March 2012 - Seattle Natural Awakenings

HEALTHY H E A LLIVING T H Y HEALTHY PLANET

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Changing The Way America Eats

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elcome to the March issue of Seattle Natural Awakenings! With some of the great events and festivals on the horizon, it feels like Seattle is awakening from her solitary winter slumber and starting to lumber toward the return of spring. I’m excited about Vegfest on March 25 & 25 (will you be going? Please stop by our booth and say hello! David and I will be there all weekend. Learn more about Vegfest on page 30). There are other fun and interesting things happening as well don’t forget to check the calendar section.

This is our food and garden issue, and like me and my family, lots of folks are thinking about community supported agriculture shares (CSA) about this time of the year. Signing up for our first CSA years ago was a fantastic introduction for me to the “eat local” movement, as well as an introduction to a couple vegetables I had never before tried, like Romanesco. For the uninitiated: an beautiful vibrant green plant in the Brassica family that tastes like a mild cross between broccoli and cauliflower and looks like a math lesson. (Wikipedia describes this delectable vegetable using words like “fractal” and “Fibonacci series.”)

For finding or enhancing your own connection with local food, LocalHarvest. org is a great tool and one of the resources we mention in our March feature, “Changing The Way America Eats” (page 12). This inspiring article highlights positive trends for farm-to-fork eating and the growing role of organizations like the Puget Sound Food Network in connecting local, community-based farmers with opportunities to sell not only directly to consumers, but institutions like schools, grocery stores, and beyond. There is a lot of hope for the continued growth of what you could call “food consciousness:” farming is increasingly seen as a calling and attracting increasing numbers of young adults. That’s is important to the future of local food because the average age of a farmer in the United States is 57, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Organization.

As you ponder the hopeful news about sustainable farming, you may also be thinking about prepping your garden and starting plants this time of the year.

However, if you wish you were up to your elbows in dirt but lack space, “Unconventional Gardens” (page 22) will give you a few ideas for maximizing your patio, alley, or even building a rooftop raised bed.

In my experience, kids like hanging out around gardens, but we’ve also got some great articles offering up ideas regarding children in some other directions, including “Preparing Kids For Tomorrow’s Jobs” (page 16). This is a great piece about kid’s camps and other efforts to help our children succeed in science and mathematics. “Yoga For Kids” (page 20) outlines benefits and trends in the expanding world of children’s yoga.

There are more articles inside these pages, so I will leave you by wishing you a fabulous month filled with local food and the promise of spring!

To your health and happiness,

Ann Dorn

contact us Publishers Ann Dorn David Seregow National Editor S. Alison Chabonais Account Manager Dena Marie 425-350-5448 Dena@SeattleAwakenings.com Design & Production Patrick Floresca Multi-Market Advertising 239-449-8309 Franchise Sales John Voell II 239-530-1377

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March 2012

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contents 5 newsbriefs

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11 healthbriefs 16 healthykids 18 healingways 20 yogalife 22 greenliving

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24 consciouseating 26 wisewords

27 inspiration 28 fitbody

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32 calendar

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

12 CHANGING THE

WAY AMERICA EATS

Nourishing the Shift to Farm-Fresh Foods

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

16 PREPARING KIDS FOR TOMORROW’S JOBS

12

U.S. Companies Pair Scientists with Schools

by April Thompson

18 COOLING CHRONIC INFLAMMATION

16

Dietary Solutions Counter Disease

by Linda Sechrist

20 YOGA FOR KIDS

Never Too Old Or Too Young

advertising & submissions

by Andrea Cirignano

22 UNCONVENTIONAL

how to advertise GARDENS To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media No Space? No Problem. kit, please contact us at 206-788-7313 or email

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko Publisher@SeattleAwakenings.com.

Deadline for ads: the 15th of the month.

Editorial submissions Email articles, news items and ideas to: Submissions@SeattleAwakenings.com Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month. calendar submissions Email Calendar Events to: Calendar@SeattleAwakenings.com or submit online at SeattleAwakenings.com. Deadline for calendar: the 12th of the month. regional markets Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locallyowned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

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26 CHOOSING FORKS OVER KNIVES

Doctors Advocate a Plant-Based Diet

by Linda Sechrist

27 LIVE YOUR DASH

by Linda Ellis

28 STEP INTO FITNESS

Dance Your Way to a Beautifully Strong and Flexible Body

by Sandra Murphy

30 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Vegfest: Seattle’s Largest Vegetarian Food Festival

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newsbriefs My Mama’s Love Is Becoming Minima Organics

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ocally-based skin care brand My Mama’s Love is changing their name to Minima Organics in a move that reflects the company’s philosophy of simple and natural ingredients, according to founder Leslie McCann.

“Our customers truly value our emphasis on creating safe, non-toxic skin care products,” McCann explains.

“The new name, Minima Organics, will allow us to reach a broader audience while expanding our line of effective natural remedies.”

McCann launched the company several years ago after finding herself unable to locate skincare remedies for her daughter, who suffered from various skin ailments at the time. After creating several products that ulti-

BioHealthyHomes.com

mately cleared up her daughter’s condition, McCann saw an opportunity to embark on a commercial venture. Today, Minima Organics offers over 20 products ranging from their popular Complete Skin Ailment Curative to natural bug spray, a product designed to heal burns, a product for cold sores, salves for breastfeeding women and many others.

“All the products are made from scratch,” McCann explains. “I hand pick each ingredient after doing extensive research on the company and

its practices. Everything is made in our gluten free facility, from raw ingredients.

This way, I can be sure that the ingredient and allergy claims I make are true,” she finishes.

Minima Organics products are found at stores throughout the Seattle area, as well as online. Natural Awakenings readers save 10 percent on their online order through the month of March with the code NATURAL. For more information: MyMamasLove.com and coming soon at MinimaOrganics.com.

Vesta Home Performance Introduces New Window Line

V Make Your Home Safe!

Healthy Home Assessments Mold A Lead A Air Quality A Electromagnetic Radiation

Construction and Energy Audit Renovation A Consulting A New Homes A Energy Retrofit

Naturopathic Services

Environmental Medical Assessment

Certified Building Call Today: Biologists and 206-883-1694 Environmental Consultants since 2007

esta Home Performance, a local energy efficiency retrofitting company, recently launched Second Panes, a custom storm window line.

According to owner Alison Kartiganer, the windows are designed to be less expensive, while still incorporating quality materials including oak, glass or Plexiglas. Installing storm windows allows homeowners to keep their original windows and enjoy higher energy efficiency and other benefits of green living.

“We created Second Panes because the only storm window options available were unattractive, unsafe— they required scaffolding or ladders— or not durable,” explains Kartiganer.

“Homeowners needed an elegant option for how to keep their original windows out of the landfill while not wasting energy.”

“There is a lot of misinformation out there about the importance of windows with regards to energy efficiency,” adds Kartiganer. “According to building science, replacing windows

is rarely the correct first step. Targeted air sealing and insulation in the attic, crawlspace and walls will have a much greater impact on energy efficiency, comfort and indoor air quality. The Attorney General of Washington has actually sued many window manufacturers and distributors for misleading the public with their ads claiming high energy efficiency benefits.”

Vesta Home Performance Retrofitting opened in April, 2009, and is dedicated to improving the energy efficiency of Seattle-area homes using a “whole house approach.”

Special offer for Natural Awakenings readers: $50 off an order for Second Pane windows through April. For more information: 206-919-6770 or Info@ VestaPerformance.com.

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Woman On A Mission Conference To Be Held March 20

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eattle Good Business Network and See Green Ventures are presenting Women on a Mission: A Day of Conversation About Local and Sustainable Business, on March 20 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at URBAN enoteca in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood.

The day will begin with a keynote by the author of The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability and Success, Carol Sanford. Panels and roundtable discussions, sparked by leaders in the local economy—including innovators in retail, food, services, and production—will follow.

Topics will include creative collaborations and new business models; closing the loop on local sourcing and production; and creating resource efficient and eco-friendly products, services, and workplaces. The final session of the day promises to be a lively discussion about what it means to live one’s values at work and at home. The day will feature a locally-sourced menu, topped off with local wine.

Urban enoteca is located at 4130 1st Ave South, Seattle. $135/early-bird rate before March 2. For more information: SeattleNetwork.org/Women-Mission.

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Adam Fuller Offers Free Meditation Class

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dam Fuller, co-creator of the Meditation in the World Program at Guest House Retreat and Conference Center, is beginning a new class in Seattle. Meditation in the World: Shifting Our Attention Inward runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m., on Fridays, beginning March 30 and ending May 25, with the possibility of continuing.

“In meditation, we learn to witness the activity of the mind without identifying with it, without judging it and without trying to change it,” says Fuller. “This witnessing allows us to be more focused, more present and more in touch with our direct experience. In this class, we will practice a specific meditation to cultivate the ability to be with our experience as it arises.”

Adam Fuller is one of the founding board members and former executive director of Guest House Retreat and Conference Center. In 2009 he helped establish and teach the Meditation in the World program offered at the center.

Fuller is one of the co-editors of Diamond Heart: Book Five: Inexhaustible Mystery, the last of the five-volume series of talks given by A. H. Almaas.

Free. Location: Seattle area; exact location to be announced upon registration. For more information or to register: AdamCarlFuller@gmail.com or 917-837-8834.

Seattle Urban Farm Local Meditation Teacher Offers Company Celebrates Oneness Blessing Workshop and meditation teacher Roy Holman will be offerFifth Year Yoga ing a “Oneness Blessing” workshop on March 10 and 11

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he owners of Seattle Urban Farm Company (SUFC) are celebrating their fifth anniversary in business this March. Since putting in their first vegetable garden back in 2007, Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, along with their employees, have installed over 200 vegetable gardens, chicken coops and edible landscapes for residents and businesses in the Seattle metropolitan area.

“We want to thank the Seattle community for its support over the past five years, and look forward to helping urban farming grow in the coming years,” Halm says.

SUFC started as a dream in 2007.

After years of acquiring skills working on organic farms and educational gardens, McCrate and Halm started SUFC to pass on their knowledge and get people started growing their own food. Since then, they’ve expanded to provide design, installation and maintenance for full edible landscapes, home orchards and berry patches, vegetable gardens, chicken coops, rooftop gardens and educational gardens for schools, as well as onsite production gardens for restaurants and businesses.

Their showpiece project is the rooftop garden at Bastille restaurant (bastilleseattle.com), where SUFC grows salad greens, herbs, and hard-to-find heirloom vegetables for the restaurant’s kitchen.

McCrate and Halm are publishing their first book Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard, a step-by-step guide to designing, building, and maintaining a productive vegetable garden for prospective urban farmers. The book is due out in April.

from 9am-6pm. The author of Healing Self, Healing Earth, and Poems from the Passionate Heart, Holman recently returned from a six week course at the Oneness University in India where he was trained to give the Oneness Blessing, also known as “deeksha:” a transmission of divine grace in the Indian tradition. He will teach others how to give this blessing during his March workshop.

“The Oneness Blessing is the greatest tool I have found for awakening the kundalini energy, aligning the chakras, calming the mind, and preparing the brain for the DNA changes, multidimensionality, and unity consciousness,” Holman says. “On top of that, it just feels blissful, and this event will be very high energy.”

The Oneness Blessing workshop will be held at Sound Health & Kindred Spirit Learning Center, 2804 Grand Ave, Everett. $125-175/sliding scale. For more information: 425-303-8150 or HolmanHealthConnections.com.

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For more information: 206-816-9740 or Brad@SeattleUrbanFarmCo.com. natural awakenings

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Seattle Yoga Arts Chosen as 2011 Best of Citysearch Winner

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apitol Hill-based yoga studio Seattle Yoga Arts (SYA) was awarded Spa and Beauty winner in the Best Yoga category on Citysearch.com. SYA founder Denise Benitez comments, “Our teachers, students and staff create a true community at Seattle Yoga Arts. We couldn’t have won this award without them. It’s an honor for the entire Anusara yoga community to be recognized by Seattle’s Citysearch users.”

Founded in 1990, Seattle Yoga Arts is the sole provider of an Anusara-only yoga studio in the city. Anusara yoga is the only popular yoga method which is firmly rooted in a heart expansive philosophy, evolving and balancing hearts and minds through the various practices of yoga.

Anusara yoga also places strong emphasis on the development of a diverse group of yoga-devoted individuals of all ages and walks of life. “The Seattle Yoga Arts community is a rainbow of human beauty: senior citizens practice beside tattooed blue-haired couples, and 15-year-olds come with their parents,” Benitez says. “The accessibility and intelligence of Anusara yoga makes the practice available and beneficial to all.”

Five classes/$25 new student special offer. Location: 1540 15th Ave., Seattle. For more information: 206-440-3191 or Info@SeattleYogaArts.com.

GuruGanesha Band To Perform

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he GuruGanesha Band will offer two evenings of songs, stories, joy and inspiration on April 6 and 7 featuring world devotional music pioneer GuruGanesha Singh and his band of kirtan-influenced musicians.

Noted for his mellifluous lyricism, GuruGanesha has returned to his signature incandescent sound, laying aside acoustic guitar in favor of the shimmering, glassy tonalities of the electric version.

“Our music is an unique blend of kirtan, raga, rock and deeply meditative folk music,” GuruGanesha says. Of the tour, which includes a stop in Seattle, he says “this is a project that I’ve had in my heart for many years.”

Other members of the GuruGanesha Band include Hans Christian, Daniel Paul, Sat Kartar Singh, Gurusangat Singh and newcomer Michelle Hurtado on vocals.

The GuruGanesha Band will be performing in Seattle at 7:30pm on April 6th and 7th at Om Culture, 2210 N. Pacific St., Seattle. $15 or $25/two day pass. GuruGanesha.com.

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Butterfly Balance Wellness Center Moves to Larger Space

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utterfly Balance Wellness Center has moved into a new, larger facility at 3515 SW Alaska Street, in West Seattle. Although the center is already operating from its new home, the grand opening will be celebrated with an open house, from 7 to 9 p.m., April 12. Seattle area residents are invited to meet owner Sue Mariconda, enjoy refreshments and giveaways, and enter to win free Health Kinesiology and Reconnective Healing sessions, Young Living Essential Oils and more.

“I am excited to be moving my energy work practice to a larger and more convenient space,” says Mariconda. “It also has a conference room to accommodate free monthly community events on various health and wellness topics.

I wanted to offer a space that is much more professional, quiet and comfortable so that clients will get the most out of their experience.”

Butterfly Balance has been offering Health Kinesiology and Reconnective Healing since 2010. Mariconda has completed seven levels of Health Kinesiology training, all three levels of Reconnective Healing and Reconnection training and is a level 2 Reiki practitioner.

For more information: 206-755-9900 or ButterflyBalance. com.

Master Stephen Co Comes To Seattle

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tephen Co, a master in the Pranic Healing tradition under Choa Kok Sui, is coming to Seattle for three events on March 20, 21 and 22. Co will teach about protecting oneself from negative energy, as well as harnessing chi (life force) and natural energy in order to tap into an individual’s own latent ability.

“All human beings are born with the incredible power to consciously, purposefully direct their life force energy,” Co says. “The legacy of Oriental masters is the tremendous development and refinement of the ability to apply these subtle, natural laws.”

Co believes anyone can harness their ability to understand and direct nature. “Pranic Healing opens the door to a life of power and mastery, in harmony with nature’s laws and gifts,” he finishes.

Stephen Co will speak at Seattle Unity Church on March 20; Friends, Philosophy And Tea on March 21; and East West Bookshop on March 22. Prices vary from donation to $10. For more information: MasterStephenCo.com.

Film Highlights Differences Between Perception And Reality

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documentary released last August by former trial lawyer Austin Vickers and award winning director Scott Cervine is coming to town: People Vs. The State Of Illusion will debut in Seattle in March.

Reviewers for the Huffington Post, Examiner.com and other online and print publications have compared the film to What The Bleep Do We Know? and The Secret, hailing the documentary as an exploration of the science and power of perception and imagination, as well as a treatise on how habitual thought and behavior shape our reality.

Set in the notorious “Old Main Prison” of the New Mexico State Penitentiary, the film tells the story of Aaron Roberts, a single father who is arrested and tried on charges following an incident that claims the life of a woman.

The movie calls as “expert witnesses” individuals recognized in the fields of neuroscience, biochemistry, psychology, quantum physics, and consciousness theory, including: Dr. Thomas Moore, Dr. Candace Pert, Debbie Ford, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Robert Jahn, Dr. Peter Senge, and Brenda Dunne.

“While The Secret and What The Bleep Do We Really Know? deal with similar topics, People v. The State of Illusion directly involves the viewer by making them a part of a trial and the emotionally-compelling story of transformation that is presented in the film, as judge and jury,” Vickers says. “It’s an inspiring and emotionally compelling movie that will wake you up to the power of your imagination, encourage your hope, and elevate your spirit.”

People Vs. The State Of Illusion will be opening nationwide in March. For Seattle showtimes, location and tickets: TheStateOfIllusion.com.

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March 2012

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Powerful, Natural Pollinators Available For Rent

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ocal King County Master Gardener volunteer Missy Anderson is gearing up for spring workshops to help Seattle residents learn about renting Mason Bees, a non-stinging, non-honey producing bee that can increase crop yields of gardens, area fruit trees and berry bushes. A free talk about Mason bees will be held at 10 a.m., March 10, at Molbak’s Garden and Home. Anderson will also speak at 7 p.m., March 21, at the University of Washington (UW) Botanic Gardens, Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH), for a $5 admission fee.

Mason bees, Osmia lignaria, are powerful native pollinators. They emerge from cocoons mid to late March, just in time for this region’s local fruit and berry bloom. There is no queen, no hive, no honey and no stinging, yet these bees offer tremendous support for local pollination, according to Anderson.

Anderson gives free presentations throughout the area.

By delivering helpful information and hands-on advice, she hopes to encourage more people to discover the fun of becoming a backyard bee farmer. “I will speak to any group that invites me,” says Anderson. “I speak at [plant] nurseries, private garden clubs, private neighborhood gatherings, scout troops, and I especially enjoy visiting classrooms of any age, from kindergarten to high school.”

Anderson has been a bee farmer for more than 10 years.

When her colony grew too large for her back yard, she began renting out complete nesting units in hopes of growing more bees. Each nesting box consists of a protective house, nesting holes and the proper number of bees for that size box.

Locations: Molbak’s Garden and Home, 13625 NE 175th St., Woodinville; and UW Botanic Gardens CUH, 3501 NE 41st St. Pre-registration not required. For more information: RentMasonBees.com

Grand Opening of Natural Choice Massage & Healing

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atural Choice Massage & Healing, a women’s healing arts studio, will host a grand opening open house from 12 to 3 p.m., March 4. Attendees will enjoy light refreshments and receive a coupon good for $10 off any service.

Owner Jennifer Burrus will give tours and answer questions.

A licensed massage practitioner, Burrus provides natural solutions for stress relief through massage and Reiki. “It’s been a dream to open up my healing arts studio and share my passion for natural health and healing,” she says. “When you book an appointment with me, you’ll reap the benefits of my intuitive touch and healing wisdom.”

Free. Location: 724 1st St., Ste. 200, in the Art Bldg., Mukilteo Waterfront. For more information: 425-218-5828 or NaturalChoiceMassageAndHealing.com.

500 Vegetarian Dishes plus Activities at Vegfest

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egfest, a festival celebrating vegetarian food and lifestyle choices, takes place at the Seattle Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 24 and 25.

Featuring more than 500 food samples, plus cooking demonstrations, health screenings, kid-friendly activities and a vegetarian bookstore, the annual festival attracts thousands of people interested in healthy food and lifestyles.

“Many people recognize the health and other benefits of vegetarian food choices, but they are not sure what to eat, what to buy and how to cook it,” says festival organizer Amanda Strombom. “This festival provides all the support that people need, and it’s fun too.”

Cost: $8 for adults, free for children under 12. For more information: Vegfest2012.org or see article on page 30.

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healthbriefs

Kudos for BacteriaBusting Coriander

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il derived from the aromatic coriander plant—one of the 20 most popular essential oils worldwide— has applications beyond aromatherapy as a food additive and is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine. Coriander oil’s reputed health benefits include relieving pain, easing cramps and convulsions, aiding digestion, curing nausea and fighting fungal infections.

Now, researchers from the University of Beira Interior, in Portugal, have specifically found that the oil is highly effective in killing bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Thus, coriander oil may be useful in preventing and treating food-borne illnesses. “Coriander oil could also become a natural alternative to common antibiotics,” says study leader Dr. Fernanda Domingues.

Does Our Food Control Our Genes?

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he old adage, “You are what you eat,” may be literally true. Based on findings from a groundbreaking study by researchers at Nanjing University, in China, the connection between our food’s biochemistry and our own may be more intimate than we imagined.

The researchers discovered that tiny RNAs (a mirrorimage form of DNA), or microRNAs, usually found in plants, were circulating in human blood; one of the most common sources was rice, a staple of their native subjects’ diets. After conducting tests with mice, they found that microRNAs were capable of altering cell function and directly manipulating the expression of genes.

The study results, published in the journal Cell Research, suggest that the human body is a highly integrated ecosystem and suggest that genetic changes in one species may trigger alterations in another.

Source: Society for General Microbiology

HEALTHY WEIGHT FOR HEALTHIER GUMS

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egular brushing and flossing is vital for keeping teeth and gums healthy. Surprisingly, so is managing our weight.

Case Western Reserve University researchers have found that the body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells disappear.

Excess weight often triggers damaging inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation from gum disease can erode bone, lead to tooth loss and create fissures in the gums, allowing harmful oral bacteria to enter the bloodstream. Such bacteria have been linked to preterm births, fetal death, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, according to Nabil Bissada, chair of the department of periodontics at the university’s School of Dental Medicine. natural awakenings

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Changing the Way America Eats Nourishing the Shift to Farm-Fresh Foods

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

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entucky farmer and writer Wendell Berry states that in order for people to care about their food, “They have to taste it.”

Tasting the difference between fresh, local, organic foods and those that travel hundreds or thousands of miles before touching our taste buds is catalyzing a healthy change across America. Consider the growth in patronage of farmers’ markets alone: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports the number of markets has soared, from 1,755 in 1994 to 7,175 in 2011.

What’s driving the surge? Incentives include our appreciation of scrumptious seasonal flavor, a comforting sense of community and the reassurance of knowing exactly where our food comes

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from and who—often on a first-name basis—grew or produced it. Good, healthy food germinates in genuine relationships—between growers and consumers, and farmers and the Earth.

Local markets boost hometown economies, too; the USDA predicts a record $7 billion in such food sales this year, delivering a greater proportion of food dollars directly to farmers.

Regional food systems also support the biological diversity that is vital to sustainability. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, “different varieties of the same species,” have “statistically different nutrient contents.” In other words, each variety promises a unique mix of health-protecting compounds.

Supermarkets must rely on crops and animal products that can withstand long-distance travel and also meet uniform appearance standards. Small farmers serving local markets, on the other hand, can better preserve the legacy of biologically diverse heirloom crops and heritage breeds because of the shorter distances between field and plate. An heirloom tomato picked ripe at peak flavor can’t survive a lengthy commute, but nothing tastes better when it’s plucked fresh from the vine and still warm from the sun.

Planting diverse, region-specific crops also reduces the burden of weeds, pests and plant diseases—and any related chemical use—and helps provide safe nourishment for pollinators and wildlife, as well. No wonder the Organic Farming Research Foundation characterizes farmers as the largest group of ecosystem managers on Earth.

Everyone can support a cause that feeds us well while caring for the planet.

Farmers’ Job Market

With 57 being the current average age of American farmers, and more than a quarter 65 or older, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition recognizes the desperate need for more young farmers. When the National Young Farmer’s Coalition recently surveyed 1,000 beginning farmers, it found that access to capital, land and health insurance presented the biggest hurdles to entering farming as a career. The Women, Food and Agriculture Network has identified access to health care as the main challenge facing females that want to farm.

While city dwellers tend to idealize farming as a romantic occupation in a bucolic setting, it is actually a risky, physically demanding job. Despite the challenges, farmers say they love their work because they enjoy being outside, working with their hands, producing high-quality food and being their own boss. It helps to be healthy, smart and an optimist at heart.

Sticker Price versus Hidden Costs

To consumers coping in a down economy, the cheapest price may sometimes seem like the best choice. John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, notes that, “Americans, on average, are spending only half as much of their disposable income for food today as they were in the 1960s.” However, at the same time, “The percentage spent on health care has doubled.”

Scores of studies show that many of today’s chronic diseases are related to poor diet. Factor in medical costs associated with food-borne illnesses, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pesticide- and hormone-contaminated food and water, and it’s easy to understand why Michael Carolan, author of The Real Cost of Cheap Food, declares, “Cheap food... is actually quite expensive.”

One way for families to save money on food costs is to reduce waste. Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, says Americans waste more than 40 percent of the food we produce for consumption, throwing away $100 billion-plus in food a year. Most of it ends up in landfills.

Instead of providing incentives to agribusinesses to produce less expensive food, smarter national farm and food policies could prioritize producing higher quality food and wasting less of it. Kathy Bero, board president of NuGenesis Farm, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, advocates shifting commodity payments to organic farmers. Her nonprofit educational farm promotes “food as medicine,” along with cost-saving, health-boosting consumer strategies such as learning how to garden and cook to maximize nutritional value.

Inspiring Trends

Stephanie Coughlin, a farmer in San Diego, California, says: “If you don’t have local farms, you don’t have local security.” Across the country, communities are proving how a few conscious buyers can improve everyone’s access to high-quality local foods.

Farm to Hospital: As director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen Health Care, in Burlington, Vermont, Registered Dietitian Diane Imrie has the power to influence the economic security and sustainability of her community and surrounding region. Imrie sources approximately 40 percent of the food served at her hospital from farms located within a day’s drive. In her work, she helps keep farmers on their land while providing higher quality food to patients and staff.

The facility also supports onsite gardens, which yielded $2,000 worth of produce in 2011, despite Vermont’s short growing season. The hospital food is so popular that its café serves downtown businesspeople, further bolstering profitability and community benefits.

For local maple sugar producer Bernie Comeau, Imrie’s consistent purchases provide an income he can count on every month. Imrie is glad to note that for farmers, selling their food to the hospital is

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“like a stamp of approval.”

Marydale DeBor, who founded and led the “plow to plate” comprehensive food and disease-prevention initiative associated with Connecticut’s New Milford Hospital, maintains that, “Institutional leadership is critical.” She says that thanks to a supportive CEO that believed in bringing farmfresh foods to hospital food services, their retail café more than doubled its revenue within two years.

DeBor believes that hospital food should set an example for public health. “We need to support beginning farmers, and more food hubs and new distribution systems to facilitate access,” she says. “Consumers need to let their hospitals know they should focus on good food and nutrition.”

Farm to Restaurant: Leigh Lockhart, owner of Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café and Juice Bar, in Columbia, Missouri, buys supplies directly from local organic farmers and never quibbles about price. She composts any food waste in her garden, where she grows some of the produce used in her restaurant. Rather than large plates of cheap food, Lockhart serves portions within U.S. Dietary Guidelines, comprising higher quality, more satisfying meals.

Relationships with chefs are important to farmers, advises Carol Ann Sayle, owner of Boggy Creek Organic Farm, in Austin, Texas. Farmers can rely on a sure buyer; chefs appreciate dependable and high quality food; and customers return because of the great taste.

Farm to School: Organic farmer Don Bustos, program director for the American Friends Service Committee of

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New Mexico, trains beginning farmers and ranchers in ways to provide food to the Albuquerque Public School District and beyond. For example, farmers grow crops during the winter in solar-powered greenhouses, and aggregate their products to meet school needs. Mobile meat processing and distribution networks also create jobs while keeping small farmers economically and environmentally viable, explains Bustos. Local agriculture fuels strong communities and fresh local foods help children thrive.

In the Pacific Northwest, AmeriCorps volunteer Emma Brewster works with the Real Food Challenge, a national youth-based program that encourages colleges and universities to shift 20 percent of their food budgets to farm-fresh, locally sourced foods. Brewster works with Lucy Norris, project manager for the Puget Sound Food Network, which creates opportunities beyond farmers’ markets for local area farmers to connect with regional processors, distributors and end users, including Seattle Public Schools.

Hands in the Dirt

Regardless of occupation, many people feel a natural urge to work with the soil and witness the miracle of seeds sprouting new life. Rose Hayden-Smith, Ph.D., a garden historian and a designated leader in sustainable food systems at the University of California–Davis, points out that home, school, community and workplace victory gardens established during World War II succeeded in producing about 40 percent of our nation’s vegetables.

In both world wars, she says, our national leadership “recognized that food and health were vital national security issues.” They still are today.

Melinda Hemmelgarn, a.k.a. the Food Sleuth (FoodSleuth@ gmail.com), is a registered dietitian and award-winning writer and radio host, based in Columbia, Missouri. She co-created F.A.R.M.: Food, Art, Revolution Media – a Focus on Photography to Re-vitalize Agriculture and Strengthen Democracy to increase advocacy for organic farmers (Enduring-Image.blogspot.com). Learn more at Food Sleuth Radio at kopn.org.

how to grow and Find local Food Find a farmers’ market ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets In season in the region; local harvest calendars and markets FieldToPlate.com/guide.php Locate sustainably grown food nearby LocalHarvest.org Food gardening tips KitchenGardeners.org

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by Melinda hemmelgarn

T

he single piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill currently contains $90 billion in taxpayer funding and significantly affects farming, conservation, energy and the quality and price of the food on our plates. When the bill comes up for renewal every five years, the public has a chance to voice support for a greener, healthier, more sustainable food and farming system. Sign up for Farm Bill updates and action alerts from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (website below), and talk with members of Congress about concerns.

Marydale DeBor, who works to improve food quality in Connecticut, recommends that citizens align with farm advocacy organizations. “Advocacy is the single most important need now, around the Farm Bill and state policies,” she says.

What’s more, it’s affecting your health, your family and your comfort.

Remember what you paid for heating last winter?

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SNAP can be used at farmers’ markets, but only by those that accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards. In 2011, SNAP’s $11 million of the program’s total $71 billion benefits were redeemed at farmers’ markets nationwide, directly benefiting local farmers.  Crop insurance is the second-largest Farm Bill budget item.

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Laughter is brightest where food is best.

-Irish proverb natural awakenings

March 2012

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healthykids

as a mandatory late-day module or an optional afterschool session.

Psyched about Science

Preparing Kids for Tomorrow‛s Jobs U.S. Companies Pair Scientists with Schools

by April thompson

Career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math are projected to grow 70 percent faster than other occupations—with 2.4 million job openings in those fields during the next six years.

T

hat’s great news for tomorrow’s job-seekers. Yet, most American youth are matriculating out of the country’s schools ill-equipped to compete for these high-tech, highwage jobs; among developed nations, U.S. high school students currently rank 23rd in science and 31st in mathematics. Now, hundreds of schools are working to better prepare students by harnessing outside resources to reinvigorate science, technology, engi-

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neering and math (STEM) curricula in classrooms and afterschool programs.

Forget rote memorization of the periodic table of the elements that previous generations may equate with science class. Kids in STEM programs are designing video games, programming robots and building solar cars—fun, hands-on, practical projects that add zest to technical subjects. The extra skin care & remedies excitement helps, because many STEM for everyone programs extend the school day, either

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Kids like Camerino Sanchez-Park can’t get enough. “Robotics helped me learn a lot about science and battery-powered objects and engines,” says this fifth-grader at Faller Elementary School, in Ridgecrest, California. “The best part was working with the cool, high-tech robots. I would definitely do it again!”

Sanchez-Park is one of 87 youths psyched about science as a result of hands-on afterschool programs run by a local nonprofit, High Desert Leapin’ Lizards. It taps the brainpower of scientists and engineers from a nearby naval base to instruct in subjects like renewable energy, chemistry and robotics. Rather than focusing on abstract concepts, students create working windmills or robots capable of tackling obstacle courses.

“It not only sparks an interest in science, it teaches them how to think like a scientist,” says Program Administrator Sandra Goldstein Birmingham.

“For example, the kids maintain an engineering journal of the challenges they experienced, to help them troubleshoot the next time.”

Leapin’ Lizards is one of 34 STEM programs nationwide awarded funding through the 2011 Ashoka Changemakers’ Partnering for Excellence competition, backed by U.S. corporate heavyweights like Google, ExxonMobil and Amgen. Many participating companies are investing in STEM school programming to fill the pipeline of homegrown talent for potential future hires.

Citizens Off the Sidelines

Another Ashoka winner, Citizen Schools, sees the challenge as a supply-and-demand problem that includes a lack of teachers trained to meet the current needs for STEM education. Consider, though, the 10 million professionals currently working in related fields, and Americans have a system-wide solution. “If we can put just 1 percent of them in the classroom, we could more than double the math and science teachers in the country,” advises Managing Director

Courtesy of JohnWernerPhotography.com and Citizen Schools

John Werner.

Citizen Schools recruits corporate volunteers from the ranks of top technology, architecture, finance and other fields to lead afterschool “apprenticeships” for disadvantaged kids in public middle schools. Participating states include California, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Texas.

Google has provided some 350 volunteers, plus a recent $3.25 million grant to expand Citizen Schools activities in three state programs. Its employees supply an appealing bridge from academics to up-and-coming careers, teaching kids marketable skills like website design, cell phone marketing and computer programming.

Collaborating on real-life problems in small groups develops more than tangible skills, attests Marianne DeModena. Her sixth grade son, Christian Deguglielmo, completed apprenticeships with Google at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and with investment advisors Cambridge Associates, both in Boston.

“Christian came home a different kid,” says DeModena. “It’s brought out his leadership abilities, school pride, social skills and confidence… it’s really opened up this other side of him. He says Citizen Schools is his favorite subject.”

The program’s success is more than anecdotal: A longitudinal study

by Policy Studies Associates, Inc. found that kids enrolled in Citizen Schools afterschool programs significantly outperformed a comparison group on a range of indicators, including school attendance, proficiency test scores and graduation rate.

Gateway to the Stars

Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, or (MS)², taps into higher institutions of learning as another rich source of STEM prowess. Founded in 2005, the Washington, D.C., public charter school is located at the university, one of the nation’s preeminent historically black colleges.

Every (MS)² classroom includes at least one undergraduate teaching assistant,

providing youths with collegiate role models in STEM fields, while giving university students an opportunity to test their teaching skills.

The school also partners with NASA, which pairs its engineers with teachers for professional development, and sponsors rigorous student workshops in astronautics at its Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland. The collaboration gives students a scientific leg up while broadening their career possibilities.

“Employees within the space program range from botanists to ballet dancers, all necessary in helping to get astronauts ready for takeoff,” says Yohance Maqubela, executive director of (MS)². He recognizes that not every student will end up pursuing a career in a STEM field, but that science and technology will permeate whatever discipline they choose.

Above all, STEM curricula are designed to address one of the most frequently asked student questions: “Why am I learning this?” By making learning more relevant, these programs are helping kids stay motivated, think critically about their surroundings and connect the dots so they see the big picture. It’s a mindset that will serve them well, wherever life leads them.

April Thompson is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. Connect at AprilWrites.com.

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March 2012

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t’s important to note that wounds and infections would never heal without the presence of acute inflammation, the body’s normal biological response to harmful pathogens, damaged cells and irritants. Although this protective measure to initiate the body’s natural healing response is often misrepresented as being synonymous with infection, it is not; even when the inflammation is caused by infection.

Dr. Vijay Jain, an expert in ayurvedic medicine, explains how the system normally works: “An infection brings about an acute inflammatory response and also summons the aid of immune system cells such as lymphocytes—thymus cells (T cells), bursaderived cells (B cells) and natural killer (NK) cells—as well as monocytes (a type of white blood cell). These then migrate through the bloodstream to eliminate specific pathogens or pathogen-infected cells.”

In contrast, chronic inflammation occurs when the immune response stays activated, rather than naturally abating, and the body’s defense system consequently turns against itself.

Today, a number of leading physician scientists including Jain are drawing attention to an epidemic of cases of such chronic inflammation.

With 35 years of experience in general surgery and 15 years of focused study in integrative medicine, Jain bases his concern on extensive study and research. He currently serves as the medical director of Amrit Ayurveda for Total Well Being, at the Amrit Yoga Institute, in Salt Springs, Florida.

Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D., author of Inflammation Nation, and professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, is on the same wavelength. Trained as a physician and specialist in infectious disease and inflammation at Harvard Medical School, Chilton’s 20 years of research have likewise led him, along with pioneers like Dr. Andrew Weil, to conclude that chronic, systemic inflammation is the root cause of many diseases.

The condition has been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, allergies, arthri-

tis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Furthermore, in 2000, The New England Journal of Medicine published several studies showing that blood indicators of inflammation (such as homocysteine, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein) are strong predictive factors for a heart attack.

These experts all point to the standard American diet as a primary culprit for setting chronic inflammation in motion, and cite an anti-inflammatory diet as helpful in counteracting the problem.

Kathy Bero, founder of at NuGensis Farm, Inc., in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, attests that an anti-inflammatory diet containing many angiogenesis-inhibiting foods was a major factor in the remission of three aggressive forms of cancer that threatened her life six years ago. “Many of the diseases linked to chronic systemic inflammation also share a dependence on inappropriate blood vessel growth, which either nourishes the disease or hinders the body’s fight against it,” Bero explains. “Angiogenesis-inhibiting foods are known to assist the body in controlling the healthy growth of blood vessels.”

The nonprofit NuGenesis Farm supports 35 acres dedicated to growing anti-inflammatory and angiogenesisbalancing foods with the strongest disease prevention properties, using sustainable organic agriculture practices. It offers a “food as medicine” model for global communities seeking alternative methods for naturally preventing disease.

An anti-inflammatory diet recommended by family physician and nutritionist Ann Kulze, author of Dr. Ann’s 10-Step Diet, includes colorful, fresh fruits; green, leafy vegetables; low-glycemic foods such as whole grains, sweet potatoes and winter squashes; fruits such as berries, cherries, apples and pears; high-quality protein in omega-3-rich fish such as wild salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel; seeds and nuts such as walnuts; and green tea. It also calls for the vegetable-based protein found in soy foods, beans, lentils and other legumes. Ginger and turmeric, dried or fresh, rank among recommended spices.

In addition to maintaining a healthy and correct balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, an anti-inflammatory diet eliminates consumption of margarine, vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, all of which promote inflammation.

“Anti-aging researchers believe that chronic inflammation shortens our lifespan,” remarks Jain, who recommends

a prophylactic diet specific to the constitutional makeup of any of the three ayurvedic doshas—vata, pitta or kapha—as well as the annual panchakarma detoxification program.

He further emphasizes that food should be freshly prepared with fresh ingredients and loving intention.

“Proper economic studies would increase our understanding of the true cost benefit of growing food for the purpose of disease prevention,” says Bero. “Many believe that incorporating anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis-inhibiting foods into our daily diet will not only improve both overall health and the outcome of treatment, it will also go a long way in reducing immediate and long-term health care costs.”

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings magazines.

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May 2012

When the days are shorter and our winter weary brains feel slow or less than optimally healthy, yoga can promote mental clarity, memory, intelligence and wisdom.

Yoga For kids You’re Never too old or too Young

by Andrea cirignano

M

any local yoga studios have added yoga for children to their regular schedules, and while some might ask why kids should do yoga, others might ask, “Why not?”

There is an endless list of reasons why adults practice the discipline, but most of the reasons can also apply to children. Douglas Ridings, a local Seattle yoga instructor for adults and children, says, “[Yoga] tends to build [children’s] confidence, helps them to feel more comfortable with their bodies and to calm down and relax; essentially the same reasons it benefits adults.” As with adults, the benefits of yoga can extend beyond the physical. Dana Hein-Skaggs, owner and creator of Kid Yoga notes, “I think that the value of yoga for kids lies in the coping skills that they can incorporate into their lives. Whether you are a child or an adult, getting to know yourself on an 20

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intimate level, letting your true nature unfold or even understanding what that means is an extremely powerful tool in living a life of happiness and health.”

Like most adults, children tend to start yoga as a physical, dynamic practice,

Yoga tends to build children’s confidence, helps them to feel more comfortable with their bodies and to calm down and relax. but Ridings says that he is surprised by how open children are to expanding into more of a still practice where they can experience the philosophical side of yoga. Most kids yoga classes are similar to a typical adult yoga class in

Photo courtesy of Julia Bobrov.

yogalife

that they include movement and stillness, stretching, balancing, strengthening and breathwork. Popular kids’ poses include those that simulate animals and many variations of tree. Children tend to have fun with inversions (upside-down poses, such as handstand) because they have not yet learned to be afraid of change and of hurting themselves. Like adults, children need to expend some energy before they are ready for rest and to turn the focus inward. How open novices are to new ideas in yoga, whether they’re adults or children, usually correlates with how comfortable they are with the group, observes Hein-Skaggs: “In the beginning, sometimes there are those that are reluctant to participate in an activity, but after coming a few times, they become at ease and are willing to try everything. Knowing that it is totally up to them to make those decisions helps

Kid Yoga fun in the park. Photo courtesy of Julia Bobrov.

to hold the safe container for them to as children have a place to practice feel respectful and confident of themthat is safe emotionally, physically and selves and each other, which is also the mentally, introducing them to yoga practice of yoga.” The trend appears isn’t usually a challenge because they not to be limited love to move and only to pioneering are uninhibited.

More than a trend, cities like Seattle.

“We can learn a According to a 2009 teaching yoga to chil- lot from kids. As CNN report, at least adults, we have 150 U.S. schools fol- dren has shown promise suppressed our low lesson plans de- for improving student spontaneity, our signed by YogaKids, imaginations and behavior, physical and our natural ability a company started in 1991 by yoga emotional health, self- to connect.” instructor Marsha esteem and academic Douglas Ridings Wenig. Other yoga programs for chilteaches Kid Yoga performance. dren include Yoga at 8 Limbs Yoga 4 Kids, Yoga for the Special Child and Centers, in Seattle, and Dana HeinYoga Calm. Many of them host teacher Skaggs teaches Kid Yoga at Flow Yoga training certification programs and sell Redmond and at Laughing Buddha board games, books, classroom kits, Yoga Studio, in Mill Creek. Writer AnDVDs, flashcards and handbooks. drea Blair Cirignano is a local yoga inMore than a trend, teaching yoga structor with a journalism background. to children has shown promise for She believes yoga is for everyone and improving student behavior, physical that each member of the community and emotional health, self-esteem and could benefit from the practice in some academic performance, especially for way, shape or form. Her articles highchildren with special needs, accordlight the unique pairing of this ancient ing to studies done by California State practice with a modern Pacific NorthUniversity and Leipzig University. west lifestyle. Find out more about Hein-Skaggs explains that as long Andrea at yogatone.net. natural awakenings

March 2012

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Rooftop Raised-Beds

Urban farmers in the United States are now transforming an increasingly significant portion of the country’s millions of acres of flat rooftops. Launched in 2010, New York’s Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm operation (BrooklynGrangeFarm. com), totaling nearly an acre atop a mid-rise warehouse, is among the largest of its kind. Sometimes called “vertigo farming,” because the farmers overlook an urban skyline, these enterprises re-green the landscape, wisely manage rainwater and rebuild affordable local fresh food systems.

The Grange grows produce in seven-inch-deep beds using a growing medium made from compost and small, porous stones and annually produces 40 cultivars of organic tomatoes, salad greens, peppers, Swiss chard, beets and carrots. Food is sometimes transported to market via bicycles.

Window Gardens

Windowfarm co-founders Rebecca Bray and Britta Riley (Windowfarms.org/story) help homeowners grow some of their own food in window spaces year-round. Their research-and-develop-it-yourself hydroponic system project facilitates plant cultivation without soil, using nutrient-infused water pumped through a series of growing containers. To date, more than 20,000 people have downloaded plans for their own Windowfarm.

UNCONVENTIONAL

gArDENS No Space? No Problem. by lisa kivirist and John ivanko

F

or everyone that feels surrounded by a concrete jungle occasionally relieved by a pocket park, green strip or landscaped median, the concept of finding a place to grow their own food may seem like a fantasy. Fortunately, backyard, rooftop and community gardens are good ideas that are coming on strong. Around the country, productive green spaces are replacing paved lots and lawns with edible perennials and seasonal crops that enable folks to eat better and fresher, while reducing the family food bill.

“Food plants can be grown anywhere, including on a high-rise balcony, miles from the nearest farm,” says David Tracey, author of Urban Agriculture: Ideas and Designs for the New Food Revolution. “You just need to meet the plant’s basic requirements for sunlight, water and a few nutrients.

Cities are great places to grow specific kinds of food; they tend to have plenty of niche areas such as empty lots, rooftops and the ends of streets that new urban gardeners are using for growing fresh crops like salad greens and tomatoes.”

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Alleyway Wonders

In the East Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, flowers, ferns and ivy gardens have replaced concrete alleyways thanks to Podmajersky, a local real estate development firm. The lush gardens provide a tranquil sanctuary from city bustle and an aesthetically pleasing and inspiring surrounding for the Chicago Arts District, home to 1,500 artists and other creative entrepreneurs.

Patio Paradise

“When your space is limited, you start to think creatively about how to best use it,” notes Tracey. “Consider all three dimensions of a balcony or other narrow areas to maximize growing potential. Climbing vines such as grapes and berries, hanging pots with tomatoes and nasturtium, and fruit trees in half-barrels are great ways to grow more food in a small space. The crops don’t know they’re in a pot.”

Herbs also love containers. Some plants, like tomatoes, can even be grown upside-down to more efficiently use limited space.

Vacant Lots

“Community gardens are an excellent solution for those with the garden itch and no good land to scratch,” advises Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International (KitchenGardeners.org), a nonprofit community of 20,000 members that has been cultivating change since 2008.

Community gardens have taken over empty city lots, church lawns and schoolyards that are collectively farmed for food, relaxation or social camaraderie. Co-gardening a neighbor’s

LocalHarvest.org lists some 2,500 community gardens in its database, as does the American Community Gardening Association (CommunityGarden.org). lot and sharing the harvest is another option.

Eating the Lawn

“There are no beauty contests in the plant world, but, if there were, a productive, ever-changing patch of diverse vegetables would beat out a monoculture of turf grass any time,” says Doiron, smiling. Put into food production, America’s 25 million acres of lawns could go a long way toward reducing the environmental cost of transporting produce hundreds or thousands of miles.

Americans growing their own food isn’t a pie-in-the-sky fantasy. As University of California garden historian Rose Hayden-Smith confirms, “During the peak year for Victory Gardens, 1943, some government estimates indicated that up to 40 percent of the

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“One of the first steps in bringing healthy foods to the forefront of society is bringing them to the front and center of our living spaces,” concludes Doiron. “Growing food in small spaces is all about doing what you can with what you have. It’s a matter of changing our notion of potential food-producing landscapes.” It does wonders for people’s connection to nature, too.

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consciouseating

you can’t go too far over budget before you realize you are in trouble,” advises Lisa Leake. To make it even easier to stay on track, she makes it a habit to shop near home and uses cash instead of credit.

Seasonal Shopping

EATING WELL ON A BUDGET

by Judith Fertig

In tough economic times, many families include food in their spending cuts. How can we tighten our budget and yet still eat well?

S

ix months ago, Josh Viertel threw down the “value meal” gauntlet in a major way. The Slow Food USA president challenged cooks around the country to create a family-friendly feast for under $5. Many responded, sharing their tips and tricks at SlowFoodUSA. org/5Challenge. Here are some favorites.

Setting a Budget

Five dollars per meal for 21 meals a week, plus snacks, neatly totals the $125 weekly food budget set by the Leake family, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Lisa and Jason Leake, parents of two young daughters, first explored what it would be like to eliminate processed food from their diet, which they describe in their blog at 100DaysofRealFood.com. Their success led to the additional challenge of eating real food on a budget.

“Having a realistic weekly budget is helpful, because 24

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“If we shop for seasonal produce and freeze or can surplus from our local farmers’ market, we can eat well all year and still eat frugally,” advises Rebecca Miller, a macrobiotic and healing foods caterer from Overland Park, Kansas. “When fresh blueberries are $3 a cup at the grocery during the offseason, for example, we can still enjoy canned berries in recipes or thawed from the freezer on our morning oatmeal.”

Eating Down the Fridge

Seattle-based Kim O’Donnel, author of The Meatlover’s Meatless Cookbook, blogs about family meals for USA Today. “I regularly emphasize what I call ‘eating down the fridge,’” she says. “That means making use of what we’ve got on hand, like generations before us that also went through food shortages. We’re just out of practice.”

One way to help ourselves learn, says O’Donnel, is to stock a “smarter” pantry. Staples include different varieties of dried beans; lentils; quick-cooking grains such as quinoa, bulgur, couscous and purple barley; garbanzo beans; brown and black rice; and a few BPA-free canned goods like tomatoes, black beans and chickpeas.

“If we take our time and watch for good deals, we can build a pantry at a low cost,” she says, because such ingredients are basically “blank slates.” As just one example of a lowcost, pantry-based meal, O’Donnel might start with cooked red lentils, then add fresh ginger and garlic, sautéed onion with cumin, and fresh spinach and tomatoes, and then serve it with whole-wheat pita bread.

Ingredient-First Cooking

Jane Zieha, a certified public accountant, knows that feeding people and watching the bottom line can go together.

She owns the acclaimed Blue Bird Bistro, in Kansas City, Missouri. An avowed all-natural, organic, sustainable and local foods passionista, Zieha has stayed true to the principles of her Pennsylvania upbringing.

“I didn’t eat like anybody else growing up,” she says. “We never ate packaged food. We ate what was fresh. When I was old enough to go to a friend’s house for dinner, I was surprised at how they ate.” Today, both at home and at work, Zieha continues to select the best that local farmers can provide. “I don’t start with a recipe and then find the food, like most chefs and restaurants do,” she explains. “I find the ingredients and then go from there.”

Cookbook author Judith Fertig writes at AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot.com.

Garden-Fresh Recipes Lemon Balm Iced Tea

2. Drain the resulting liquid into a pitcher.

Yields 8 servings

3. While it’s still warm, add honey and lemon juice. It is easier to add the honey while the tea is still warm, because it readily dissolves. Add more water to taste.

Lemon balm grows prolifically and is ideal for a refreshing iced tea. Slowly simmer the flavor out of the lemon balm in a slow cooker or simmer on the stove.

Vary proportions depending on the pot size and desired sweetness.

Big bunch of fresh lemon balm stalks with leaves ½ cup honey ¼ cup lemon juice 8 cups purified water 1. Stuff as much rinsed lemon balm into a slow cooker as will fit. Cover with approximately 8 cups of water, depending on the size of the slow cooker, and let simmer about three hours on low heat.

4. Chill before serving.

Vegetarian Nori-Wrapped Sushi Yields 6 servings Creatively rolled layers of nori, a super-nutritious dried seaweed paper, plus fish, rice and vegetables, make an amazing visual display. This veggie sushi travels well, though it’s best eaten within the first five hours, as the rice dries out and may harden over time.

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2 cups cooked sushi rice, cooled ½ cup carrots, julienned (1/8-inchthick “matchsticks”) ½ cup sugar snap peas ½ cup lettuce, shredded ½ cup spinach, shredded 4 sheets (standard size) nori ¼ cup soy sauce (for dipping)

Office in West Seattle

Special offer: purchase one session, receive second free!

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1. Cook rice and cool.

2. Place nori on a flat surface. Arrange approximately ½ cup rice and ½ cup vegetables on long edge of nori. Use carrots, sugar snap peas, lettuce, spinach or any preferred combination.

3. Gently roll nori, starting with the rice/veggie side.

4. Using a serrated knife, slice nori into 1-inch pieces. Slicing on a diagonal makes attractive pieces. Serve as a vegan appetizer with soy sauce on the side.

Source: Farmstead Chef, by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.

Emily Dickinson

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wisewords

CHOOSING FORKS OVER KNIVES Doctors Advocate a Plant-Based Diet

by Linda Sechrist

F

ilm Producer Brian Wendel’s concern for the many Americans suffering from multiple chronic diseases, as well as the strain this puts on our nation’s health care system and economy, sparked the idea for documenting what doctors researching the issue have to say about it. In his latest film, Forks Over Knives, these pioneering thinkers examine the claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases afflicting humanity can be controlled or reversed by avoiding the ingestion of animal-based and processed foods; more, they make a compelling case that switching to a whole-foods, plant-based diet can restore health.

Much of the foundational science showing why a plant-based diet of whole foods is not only best for everyone’s health, but also for the planet, comes from noted nutrition research pioneer T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. He has summarized his results in his book, The China Study, coauthored with his son, Dr. Thomas M. Campbell. His 1980 study of 130 Chinese villages, involving 6,500 adults and their families, directly tied the consumption of animal proteinbased foods to the development of cancer and heart disease.

Based on his research, Colin Campbell, teamed up with Dr. Junshi Chen, currently a senior research professor with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in Beijing, specifically characterized casein, a protein found in milk from mammals, as “the most relevant car-

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cinogen ever identified.” With concrete evidence in hand, and accounting for other diet and lifestyle factors, the pair went on to conclude that consuming whole, plant-based foods offers the best strategy for improving health and preventing serious diseases.

Other solid science presented in the film comes from Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., whose 150 scientific articles complement the 1995 publication of his peer-acclaimed book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, which summarizes the results of his longterm research on arresting and reversing coronary artery disease through nutrition. In his two decades of global research, Esselstyn, who directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal

program at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, found that wherever people ate a plant-based diet, cancer and cardiovascular diseases were rare.

In many of the case histories and personal stories chronicled in Forks Over Knives, diet was used as a treatment for various diseases and cited as being more effective than prescription drugs. Anthony Yen and Evelyn Oswick, for example, attest how their lives were saved by switching to a whole-foods, plant-based diet after a lifetime of illness that included multiple heart attacks and surgeries, as well as chronic chest pain. Treatment under the care of Esselstyn succeeded in reversing advanced-stage heart disease in both cases. Today, they enjoy active lives full of friends, family and meaningful work.

Social media channels such as Facebook have been vital to spreading the word about the effective solutions presented by the Forks Over Knives film and companion book (complete with recipes). Wendel reports inspiring posts such as, “Your film changed my life,” or “I no longer require diabetes medication.”

Potential savings in costs to people and the planet are vast. Consider, for instance, that according to the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, if the entire U.S. population were to adopt a plant-based diet for just one day, the nation would save at least 100 billion gallons of drinking water, enough to supply every person in every home in New England for nearly four months.

Wendel foresees the ForksOver Knives.com website ultimately expanding into a news resource, linking people with information provided by leading experts in the whole-foods, plant-based world via various media platforms. It will also provide opportunities to blog with experts, listen to live broadcasts about food preparation and find resources to help individuals transition to a healthier, plant-based diet.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings magazines.

inspiration

MASTER STEPHEN CO IN SEATTLE!

Experience the Miracle of Your Life Force

LIVE YOUR DASH

Join Master Co to learn the art and science of your latent abilities.

Experience and practice Nature’s most powerful Gifts in your life!

Meet Master Co in March!

Tuesday, March 20th, 7:00 PM “Protect Yourself from Negative Energies” Master Stephen Co teaches powerful tools to eliminate, prevent and protect yourself from negative energies.

Seattle Unity Church 200 8th Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109 Directions: 206-622-8475 • Love offering for Unity

by Linda Ellis

H

ave you ever walked through a cemetery or read an obituary and pondered that small, seemingly insignificant dash between the day someone was born and the date he or she departed? This oftenoverlooked little line ultimately represents every breath and step we take in life.

Until an epiphany awakens us to the brevity of this dash with which we have been blessed, true appreciation of our life cannot begin.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

When, as newborns, we take that first independent, deliberate breath, we sign an invisible contract with life that we will do everything we can to preserve, cherish and live it. By seizing and inhabiting our moments and living our dash, instead of simply existing, we are abiding by that first unspoken oath.

Because success should not be measured in what you will buy, or own, but in the pride you feel

in the person you’re with … when you are all alone.

Wednesday, March 21st, 7 PM “Angels, Devas and Invisible Helpers”

When we spend our time focused on problems, we subconsciously disregard all that is not a problem. In mulling over yesterday and worrying about tomorrow, we fail to recognize the presence of today. When we postpone living until everything is running smoothly, we forfeit the minutes of our now.

Instead of focusing on the next achievement or acquisition, we need to practice focusing on all the blessings around us—our loved ones and the sheer pleasure found in simply being.

The poet in me writes: So live in your now; be conscious, sincere. Let your mind allow you to be in your here!

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash.

What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

Linda Ellis’ global touchstone poem, The Dash, was followed by the Live Your Dash poem, and her new book, Live Your Dash. Join the conversation at Facebook.com/LindaEllisAuthor and Twitter.com/LiveYourDash.

Master Co shares techniques to invoke help and protection from the Angelic Kingdom, the Devas and “Shining Ones.”

Friends, Philosophy and Tea 13850 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue, WA 98005 Directions: 425-641-4364 $10 suggested donation

Thursday, March 22nd, 7 PM “The Miracle of Crystals and Pranic Healing” Master Stephen Co will teach you how to harness and focus the Life Force or Prana/Chi by using Mother Nature’s Power Tools - Crystals!

East West Bookshop 6500 Roosevelt Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115 Call for registration: 206-523-3726 • $10

Intensive Events:

MCKS PRANIC HEALING ® LEVEL I INTENSIVE

Seattle / Bellevue Sat./Sun., April 21-22, 9 AM-5:30 PM In this life changing intensive, you will learn and apply the Laws of Life Force Energy - the most powerful and fundamental energy in healing.

“With elegant simplicity and practical wisdom, Master Co shows you how to harness the healing power that exists in every human being.”

Deepak Chopra More Information: masterstephenco.com

natural awakenings

March 2012

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fitbody

Step into Fitness Dance your way to a beautifully strong and flexible body.

by Sandra Murphy

R

ichard Simmons grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans where, he notes, “Lard was a food group and dessert mandatory.”

Exercise studios were geared to those already in shape, not to people that wanted to lose weight. So in 1974, Simmons opened Slimmons studio, followed by his classic exercise video, Sweatin’ to the Oldies, with motivating tunes like Dancing in the Street, Summer in the City and Loco-Motion; a plus—not everyone in his video is a size 0. Simmons and others have been helping people dance their way to fitness ever since.

Making Dance a Game

In Portland, Oregon, Mara Woloshin was inspired to get a move on when she complained to her 15-year-old son, Benny, about her weight. “Benny challenged me to do some basic Wii Fitness and then Zumba Fitness,” says 28

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Woloshin. “I give myself the right to fail at most exercises and dance moves; I just keep moving and let my son give me tips, pointers and instruction.”

Benny puts in his own dance fitness time, plus keeps mom on track for 30 minutes a day. The Wii video game keeps score. “I win sometimes; mostly with yoga, while he is terrific at dance stuff,” Woloshin says. “I’ve logged more than 1,200 days with the Wii so far, and love to shake my size 14 self.

I’ve lost eight pounds and have built an incredible relationship with my teenager. We dance, compete, sweat and encourage each other.

“We also enjoy conversations before and after Wii time. Are they meaningful? Sometimes. Does he laugh at me? Definitely. Does he look forward to our evening dance workouts together? Absolutely.”

Wii games popular around the

country include Just Dance, versions one and two, and Just Dance Kids plus Gold’s Gym Dance Workout and Zumba Fitness.

Popular DVDs

In 2011, FitBottomedGirls.com compiled a list of the best dance videos they ever reviewed. The list launches with their hands-down favorite, So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit series.

Melt away calories using a variety of dance styles and fun moves via Billy Blanks’ Dance with Me Groove & Burn.

Several Dancing with the Stars cast members have videos out to improve fans’ look and style. Check out Cheryl Burke Presents Disco Abs (includes Village People’s classic YMCA) or Julianne Hough’s Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom. More experienced dancers may like Dancing with the Stars Ballroom Buns and Abs.

~ Mara Woloshin

Taking Fun Classes

“Zumba Gold is a great reentry to exercise for baby boomers” advises Sherry Lucas, a licensed Zumba instructor in St. Louis. “Classes are approachable, available and affordable.” Recommended workout wear includes comfortable sweat-wicking clothing and a good pair of shoes. Because of the side-to-side movements, she suggests tennis or basketball shoes, not running shoes.

Community classes generally range from 45 to 90 minutes (find a local class at Zumba.com). An hourlong regular Zumba class can burn 400 to 600 calories says Lucas, depending upon body weight, workout intensity, conditioning level and individual metabolism. As a point of reference, NutriStrategy.com charts calories burned by a 155-pound person engaged in an hour of light calisthenics at 246 calories; leisurely biking, 281; and walking briskly uphill, 422.

“Find a class and an instructor you

like,” counsels Lucas. “Make a commitment to having some ‘you’ time.

Part of exercise is being social, so it’s a chance to make new friends, too.”

Doctor of Naturopathy Kathy Gruver, Ph.D., finds that a hip-hop workout best suits her needs four to five times a week. Each 90-minute class is non-stop action and she rarely takes a break, although some class members don’t dance the entire time.

Gruver works out at Rhythm Dance & Fitness Studios, near Santa Barbara, California, with choreographer Tamarr Paul. “I grew up dancing jazz, tap and ballet; nothing even close to hip-hop, and there are still moments that I can’t get a certain move or trip over my own feet. Still, it took just a few weeks to get my rhythm back and get in the groove,” says Gruver.

“We run through a set of steps multiple times before we add more. Once we’ve learned a whole dance, we run it over and over to different music; some faster, some slower.”

With dance, there’s something just right for everyone. Dance with the kids, the dog, while making the beds or vacuuming crumbs. Dance along with a video or take a class to learn something new and different while making new friends. In any case, breathe in the music. It all makes exercise fun.

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

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Soaring Heart... Naturally www.soaringheart.com * 101 Nickerson, Suite 400, Seattle WA 98109 Open 10:00am to 6:00pm daily natural awakenings

March 2012

29

communityspotlight

Seattle’s

VEGFEST Attracts the Veg-Curious

T

he Puget Sound is very fortunate to have the largest vegetarian food festival in the country: Vegfest, showcasing many exciting new foods and products for the vegetarian lifestyle, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 24 and 25. Held at the Seattle Exhibition Hall, the event is produced by Vegetarians of Washington, a volunteer based nonprofit organization serving the Puget Sound region.

“At Vegfest, people can enjoy the ultimate in natural nutrition,” says Amanda Strombom, president of Vegetarians of Washington (VoW). “Every year the ranks of the people I like to call ‘veg-curious’ easily outnumber the experienced vegetarians. These people are looking to dip their toes and engage their taste buds in incredible vegetarian cuisine.”

Make a Delicious Difference Every purchase of organic chocolate from Finca la Isla permaculture farm in Costa Rica supports educational opportunities at Sea Heart School We are a small Waldorf school in the heart of the Carribean coast of Costa Rica. Your support will enable Sea Heart School to fund scholarships for local indigenous children, complete our biodynamic garden and fund our earthbag building project.

Each of our high quality dark chocolate bars costs $3. Minimum order is 10 bars. Try a delicious deal: 10 bars plus shipping for only $42.50

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Order today at SeaHeartChocolate.org 30

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Stewart Rose, VoW vice president says, “With over 500 different kinds of free food to sample, everyone is sure to discover a wide selection of delicious vegetarian foods they enjoy. For many, it’s the best way to take just a few steps in the vegetarian direction.”

The mission of Vegetarians of Washington is to encourage people to discover the advantages and experience the pleasures of vegetarian food. At Vegfest, new ways to make healthy and delicious diet changes, with foods such as Italian baked tofu, garbanzo bean curry and even chocolate soymilk are waiting to be discovered. Savory samples are available for free, with many products also available for sale at better-than-bargain prices. All proceeds benefit VoW.

“Our rich, smooth, high quality chocolate bars are made with organic, fairly traded cacao and vanilla beans traditionally fermented in banana leaves, sun dried and crafted in small batches. Our labels have been designed by our two of our indigenous mothers, colored by our children, and our bars packaged by parents at the school.

The bars are 75% cacao blended with cured organic vanilla and raw sugar.” Ancel Mitchell, nursery teacher

Children of Sea

Heart School

About Vegetarians of Washington

One of the most fun parts of VegFest is watching talented chefs share their secrets in the cooking demo area. “It’s such an exciting experience,” comments Strombom. “Picture walking through the festival and being surrounded by the tantalizing sights and aromas of the tastiest vegetarian food in the world. From Chinese to Mexican, Mediterranean to Middle Eastern, Italian to Indian and everything in between.”

Another highlight is learning about the many health benefits of a vegetarian diet. A full team of knowledgeable medical doctors and specialists, ranging from cardiologists and surgeons to family doctors, will give talks each day on the importance of changing your diet, and how to go about making some changes. “These doctors will talk about how the regular consumption of vegetarian food helps prevent and reverse common diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis,” says Rose. “People can also hear about the latest research supporting vegetarian diets and get practical advice on making a gentle transition to a healthier diet.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Barnard has written at least 14 books, including Reversing Diabetes, Foods that Fight Pain, and Eat

Vegetarians of Washington is made up of people from all walks of life, but you don’t need to be a vegetarian to join! They provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere where everybody proceeds at their own pace. Their monthly dinners at the Mount Baker Club in Seattle are popular opportunities to enjoy delicious food from a different local restaurant, caterer or chef each month. (Dinners cost $15 plus tax for members and $20 plus tax for guests & nonmembers.)

In addition, free nutrition and cooking classes are offered at various locations around Seattle. Members also receive a free subscription to the monthly magazine Vegetarian Times and can take advantage of a comprehensive discount program.

The leaders of Vegetarians of Washington have written four books, including a guidebook to vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants and shopping, Vegetarian Pacific Northwest; a cookbook featuring delicious recipes from local restaurants and chefs, The Veg-Feasting Cookbook; an informative book on the many benefits of a vegetarian diet, The Vegetarian Solution; and their most recent book, Say No to Meat, which is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of becoming a vegetarian written in an easy question-and-answer format.

Right, Live Longer. Barnard’s books, in addition to other nutrition guides and cookbooks, will be available in the extensive vegetarian bookstore, and he will be available to sign books.

“Popular movies such as Forks over Knives are showing people the importance of a vegetarian diet in improving many health conditions,” says Strombom. “Recognizing the harsh conditions animals often face in modern agriculture, many people also come to Vegfest to explore more compassionate food choices. People are often surprised to learn that vegetarian

food is also much less damaging to the environment. Vegetarian food requires less oil, water and other resources to produce, so we all make a substantial contribution to the environment each time we choose a vegetarian meal.”

“We can help ourselves and the environment by giving Elsie the Cow a well-deserved vacation,” adds Rose.

Admission is $8 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Tickets available at the door. For more information: Vegfest2012.org.

Natural Choice Directory of Puget Sound Green Resources • Natural Health Food & Supplements • Mind & Spirit

Your Choice for a Sustainable Future 425.373.1987 www.NaturalChoice.net NCD11_NaturalAwakenings.indd 1

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4/29/11 5:29 PM

calendarofevents FRIDAY, MARCH 2 NW Women’s Show – March 2-4. This 24 year old show for moms, daughters, sisters and friends includes shopping, sampling and gathering information from over 400 businesses and services.

Special features include fashion shows, celebrity appearances, seminars and more. $15. CenturyLink Event Center, 1000 Occidental Ave, Seattle.

NWWomensShow.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 Living Naturally: Breaking Body Myths – 10:30am-12pm. Bastyr University and its teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, are proud to kick off the Spring 2012 “Living Naturally” lecture series, with Breaking Body Myths. This interactive session, led by Christy Hofsess, PhD and McKenzie Zajonc, MSN, will help participants explore their relationship with their bodies to facilitate a positive body image. Free. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle.

206-834-4100. BastyrCenter.org/Content/ View/2300.

MONDAY, MARCH 5 Lose Inches And Gain Self-Esteem – 6:30-8pm, Mondays, March 5-26. Learn how to exercise the body, mind and spirit! Break food addictions, trim extra abdominal weight, and learn to say ‘no’ while cultivating a hopeful and positive approach to life. $80. Includes one individual session with Dena Marie. Edmonds. Registration required: 425350-5448 or LiftYourSpiritswithDenaMarie.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 Learn to Meditate I: Inner Peace through Relaxation and Concentration – 7:30-9pm. Learn to relax the body, quiet your mind, awaken intuition and experience greater joy and creativity in daily

life. This 3-session course includes in-class practice, tips on establishing practice at home, online guided meditations, written instructions, and ongoing support in-person or online. $45/series; prepay online and receive a 10 percent discount. Ananda Meditation Temple, 23305 Bothell-Everett Hwy. 425-806-3700. Contact@AnandaSeattle.org.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 Clutter Clearing From the Inside, Out! – 7-8:30pm. Learn how to create happy harmonious spaces that reflect the real you by uncovering the secrets behind “your stuff” and how to avoid over-consumption. $8. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way, Seattle. 206-523-3726. info@eastwestbookshop.com.

Energizing Your Life With Vitality and Joy! – 7:30-9pm. In this 3-class series, Prem-Shanti Rider will share Yogananda’s system of tension, movement and breath control exercises, also known as the “Energization Exercises.” These 39 movements can be done standing (and many can easily be modified for sitting) and require no specialized knowledge nor any required foundation of strength or state of health. $40/series; prepay online and receive a 10 percent discount. Registration required: 425-806-3700. Contact@AnandaSeattle.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Oneness Awakening Course – 9am-6pm, March 10-11. A profound and fun combination of yoga, meditation, singing, dancing, breathing, healing, ritual, teachings and grace to help awaken. Be initiated as a “Deeksha” Oneness Blessing giver, a two-minute transmission of Divine grace that calms the mind, awakens the kundalini energy and prepares the brain for blissful unity consciousness. $125-175 sliding scale. 2804 Grand Ave, Suite 300, Everett. Registration required: 425-303-8150.

HolmanHealthConnections.com.

Be Heard!

Our City Council is listening.

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The HANDLE Approach to Sensory Disorders – 11am-12:30pm. Peg Simon, certified HANDLE practitioner, will talk about neurodevelopment, the brain and sensory systems, and will demonstrate how learning and sensory challenges, attention issues, eating limitations, and visual focus issues are interrelated. Learn how specific organized movement activities and proper nutrition can help reorganize the brain and neural pathways. Free.

Registration required. Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th, Shoreline. Peg.Simon@Handle.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15 Living Naturally: Heart-Healthy Foods – 6-7:30pm. Bastyr University and its teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, are proud to continue the Spring 2012 “Living Naturally” series, with: Heart-Healthy Foods presented by Ryan Bradley, ND. Free. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle. 206-834-4100.

BastyrCenter.org/Content/View/2301.

Yoga And Writing – 9:30am-early afternoon.

Writing and yoga are both ancient tools of self-exploration. In this half-day retreat, practice asana and pranayama meditation with Anne Phyfe Palmer to prepare for a writing workshop with local bestselling author Claire Dederer. Claire’s memoir “Poser, My Life in 23 Yoga Poses,” comes out in paperback on January 3. Bring a notebook, writing utensil and a snack to eat between the yoga and writing practice. Please have at least one year of yoga practice. No previous writing experience needed. $65. Registration required. 8 Limbs Yoga, 500 East Pike St, Seattle. 206-325-8221. 8LimbsYoga.com.

SoulCollage® Experience - 1-5pm. Experience the creative, intuitive and fun art of SoulCollage®, an opportunity for self-healing and introspection. $45/advance, $55/door. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way, Seattle. 206-523-3726. info@eastwestbookshop.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

The publication for the discerning life traveler.

Articles and advertising that inspires and educates, giving you practical tools and ideas you can use in your own life!

Take the Survey SustainableSeattle.org and hit the orange button

Mason Bee Talk - 10-11:30am. With Missy Anderson. Learn the benefits of these non-stinging natural pollinators and how to care for them.

Free. Molbak’s Nursery, 13625 NE 175th St, Woodinville. QueenBee@RentMasonBees.com.

Distributed free at more than 500 locations in the Puget Sound region.

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Joy of Being – March 16-18. The third weekend workshop in the series ‘The Joy of Being’ with Bridget Thompson focuses on accessing the inner body for healing and connecting. Our themes this time are listening and yielding which we explore through Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement, yoga, dance and aikido. $200 before March 9, $200 after. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required: 206-525-0363.

M-illumino.com.

Wisdom of Your Face – 7:30-9pm. Gain secrets behind Chinese face reading with Wisdom of Your Face author Jean Haner. Understand what people are ‘really’ saying and learn why to love wrinkles. Free. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

Info@EastWestBookshop.com.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 17 Hypothyroidism: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment – 10-11am. Hypothyroidism is a common and complex disease. In this free, hour-long workshop, Dr. Moser will take an integrative approach and discuss both conventional and natural treatments. Free. Registration required. Thrive Natural Medicine, 5020 Meridian Ave N, Ste 104, Seattle. 206-257-1488.

Info@ThriveNaturalMedicine.com.

Eating According to the Seasons – 10:30am12:30pm. Eating certain foods during each season can promote a renewed sense of hope and a happier life, and can act as a catalyst for a healthier diet and an illness-free life. $15. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

EastWestBookShop.com/Events/3371.

Home & Beyond: Enhance Your Own Yoga Practice – 2-4pm. Three reasons to practice yoga more often: Get stronger. Feel better. Be kinder. No matter how complicated life may seem, it is possible to create the room for a home (or wherever) yoga practice. This home-and-beyond yoga practice starts with attitude adjustment and includes breath, asana and meditation as appropriate. $30. Seattle Yoga Arts, 1540 15th Ave, Seattle. 206-440-3191.

Info@SeattleYogaArts.com.

combining acoustic guitar, didjeridoo, drums, singing bowls and group intention make this a unique event. $12. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

Info@EastWestBookshop.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 Women on a Mission – 8am-6pm. A day of discussion sparked by innovators in local and sustainable business who are collaborating their way to a new, shared prosperity. Topics include creative collaborations and new business models that are building our local economy, closing the loop on local sourcing and production, creating resource efficient and eco-friendly products, services, and workplaces, and what it means to live your values at work and at home. $135/early bird rate includes full program, light breakfast, lunch and wine reception.

Registration required. Urban Enoteca, 4130 1st Ave S, Seattle. SeattleNetwork.org/Women-Mission.

Protect Yourself From Negative Energies – 7pm. Master Stephen Co teaches powerful tools to eliminate, prevent and protect one’s self from negative energies. Seattle Unity Church, 200 8th Ave N, Seattle. Donations accepted. 206-622-8475.

MasterStephenCo.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

Reiki Soundscape Concert - 7-8:30pm. End your week with a refreshing Reiki treatment and live music experience featuring Native American flutist Paul Cheoketen Wagner. Soothing tones

Angels, Devas and Invisible Helpers – 7pm.

Master Co shares techniques to invoke help and protection from the angelic kingdom, the devas and shining ones. $10 suggested donation. Friends, Philosophy and Tea, 13850 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue.

425-641-4364. MasterStephenCo.com.

Adopt Or Sponsor A Rescue Horse

Mason Bee Talk - 7-8:30pm. With Missy Anderson. Learn the benefits of these non-stinging natural pollinators and how to care for them. $5. Botanic Gardens at CUH, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle.

QueenBee@RentMasonBees.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

Beautiful, sound, healthy four year old Appendix Quarter Horse mare. Started under saddle with a professional trainer. Adoption fee: $750.

• • • •

Rescue horse rehabilitation Equine Facilitated Learning Educational Programs Volunteer Opportunities

Learn more about Cricket and how you can help other rescue horses: NWESC.org * 206-940-8589

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Seattle

SeattleAwakenings.com

Imagination: Gateway to Your Authentic Self – 6:30-8pm. This workshop will explore the power of imagination thorough hypnosis and guided meditation. Participants will learn how these methods can help them to tap into their highest self and deepest inner resources. An opportunity will be given for a demonstration of past life regression through hypnosis. Donations requested. Crown Hill Chiropractic, 9776 Holman Rd NW, Ste 109, Seattle.

206-914-3769. Camilla@SongDogDreaming.com.

The Miracle of Crystals and Pranic Healing – 7pm. Master Stephen Co will teach how to harness and focus the life force or Prana/chi by using crystals. $10. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Register: 206-523-3726.

MasterStephenCo.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24 Meditatie to Write, Write to Meditate – March 24-25. With Sandy Boucher. A retreat for women interested in meditation who want to experience the power of penetrating the Dharma through writing. This weekend retreat will allow one to access deep compassion and discriminating wisdom. We will alternate meditation with writing periods and celebrate with ritual dance. $125. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required: 206-938-5204. SandyBoucher.net.

Vegfest: A Health Vegetarian Food Festival – 10am-6pm. March 24-25. Featuring over 500 different free food samples, free health checks, cooking demonstrations by local chefs, talks on health and nutrition, a huge vegetarian bookstore, kids programs and more. $8. Kids 12 and under free. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 300 Mercer St, Seattle. VegFest2012.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25 Spring Cleaning Detox Yoga – 1-3pm. Our natural state is one of health, happiness and an inner sense of well-being. Over the course of a regular life, various things “mess” with that natural balance.

Join Erin for this specialized yoga practice utilizing twisting poses and gentle compressions to safely support digestion, elimination and detoxification.

Meditation and breathing exercises will be included to clear mental/emotional toxins. $25. Registration required: Erin@ChakraBodyYoga.com. Seattle Yoga Arts, 1540 15th Ave, Seattle. 206-371-0467.

SeattleYogaArts.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30 Movement, Meditation, Guided Inquiry Introduction Talk – 7-8:30pm. Russell Delman gives an introductory talk to his weekend workshop, The Embodied Life: Movement, Meditation and Guided Inquiry. $10. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-372-8822. RussellDelman.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31 Lowering Cholesterol Naturally – 10-11am. A healthy diet and lifestyle are the most effective tools for battling high cholesterol and heart disease.

Dr. Moser will discuss diet, exercise, and supplements to effectively lower cholesterol. Free. Registration required. Thrive Natural Medicine, 5020 Meridian Ave N. Ste 104, Seattle. 206-257-1488.

Info@ThriveNaturalMedicine.com.

Crystal Bowl: Spring Cleaning Concert – 7pm8:30pm. Kick the winter blues and lift one’s spirit with this harmonizing crystal bowl concert. $12.

East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726. EastWestBookshop.com/ Events/3649.

Free Reiki 1 Certification/Training – 9am-4pm.

Reiki is universal energy used for healing. No previous knowledge or training is required to attend a workshop. Registration at 8am, class begins at 9.

Next class: May 12. Free. Reiki Ranch, Chehalis.

360-748-4426. ReikiRanch.com.

Reiki Master Certification/Training – March 31-April 1. Become a Reiki master in this weekend seminar. $200. Next class: May 12-13. Reiki Ranch, Chehalis. ReikiRanch.com.

Transform Your Allergic Response – 2:304:30pm. Learn how to naturally change your body’s reaction to Spring pollen using a clinically proven acupuncture method. Ideal for those who have struggled with seasonal allergies. $15. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle.

206-523-3726. EastWestBookshop.com.

save the date THURSDAY, APRIL 5 Motherline: Finding Our Feminine Souls 6:30-8:30pm. Mary Alice Long, PhD invites both women and men to share their stories, connect to their embodied roots, visit and learn from their maternal ancestors in this introductory group. $20.

Good Shepherd Community Center, Room 223, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle. 206-200-4542.

Maryalice@PlayEqualsPeace.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6 The GuruGanesha Band – 7:30pm. April 6 -7.

The GuruGanesha Band will perform their uplifting signature blend of kirtan, raga, rock and meditative folk music featuring the glassy tonalities of the electric guitar, bass, drums and vocals. $15 in advance, $20 at door or $25 for two night pass. Om Culture, 2210 N. Pacific St, Seattle. For tickets: GuruGanesha.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 28 My Greener Home: Essentials For Purchasing A Green Home Or Greening The One You Already Have - 10am-1pm. Workshop with local green home professionals covers green loans and appraisal addendums; home energy audits; energy retrofitting; local green product showcase, and more. Free. Seattle. 206-579-9066. Kim@CooperJacobs.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 4 Experience Breema – 7-8:30pm. Learn Breema to relax and be revitalized while unifying the mind, body and feelings in the present moment. Breema supports an openhearted and open-minded posture toward life. Free introduction. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Breema.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 5 Breema Workshop – May 5-6. See May 4 description. $175 before April 23, $200 after. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Breema.com.

A healthy vegetarian food festival

March 24th & 25th

Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street

• Free food samples - over 500 to try • Cooking demos by leading chefs • Talks on health by medical doctors • Huge selection of cookbooks • Special kids’ section with clowns Adults - $8, Kids 12 and under - Free www.Vegfest2012.org

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 Weigh to Go! – 6-7pm. Wednesdays, April 11June 6. Love your body, eat more healthfully, get moving, and lose weight in the process. Sign up today for “Weigh to Go,” a nine-week weight management and lifestyle program developed by Bastyr’s nutrition and clinical health psychology faculty. This unique and comprehensive program combines individual and group counseling with education in whole-food nutrition and healthy eating. $300 for 9 week program. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle.

Registration required. 206-925-4662. BastyrCenter. org/Content/View/1293.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13 Integrative Therapies in Mental Health – 8:30am-4pm. Bastyr University is pleased to present the 4th Annual BRANCHES (Building Research Amongst Northwest Complementary Health Experts) research conference featuring this year’s theme: “Integrative Therapies in Mental Health.”

Local experts will present therapeutic approaches ranging from homeopathy to interpersonal companionship. $35 general admission, $15 students.

Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore.

Registration required. 425-602-3152. Bastyr.edu.

SATURDAY, APRIL 21 Green Home Tour – April 21-22. Open house style educational events held in your neighbor’s homes in Seattle and King Country area. Features kids activities, sustainability demos and Saturday eco expo.

Attend with friends, host a site, exhibit at the expo, sponsor or volunteer. SeattleGreenHomeTour.org.

MCKS Pranic Healing Level 1 Intensive – 9am-5:30pm. April 21-22. Learn and apply the laws of life force energy - the most powerful and fundamental energy in healing. Seattle/Bellevue.

MasterStephenCo.com.

Green Homes Aren’t Just the Future They are in your neighborhood NOW!

2O12 GREEN HOME Toura t u r d a y +S

PRESENTED BY:

Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

EXP

O!

Saturday and Sunday - April 21 & 22 • Open Daily 10am - 4pm

Celebrate EARTH Day With Us! See for yourself how your home can become a part of a healthier, more productive lifestyle Learn from your neighbors See what’s working in their homes Experience green living in the Pacific Northwest 5 Ways to Participate - Attend with Friends, Host a Site, Exhibit at the Expo, Sponsor, or Volunteer.

LEARN MORE AT

SeattleGreenHomeTour.org INSPIRATION • EDUCATION • SOLUTIONS sponsored by Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union | Seattle Natural Awakenings | Built Green | Green Depot | Envision Homes | Mighty House Construction | Greenhome Solutions | ESP Services | Northwest Ecobuilding Guild Seattle Chapter | YOU!

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March 2012

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ongoingevents NOTE: All Calendar events must be received by the 12th of the month prior to publication and adhere to our guidelines. Email Calendar@SeattleAwakenings.com for guidelines and to submit entries. No phone calls or faxes, please. Or visit SeattleAwakenings.com to submit online. us for this ongoing group discussion and gain clarity on health concerns from a naturopathic doctor. Free.

East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726. Info@eastwestbookshop.com.

sunday Cascadia Hikes – 8am-12pm. Learn about local and natural history, sustainability and ecology while viewing waterfalls and wildlife on these guided half-day hikes. Includes hotel pick up and drop off, nature guide, refreshments, transportation, and entry fees. $95. Register: EvergreenEscapes.com/ Seattle-Hiking-Tour.asp.

Seattle Greendrinks – 5:30pm. 2nd Tues. Informal social networking to connect and unite those working or interested in environmental issues. Locations vary. Details: SeattleGreendrinks.org.

Sustaining Vitality Qigong – 7-9pm. Discover Chinese qigong, the study of internal energy and the natural way to enhance and maintain a healthy energetic lifestyle. Class includes meditation and movement exercises. Suitable for all levels. $10/ class. Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Rm 5, Seattle. 425-775-9609. FiveMtsInst. com.

monday Qigong Class – 8:45-9:45am. Qigong combines movements, breath work, meditation, visualization and relaxation to achieve harmony of the body, mind and spirit. Increase energy and become more aware of balance, breath and alignment, ultimately improving one’s yoga practice and other activities.

All ages and fitness levels welcome. First class free. Yogalife Greenlake, 7200 Woodlawn Ave NE, Seattle. 206-599-9270. ElementalHarmony.info.

Tribal Style Bellydance – 7pm. With Shay Moore.

Classes get people moving to the global groove as they develop core tribal bellydance movements with strength, grace, and flexibility. Women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and experience welcome. $75 per 6 week session. M’Illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required: 206-5250363. DeepRootsDance.com.

Breast Feeding Class – 10:30am. With Renee Beebe and Lauren Harris. Get questions answered by an expert, check your baby’s weight and boost confidence in this weekly drop-in support group. $15 suggested donation. Dragonfly Holistic Healing, 760 N 34th St, Seattle. 206-356-7252. DragonflyHolisticHealing.com.

wednesday Awareness Through Movement – 9-10am. With LeeAnn Starovasnik. Engage the brain and body in new ways while learning to move more easily, more comfortably and even more playfully. $20/drop-in, $75/5 prepaid classes. Registration required. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-372-8822 or info@m-illumino.com.

Infant Massage Class – 10:30-11:45am. Promote better infant health and development and meet other moms while learning infant massage techniques. $25/1 class, $100/5 classes. Queen Anne Christian Church, 1316 3rd Ave W, Seattle. Registration required: 206-409-4812. Parent2Infant.com.

Introduction To Yoga - 9-10:15am. This four class series will allow one to learn at their own pace regardless of one’s level of flexibility. $49 in advance, $54/door. Three Trees Yoga And Healing Arts Center, 204 S. 348th Street Suite 2, Federal Way. 253-815-9642 or info@threetreesyoga.com.

tuesday Cultivating Wellness – 12-1pm, 2nd and 4th Tuesday. Each person’s path to wellness is unique. Join

Infant Massage Class – 10-11:30am. 1st & 3rd

The

Band

LIVE IN CONCERT Seattle

SeattleAwakenings.com

Free Meditation Class – 6-7pm. 3rd Wed. With Mary Davis. This class will show the mind, body and spirit health benefits of meditation and give an easy daily practice. Seattle Healing Arts Center, 6300 9th Ave NE, Seattle. 206-679-9620. MeditateSeattle.com.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction – 7-9pm.

Wednesdays, March 14-May 9. With Erica RaynerHorn. Learn effective tools to manage stress, cope better with stressful situations, and bring more balance and harmony to life. Learn to deal more effectively with physical, emotional or psychological stress and relieve depression or anxiety, digestive or sleep problems, high blood pressure, or chronic pain. Learn to connect to one’s innate ability to be compassionate, patient, non-judgmental, and to develop relaxed awareness. $290. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required: 206-973-7371. Mindful-Therapy.net.

Zumba – 7pm. Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program. Be prepared to sweat, dress in comfortable shoes and clothes to move around in and bring a water bottle. $5 drop in. Pacific West Dance Studio, 1831 Bickford Ave, Snohomish.

360-563-2793. PacificWestPerformingArts.com.

thursday Urban Forest Restoration – 10am. See Tues. description. Register: 206-923-0853 or NatureC. org/Volunteer.

Weston A. Price Foundation Seattle Meeting – 6pm. 3rd Thurs. Learn about historically revered nutrient-dense foods and traditional food preparation techniques. A Weston A. Price/Nourishing Traditions style potluck begins at 6pm followed by a featured speaker or demo at 7pm. Free. Firefly Kitchens, 844 NW 49th St, Seattle. WestonAPrice. org.

Free Total Health Seminar – 6-7pm. 3rd Thurs.

Dr. Tami will be discussing weight loss and detoxification with the help of BioGenesis Neutraceuticals. Providing the body the key nutrients it needs leaves one feeling revitalized and refreshed. Free.

Vitality Medical Clinic, 1501 Queen Anne Ave N,

Seattle, April 6 & 7

GuruGanesha 36

Wed. Class taught in Japanese. See Mon description. $25/1 class, $100/5 classes. Overlake Hospital City University, Bldg F, Rm 15, 150 120th Ave NE, Bellevue. Registration required: 425-688-5259.

Parent2Infant.com.

7:30pm (both nights) Om Culture 2210 N. Paciic Street

$15 advance / $20 door or $25 for two night pass Each concert will feature a 15 minute opening performance by Gina Salá.

Tickets & info: www.GuruGanesha.com

Seattle. 206-622-5300. Vitality-Medical-Clinic.net.

Monthly DIY Meetup and Ask an Expert – 6-8pm. 2nd Thurs. West Seattle Tool Library hosts expert DIY coaches who are willing to answer questions about current and future projects. These open and informal events cover green remodeling and design, solar, water harvesting and edible gardening. Free. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle. 206-317-4671.

WSToolLibrary.org.

Baby Diaper Service 101 – 6:30-7:30pm. 2nd Thurs. Learn the environmental and health benefits of using cloth diapers including information on how Baby Diaper Service laundry and home delivery works. Folds, diaper covers, various closure systems and a discussion on special techniques for diapering boys vs. girls and methods for diapering overnight will be presented. Free to existing customers, $10/family. Parent Trust for Washington Children, 2200 Rainier Ave S, Seattle. Registration required: 206-634-2229. BabyDiaperService.net.

Intro to Successful Advertising in Natural Awakenings – 7-7:30pm. First Thurs. Get an overview of Natural Awakenings magazine, from distribution and readership to advertising rates on this interactive webinar. Presentation briefly touches on best practices for print ads that get results. Attendees will receive discount advertising offer valid for 30 days. Free. Register by emailing Publisher@ SeattleAwakenings.com.

physical movements, sense of balance and overall well being. $20 drop-in $75/5 classes. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-525-0363 or info@m-illumino.com.

My Money Shift: Breaking Through Limitations and Unlocking My Prosperity Potential – 6:30-9pm. Four week workshop plus two private coaching sessions designed to provide a process to make real change in financial results and shift beliefs about prosperity. $179. Friends, Philosophy and Tea, 13850 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue. 425-8306328 Tresa@MyMoneyShift.com.

friday InterPlay – 10:30am-12:00pm. An improvisational practice that playfully explores the things a body can do: move, make sounds, tell stories, sing, and experience stillness. Based on life-affirming body wisdom principles and the transformative power of play. $20. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-525-0363 or info@m-illumino.com.

Layers of BellyDance Class - 7pm. Learn dancing, grace, belly dance movements, rhythms & culture of the Middle East. Suitable for both beginners and intermediate dancers. $5/drop-in. Pacific West Dance Studio, 1831 Bickford Ave, Snohomish. 360563-2793 or pacwestperformingarts@gmail.com.

Awareness Through Movement – 6:30-7:30pm.

With LeeAnn Starovasnik. Engage the brain and body in new ways. Learn to move more easily, more comfortably and even more playfully. Discover a fun and easy movement method while improving

saturday

Intro to Successful Advertising in Natural Awakenings – 10-10:30am. 3rd Sat. See Thurs description of webinar. Attendees will receive discount advertising offer valid for 30 days. Free. Register by emailing Publisher@SeattleAwakenings.com.

classifieds Fee for classifieds is $1.00 per word per month. To place listing, email content to Publisher@SeattleAwakenings.com.

Deadline is the 12th of the month.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Nutraceutical & herbal DNA research company moving HQ to Seattle. Looking for home-based business builders. Local training, leads provided.

NutritionScience@aol.com.

Build your brand, build relationships and build a loyal following with 9 different online video communication products and the world’s first instant pay compensation plan. Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself. Free webinar presentation: call 206-788-7313.

EVENTS 2012 Green Home Tour – April 21-22. Sponsorship opportunities available. Site host applications due March 5. SeattleGreenHomeTour.org.

Shop with a Conscience at Natural Awakenings’ New Webstore As a leader in green and healthy living, it makes perfect sense for us to open a webstore that features items that support sustainability and natural health. You’ll love our easy-to-navigate site. Shop by product categories that include beauty and skin care, home and office, books and music, fitness, clothing, cosmetics, kids and pets.

It’s your one-stop eco-friendly and healthy living destination!

www.NAwebstore.com

....

rs s-Asst. Colo o Lunchbag Reusable Ec

Organic Clothing Beauty & Skin Care

THESE H FOO.D. .IN ES ..

FR . .

R U O TOTE Y . . . . . . . . . . .

Books & Music Green Home & Garden

Green Toys

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naturaldirectory

HEALTH CENTERS

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 Publisher@SeattleAwakenings.com to request our media kit.

ACCOUNTING C. BROOKS SCHOMBURG, CPA Brooks Schomburg 206-632-3315 Brooks@CBSchomburg.com CBSchomburg.com

O ff e r i n g a f u l l r a n g e o f bookkeeping, accounting, tax, and small business consulting services, we focus on your unique tax, accounting and consulting needs. See ad page 21.

PARENT TO INFANT MASSAGE 206-409-4812 Info@Parent2Infant.com Parent2Infant.com

Learn gentle infant massage techniques in a supportive and fun class setting. Babies 6 weeks up to 1 year old. Benefit with better sleep, foundation for lifelong health, secure attachment and more independent personality.

See ad page 21.

CONSTRUCTION BEDDING SEATTLE NATURAL MATTRESS 206-419-9550 SeattleNaturalMattress.com

Manufacturer and retailer of natural, chemicalfree latex mattresses designed to provide a comfortable and supportive alternative to traditional spring mattresses. See ad page 29.

BOWENWORK WELLNESS RESTORATION ARTS Scott Wurtz 206-524-5511 WeReStart.com

Bowenwork is a way to be pain free through dynamic “hands on” physical therapy. Simple “moves” redirect your body’s natural healing potential by sending clarifying waves of energy directly to the brain. See ad page 19.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

PATHWAY DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION 206-937-4809 PathwayDC.com

Committed to providing 100% pure cotton diapers for your baby. Convenient weekly pickup and delivery of cloth diapers and accessories. Better for baby’s skin, more sustainable than washing at home. See ad page 17.

Seattle

SeattleAwakenings.com

Bastyr Center offers naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, nutrition counseling, Chinese herbal medicine, short-term psychological counseling, and more. Our Team Care approach to healing ensures you’ll see a licensed practitioner and two to three advanced student clinicians while receiving individualized treatments and generous practitioner time. See ad page 23.

HEALTH FOOD TruHealth, Inc.

18001 Bothell-Everett Hwy Suite 109 Bothell, WA 98012 425-415-8410 Kasara@TruHealth.com TruHealth.com

Design, build and remodeling contractor specializing in sustainable, healthy homes and the symbiotic relationship between humankind and nature.

dentists

HEALTHY HOME

INTEGRATIVE DENTISTRY 9730 3rd Ave NE Suite 205 Seattle, WA 98115 206-367-6453 Info@MitchMarderDDS.com MitchMarderDDS.com

We are a holistic dental practice specializing in safe mercury filling removal, non-surgical periodontal care, and TMJ/ orthodontic treatments. We welcome new patients! See ad page 11.

LULLABY ORGANICS

800-401-8301 CustServ@LullabyOrganics.com LullabyOrganics.com Lullaby Organics offers safe, healthy mattresses, bedding, sleepwear, toys, gear, furniture, and air filtration systems so your whole family can get a pure night’s rest.

MASSAGE SOARING SPIRITS MASSAGE

ENERGY EFFICIENCY VESTA HOME PERFORMANCE 206-919-6770 Info@VestaPerformance.com VestaPerformance.com

Dedicated to improving the comfort, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency of homes in the Seattle region. See ad page 15.

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3670 Stone Way N Seattle, WA 98103 206-834-4100 BastyrCenter.org

A unique health food store offering raw milk, pastured eggs, grass fed meats and a variety of organic and gluten-free foods as well as the highest quality supplements and services.

BABY DIAPER SERVICE 206-634-2229 BabyDiaperService.Net

BASTYR CENTER

NE Ravenna Neighborhood Seattle, WA 98115 206-412-5170 Laura@SoaringSpiritsLightCenter.com SoaringSpiritsLightCenter.com Offering aromatherapy, Raindrop Therapy, Shiatsu, deep tissue, and Swedish massage, tailored to your sense of pressure since 1993.

Therapeutic grade essential oils by Young Living.

MEDICAL AMY FASig, ND

2206 Queen Anne Ave N, Ste 204 Seattle, WA 98109 206-599-6030 Dr.AmyFasig@gmail.com QueenAnneNaturalMedicine.com Specializing in women’s health, hormone balancing, and immune wellness. Saturday and evening appts. available. Covered by most insurance plans.

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS

REIKI rEiki rANch

M’illuMiNo

Energy Healing Center Chehalis, WA 360-748-4426 ReikiRanch.com

6921 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 206-525-0363 Info@M-Illumino.com M-Illumino.com/P/Retreat.html Escape from the city without having to travel 100 miles. Relax in the steam room and infrared sauna, and have lunch in the private garden. See ad page 13.

Dr. vENESSA wAhlEr, ND Broadway Building 1620 Broadway, Ste 204 Seattle, WA 98122 206-420-6701 Info@DrWahler.com DrWahler.com

Special interests in natural weight loss (including HCG diet), stress management and food sensitivities. Call today for your complimentary 15 minute introductory consultation!

Accepts insurance.

Thrive offers botanical medicine, nutrition, physical medicine, nutraceuticals and counseling to treat the whole family. Most insurance plans accepted. Book an appointment today and Thrive!

MOVEMENT CENTERS M’illuMiNo

6921 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 206-525-0363 Info@M-Illumino.com M-Illumino.com At m’illumino, we are dedicated to your transformation through movement. Take a class, try private sessions, discover your own innate grace. See ad page 13.

1026 NE 65th St Seattle, WA 98115 206-525-0300 GenerationThrive.com

liFt Your SPiritS with DENA MAriE! 425-350-5448 Dena@Dena-Marie.com LiftYourSpiritswithDenaMarie.com

Classes, Workshops and Re-Treats that will Lift Your Spirits!

Individual consultations by appointment.

glADrAgS

503-282-0436 Orders@GladRags.com GladRags.com Live more sustainably with GladRags washable menstrual pads and menstrual cups. Join the community of women who have decided to make a lower carbon footprint every month!

Thrive in Seattle offers fresh, vegetarian and 95% organic ingredients in their smoothies, juices, pies, salads and decadent entrees.

SKINCARE MY MAMA’S lovE

SoNgDog hEAliNg & DrEAMcrAFt Camilla Paynter, M.A. 206-914-3769 SongdogDreaming.com

Spiritually informed hypnotherapy and Reiki for life transitions, personal growth, healing and more. Connect with deep inner wisdom and live life’s bigger story.

My-Mamas-Love.com

My Mama’s Love skin care products use safe, nontoxic and hypoallergenic organic ingredients. Our products don’t just mask symptoms; they address the underlying causes of a skin condition. Locally owned and operated.

VETERINARIANS ANciENt ArtS holiStic vEt 110 N 36th St Seattle, WA 98103 206-547-1025 AncientArtsVet@gmail.com AncientArtsVet.com

PLUMBING grEEN t PluMbiNg

Sam Harris 206-414-2968 Sam@GreenTPlumbing.com GreenTPlumbing.com Full plumbing services ranging from fixing leaky faucets to design and installation. Sustainable and independent. Email or text a photo of your problem for free professional opinion. See ad page 7.

PRINTING NATURAL PRODUCTS

RESTAURANTS thrivE cAFE

PERSONAL GROWTH

thrivE NAturAl FAMilY MEDiciNE Dr. Scott Moser, ND LMP 5020 Meridian Ave N, Ste 104 206-257-1488 Info@ThriveNaturalMedicine.com ThriveNaturalMedicine.com

All levels of Reiki certification including laser Reiki, advanced Reiki energy training, and cosmic energy healing classes. See ad page 19.

Veterinary acupuncture and natural medicine for animals rebalances health safely, gently, peacefully. Improve pets’ quality of life the way nature intended— your pet will thank you. See ad page 40.

YOGA kANJiN YogA

SNohoMiSh PubliShiNg co.

206-722-2665 Info@TheKanjinYogaCenter.com KanjinYoga.com

605 2nd St Snohomish, WA 98290 206-523-7548 SnoPub.com

Family owned publishing company providing professional design, printing and mailing services for magazines, books, brochures, business cards, posters, tickets, forms and more. See ad page 7.

Kanjin Yoga is a path to abundant health and wellness helping people live better inside their bodies. Specializing in Yoga Nidra, Gentle Hatha Yoga, we offer classes and workshops for groups and organizations.

natural awakenings

March 2012

39

Keep your pets loving life!

Your pet deserves a veterinarian who understands how to keep animals well - naturally. From herbs to acupuncture, Dr. Darla Rewers offers the utmost in loving, holistic care so you and your pet can enjoy life together.

• Comfortable and inviting exam rooms • Relaxing acupuncture, herbs, energy healing and homeopathy • Tui na massage and general wellness exams Darla Rewers, DVM

Ancient Arts Holistic Veterinary

110 N. 36th in Fremont •206-547-1025 AncientArtsVet.com

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