make sense.

How will we arrive at the solutions? The Earth itself will show us.

We’ll solve the problems, together. The solutions will grow out of a space of peace, balance and clarity rather than out of a sense of crushing existential angst.

The desperation, anxiety, fear, and helplessness that many people feel about the need to save the Earth is just making the problem worse. It’s become a part of the problem, all of those negative emotions. The worst thing to come out of it is people despising people for the fact that they’re alive. The very word “population” now has a sinister cast. But it just means people, and people are us. We need to love Humanity—to love and take care of each other—as well as loving and taking care of the Earth. The number of people on the planet is not the problem. What matters is the personal relationship each of us has with the Earth.

Make it a love story, and we’ll all live happily ever after. Guaranteed.

contact us Publisher Tom Maples Tom@Natvalley.com 404-395-9634 Co-Publisher, Advertising Sales Cindy Wilson Cindy@Natvalley.com 256-476-6537 Design and Production Melanie Rankin Natural Awakenings in the Tennessee Valley 14 Woodland Ave. Trinity, Alabama 35673 Office: 256-340-1122 Fax: 256-217-4274 Facebook.com/natvalley Issuu.com/natvalley © 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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

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

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

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $20 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

natural awakenings

April 2015

5

newsbriefs Jeff Kowalski of Minnesota to Speak at Health and Wellness Seminar A Spiritual Community supporting the practice of knowing God in the heart of every person.

ONGOING SERVICES AND CLASSES! New Thought Classes

Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00pm Wednesdays, 10:00am-12:00pm

Revealing Services Sundays 9:45am

Celebration Services Sundays 10:30am

Meditation

Tuesdays & Wednesdays 6:00pm

Satsang

Wednesdays 6:30pm

Rev. David Leonard Transforming Lives and Making the World a Better Place

www.cslhuntsville.org

308 Lily Flagg Rd.

883-8596

6

Tennessee Valley

J

eff Kowalski of Minnesota will be speaking at a Health and Wellness Seminar on Saturday, April 25, from 10am-3pm, to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, located at 301 Boulevard South in Huntsville.

Jeff’s passion for health and wellness began over thirty years ago out of his own experiences with ill health at an early age. For the past 15 years, Jeff has traveled the U.S. and Canada conducting workshops and trainings, showing people how to energize and change their lives for the better. His huJeff Kowalski mor, enthusiasm and knowledge both entertain and educate.

Jeff will speak on a total health management system that combines modern technology and ancient healing theories. He will explain a multiple energy approach for daily health management that includes motion energy, thermal energy, electric energy, and nutritional energy.

Included in his presentation will be a demonstration of the use of ground-breaking energy medicine equipment that has proven to be helpful in balancing many health challenges, including but not limited to: low energy, back pain, allergies, headaches, depression, insomnia, arthritis, circulatory issues, and digestive issues.

The program is free to the public, and door prizes will be awarded.

For more information, please contact Susan Spalding at the Center for Directional Healing, 256-882-0360 or at sspaldingdh@att.net. See listing, page 30.

HypnoBirthing Class

T

he Mongan Method of HypnoBirthing® is as much a philosophy as it is a technique. The concept of HypnoBirthing is not new, but rather a “rebirth” of the philosophy of birthing as it existed thousands of years ago. It was recaptured in the work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician, who first forwarded the concept of natural birthing in the 1920s. This method teaches that “in the absence of fear and tension, severe pain does not have to be an accompaniment of labor.”

You will gain an understanding of how the birthing body and muscles work in perfect harmony—as they were designed to—when your body is sufficiently relaxed. You will learn how to achieve this kind of relaxation and how to use your natural birthing instincts for a calm, serene and comfortable birth.

HypnoBirthing is a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth that is enhanced by self-hypnosis, special breathing techniques, visualizations, affirmations, and education. It returns a woman to the art of birthing in a way that allows her to summon her natural birthing instincts and to birth her baby in peace with calm and ease.

The class begins on Saturday, April 9 from 10am–1pm and consists of 5 weekly classes. The cost is $295, which includes the HypnoBirthing book, the Relaxation Rainbow CD plus extra handout materials. Tuition assistance is available if needed.

To register for this class, contact your local certified HypnoBirthing Practitioner, Marsha Mathes, at 256-6982151 or mathes79@knology.net. MarshaMathes.Skin CareTherapy.net. See listing, page 31.

Facebook.com/natvalley

Ionic Detox Foot Bath Therapy Now NYR Organic Now Available at Decatur Healing Arts Available at Decatur ecatur Healing Arts is now offering a Ionic detox foot bath D therapy. A Detoxifying Foot Bath releases toxins from their Healing Arts storage areas in your feet so they can then be filtered by the

D

ecatur Healing Arts is pleased to announce the availability of a new line of certified organic skincare and wellness products: NYR Organic, which is the US social selling arm of Neal’s Yard Remedies from the UK.

NYR Organic works to create effective skincare and wellness solutions that are safe for people and for the environment. From a night cream to a baby balm or a lipstick, Neal’s Yard Remedies believes in the power of No: No parabens, No synthetic fragrances, No nano particles, No GMO, No animal testing, No petroleum derivatives, No mineral oils, No silicones, No BHT, No SLS or SLES, No carbomer, No acryates, No EDTA, No BHT and No phthalates.

A Carbon Neutral certified company, NYR Organic focuses as much on the health of the planet as it’s clients. All collections are 100% vegetarian, and most are vegan with the exception of products containing certified organic beeswax or honey.

To host a skincare and wellness event, schedule a one-­on-­one consultation or learn more about starting your own business with NYR Organic, please contact Cindy Wilson, Independent Distributor with NYR Organic at 256-476-6537 or Cindy@ AlabamaAwakenings.com.

You may learn more about NYR Organic, their multiple awards and their environmental certifications at Us.nyrorganic.com/shop/CindyWilson or come by Decatur Healing Arts to try some of the great NYR products.

Decatur Healing Arts is located at 1900 Flint Rd. SE Decatur. Find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/ DecaturHealingArts. See ad, page 18.

body’s natural Lymphatic and Immune Systems. Your feet have over 7200 nerve endings and 2000 sweat glands. In addition to having arteries and veins cross paths in the feet, these factors make the feet a natural gateway for disposal of waste products.

Some of the benefits are: • Purging of heavy metals • A more balanced pH level • Reducing inflammation • Purging of yeast • Detoxifying liver • Internal cleansing with full body purge • Liver, kidney and parasite cleansing • Enhancing immune system For more information or to schedule your appointment, call 256-476-6537.

Mention this article and get $5 off your first session. Decatur Healing Arts is located at 1900 Flint Rd SE in Decatur. Find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/ DecaturHealingArts.

Metaphysics: Consciousness Chart and Clearance Class

R

ev. Donell Koch will be teaching a ten-week course entitled “Consciousness Chart and Clearnace” at the Light of Christ Center starting April 14.

The objective of this class is to learn the basics of Clearance Work (psychic healing tool) in order to effectively heal oneself and others, and individual growth. To learn and understand the basics of the Consciousness Chart in order to be aware of the human traits working in the personality and how to change them into divine qualities. This is a review of the Planes & Bodies, Rays & Flames and an in-depth study and practice of using the Consciousness Chart and Clearance.

Sign up soon and come and enjoy a wonderful class.

Date: Tuesdays, 7pm, April 14 through June 16. Location: Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave NW, Huntsville. Fee: $100 plus materials. Sign up at the Center, call 256-895-0255 and leave a message, or contact revdkoch@comcast.net.

Fresh ORGANICALLY Grown Vegetables through a Tennessee Valley CSA Mention this ad and receive a 5% DISCOUNT! Call today for more information

Southeastern Family Growers 256-509-0302

Facebook.com/SoutheasternFamilyGrowers natural awakenings

April 2015

7

healthbriefs

Acupuncture Increases Quality of Life for Allergy Sufferers

R

esearch from Berlin’s Charité University Medical Center suggests that acupuncture is an effective treatment for patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in 2013, the study analyzed data on the costs and quality of life of 364 allergy patients that had been randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: rescue medication alone (taken when symptoms are greatest); acupuncture treatment plus rescue medication; or sham (nontherapeutic) acupuncture plus rescue medication. Patients receiving acupuncture incurred higher total treatment costs, but also gained significantly more quality of life compared with the rescue medication-only groups.

Strawberries Reduce Blood Pressure

A

study published in the World Journal of Diabetes concluded that the regular consumption of a flavonoidrich strawberry beverage reduces blood pressure in people with Type 2 diabetes. The study divided 36 subjects, all with moderately high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, into two groups—the first drank the equivalent of one serving of fresh strawberries per day made from freeze-dried berries, and the other group drank the same amount of an imitation strawberry-flavored drink over a six-week period. Blood pressure was tested at the beginning and end of the study for all participants.

At the end, the group drinking the real strawberry beverage registered significantly lower diastolic blood pressure than at the outset; it was also lower than the imitation strawberry group. The average diastolic blood pressure of the group drinking real strawberries went down by 6.5 percent and the systolic dropped by 12 percent. The strawberry-flavored group’s systolic blood pressure was also reduced, but only by 3.7 percent.

THE COLOR GREEN MAKES EXERCISE FEEL EASIER

R

esearch from the University of Essex, in England, suggests that viewing natural green images while exercising may be better than being exposed to other colors. The researchers tested 14 people doing moderate-intensity cycling while watching video footage of predominantly gray, red or green imagery. Each of the participants underwent three cycling tests—one with each of the videos— along with a battery of physiological and mood testing.

The researchers found that when the subjects watched the green-colored video, they had better moods, with a lower relative perception of exertion than when they exercised while watching the red and grey videos. They also found those that exercised while watching the red video experienced greater feelings of anger during their exercise.

8

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

Memory Works Better Reading Real Books

R

esearchers from Norway’s Stavanger University and France’s AixMarseille Université found that readers remember a story better if it’s on paper.

The study tested 50 people that read the same 28-page short story. Half of the group read the paper version and the other half read the story on a Kindle e-reader. The researchers discovered that readers of the digital version could not remember details from the story or reconstruct the plot as well as the group that read the paper copy.

The researchers found that the feedback of a Kindle doesn’t provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does. “When you read on paper, you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right,” explains Stavanger University’s Anne Mangen, Ph.D.

These findings confirm a study performed a year earlier, also led by Mangen. Seventy-two 10th-graders were given text to read either on paper or on a computer screen. The students that read the paper text versions scored significantly higher in reading comprehension testing than those reading digital versions.

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

Soil Salvation

Organic Farming May Counteract Greenhouse Effect The nonprofit Rodale Institute, the United Nations and the Soil Association are reporting that modern, chemicalintensive industrial farming is stripping the soil’s natural ability to take carbon back out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in the soil. Rodale researchers say that by returning to small-scale organic farming, more than 40 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions could be captured in the soil, and if the entire world’s pasture and rangelands were managed using regenerative techniques, an additional 71 percent of those emissions could be sequestered.

Further, organic practices could counteract the world’s yearly carbon dioxide output while producing the same amount of food as conventional farming. Rodale claims that using regenerative organic agriculture—like low or no-tillage, cover crops and crop rotation—will keep photosynthesized carbon dioxide in the soil, instead of returning it to the atmosphere. The institute cites 75 studies from peerreviewed journals, including its own 33-year Farming Systems Trial, which directly compare organic farming with conventional farming.

Source: OrganicConsumers.org

Curbside Composting

No Food Scraps Need Go to Waste People in the United States waste more than a third of all of the food they produce, but more than 180 cities and towns are beginning to realize that wasted food can be valuable; they are asking residents to separate unwanted food from the rest of their trash and put it in a curbside compost bin. The idea is to stop sending food waste to the landfill, where it generates harmful methane gas pollution, and start turning it into something useful, like compost.

In 2011, Portland, Oregon, launched a curbside compost program in which residents are encouraged to put food scraps into the city’s green yard waste bin.

Since then, the amount of garbage sent to the landfill has decreased by 37 percent.

According to Bruce Walker, the city’s solid waste and recycling program manager, the program also reduces the environmental footprint of the trash heap.

Getting people to separate their food waste, however, can be difficult. To motivate its residents to put more food waste in the compost bin, the city of Seattle, Washington, has proposed both making curbside composting mandatory and fining residents a dollar every time they put a disproportionate volume of food waste in their trash.

Source: NetNebraska.org

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Buzzing Buddies

‘Flying Doctor’ Bees Prevent Cherry Disease University of Adelaide researchers are introducing a “flying doctor” method of employing bees as preventive medicine. Project leader and bee researcher Katja Hogendoorn, Ph.D., says, “All commercial cherry growers spray during flowering to control the later development of cherry brown rot.

Instead of spraying fungicide, we’re using bees to deliver a biological control agent right to the flowers, where it’s needed.” The innovative delivery works via entomovectoring.

This is a new technique for Australia, with potential application in many horticultural industries. The biological control agent contains spores of a parasitic fungus that prevents another fungus that causes the brown rot from colonizing the flower. Future applications of the small, winged medics are expected to become available for disease control in almonds, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears and stone fruit.

Source: Adelaide.edu.au

Make your community a little GREENER …

Support our advertisers For every $100 spent in locally owned business, $68 returns to the community

~Lao Tzu

source: the350project.net

natural awakenings

April 2015

9

—Advertorial—

10

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

Support Local Farmers and Get Organic, Too

By Stephanie Casto Clark, Marketing Director, Southeastern Family Growers

I

n today’s world, food choices are expanding before our eyes. As informed consumers demand healthier options, the market is responding, from Big Agra to your county farmer. As market values have shifted, that small-time grower across town has something to offer that mega-farms across the world cannot: accountability and community with consumers. Buying groceries is no longer only about how many calories can I eat for the least amount of money (quantity), it’s also about feeding your family well and making your dollar count for good (quality).

A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program allows consumers to be able to achieve both quantity and quality in their diets. Members buy in at the beginning of the growing season, paying up-front for delicious, local, in-season vegetables (which are often organically grown) to be boxed with their name on it for months to come.

Every week at convenient pickup locations, members gather to retrieve their boxes and are able to talk with the actual farmers who grew their food, as well as with other like-minded members who share a love for delicious veggies and community support.

CSA growers are local, so you know that your dollars are supporting your own local economy. Instead of paying corporations in a far-off city that often have questionable food standards and environmental policies, you are enabling actual families in your own community to make a living doing something they love. CSAs allow the growers to focus on growing the best produce they can rather than being distracted by marketing themselves to customers during their busiest season. Being assured of an income means growers can experiment with better, more natural, and more efficient growing methods or try a new variety of vegetable to delight your palate

more than a conventionally grown box-store veggie ever could.

A favorite perk of CSA membership is the automatic meal planning that comes along with your weekly box.

No decisions of what to buy this week at the grocery store; your box makes recipe picking for that week easy. Many CSAs will give members a heads-up on what will be in the weekly box to allow time for early recipe gathering; some will even provide an in-season recipe or two with your produce to spur creativity in the kitchen.

In our drive-thru culture, most of our kids think that food comes precooked out of a bag, or even just prepackaged at the grocery store. Many CSAs encourage members to bring their families to the farms to volunteer their time or even just to teach their kids where food really comes from. Kids can learn that food isn’t just nutrition facts and calories and requisite packaging; food is a relationship, a fragile eco-system that has nearly been lost, and many farmers—like the ones who grow using sustainable and organic methods—are trying to re-establish that relationship for the next generation.

It’s not hard to find healthy food these days, but sometimes it can be hard to choose where that healthy food should come from. By joining a CSA, you can be sure you made the right choice for everyone involved and have played a part in changing community food attitudes for the better.

For more information about how to join Southeastern Family Growers, call 256-509-0302 or find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Southeastern FamilyGrowers. See ad, page 7.

“I was the last person I thought that would benefit from this...

Ten sessions later I am telling everyone about rolfing.” ~S.H., Birmingham

Advanced Rolf Practitioner Susan K. Jeffreys Consultations Available

Find out what Susan K. Jeffreys and Structural Integration can do for you!

Call (256) 508-3351 Today Susan K. Jeffreys, AL Lic #249 525 Fountain Row • Huntsville, AL 35801

StructuralIntegrationHuntsville.com Structural Integration in the method of Ida P. Rolf natural awakenings

April 2015

11

Nature’s Wisdom Its Lessons Inspire, Heal and Sustain Us

by Christine MacDonald

The environment is not separate from ourselves; we are inside it and it is inside us; we make it and it makes us. ~ Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, Amazon shaman

W

hile the idea that we humans stand apart from—or even above—nature is a prevailing theme in much of modern civilization, naturalists and other clever souls throughout the ages have observed that the opposite is true: We are part of, depend on and evolve with nature—and we ignore this vital connection at our peril.

“If one way is better than another, that you may be sure is nature’s way,” admonished the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in the third century B.C.E.

“Time destroys the speculation of men, but it confirms the judgment of nature,” Roman politician and philosopher Cicero ruminated two centuries later.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist and philosopher Albert Einstein remarked, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

Today, more of us are looking to nature for ways to improve physical, mental and emotional health, develop 12

Tennessee Valley

intelligence, innovate, overhaul how we build homes and neighborhoods, and raise our children.

Healthful Nature

As Henry David Thoreau wrote in his classic 1854 book Walden, “We need the tonic of wildness.”

While we know firsthand how walking in the woods can elevate mood, scientists have documented that a regular dose of nature has other far-reaching benefits. It can lower stress hormone levels, blood pressure and undesirable cholesterol; help heal neurological problems; hasten fuller recovery from surgery and heart attacks; increase cancer-fighting white blood cells; and generally aid overall health (Health Promotion International research report; also Nippon Medical School study, Tokyo).

Regular playtime outdoors helps children cope with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, accord-

Facebook.com/natvalley

ing to research published in Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care.

Exposure to nature can help adults escape from today’s wired lives; reinvigorate, be fitter and less likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as reported in studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and a University of Washington research summary. It can also unlock understanding of the spiritual essence of life.

Hours regularly spent by youth outdoors stimulate imagination and creativity and enhance cognitive development, helping them learn.

Nature also helps youngsters develop social awareness, helping them better navigate human relations (Tinyurl.com/ OutdoorHealthBenefits Research).

“It’s strange and kind of sad that we are so removed from nature that we actually have to ask why nature is good for us,” says Dr. Eva Selhub, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, author of the new book Your Health Destiny, and co-author of Your Brain on Nature. “The fact is our brains and bodies are wired in concert with nature.”

Recognition of nature’s positive effects has grown so much in recent years that physicians increasingly write their patients “prescriptions” to go hiking in the woods, counting on the healthy exercise and exposure to sunlight, nature and soothing views to address health problems stemming from poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. Healthcare clinics and hospitals in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Albuquerque, New Mexico, California’s Bay Area and elsewhere have launched Prescription Trails programs aimed at objectives from preventing obesity in children to healthful activities for retirees (Tinyurl. com/AmericanHealthTrails).

Bestselling author Richard Louv calls the positive nature effect “vitamin N” in The Nature Principle. He contends: “Many of us, without having a name for it, are using the nature tonic.

We are, in essence, self-medicating with an inexpensive and unusually convenient drug substitute.”

Scientific studies show that a regular dose of nature has far-reaching health benefits. More doctors now write “nature” prescriptions for their patients.

Such ideas are commonly accepted in many cultures.

The Japanese believe in the restorative power of shinrinyoku, which could be translated as “forest medicine” or “forest bathing”. Indigenous peoples like the Brazilian tribe led by Shaman Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, fighting to preserve their land and way of life in the Amazon, profess to be at one with the innate riches of sustainable rainforests (SurvivalInternational.org/parks).

Innovative Nature

Scientists, inventors and other innovators are increasingly inspired by nature. Biomimicry, part social movement and part burgeoning industry, looks to how Earth’s natural systems work and solve problems. University of Utah researchers, inspired by the durable homes built by sandcastle worms, are creating a synthetic glue that one day could help repair fractured bones. Architectural components manufacturer Panelite makes energy-efficient insulated glass by mimicking the hexagonal structure that bees use in honeycombs. (Find other precedents at Tinyurl.com/BiomimicryCaseExamples).

The inspiration for biomimicry comes from many places, says Dayna Baumeister, Ph.D. co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8, a Missoula, Montana, company working with other companies and universities to propel biomimicry into the mainstream.

“People are recognizing that they’ve been disconnected to the natural world,” she says. “We also realize that [as a species] we are in trouble. We don’t have all the answers, but we can look to other species for inspiration” for clearing pollutants from our bodies and environments.

Plants and fungi are now commonly used to clean up old industrial sites that resemble nature’s way of removing pollutants from water and soil. A University of California, Berkeley, meta-study confirms that farmers currently using organic farming methods and solar power achieve roughly the same crop yields as conventional techniques with far less dependence on fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gases and petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer pollution.

Alternative Medicine Associates ...Treating Causes Not Symptoms

Natural Health Care IBS • Reflux Anxiety Fibromyalgia Depression Skin Allergies Candidiasis Hormone Imbalance Chronic Fatigue Restless Leg Syndrome Adrenal Fatigue Nutritional Assessment Thyroid Problems Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Call for your appointment Today!

Debra V. Gilliam N.M.D. Naturopathic Physician 1230 Slaughter Road, Ste E Madison, AL

256-325-0955

Cyclical Nature

These breakthrough technologies emulate the way nature uses the building blocks of life in an endless cycle of birth, reproduction, decay and rebirth. It’s part of a broad rethinking of the principles behind sustainability—building, manufacturing and living in greater harmony with natural systems, perhaps eventually eliminating landfills, air and water pollution, and toxic site cleanups.

“A toxin is a material in the wrong place,” says architect William McDonough, of Charlottesville, Virginia. The only individual recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, he is co-author of Cradle-to-Cradle, a groundbreaking book that calls for re-envisioning even the nastiest waste, and The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability—Designing natural awakenings

April 2015

13

Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are turned to discord. The proportions and accommodations that ensured the stability of existing arrangements are overthrown. Of all organic beings, man alone is to be regarded as essentially a destructive power. ~George Perkins Marsh, Man and Nature (1864) for Abundance. McDonough imagines a world where waste becomes raw material for new buildings, furniture and other goods—akin to how a forest reuses every deceased tree and animal to nourish the ecosystem and spawn new life.

With 80 percent of U.S. residents currently living in urban areas, architects, builders and municipal planners are likewise pivoting toward nature, prompted by the scientific evidence of the many ways that human health and general well-being rely upon it. While this contact is preferably the kind of “stopping by woods” that inspired New England poet Robert Frost, even a walk in a city park will work.

“Urban nature, when provided as parks and walkways and incorporated into building design, provides calming and inspiring environments and encourages learning, inquisitiveness and alertness,” reports the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, in Green Cities: Good Health.

The American Planning Association stresses the importance of integrating green space into urban neighborhoods. Not only does so-called “metro nature” improve air and water quality and reduce urban heat island effects, urban wilds such as Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run and Charlotte, North Carolina’s Little Sugar Creek Greenway also restore natural connections in densely populated city centers.

Natural Intelligence

A growing number of scientists say that research about our place in nature has sparked fresh thinking about our role and devastated quaint notions about our

species’ superiority. “Single-celled slime molds solve mazes. Brainless plants make correct decisions and bees with brains the size of pinheads handle abstract concepts,” points out Anthropologist Jeremy Narby, author of the groundbreaking book Intelligence in Nature.

At a national conference of Bioneers, an organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and San Francisco that gathers nature-minded social and scientific innovators, Narby said: “We are nearly identical to many animals.

Many behaviors once thought to be exclusively human are shared by other species. The zone of the specifically human, as determined by science, has been shrinking.”

We haven’t lost the ability to tap that primal animal inside, even if most of us are more likely to “venture into the forest” by watching a movie or playing video games. We may feel cut off from our instincts, but studies show time in the woods can do wonders to restore the keenness of our senses to connect with the subtle changes in natural habitat, the movements of other species and the changing seasons.

The rise of human civilizations may have taken “survival of the fittest” in new directions, often decidedly tamer ones, but experts ranging from scientific researchers to lifestyle analysts say humankind is still hardwired by our more primitive past. Despite the ingenious ways we’ve devised to exploit other life forms, capitalize on Earth’s resources and protect ourselves from nature’s sometimes terrifying power, our fate remains linked to natural laws and limits, from nurturing our body’s im-

Concepts that disengage us from other species hamper our thinking. ~Jeremy Narby 14

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

True-Life ‘Aha!’ Reads 10 Lessons from Nature to Inspire Our Everyday Lives

by David Miller, Tinyurl.com/10InspiringLessons FromNature 9 Amazing Lessons from Nature to Inspire Your Everyday Life

by Annie Hauser, Tinyurl.com/9InspiringLessons FromNature Intelligence in Nature

by Jeremy Narby Life Lessons from Nature

by Elvis Newman Cathedrals of the Spirit

by T. C. McLuhan Your Brain on Nature

by Eva Selhub mune system to resolving planet-sized problems like climate change.

“‘Nature’ is our natural environment,” according to Selhub. We don’t have to move to the country to reconnect, she says. “Even spending 20 minutes a day outside has an effect.”

Houseplants, nature photos and aromatherapy Earth scents can also help indoor environments better reflect our own nature.

The wealth of research and common sense wisdom is aptly summed up by celebrated author Wendell Berry in The Long-Legged House. “We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong.

We must change our lives so that it’ll be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.”

Christine MacDonald is a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C., whose specialties include health and science.

Visit ChristineMacDonald.info.

natural awakenings

April 2015

15

greenliving Katerra Martin

Attorney-at-Law

Serving Northern and Central Alabama

Animal Law -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐ -­‐

Cruelty Discrimination and Housing Disputes Defense from Dog Bite Suits Pet Trusts Custody Disputes Wrongful Death or Injury

Home-Grown Organic Made Easy 10 Time-Saving Tips for a Healthy Garden

by Barbara Pleasant

Elder Law -­‐ -­‐ -­‐

Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts Advance Medical Directives Mistreatment

Family Law Personal Injury

(256) 565-4819 KaterraMartin@aol.com

Want a Life of Wellness, Purpose and Abundance?

Explore the benefits of Young Living’s Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils

Call today to schedule your one-on-one session or host a group class.

Business opportunities available.

Cindy Wilson #1873782

256-476-6537 Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com 16

Tennessee Valley

Organic gardening experts share strategies for growing a great garden and having a life, too.

T

he arrival of planting season has a stunning effect on veggie gardeners. We talk to our seedlings as if they were children, and don’t mind working until dark if that’s what it takes to get the fingerling potatoes in the ground. Then, complications like crabgrass and cabbageworms appear, and keeping up with all the details feels impossible. We can lighten looming chores by using these time-saving tips, which will reduce later workloads when storms and the hot summer sun threaten to squelch the magic.

Mulch to reduce watering and prevent weeds. “You can cut your watering time in half by mulching crops with a three-to-four-inch layer of straw or shredded leaves,” says Niki Jabbour, award-winning author of The

Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden. “Crops like tomatoes, potatoes, kale, broccoli, cucumbers and squash all benefit from a deep mulch, which reduces the need to water and also prevents weeds, saving even more time.”

Grow herbs in convenient containers. Family cooks will harvest kitchen herbs every day, in all kinds of weather, so don’t waste footsteps. Grow some parsley, basil and other herbs in large containers near the kitchen door.

Try promising perennials. Plant them once, and vegetables like asparagus and rhubarb come back year after year in cold winter climates like the Midwest and Northeast. Where winters

Sweet alyssum is an easy-to-grow annual that can be tucked into beds or containers, attracting insects that help keep aphids and other common pests in check.

Facebook.com/natvalley

are mild, artichokes or chayote (pear squash) are long-lived and productive. Many resilient herbs will return each spring, too, including sage, mints, thyme and oregano. Tarragon and marjoram make trusty perennial herbs in the Sun Belt.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY

Stock up on organic seeds. “As a year-round vegetable gardener, I try to come up with a list of all the seeds I’ll Cleanse.... Hydrate... Rejuvenate.... need for every season when I place annual seed orders,” DETOX YOUR BODY FROM THE INSIDE OUT Jabbour says. “That way, I will place fewer orders and have everything on hand at the proper planting time, saving both Colonics • Bio Cleanse • Infrared Sauna time and money.” Organic seeds in consumer seed catalogs and retail racks won’t be genetically modified or treated with pesticides.

Be generous with organic compost. With each planting, mix in organic compost along with a balanced organic fertilizer. Food crops grown in organically enriched soil are better able to resist challenges from pests and diseases, which simplifies summer tasks.

Grow flowers to attract beneficial insects. Reducing or eliminating pesticides and increasing plantings of flowers can radically improve the balance between helpful and harmful insects in a garden. Horticulturist Jessica Walliser, co-host of Pittsburgh’s The Organic Gardeners KDKA rawww.hope4lifeal.com dio show and author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, recommends starting with sweet alyssum, an easyto-grow annual that can be tucked into the edges of beds or 10300 Bailey Cove Road, Ste 7A added to mixed containers.

Huntsville, AL 35803

“The tiny blossoms of sweet alyssum are adept at supporting several species of the non-stinging parasitic wasps MAD2562708731-A that help keep aphids and other common pests in check,” Walliser says. In warm climates where they are widely grown, crape myrtles have been found to serve as nurseries for lady beetles, lacewings and other beneficial insects.

Protect plants with fabric barriers. Pest insects seekWhen you need more than a Pedicure ing host plants won’t find cabbage or kale if they’re hidden beneath hoops covered with fine-mesh fabric like wedding Providing nail and callus care net (tulle) or garden fabric row cover. “Cover the plants the to those with day they are transplanted into the garden,” advises Walliser.

As long as the edges are securely tucked in, row covers will • Diabetes/Pre-Diabetes also protect plants from wind, hail, rabbits and deer.

• Circulatory Problems

Hoe briefly each day. Commit 10 minutes a day to • Visual ImpairmentsSales Rep.: Mike Underwood I Approve ThisupCopy. hoeing. While slicing down young weeds, hill soil Cust. Sign.: X • size Arthritis Please note - quality and may vary slightly between proof and actual directory over potatoes or clean up beds ready to be replanted.

• Parkinson’s Disease Look out for small problems to correct before they become big ones.

• Dementia

No more misplaced tools. Time is often wasted search• Strokes ing for lost weeders, pruning shears and other hand tools, • Hip/Knee Replacement which are easier to keep track of when painted in bright • Diminished Strength colors or marked with colored tape. Jabbour uses a tool stash • Thick/Long Nails basket placed at the garden entrance.

Stop to smell the flowers. Use moments saved to sit Call Today for quietly, relax and soak up the sights, sounds and smells of Your Appointment! the garden. Pausing to listen to the birds or watch a honeybee work a flower is part of the earned reward of any healthy pecialized Nail Care garden that can’t be measured by the pound.

256-270-8731

Barbara Pleasant, the author of numerous green thumb books, including Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens, grows vegetables, herbs and fruits in Floyd, Virginia. Connect at BarbaraPleasant.com.

1900 Flint Rd., SE Decatur, AL 35673 256-476-6537

Physician’s Order Required natural awakenings

April 2015

17

healingways

Grow Your Own Business Organically

contact me:

Cindy Wilson 256-476-6537 us.nyrorganic.com/shop/cindywilson

Spring Greening Easy Ways to Detox a House

by Lane Vail

Wellness Weekends with Dr. Natalie Lenoir-Blackman April, 2015 Call 205-907-9442 to schedule appointment Dr. Natalie Lenoir-Blackman is a local veterinarian whose passion is to bring about healing and wholeness in our animal friends using a combination of conventional and alternative modalities of medicine.

Hosted by:

905 Merdian St N Huntsville, AL 256-429-9112 18

Tennessee Valley

F

or most individuals, odorous chemicals are simply unpleasant. For those that are sensitive and susceptible, however, even common chemical exposures may evoke a toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT) marked by multiplesystem symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, autoimmune disease, asthma, depression and food intolerance. Since the post-World War II expansion of petrochemicals, the incidence of TILT has increased dramatically, says Claudia Miller, a medical doctor, researcher and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and co-author of Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes.

“Fortunately, public awareness has also grown significantly in the last few years,” says Rick Smith, Ph.D., a Canadian environmentalist who co-authored Toxin Toxout. “Now companies and governments worldwide are moving toward making safer products.”

We can support progress by leveraging some practical tips in greening our home.

Start somewhere. Many volatile organic compounds (VOC) that in-

Facebook.com/natvalley

clude formaldehyde and benzene are concealed in household items such as couches, chairs, particleboard furniture, mattresses, box springs, carpeting, rugs, synthetic flooring, wallpaper and paint.

Green TV host and Fresh Living author Sara Snow implores us not to become overwhelmed, disheartened or fearful.

“Creating a healthy home is a gradual process that doesn’t require throwing all the furniture out,” she advises. Start by scrutinizing labels and choosing not to bring new toxins in.

For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely found to be associated with reproductive toxicity and is found in many waterproofed and flexible plastics. Select PVC-free toys, shower curtain liners and mattress covers.

In the kitchen, avoid potentially carcinogenic perfluorinated chemicals (PFC) found in nonstick coatings of pots and pans. Toss the Teflon when it scratches, says Snow, and upgrade to stainless steel or cast iron. Weed out bisphenols, the DNA-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and epoxy resin can liners. Even “BPA-free” products likely contain alternative and equally harmful

substances, according to a recent study published in Chemosphere. Choose clear glass instead of plastic containers.

When remodeling, look for zeroVOC items, Miller says, plus materials free of stain-resistant sprays and flame retardants whose efficacy is questionable. Consider natural fiber rugs like jute or wool. Forest Stewardship Council-certified hardwoods or alternative flooring like cork or glass tile are safer investments in long-term well-being.

Clean green. Conventional cleaners are among the worst offenders, and even some “eco-cleaners” can be deceptively unsafe, says Smith. He recommends avoiding antibacterial products containing triclosan, which proliferates antibiotic-resistant bacteria that prolong and exacerbate illnesses, as well as phthalates, a chemical oil that carries artificial aromas and has been repeatedly linked to cancer and abnormal fetal development. “Even so-called natural fragrances are often complex petrochemicals that outgas and contaminate the air,” notes Miller.

Snow advises formulating products at home using staple pantry ingredients, including distilled white vinegar for disinfecting, baking soda for scouring, liquid castile soap for sudsing, lemon juice for degreasing and olive oil for polishing.

Freshen with fresh air. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time amid indoor air pollutants that are

Even small changes can measurably reduce your family’s daily exposure to healthdamaging chemicals. ~Rick Smith significantly more concentrated than outdoor pollutants, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports. “Most energy-efficient homes are well sealed with ventilation systems that recirculate indoor air, so opening the windows helps dilute accumulated airborne toxins,” says Miller. Snow further recommends bringing air-purifying plants into the home such as Gerbera daisies, bamboo palms and English ivy.

Vacuum and dust. Vacuuming with a high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter and dusting with a moist cloth eliminates allergens such as pet dander, mites, pollen and mold, and helps remove phthalates, flame retardants, lead and pesticides that “latch onto house dust and accumulate in dust bunnies,” says Smith.

Weed out lawn chemicals. “Organophosphate pesticides are profoundly neurotoxic,” says Miller, especially to the developing brains of children.

Instead try integrated pest management, which involves controlling pests’ food

sources and applying non-toxic deterrents. Eliminating potentially carcinogenic herbicides might mean managing more weeds, says Snow, but it’s worth it.

Eat green. “Buying produce as close to its source as possible, from a farmer or farmers’ market, provides threefold benefits,” says Snow—less wasteful packaging, reduced exposure to chemical plastics and greater concentration of health-promoting nutrients. Buy in bulk and favor glass containers or rectangular cardboard cartons.

Take tests. Radon, an invisible, odorless gas that can emanate from the ground and accumulate in homes, annually causes 21,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths, according to the U.S. EPA. Lead, a neurotoxin that may occasionally leach from home water pipes, can also hide in pre-1978 paint. Testing for both and implementing reduction or precautionary measures is simple, advises Smith. Most hardware stores stock test kits.

Take action. Join with other concerned citizens by launching a pertinent petition at Change.org; campaigning with organizations like the Environmental Working Group (ewg. org) or Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SaferChemicals.org); and supporting cleaner, greener companies with family purchases.

Lane Vail is a freelance writer and blogger at DiscoveringHomemaking.com.

Visit our new location and let us take care of you.

256.534.2954 www.healingartshuntsville.com 525 Fountain Row in Huntsville — between Williams Avenue & Manning Drive downtown

Massage

HAC Ad 7.5x3.25 0714.indd 1

Structural Integration

Reiki

Biomat Sessions

Reflexology

natural awakenings

19 April7/11/14 2015 12:11 PM

Inner Wellness Center for

naturalpet

• Stress and Anxiety • Fears/Phobias • Release Negativity • Let Go of the Past • Pain Management • Weight Loss • Smoking Cessation

Call For More Information.

Becky Waters, CHT, BMSC 256.348.5236 3322 South Memorial Parkway Suite 643 Huntsville, AL 35801 www.centerforinnerwellness.com

Dogs with Library Cards Kids Love Reading to Animals

Breathe. Love. Live.

Bikram Hot Yoga Feel Great Lose Weight Heal & Prevent Injuries Reduce Stress Increase Energy, Vitality & Stamina Improve Breathing & Lung Capacity Increase Strength, Balance & Flexibilty ONE MONTH OF UNLIMITED YOGA $50 (New Members Only)

8331 Madison Blvd, Ste 600 Madison, AL 35758

256-509-7755

BikramHotYogaHuntsville.com 20

Tennessee Valley

by Sandra Murphy

The goal of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ), launched in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1999 as part of Intermountain Therapy Animals, is to improve children’s literacy skills with the mentoring help of certified therapy teams. Its reach has spread through library programs across the U.S. and Canada and internationally, with other therapy groups following suit.

D

“

octors told the parents of an 11-year-old autistic son that he would never read… so quit trying to teach him,” says Suzanne Vening, an organic farmer in Jackson, Mississippi.

“The doctor didn’t count on Adam, my Australian shepherd.” Abused and abandoned before being adopted by Vening, she had trained him for therapy work.

Vening knew nothing about autistic or learning-disabled children, but she knew Adam could work miracles. The boy made eye contact with Adam during his library visit and read a few words. His parents were overjoyed as his reading continued to improve. “It’s hard to include children with special needs in many family activities,” Vening says. “A library is a place the whole family can enjoy.”

Facebook.com/natvalley

She advises, “Designate a safe corner where a child can escape if feeling overwhelmed. After entering the room, handlers should sit on the floor with the dog lying beside them. A standing dog can cause too much excitement.

It’s important to trust that your therapy dog will know how to approach a child that’s afraid, has tremors or can’t sit up or sit still.”

“An animal’s heartbeat seems to call to kids,” observes Rachael Barrera, a children’s librarian at Brook Hollow Public Library, in San Antonio, Texas.

“Dogs have come here once a week for more than a year. Now older kids that are comfortable with the reading program are showing younger ones how to choose a book.”

photo courtesy of Jean Maclean

Creating Positive Change Through Hypnotherapy, Breathwork & EFT/Matrix Reimprinting

National Library Week, April 12 to 18, celebrates the program Unlimited Possiblities @ Your Library At California’s Benicia Public Library, kids read to Honey, a friendly brown dog, on Wednesday afternoons.

Sheila Jordan, managing editor and owner of Booklandia, founded in Bend, Oregon, says her 8-year-old, Chase, found it difficult to concentrate because of ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). “The Tales and Tails program was a big help. All summer, we went every week and chose books he said the dog would love.” Jordan’s reward was a more focused child; Chase’s reward was a dog of his own last fall.

North Carolina’s Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers 14,000 free programs a year throughout its 20 locations, including Paws to Read. Librarian Cathy Cartledge, reading program coordinator for the Morrison Regional branch, shares this story from Jaylee’s mom, Jill.

“Jaylee was tutored in reading for a year. After she also began reading to Zoey, a great Pyrenees, or Hunter, a golden retriever, I saw improvement in fluency, confidence and enjoyment.

It worked miracles compared with the hours and money spent for tutoring,” her mom remarks.

The Mount Prospect Library, near Chicago, has an age requirement for its Tales to Tails program. “Rachael, 8, will hardly put a book down now,” says her

mom, Nicole Sasanuma, a senior associate with Business Communications & Advocacy, in Northbrook, Illinois. “Her sister, Emi, 6, is anxious for her next birthday so she ‘can read to doggies,’ too.”

Reading programs aren’t limited to libraries or schools. Jean Maclean, of Lompoc, California, trains her two dogs in agility and rally skills. For a change of pace, they visit the Chumash Learning Center, in Santa Ynez, once a month. The Chumash people value education from both its elders and teachers outside the tribe. Maclean relates that Donny, age 11, was afraid of dogs until he met hers, after which his teachers saw his reading improve three levels in one semester.

Animals help kids relax and become teachers to the dogs. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have found that reading skills for kids that read to dogs during a 10-week literacy program improved by 12 percent.

Children in the same program that didn’t do the same showed no improvement.

Dogs and other pets prove that reading out loud doesn’t have to be scary. All it takes is a good book and a good listener.

Connect with freelance writer Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

Unity Church on the Mountain 1328 Governors Dr. SE, Huntsville, AL 35801

What’s Happening at Unity Sunday, April 19th – Rev. Terrance Padgett Sunday, April 26th – Gene Skaggs, “Embracing Your Greatness in This New Paradigm Shift”

Contact Us 256-536-2271 UnityOnTheMountain.org UnityChurchontheMountain@gmail.com

Reverend Carol Landry “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Ongoing Classes

Other Four-Footed Reading Partners Cleo, a small gray cat that lives with Michelle Cardosi, a retail clerk in Denver, enjoyed her Love on a Leash therapy visits. When she became arthritic, moving from lap-to-lap was painful, and Cardosi considered retiring her, but Cleo didn’t agree. “So we went to the library’s Whiskers and Tales program instead, where she could sit on a pillow, get petted and be the center of attention,” she says. “She was able to visit until her 18th birthday.”

Clifford, a 24-year-old Morgan horse, is a well-known literacy advocate. He tours libraries in Michigan and using a sponge and watercolor paint, “signs” his biography, Clifford of Drummond Island, by author and Lansing artist Nancy Bailey, for his fans. “The kids probably won’t remember what I say, but they’ll always remember the day they saw a horse in the library,” says Bailey. “We’ve been visiting for about four years. He’s nosy and gets into everything, like the day he noticed the used book shelf. He picked out pulp fiction books and kept handing them to me.” Bailey notes that Clifford teaches children that horses have feelings and a sense of humor when he goes for laughs and changes his responses when doing tricks.

Weddings A t

Unity ChUrCh on the MoUntAin

Monday 10am-12pm Creating a New Paradigm of Aging Tuesday 7-8pm Prayer and Meditation Hour Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm Book: E3 (E-cubed) by Pam Grout, Showing how spiritual principles work

Sunday Discussion Class – 9:30am Sunday Worship – 11am Meditative Silence begins at 10:55am

The perfect place for couples planning an elegantly simple ceremony.

For more information go to:

UnityChurchWeddings.com or email us at

UnityChurchWeddings@gmail.com Non-traditional, interfaith unions and commitment ceremonies are always welcome!

natural awakenings

April 2015

21

fitbody

MASTERING THE FORCE

The Martial Arts Hold Deep Inner Lessons

martial arts, that force is referred to as qi, the life energy that intrinsically unites body, mind and spirit.

Be both an artist and athlete. Artistry and athleticism need not be divergent forces. The martial artist combines the grace of a creator and skill of a warrior, and watching a martial arts competition can be as riveting as watching a ballet or sports event. Most of us may not be talented artists or natural athletes, yet all students can learn how to integrate both worlds by blending physicality with stillness and expression through action.

Let go of ego, find mental clarity and access the present moment.

Jirōkichi Yamada, a master of Japanese kenjutsu, said, “The way of the sword and the way of Zen are identical, for they have the same purpose; that of killing the ego.” The focus of all true martial arts is the process, not the outcome. Whatever the style of execution, preparatory practice and meditative application, they all require the discipline of being purely present. Gaining such

by Eric Stevens

F

ew words are as oddly coupled as martial and arts. The first means “relating to war and soldiers,” while the second means “something that is created with imagination and skill, and is beautiful or expresses important ideas or feelings.” All martial arts represent a paradox of push and pull, yin and yang, external and internal.

Their practice represents the blending of our physical lives in harmony with our emotional makeup, allowing our external activity to mirror our internal being. Seldom is the fusion of body, mind and spirit easily achieved with one activity, but martial arts are an exception, because they focus equally on internal and external well-being. Here are five key life lessons that martial arts can teach us.

Learn how to breathe. True connection with our breath permeates an artist’s realm. A vocalist must reach deep within the diaphragm to sing proficiently and a dancer must learn to time their breath while performing. A martial artist learns to control breath with stillness and speed, like juxtaposing yoga with intense contact sports. Breathing properly makes the practitioner a better martial

22

Tennessee Valley

artist and a healthier one. According to a study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, hypertensive qigong program participants were able to both lower their blood pressure after 10 weeks and increase their oxygen uptake by 20 percent.

Avoid conflict by developing character. While it may seem counterintuitive that learning how to fight could avoid conflict, it’s an essential part of martial arts. The philosopher Lao Tzu said the best fighter is never angry. The martial arts are primarily about discipline, heightened awareness and honing an ability to face our own internal conflicts. Several studies corroborate that practicing martial arts produces positive behavioral changes. For instance, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescence, participating students in the martial arts were characterized as being less impulsive and less aggressive.

Connect the external (body movement) with the internal (energy movement). The energetic force that catalyzes expressive kicks, punches, blocks and other outward forms is as essential as the movements themselves. In Chinese

Facebook.com/natvalley

clarity requires grappling more with ego than with opponents; the real battle of a martial artist is waged within.

Bruce Lee, the film star who revolutionized Western awareness of martial arts and founded jeet kune do, realized that martial arts’ transcendent philosophy gives us many lessons to draw upon.

He suggested, “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”

Eric Stevens has been a fitness professional and martial arts coach for 15 years. He writes about related topics from Denver, Colorado. Connect at EricChristopherStevens@gmail.com.

inspiration

Publish a Natural Awakenings Magazine in Your Community Share Your Vision and Make a Difference • Meaningful New Career • Low Initial Investment • Proven Business System • Home Based Business • Exceptional Franchise Support & Training

Strong Winds Strong Roots

What Trees Teach Us About Life

by Dennis Merritt Jones

A

great experiment in the desert called the biodome created a living environment for human, plant and animal life.

A huge glass dome was constructed to house an artificial, controlled environment with purified air and water, healthy soil and filtered light. The intent was to afford perfect growing conditions for trees, fruits and vegetables, as well as humans.

People lived in the biodome, for many months at a time, and everything seemed to do well with one exception. When the trees grew to a certain height, they would topple over.

It baffled scientists until they realized they forgot to include the natural element of wind. Trees need wind to blow against them because it causes their root systems to grow deeper, which supports the tree as it grows taller.

Who among us doesn’t long for a perfect growing environment for ourselves, with no disruptions from outside influences?

We strive to avoid the times of contrast and tension, when life’s daily challenges push against us. When they do, the normal tendency is to curse them. If trees could talk, would we hear them curse the wind each time they encountered a storm?

We can learn a great deal from nature’s wisdom at work if we are open to the lesson. Watch how a tree bends and sways gracefully when the wind blows against it. It does not stand rigid, resisting the flow of energy. It does not push back. The tree accepts the strong wind as a blessing that helps it grow.

Such experiences develop our character and deepen our spiritual roots. When we grow deep, we too, stand tall.

Dennis Merritt Jones, D.D., is the author of Your Re-Defining Moments, The Art of Uncertainty and The Art of Being, the source of this essay. He has contributed to the human potential movement and field of spirituality as a minister, teacher, coach and lecturer for 30 years. Learn more at DennisMerrittJones.com.

Natural Awakenings recently won Call 239-530-1377 the prestigious FBR50 Franchise visit our website : Satisfaction Award from Franchise NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/mymagazine Business Review. To learn more visit: franchisebusinessreview.com for more information

Natural Awakenings publishes in over 95 markets across the U.S. and Puerto Rico • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Huntsville, AL Mobile/Baldwin, AL* Little Rock/Hot Spg., AR* Phoenix, AZ* Tucson, AZ East Bay Area, CA San Diego, CA Denver/Boulder, CO Fairfield County, CT Hartford, CT New Haven/Middlesex, CT Washington, DC Daytona/Volusia/Flagler, FL NW FL Emerald Coast Ft. Lauderdale, FL Jacksonville/St. Aug., FL Melbourne/Vero, FL Miami & Florida Keys* Naples/Ft. Myers, FL North Central FL* Orlando, FL* Palm Beach, FL Peace River, FL Sarasota, FL Tampa/St. Pete., FL FL’s Treasure Coast Atlanta, GA Hawaiian Islands Chicago, IL Chicago Western Suburbs Indianapolis, IN Baton Rouge, LA Lafayette, LA New Orleans, LA Portland, ME Boston, MA Ann Arbor, MI East Michigan Wayne County, MI Western MI Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Charlotte, NC Lake Norman, NC Triangle NC Central NJ Hudson County, NJ* Mercer County, NJ

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Monmouth/Ocean, NJ North NJ North Central NJ South NJ* Santa Fe/Abq., NM Las Vegas, NV Albany, NY Buffalo, NY Central NY Long Island, NY Manhattan, NY Queens, NY Rochester, NY Rockland/Orange, NY Westchester/Putnam, NY Central OH Cincinnati, OH Toledo, OH Oklahoma City, OK Portland, OR* Bucks/Montgomery, PA Harrisburg/York, PA Lancaster, PA Lehigh Valley, PA Pocono, PA/Warren Co., NJ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA Rhode Island Charleston, SC Columbia, SC Grand Strand, SC* Greenville, SC Chattanooga, TN Knoxville, TN* Memphis, TN Austin, TX Dallas Metroplex, TX Dallas/FW Metro N SE Texas Houston, TX San Antonio, TX* Richmond, VA VA’s Blue Ridge Seattle, WA Madison, WI Milwaukee, WI Puerto Rico

*Existing magazines for sale

natural awakenings

April 2015

23

A Course In Miracles 9:15am Sundays 1-Hour Mystery School 11am Sundays

Affirmations, Music, Mystery Message, Fellowship, An Open Communion Table

Full Moon Circle 6:30pm, Apr 4th EASTER Celebration 11:00am Sun, Apr 5th Tarot Club 7:00pm, Apr 10th Book Club Wealthy Spirit by Chellie Campbell 6:30pm, Apr 13th

The Food Artisans Next Door Homemade Delicacies,

New Class Begins Metaphysics 201

Direct from Our Neighbors

7:00pm, Apr 14th

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

Clearance & Consciousness Chart

Open Clearance/Healing 7:00pm, Apr 17th LOCC Work Day 9:00am, Apr 18th Help beautify our home Lunch Provided

Our labyrinth is always open for your meditative walks.

Let the Magic Begin 4208 Holmes Ave. NW Huntsville, Alabama 256-895-0255 www.lightofchristcenter.org

24

Tennessee Valley

Neighbors in most states can now legally buy fresh breads, cookies and preserves from local food artisans.

T

he locavore movement of eating locally produced foods continues to expand, thanks to 42 states passing cottage food laws that permit community members to make certain foods at home to sell to neighbors.

Some enterprises use a contract packer to deliver on a scale not possible domestically, or even operate from a commercially licensed production facility.

From sauerkraut and distinctive jams and organic jellies to gluten- or peanut-free cakes and regional artisanal breads, some of the most flavorful products are being produced with no chemical preservatives, artificial colors or other laboratory ingredients. Nearly all are made in small batches, and usually by the owner. Many source local ingredients or serve special dietary needs largely underserved or ignored by larger food businesses.

“In a sharing economy, individuals look less to big chain stores for

Facebook.com/natvalley

their food needs and more to each other, making fresher, tastier and often healthier foods more accessible,” explains Janelle Orsi, co-founder of the Oakland, California, Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), citing its Policies for Shareable Cities report partnered with the nonprofit Shareable.

The Specialty Food Association reports that sales of specialty foods— primarily at grocery retailers, but also cottage operators via farmers’ markets and direct orders when allowed by their state—grew 22 percent from 2010 to 2012, topping $85 billion.

Healthy as it Comes

“All of our products are made by hand and in small batches daily,” says Ruth Wardein, co-owner, with Andrew Amick, of Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery, in Naples, Florida, which she launched from her home kitchen. Besides glutenfree cookies, cakes and breads, she’s

photo courtesy of Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery, Naples, FL

consciouseating

always “perfecting” her Paleo cookies, brownies and pancake mix.

Paleo recipes contain no grains, dairy, yeast or refined sugars, explains Wardein.

“They require nut and seed flours, coconut oil and natural sugars like honey or maple syrup. So they are naturally higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbs than the average gluten-free recipe.”

“We’re experimenting with the community supported agriculture model with local fruit,” says Erin Schneider.

She and her husband, Rob McClure, operate Hilltop Community Farm, in LaValle, Wisconsin, which produces value-added products with organically grown crops. “We have salsas, pickles and jams. Our black currant and honey jam is sold before it’s made. Rob’s garlic dills have their own following.” Wisconsin’s cottage food law restricts sales to only high-acid foods.

Quality over Quantity

In Royal Oaks, California, Garden Variety Cheese owner, cheesemaker and shepherd Rebecca King feeds her 100 milking ewes organically raised, irrigated pasture grass and brewer’s

grain to yield award-winning farmstead easier-to-digest sheep cheeses from her Monkeyflower Ranch. “Many first-time customers like my story as a small producer and want to buy direct from the farm. They keep buying because of the taste,” says King.

“My marinara and pizza sauces are made in small batches by hand in a home kitchen, enabling us to hot pack them to retain the ingredients’ natural favors,” says Liz James, owner of The Happy Tomato, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her sauces are also low in sodium and contain no sugar, saturated fat or gluten. James’ production is facilitated by Virginia’s home food processor license, which lets her work from home and sell wholesale. Whole Foods Market is among her major retail accounts.

When home-based cottage food businesses are spurred into expansion to keep up with demand, a situation sometimes complicated by state limits on sales volume, many opt for renting space in the growing number of incubator, or community, kitchens nationwide.

“We did farmers’ markets for three years and went from seven customers

to thousands,” says Wardein, who now rents a commercial kitchen space. “Returning customers are the momentum that has pushed us forward.”

“By growing food in and around our own neighborhoods and cities, we decrease our dependence on an oftentimes unjust and ecologically destructive global food system and build stronger, more connected and resilient communities,” affirms Yassi Eskandari-Qajar, director of SELC’s City Policies program.

“We think it’s important to produce what grows well on our soil and then sell it, so that ecology drives economics, rather than vice versa,” says Schneider.

“Random things prosper in our area, like paprika peppers, elderberries, hardy kiwi, garlic, pears and currants. It’s our job as ecologically-minded farmers to show how delicious these foods can be.”

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko are coauthors of the new book Homemade for Sale, a guide for launching a food business from a home kitchen, plus ECOpreneuring, Farmstead Chef and Rural Renaissance. Learn more at HomemadeForSale.com.

natural awakenings

April 2015

25

wisewords

Healing Journeys

Paul Stutzman Finds Universal Truths on His Treks

by Randy Kambic

P

aul Stutzman was a successful executive with a family restaurant chain and a happy father and husband married for more than 30 years when his wife, Mary, passed away from breast cancer in 2006. Questioning his faith as to why this happened, Stutzman quit his job to hike the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail (AT), advising everyone he encountered, “Don’t take spouses and families for granted.” His book, Hiking Through, recounts this extreme adventure and relates his subsequent thoughts about grief, healing and life.

Stutzman chronicled his second journey, a 5,000-mile-plus crosscountry trek, in Biking Across America. This time, he perceived a “noble, yet humble America that still exists and inspires.” More recently, the author has turned to fiction with The Wanderers and Wandering Home, both enriched with reflections upon the values of his Amish Mennonite upbringing and marriage.

What kept you going?

Early on, I realized how soothing nature was to my grieving soul. Still, there

were times it would have been easy to abandon my journeys and head for the safety of home. The desire to discover if my life held any meaning after such a great loss kept me moving forward. I kept telling myself on both journeys, “If my wife can fight cancer for four years, I can overcome any obstacle I encounter.”

I was determined to write about what I was being taught by nature. I also believed books written by and about someone seeking solace via an incomplete pilgrimage would be cheating the reader.

What do such journeys teach about nature and our response to experiencing it?

I find comfort in nature. I believe the beautiful streams and waterfalls, the grand views from mountaintops and the wildlife were all created for our enjoyment. When we absorb this beauty and wonderment, the stresses in life slowly melt away. Granted, not everyone will be able to do what I did; however, a stroll through a local park, along a beach or in a flower garden can have similar effects.

Did these extended physical endeavors make mental demands that catalyzed unexpected self-growth?

Treks like these into the unknown are physically demanding. With time and effort, one’s body gets into shape for extended hiking and biking. The mental hurdle must be crossed next. You’ll miss home and loved ones. Loneliness will set in. This is where you discover who the real you is. Are you tenacious enough to push through the desire to abandon the pilgrimage or will you succumb to the allure of comfort and safety?

On my journeys, I had to make difficult choices. There is a saying that applies to folks planning to hike the AT end-to-end through 14 states: “If hiking the entire Appalachian Trail isn’t the most important thing in your life, you won’t accomplish it.”

My daughter gave birth to my grandson while I was hiking. Although she asked that I come home for the event, I declined. I kept on hiking because I knew I wouldn’t return to the trail if I went home. I’d spent my lifetime trying to do the right things for my three children, but now had to do what was right for me.

What did you learn about Americans along the way?

I discovered that most Americans are kind, law-abiding citizens. Most are still willing to help a stranger in need.

Unfortunately, I feel we focus too much time and energy on the minority of malcontents.

How have these experiences informed your creative process?

America is a great country. The beauty I’ve witnessed from a bicycle seat and on two feet hiking the mountains is a continual source of inspiration. Many folks are unable to do what I do. My ongoing desire is to describe the images imprinted in my mind in such a way that others can feel as if they are there walking with me.

For more information, visit PaulStutzman.com.

Randy Kambic is an Estero, FL, freelance writer and editor who regularly contributes to Natural Awakenings.

26

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

calendarofevents Email Editor@Natvalley.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

equipment such as plows, vintage tractors, a cotton gin, a hay baler and much more. Admission charged.

Burritt on the Mountain, 3101 Burritt Dr, Huntsville.

256-536-2882.

Happy Spring!

Huntsville Blooms – Daily through April. Come enjoy spring-blooming trees, shrubs and perennials, colorful bulbs, special flowering displays, and favorite springtime events. Admission charged.

Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. 256-830-4447.

Film Screening & Discussion: Interstellar – 124pm. Following the science fiction film, Dr. Gang Li from UAH’s Space Science program will discuss the theory of relativity, black holes and more. Free.

Huntsville Main Library, 915 Monroe St. 256532-2362.

The Call of Soul – 6:30-7:30pm. Free spiritual discussion series for people of all faiths on Wednesdays in April. Learn how to open your heart to the answers within you. Huntsville ECK Center, 900 Wellman Avenue, #3 (Five Points). 256-534-1751.

Eck-Alabama.org

FRIDAY, APRIL 3 Concert on the Dock: Clara Belle and the Creeps – 6-9pm. Clara Belle and the Creeps presents fresh sounds with a doo-wop sadness. Opening act, Serious Sam Barrett, a Yorkshire Folk singer/songwriter.

Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

256-533-0399.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 Book Swap – 10am-2pm. For every two books you bring you get to pick out and take one new book home. There will be books are for all ages. Free.

EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, 404 Madison St, Huntsville. EarlyWorks.com/Monthly-Book-Swap.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Guided Hike: Trough Springs – 2pm. (2 miles / Difficulty: Moderate). Land Trust Board member David Young will discuss the Civil War significance of Trough Springs and tell the story of Lt. Col. Milus E. “Bushwhacker” Johnston and his dramatic surrender to Union Forces on May 11, 1865. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9 Essential Oils Brown Bag Lunch and Learn – 121pm. Come and explore the world of essential oils.

We will be discussing different oils, their uses and safety. Free. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy at 256-476-6537 or Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Tennessee Valley Farm Tour – 2-6 pm (Sat-Sun).

Load up the car with family and friends for a self-guided tour of our favorite small farms in the Tennessee Valley. 256-520-2400. RositasFarm. com/farmtour.

Concert on the Dock: Stone Soul – 6-9pm. Stone Soul combines elements of Soul, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock, and Electronica. Family and pet friendly. Free.

Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

Lessons and Blessings – 7:30-8pm. Inspiring stories and insights from Harold Klemp, spiritual leader and acclaimed author of more than sixty books on Eckankar. Learn about your relationship with the Law of Cause and Effect. Free. WOW (Knology) Cable Channel 11. 256-534-1751. Eck-Alabama.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 HypnoBirthing Class – 10am-1pm (4/11, 4/18, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16). A method of relaxed, natural childbirth that is enhanced by self-hypnosis, special breathing techniques, visualizations, affirmations, and education. Learn how to achieve perfect relaxation for a calm, serene and comfortable birth. $295. Tuition assistance available. Register: Marsha Mathes, 256698-2151, Mathes79@knology.net. MarshaMathes.

SkinCareTherapy.net.

Spring Farm Days: At the Country Fair – 10am4pm (Sat), 12-4pm (Sun). Enjoy sheep-shearing demonstrations and the displays of antique farm

Pain Relief and Non-Surgical Facelift without Surgery or Prescriptions Book Your FREE Consultation Online Today!

Cymatic Therapy & Dermacycling

614 Madison St, Suite #2 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-656-1606 v CymaticsByLil.com

Concert: Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with Houston Person – 7pm. The Tennessee Valley Jazz Society presents jazz great Houston Person, who is best known for his work in soul jazz. Admission charged. Cooper House, 405 Randolph Ave, Huntsville. 256-534-8446.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12 Essential Oils and Pets – 2-3:30pm. Learn how essential oils can be beneficial for your pets. We will be discussing individual oils, what their used for, and how to safely use them. Free. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601.

RSVP with Cindy at 256-476-6537 or Cindy@ AlabamaAwakenings.com.

Guided Hike: Wade Mountain Nature Preserve’s Special Wildflowers – 2pm. (2 hours / Easy to moderate, app. 2.5 miles). Botanist Lynne Weninegar will lead us to Devil’s Racetrack and will provide fun facts about the many beautiful species native to this semi-arid microclimate. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

Marian Lewis Book Signing Reception: Southern Sanctuary – 2-4:30pm. Meet the Sanctuary artist and writer whose new coffee table book captures the seasonal changes at Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary. Photographs of flora and fauna seen each month of the year grace the pages. I. Schiffman Building, 231 East Side Sq, Huntsville.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14 Hike Hays – 10am. Join us for a one-hour guided hike over easy terrain in various areas of the Preserve. Meet in the parking lot near the picnic area at 10am. Hays Nature Preserve, 7161 U.S. Hwy 431 South, Owens Cross Roads, AL.

Jin Shin Jyutsu® of Huntsville Sandra Cope

Certified Jin Shin Jyutsu® Practitioner

Assists healing through relaxation and restoring body harmony.

Animal companion sessions are available.

Office: (256) 534-1794 Cell: (256) 509-3540

1108 McClung Avenue SE Huntsville, Alabama 35801

natural awakenings

April 2015

27

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

A health food store with more!

Massage for es i g Reflexology r e l al Herbalist g! e n i m Clinical r a p T s

ee r f e Sniffl

Known for Knowledge & Service that sets us apart Locally owned Serving Huntsville for nearly 50 years!

256-883-4127 7540 South Memorial Parkway Rosie’s Shopping Center Huntsville, AL 9:30-5:30 M-F; 9:30-2:30 Sat.

RuthsNutrition.com

Spring Plant Sale – 9am-6pm (Fri-Sat), 12-4pm (Sun). A one-stop shopping venue for garden plants, soil testing by Master Gardeners and free advice from garden experts. Garden activities for children and educational talks for adults will also be offered.

Free. Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. 256-830-4447.

Concert on the Dock: The Dawn Drapes/Jordan Hull/Up The Chain – 6-9pm. 3 bands this week: The Dawn Drapes, an alternative indie rock trio, Jordan Hull, singer/songwriter, and Up The Chain, an indie folk artist. Family and pet friendly. Free.

Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 Earth Day Celebration at Hays Nature Preserve – 10am-2pm. The City of Huntsville’s Operation Green Team hosts Keep America Beautiful’s Earth Day annually at the J.D. and Annie S. Hays Nature Preserve, an idyllic location on the Flint River.

Free. 7153 Hwy 431 S, Owens Cross Roads, AL. 356-53-CLEAN. Art4Paws Festival – 10am-3pm. Includes a Blessing of the Pets (10am), amateur dog show (registration 1:30pm), arts and crafts vendors, children’s activities and food vendors. Rescue groups will have adoptable pets available. Free. Gazebo in Downtown Madison, 20 Front St, Madison, AL. Guided Hike: Wildflower Stroll on Rainbow Mountain in Madison – 10am. (2-3 hours / Moderate to difficult, app. 3 miles). Doug Horacek leads this slow mountain stroll includes stops to learn more about the wildflowers and a visit to famous Balance Rock. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

Healthy Home with Essential Oils – 2-4pm. Learn how to incorporate essential oils into your household cleaning for a safer and chemical-free home. Take home samples of items we make in class to try for yourself. $10. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy at 256-4766537 or Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19 Earth Day Celebration at Monte Sano – 1-5pm.

Featuring an Earth Day farmers market, eco-friendly vendors and exhibitors, guided hikes with state park employees, EarthCaching, forestry and water

conservation demonstrations, rehabilitated wildlife and live music. $5 for parking. Monte Sano State Park, 5105 Nolen Ave, Huntsville. 256-534-5263.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24 Panoply Arts Festival – 5-9pm (Fri), 10am-9pm (Sat), 12-7pm (Sun). Features various stages offering regional and national performers in dance, music and theater performances. Make-and-take activities for children, an Art Marketplace, artist demonstrations and more. Free. Big Spring Park in Downtown Huntsville. 256-519-2787.

Concert on the Dock: The Harmaleighs – 6-9pm.

The Harmaleighs are a folk duo from Nashville.

Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

256-533-0399.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 Fascia BodyWork Workshop – 8:30am-5:30pm (Sat-Sun). Learn how to “work smart, not hard” with this fascia specific, not muscle specific, technique. 16 CEs for LMTs. $250 before 4/11, $275 after. Parkway Office Center, 3313 Memorial Pkwy SW, Ste 116, Huntsville. Register: Marsha Mathes 256-698-2151 or Mathes79@knology.net. Marsha Mathes.SkinCareTherapy.net.

SUNDAY, APRIL 26 Essential Oils and Hormones – 2-3:30pm. Learn the benefits of essential oils in hormone health.

We will be discussing different oils, their uses and safety. Free. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy at 256-476-6537 or Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

Guided Hike on Wade Mountain: Forests are Vital to our Health – 2pm. (2 hours / Easy to moderate, app. 2.5 miles). Former Land Trust Board Member and USDA Forester Dr. Callie Schweitzer will lead a “tree ID” hike on Wade Mountain. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 Meet the Author: Scott Phillips – 6-8pm. Scott “Shuttleman” Phillips is a local author and retired member of the Space Shuttle Team. He will be in house to discuss his new book Remove Before Flight: Memoir of a Space Shuttle Team Member.

Free. Huntsville Main Library, Second Floor Events Room, 915 Monroe St. 256-532-5940.

Make your community a little GREENER …

Support our advertisers For every $100 spent in locally owned business, $68 returns to the community source: the350project.net 28

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

ongoingevents Email Editor@Natvalley.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

sunday

saturday

A Course in Miracles Study Group – 9:15am.

Shared reading and group discussions. Extra books available. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville. 256-895-0255. LightOfChristCenter.org.

Artist Market – 12-4pm. Local artists and others are invited to set up a booth and sell their wares to the public. There will be art, jewelry, vintage clothing, records and more for sale. Admission free. Flying Monkey Arts Center at Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

Revealing Service – 9:45am. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

Community HU Song – 1:30-2pm. Join others in singing HU, an ancient love song to God that can help and uplift you in countless ways. Held each Saturday (except 4/4). Huntsville ECK Center, 900 Wellman Ave NE #3 (near Five Points). 256-5341751. Eck-Alabama.org.

Celebration Service – 10:30am. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

Unity Church on the Mountain Worship Service – 11am, with Adult Discussion at 9:30am. Unity is a positive path for spiritual living. Rev. Carol Landry.

1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville. UnityOnThe Mountain.org.

1-Hour Mystery School – 11am. A different service each week including ritual, music, and a message in an open, loving environment. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville. 256-895-0255.

LightOfChristCenter.org.

monday “Creating A New Paradigm of Aging” – 10am12pm. For women over 40 class. An opportunity for women to discuss aging as a spiritual process. Facilitated by Rev. Grace Gifford, using the book, Prime Time by Jane Fonda. Love Offering. Unity Church on the Mountain, 1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville.

256-536-2271. UnityOnTheMountain.org.

Oil Painting Class – 10am-1pm. All levels are welcome at the Jones Valley Hobby Lobby. $25/ class, limited to 10 students. Call 256-698-3988 to reserve a spot.

Kangen Water Wellness Presentation – 6:30pm.

Bring your BPS-free plastic containers and we’ll make three gallons of the remarkable Kangen Ionized, Micro-Clustered, Alkaline Drinking Water.

Attend our Kangen Water Wellness Presentation starting at 6:30pm each Monday night. Call for directions. G. Boyce Bazzell (Bazz). 256-430-8407.

Bazzell@me.com.

tuesday Meditation – 6pm. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-883-8596. CSLHuntsville.org.

Prayer and Meditation Hour – 7-8pm. Unity Church on the Mountain, 1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville.

256-536-2271. UnityOnTheMountain.org.

BodyFlow – 6-7pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Yoga/Pilates/Tai Chi-based exercise class that builds strength, tones your body and leaves you

feeling centered and calm. Part of the Les Mills Fitness Program. $10/class and no contract. New participants are always welcome. Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison Blvd, Suite E, Madison, AL. 256-461-1900. MadisonBallroom.com.

wednesday Satsang – 6:30pm. Through group discussion and inquiry, we reveal the innate wisdom of the one presence living life as each one of us. Meditation 6pm.

Led by Rev. David Leonard. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

Book Study: E3 (E-cubed) by Pam Grout – 6:308:30pm. Showing how spiritual principles work.

Unity Church on the Mountain, 1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville. 256-536-2271. UnityOnThe Mountain.org.

thursday Thursday Night Swing – 6:30-10pm. Swing dance lesson, 6:30pm; Dance 7:30pm. $5 covers lesson and dance. Lowe Mill/Flying Monkey, 2nd Floor Theatre, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

Vinyasa Yoga – 6:30pm. A 75-minute flow yoga class that focuses on unifying breath and the motion of the body. All levels are welcome. Yoga Center of Huntsville, 500 East Pratt Ave, Suite A. 256-533-7975. YogaCenterOfHuntsville.com or Asaniyama.com.

friday Public Clearance Session – 7pm. Third Friday each month. Learn effective healing through reception and application of Divine energies. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville.

256-895-0255.

Reiki Free Clinic (No Charge) – 2-4pm, every third Saturday of each month. For appointments, contact Shari Feinman-Prior at Shari1717@gmail. com or 256-289-3331. Peaceful Journey Center, 915 Merchant Walk Way, Suite A, Huntsville.

Ballroom Dance Party – 7:30-10pm. Beginner group class 7:30-8pm, introduction to different ballroom dances each week. Practice dance party 8-10pm, for all levels of dancers. No partner needed. $10/person for group class and party. Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison Blvd Suites C/D, Madison, AL. 256-461-1900. MadisonBallroom.com.

GOT EVENTS? GET NOTICED! Advertise in our calendar.

classifieds Fee for classifieds is $1 per word per month. To place listing, email content to Editor@Natvalley.com. Deadline is the 10th of the month.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTORS wanted.

Sell essential oils and other organic products. www.trygodesana.com.

FOR RENT MADISON OFFICE SPACE $375.00/month.

12’ x 11’ private office, in a suite with reception and bathroom shared with Massage Therapist, and Certified Personal and Yoga Trainer. Great location on Sullivan St, near downtown. Easy access to I-565.

Phone or Text Lynn, 256-698-9653.

HEALTH COOKWARE SALADMASTER sales and service. 256-502-9845.

natural awakenings

April 2015

29

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

ALKALINE DRINKING WATER KANGEN WATER®

Ionized, Micro-Clustered, Alkaline Water Garvin Bazzell (Bazz) Bazzwater.com Bazzell@me.com Protect your body from high levels of acidity which contributes to many diseases. Kangen Water Systems produce alkaline water that will help neutralize the acidity in your body. Attend our Water Wellness presentation Monday Nights at 6:30pm.

Contact me for the location.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY CENTER FOR OPTIMAL WELLBEING U’Jeana Wilson Owner/Certified Colon Hydrotherapist Degree in Psychology 256-658-8600

Center for Optimal Wellbeing is the longest operating colonic therapy provider in Huntsville.

First time clients have expressed immediate feelings of increased energy levels and improved efficiency in waste elimination. You will enjoy the experience of your own “personal cleansing spa” as you receive colon hydrotherapy (colonic), far infrared sauna, an optional massaging shower, and ionic footbath services—in a clean, comfortable, and relaxing private environment. Call for directions and a 10% discount on your first service when you mention Natural Awakenings or use code COWB.

HOPE FOR LIFE COLONICS

Tina Pencola Owner/Certified Colon Hydrotherapist 10300 Bailey Cove Rd, Suite-7A Huntsville, AL 35803 256-270-8731 • 256-684-0020 Hope4LifeAL.com Tina.HopeForLife@outlook.com Our goal is to live long and live strong. Young or old, male or female, healthy or sick, will benefit from an internal cleansing. Mention this ad and get $10 off your first colonic session. See ad, page 17.

ENERGY HEALING CENTER FOR DIRECTIONAL HEALING™ Susan Spalding 2225 Drake Ave SW, Ste 18 Huntsville, AL 35805 256-882-0360 • DirectionalHealing.com

For over 20 years, Susan Spalding and the staff at the Center for Directional Healing have been helping people achieve greater balance and health through Directional Healing and Reflexology. The Center now includes free SOQI Therapy with each session for the most complete healing experience.

Information on the energy medicine equipment is available at ChiDvd.com/susan. For healing techniques, articles, and more information on the Center, visit DirectionalHealing.com.

ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY PEACEFUL JOURNEY CENTER Shari Feinman-Prior, MRET, REV 915 Merchant Walk Way, Suite A Huntsville, AL 35801 256-289-3331 • ShariPrior.com Shari1717@gmail.com

Offering an individualized integrative approach to health and healing: Rapid Eye Technology, Inner Counselor Process, Mandala Process, Life Skills Coaching, Healing Touch and Reiki. Reiki Attunements and Personal Mentoring are available upon request.

ESSENTIAL OILS CINDY WILSON

Young Living Independent Distributor 256-476-6537 Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com Want to know why everyone is talking about essential oils?

Learn more about essential oils, their uses and how to safely use them. Classes held monthly or schedule your class with friends and family. For more information call or email. See ad, page 16.

JARVIS NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC 1489 Slaughter Road, Madison 256-837-3448

I-ACT Certified Colon Hydro Therapists. Do you know that 80% of your immune system is in your colon? Bathe your body from the inside to improve health. Colon irrigation aids in soothing and toning the colon, which makes elimination more effective.

30

Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

FAMILY MEDICINE MADISON FAMILY CARE

Chad Gilliam, M.M.S. PA-C 1230 Slaughter Road, Suite C, Madison, AL 256-722-0555 MadisonFamilyCare.com Madison Family Care provides medical care for patients of all ages and uniquely blends Natural and Prescription medicines together to help speed the patient’s recovery. Madison Family Care is the patient’s clinic of choice when they would like to understand how natural medicines work along with prescription drugs.

FENG SHUI FENG SHUI BY TRUDI GARDNER Trudi Gardner, M.S. 256-772-6999 Tygard2000@aol.com

An interior design philosophy that invites serenity and reduces stress. Feng Shui design concepts brings positive energy into your home and office to encourage Prosperity, Well Being, Harmony, and Balance.

FOOT CARE SPECIALIZED NAIL CARE

1900 Flint Rd SE Decatur, AL 35601 256-476-6537 Cindy@SpecializedNailCare.com Nail care for those that need more than just a pedicure.

Physicians order required for care. Care includes footbath, trimming nails, thinning of thick nails, and removal of calluses and corns. For more information call or email. See ad, page 17.

HAIR SALON CJ HAIR AND ART STUDIO CJ Denison 105E Church St Madison, AL 35758 256-603-9018

Specializing in NATURAL Hairstyles. Cuts with Texture and Movement. Specializing in Fine Hair, Razor cuts, Men's Hair Pieces with A NATURAL Look. Specializing in Hair Color OFF the Scalp.

Hair Painting. A Safer way to Color or HiLight Your Hair to Help in Decreasing the Exposure to the Scalp. HEALTHY HAIR is HAPPY HAIR. Also Original Art Work and Private Art lessons available.

Call Today for YOUR Appointment.

HOMEOPATHIC CONSULTANT JOAN SCOTT LOWE

1901 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. South Birmingham, AL 35209 205-871-1288 Joan@HomeopathyForWellness.com HomeopathyForWellness.com Call or email Joan Scott Lowe, Homeopathic Wellness Consultant, to determine your individual constitutional remedy, the FDA-approved nontoxic homeopathic remedy based on the totality of your mental, emotional, and physical condition, chosen according to the Law of Similars (“like heals like”).

Achieve wellness and freedom from illness!

HYPNOTHERAPY CENTER FOR INNER WELLNESS Becky Waters Certified Hypnotherapist and Professional Breathworker 3322 S. Memorial Parkway, Suite 643 Huntsville, AL • 256-348-5236

Creating positive change through hypnotherapy and Breathwork. Empowering you to live to your highest potential. Relieve stress and anxiety, release negativity, pain management, pre/post medical procedure, fears/phobias, weight loss, smoking cessation, and more. See ad, page 20.

MARSHA MATHES

Certified Hypnotist 3313 Memorial Parkway, Ste 116 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-698-2151 MarshaMathes.SkinCareTherapy.net Hypnosis is a tool to assist you in countless ways to heal your past, empower your present and create your future. Hypnobirthing classes, quit smoking, weight loss, nail and lip biting, teeth grinding, insomnia, anxiety and stress relief, phobias and fears, pain relief, sports enhancement, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), current and past life regressions.

JIN SHIN JYUTSU® JIN SHIN JYUTSU OF HUNTSVILLE Sandra Cope Huntsville 256-534-1794 256-509-3540

Certified Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner. An easy, effective way of restoring health and well-being by balancing the body’s energy pathways to enhance the body’s natural healing abilities. See ad, page 27.

PRIVATE YOGA CLASSES

MASSAGE

YOGA DHARMA DOWNTOWN

DIXIE PHILLIPS (LMT #2151)

Dixie’s Sunrise Massage Therapy 3313 Memorial Parkway, Ste #116 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-585-0504 • Hoss2ride@otelco.net Dixie’s Sunrise Massage Therapy: Come in and experience Dixie’s Combo. This is not the typical massage. MediCupping Therapy is used to relax muscles and increase the blood flow, which accelerates healing. It is also effective on bloating, scars, Fibromyalgia, Sciatica, migraine or tension headaches. See details on services, rates, and possible help with your Tissue Issues at DixiesSunrise.MassageTherapy.com.

NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR

Suzanne Newton, Director Huntsville, AL • 256-585-3727 Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 International Association of Yoga Therapists YogaDharmaDowntown.com Suzanne.M.Newton@gmail.com Private Yoga Instruction is an opportunity to receive personalized guidance in traditional techniques of asana, pranayama, and seated meditation. Private sessions designed specifically for you and based on what you aspire to do. 90-min sessions are held in a South Huntsville private studio, near Jones Valley. Contact Suzanne to discuss goals and make appointment.

editorial calendar

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ASSOCIATES Dr. Deb Gilliam, N.M.D. 1230 Slaughter Rd, Ste E, Madison, AL 256-325-0955

2015 APRIL

Dr. Deb treats a variety of health problems using natural means.

She looks for why people have symptoms and treats the root cause of those symptoms. Dr. Deb is highly regarded in the integrative and natural approach to wellness. Every patent is unique, and she individualizes treatment for their optimal wellness. See ad, page 13.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION

nature’s wisdom

plus: healthy home MAY

breast health

plus: natural birth JUNE

healing addiction

plus: balanced man JULY

food democracy

plus: inspired living AUGUST

JACI HOGUE

256-656-4108 JaciHogue@gmail.com A complete system of body education that balances the physical body, improves posture, and helps resolve chronic pain. Created by Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the 1950s, Structural Integration has been scientifically validated and has withstood the test of time, as millions of people have enjoyed the remarkable benefits.

parenting with presence plus: creativity SEPTEMBER

agelessness

plus: yoga benefits OCTOBER

working together

plus: natural antidepressants NOVEMBER

SUSAN K. JEFFREYS

Advanced Practitioner Lic.#249 Dr. Ida P. ROLF method 525 Fountain Row 256-508-3351 • RolfGuild.org Serving Huntsville since 1995

true wealth

“When the body gets working appropriately, then the force of gravity can flow through. Then spontaneously, the body heals itself.” —Ida P. Rolf. See ad, page 11.

plus: beauty DECEMBER

prayer & meditation plus: holiday themes

natural awakenings

April 2015

31

WOMEN LEAD THE WAY

Advertise your goods and services in our

May Women’s Health Issue

Focusing on Breast Health & Natural Birth Reach Natural Awakenings’ Forerunners Seeking: • Acupuncture • Alternative Healing • Aromatherapy • Ayurveda • Bodywork • Chelation Therapy • Chiropractic • Counseling/Therapy

• Dental Care • Energy Healing • Fitness/Health Clubs • Herbalists • Homeopathy • Hypnotherapy • Integrative Physicians • Iridology

Contact us at:

256-340-1122 Editor@Natvalley.com

• Natural/Organic Foods • Physical Therapy • Retreats/Workshops • Skin Care • Spas • Spiritual Practices • Wellness Trainers & Coaches • Yoga ... and this is just a partial list