March 2013 - Seattle Natural Awakenings

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

Get Your Garden On

FREE

Growing Advice for Urbanites

Stormwater

Management Rain Gardens & Cisterns Provide Sustainable Solutions

BLUE BINS 101 Re-Using What We Recycle

March 2013 | Seattle Edition | SeattleAwakenings.com natural awakenings

March 2013

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You are unique.

That’s why the wrong vitamin is a waste of time and money.

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elcome to the March issue of Seattle Natural Awakenings! In this issue we offer insight and ideas for gardening and lanscaping, ranging from how and why to consider installing rain gardens to urban gardening.

Charming seedlings into thriving plants in an urban garden is not always easy, as anyone who has ever tried to grow tomatoes in the Northwest will be quick to tell you. I’m not exactly a green thumb, but every year I grow at least a few kitchen herbs, some squash and usually beans or corn. I’ll never forget the first year I grew a garden. It was a raised bed right outside the first place David and I rented that actually came with a yard. My mom drove to the Portland area where we were living and brought me wood to make the borders of the bed, then bought me organic potting soil. Eager to get gardening, I decided to plant lettuce, carrots and zucchini starts. Six of them. Seasoned gardeners are no doubt laughing, because you know what happened next: the zucchini produced abundantly. Determined not to waste any (and on a tight food budget), I turned zucchini into dinner (and sometimes lunch or even breakfast) nearly every day for three months. We had stuffed zucchini, sauteed zucchini, zucchini instead of noodles, all manner of zucchini bread, mashed zucchini, roasted zucchini, zucchini shredded in salad and pickled zucchini. I’m surprised that our friends didn’t start avoiding us because of the crazed looks in our eyes and our incessant pleading to take home some zucchini. Neither one of us ever asked each other what to make for dinner; it was usually obvious. Surprisingly, we both still enjoy zucchini, although these days I know well the power of those prolific producers and I plant them in moderation.

You don’t have to repeat my learning experience with zucchini, but if you need a little more convincing before you start growing food, read “Feeding Ourselves Well: Urban Gardening Takes Root” (page 15). Already a gardener, or simply interested in sustainable landscaping? Check out “Rain, Rain, Go Away” (page 12) for reasons and even financial incentives from the city of Seattle to build a rain garden or install a cistern. You can learn about what happens to items you recycle in “Recycling Everyday Refuse” (page 20).

We also profile two fantastic local businesses and their owners this month: Dr. Steve Polenz of Greenlake Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing (page 22) and Robert Burns of Envision Homes (page 24).

There is a lot more information on healthy, sustainable living in these pages, so enjoy!

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 Franchise Sales John Voell II 239-530-1377 To Advertise: 206-788-7313 or 425-350-5448

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

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

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March 2013

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contents

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5 newsbriefs 8 healthbriefs 11 eventspotlight 12 greenliving 20 ecotip 5 22 communityspotlight 12 24 communityspotlight 27 calendar 29 classifieds 3 1 resourceguide

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.

11 VEGFEST 2013

11

Spotlight On The Northwest’s Largest Healthy Food Festival

12 RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Cisterns & Rain Gardens Provide Sustainable Solutions For Stormwater

by Ann Dorn

15

15 URBAN GARDENING TAKES ROOT

Feeding Ourselves Well

advertising & submissions how to advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 206-788-7313 or 425-350-5448 or email 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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Seattle

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by John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist

20 RECYCLING EVERYDAY 26 REFUSE

What Happens after the

Blue Bin is Emptied

22

by Avery Mack

22 SELECTIVE SUPPLEMENTS

Spotlight on Dr. Steve Polenz Of

Greenlake Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing

by Lynn Noelte

24 ENVISIONING A

GREENER COMMUNITY

Spotlight On Robert Burns Of Envision Homes

by Rose Jensen

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newsbriefs Washington’s First Halotherapy Spa Opens in Bellevue

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new halotherapy spa has opened in Bellevue and is the first of its kind in the state. The Saltminearium offers clients the opportunity to sit surrounded by over 38,000 pounds of Himalayan pink rock salt, as well as experience yoga and other offerings, such as energy healing and massage, in the therapuetic setting.

Originally from Bavaria, owners Matthias and Annett Riebe had a vision to bring the therapeutic healing effects of the beneficial Himalayan pink rock salt to the U.S. one year ago. Annett’s tremendous relief from persistent allergy symptoms after visiting the halotherapy spas and natural salt caves in Europe, combined with Matthias’ skills as a construction engineer and former mining engineer led them to the Seattle area to design the first-ever salt spa in Washington state.

“Although the majority of Americans run to the doctor at the first sign of cold or flu, Europeans tend to use the salt spa as a primary resource to treat asthma, bronchitis, depression, and even ADHD,” Annett Riebe says. “Naturopathic medicine is a growing trend in Washington, and the halotherapy is on the cutting edge of natural health offerings in our region.”

The facility features two large rooms lined with peachtoned, glittering pink salt rocks, water fountains, a planetariumstyle ceiling and recliners. The lobby features gifts including bath salt crystals, brines, books, and more.

“The halotherapy experience leaves the saltminearium client floating on clouds of exceptional wellbeing, sometimes even for several days after the treatment,” Riebe says.

“This is an experience worth its weight in salt.”

The Saltminearium is located at 1850 130th Ave. NE, Ste. 4 in Bellevue, just off Northup Way. For more information: 425-497-9666 or Saltminearium.com.

TruHealth Relocates to Snohomish Area

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ruHealth, formerly located in the Mill Creek/Bothell area, has moved to the Clearview area of Snohomish.

“We still offer health services and nutritional products including raw milk, pastured eggs and sprouted nuts,” owner Kasara D’Elene says.

The new location will help facilitate TruHealth reaching a wider audience online.

“After 10 years in the Bothell area, it was time to change our business plan to offer more products and services on the web,” D’Elene explains.

Health services that continue to be available at the new Snohomish location include iridology, muscle testing, mineral analysis and bloodwork, vitamin D testing and more.

TruHealth is now located at 17916 87th ave. SE, Snohomish and is open Tues-Fri, 10am-7pm. For more information: 425415-8410 or TruHealth.com.

Initiative to Require GMO Labeling Collects 353,000 Signatures

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n initiative that would require the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has collected over 353,000 signatures and is now before a legislative committee, which will decide whether the state legislature will vote on the inititative or advance it to the ballot for voters to decide this fall. A similar initiative was defeated last year in California after large food corporations spent approximately $45 million campaigning against the proposed law, according to TIME Magazine.

“GMOs are not proven safe and the long-term health risks on humans of genetically engineered foods have not been investigated adequately,” says I-522 sponsor Chris McMcManus. “Accumulating research has prompted a growing number of countries to require mandatory labeling.”

McManus notes that labeling would not remove foods and products containing GMOs from the market, but simply allow consumers to make a more fully informed choice.

To volunteer or donate, visit LabelItWa.org.

natural awakenings

March 2013

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Breath Awareness Training For Healing Arts Practitioners & Yoga Teachers Dave Merrill of Breath Northwest and Tracey Stover of Breathing Mandala will lead a three day breath awareness training May 17-19. The training is intended primarily for those already working with others in yoga, massage, or other healing arts, and will include recognizing restricted breath patterns, learning coaching skills to expand those breath patterns, and experiential breathing and sound healing sessions.

“Breathing fully is an energy exchange, like the natural expansion and contraction of the universe,” Stover says.

“When you soften the body and mind with breath, you dissolve the layers of thought and feeling that obscures your original purity. The simplest way to sum up the process is to open, let go, and shine.”

The training is also the foundation for facilitator training, and will be held in Seattle at a location to be announced.

“Any type of healing work you practice will be more effective if your client is fully breathing and energetically open, says Dave Merrill, of Breath Northwest, coleader of the training. “Whether a person is new to self-healing, or has many years of practice, there’s always more to learn from breath and energy awareness.”

Pre-requisite: attend an introductory event prior to the training. See calendar listings for dates, or visit BreathingMandala.com, or BreathNorthwest.com. For more information: 206-769-0040 (Tracey Stover) or 206-453-9329 (Dave Merrill).

New Free Online Health Assessment Tool Launches A new free online health risk assessment program from a company led by scientists, researchers and health experts has launched.

Usana Health Sciences, Inc recently introduced the True Health Assessment, an online assessment which takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and asks about participant’s health history, diet and lifestyle, toxic exposure, stress levels and more.

“Most of us know what we should be doing to improve our health and remove toxins from our bodies,” says Michelle Wong, a Capitol Hill-based health advocate. “But we all need some help implementing these steps.”

Health practitioners can add the free program to their offerings, either hosted on their websites or in person while meeting with clients. The private and HIPAAcompliant assessment of health risks are customized for each person’s health history and goals, and any purchases of nutritional supplements offered through the program can help increase practitioner’s incomes.

“One woman who took the True Health Assessment was inspired to ask her mother about her family’s history of breast cancer, which led to both mother and daughter having a really important conversation that they hadn’t had before,” Wong says. “It feels great to know that by offering this online service, we’re helping people learn about their family’s health.”

For more information and to take the assessment: 206-552-8819 or SeattleHealthAndFreedom@gmail.com.

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Seattle

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March 2013

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healthbriefs

Battle of the Bulge

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ccording to the American Heart Association, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese today, nearly triple the rate in 1963. A new report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation advises that if adult obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, 13 states could have rates above 60 percent; 39 states above 50 percent; and all 50 states above 44 percent.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity, based on research at 10 universities, points to the use of hormones in factory meat production as a major reason for this trend. Pesticides are another culprit; the average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different types each day via food, beverages and drinking water, and nine of the 10 most commonly used are endocrine disrupters linked to weight gain. Genetically modified U.S. food crops are also sprayed heavily with biocides. Findings presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science linked bisphenol A (BPA)—an industrial chemical contained in plastic soda, drinking and baby bottles—with abnormal estrogen function.

To win the battle of the bulge, Americans need to eat balanced diets and exercise regularly, but additional steps can further help: choose organic, grass-fed meat instead of corn-fed; use glass instead of plastic containers for beverages and food storage; avoid canned food unless the label states BPA-free; and consume yogurt daily or take a high-quality probiotic to help restore healthy intestinal flora.

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Why We Might Need More Vitamin C

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esearchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, a leading global authority on the role of vitamin C in optimum health, forward compelling evidence that the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C should be raised to 200 milligrams per day for U.S. adults, up from its current levels of 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. The RDA of vitamin C is less than half of what it should be, scientists argue, because medical experts insist on evaluating this natural, but critical, nutrient in the same way they do for pharmaceutical drugs, and consequently reach faulty conclusions.

The researchers base their recommendations on studies showing that higher levels of vitamin C could help reduce chronic health problems including heart disease, stroke and cancer, as well as underlying causal issues such as high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, poor immune response and atherosclerosis. Even at the current low RDA, U.S. and Canadian studies have found that a quarter to a third of the total population is marginally deficient in vitamin C and up to a fifth of those in such groups as students, smokers and older adults are severely deficient in it.

Bad Fats Are Brain-Busters

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ew research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has found that consumption of “bad” saturated fats may be associated with a decline in cognitive function and memory in older women. The research team analyzed the BWH Women’s Health Study, focusing on four years of data from a subset of 6,000 women older than 65. Those that consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat, like that found in red meat and butter, exhibited worse overall cognition and memory than peers that ate the lowest amounts. Women that consumed mainly monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, demonstrated better patterns of cognitive scores over time.

Windy Woes

Solving Wind Power’s Hidden Pollution Problem The U.S. Department of Energy reports that although wind power accounts for just over 4 percent of domestic electrical generation, it comprises a third of all new electric capacity. Even with the freedom from coal or oil that wind power creates, a major component of the generating devices, the turbine blades, has its own carbon footprint that needs examining.

Some of the blades are as long as a football field, and the metal, fiberglass or carbon composites must be mined, refined, manufactured and transported, all consuming energy and creating materials that are difficult to recycle when they reach the end of their usefulness and are replaced. Christopher Niezrecki, a member of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Wind Energy Research Group, estimates the United States will have as many as 170,000 wind turbines by 2030, creating more than 34,000 discarded blades each year.

The next generation of blade material may come from natural cellulose fibers and bio-based plastics derived from soybean, linseed and other vegetable oils, instead of oil-based polymers.

A $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant is funding the research.

Source: FastCoexist.com

A healthy vegetarian food festival

March 23rd & 24th

Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street

• Free food samples - over 700 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.Vegfest2013.org

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Yogurt Hinders Hypertension

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ating yogurt could reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions. During their 15-year study, researchers followed more than 2,000 volunteers that did not initially have high blood pressure and reported on their yogurt consumption at three intervals.

Participants that routinely consumed at least one six-ounce cup of low-fat yogurt every three days were 31 percent less likely to develop hypertension.

Not So Nice Rice

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206-453-9329

206-769-0040

ew research by the nonprofit Consumers Union (CU), which publishes Consumer Reports, may cause us to reconsider what we place in our steamer or cookpot. Rice—a staple of many diets, vegetarian or not—is frequently contaminated with arsenic, a known carcinogen that is also believed to interfere with fetal development.

Rice contains more arsenic than grains like oats or wheat because it is grown in water-flooded conditions, and so more readily absorbs the heavy metal from soil or water than most plants.

Even most U.S.-grown rice comes from the south-central region, where crops such as cotton were heavily treated with arsenical pesticides for decades. Thus, some organically grown rice in the region is impacted, as well.

CU analysis of more than 200 samples of both organic and conventionally grown rice and rice products on U.S. grocery shelves found that nearly all contained some level of arsenic; many with alarmingly high amounts. There is no federal standard for arsenic in food, but there is a limit of 10 parts per billion in drinking water, and CU researchers found that one serving of contaminated rice may have as much arsenic as an entire day’s worth of water.

To reduce the risk of exposure, rinse rice grains thoroughly before cooking and follow the Asian practice of preparing it with extra water to absorb arsenic and/or pesticide residues; and then drain the excess water before serving.

See CU’s chart of arsenic levels in tested rice products at Tinyurl.com/ ArsenicReport.

eventspotlight

Vegfest 2013 Schedule Saturday 10:10am - Zero & Somebuddy - Clown show 10:40am - Dr Arun Kalyanasundaram – Cardiologist 11:20am - Birgitte Antonsen – Chef 12:05pm - Miyoko Schinner – Cookbook Author 12:45pm - Denise Fong – Chef 1:30pm - Dr Chan Hwang – Internist 2:10pm - Pranee Halvorsen – Chef 2:55pm - Dr Keith Hanson – Family Medicine 3:35pm - Devra Gartenstein – Chef & Author 4:30pm - Dr Michael Greger – Author 5:10pm - Zero & Somebuddy - Clown show

Annual Vegetarian Food Festival Takes Place This Month

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njoying vegetarian food is increasingly popular as more and more people discover its advantages, according to local vegetarian leaders. “It seems that every day a new celebrity jumps on the bandwagon,” says Amanda Strombom, president of Vegetarians of Washington, a nonprofit dedicated to introducing people to the benefits of vegetarian food. “Actors and movie stars, from Alec Baldwin to Michelle Pfeiffer to Alicia Silverstone, are lining up to talk about the importance of a vegetarian diet,” she says. “Even politicians such as Newark’s mayor Cory Booker and president Bill Clinton publicly acknowledge the benefits of being vegetarian.”

While high profile vegetarian celebrities bring fame to the movement, most vegetarians are not famous.

“They’re ordinary people trying to improve their own health, along with healing the environment, saving some animals, helping to reduce global hunger, and enhancing their spirituality,” explains Stewart Rose, vice president of Vegetarians of Washington.

Here in Seattle, the transition to a vegetarian diet is made easier by the

largest vegetarian food festival in the country, Vegfest, this year taking place March 23-24. Over 700 different kinds of food will be available to sample, including everything from veggie sausages and hot dogs to chocolate truffles and coconut ice cream.

Throughout the weekend, doctors will be speaking about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, and naturopathic physicians from Bastyr University and registered dietitians will also be on hand to answer your questions. Chefs from the PCC Natural Markets “PCC Cooks” program will be giving cooking demonstrations. A vast selection of vegetarian cookbooks and other health-conscious books will be on offer in the Vegfest bookstore, and the kids will be entertained by clowns and kid-friendly activities.

Sunday 10:10am - Clown show – Zero & Somebuddy 10:40am - Dr Helmuth Fritz – Internist 11:20am - Sureyya Gokeri – Chef 12:05pm - Dr Keith Hanson – Family Medicine 12:45pm - Archana Verma – Chef 1:30pm - Miyoko Schinner – Cookbook Author 2:10pm - Uma Bangalore – Chef 2:55pm - Dr Esther Park-Hwang – OBGYN 3:35pm - Rachel Duboff – Chef 4:20pm - Dr Arun Kalyanasundaram - Cardiologist 5:10pm - Clown show – Zero & Somebuddy

Vegfest is Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street. Admission is $8 and kids 12 and under are free.

Tickets are available at the door. For more information: 206-706-2635 or Vegfest2013.org.

natural awakenings

March 2013

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greenliving

Martha Rose of Martha Rose Construction featured a 300 gallon cistern in her City Cabins project in the 2012 Green Home Tour.

property, that’s better for everybody,” she says.

Rain gardens and cisterns are a remarkably effective way to manage rainwater, helping to recharge the water table while reducing the amount of storm water runoff. A rain garden is specially designed to encourage storm water to soak into the ground (infiltrate), rather than run into the streets and storm drains.

Cisterns are containers that store rainwater for use in irrigation, or in some cases, for interior water uses, such as laundry or toilet flushing. Cisterns come in many shapes and sizes.

The cistern capacity a homeowner needs depends on their goals for the system, according to Wayne Apostolik, president of green building company Northwest Homecrafters.

“If you want a whole house system, you may be looking at 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water storage to allow you to be independent for three months solid without using city water,” Apostolik says.

Many homeowners don’t want or need a whole house system, and it’s tempting to install a quick and simple cistern without doing much planning or research, but Apostolik cautions that it may not ultimately meet the homeowner’s needs or goals.

“Don’t just get a couple barrels from the City of Seattle and call it good,” he says. “I see that happen pretty often and people are usually surprised at how quickly they fill

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Cisterns & Rain Gardens Offer Green Storm Water Management Solutions

by Ann Dorn

S

torm water remains the largest source of pollution in Puget Sound, according to the Puget Sound Partnership. During a rain event, the water that falls on roofs and streets pollutes Puget Sound and local waterways by transferring chemicals, oils, and other pollutants into our waterways. Storm water, or runoff, also causes erosion of sometimes fragile environments during storm events leading to mud slides, flooding, and other potentially damaging conditions, including raw sewage in Puget Sound.

“In Western Washington, we have a lot of issues with storm water pollution and storm water runoff, and having a rain cistern can be a great tool for both conserving water and controlling runoff,” says Nikola Davidson, a volunteer rainwater conservation educator teaching classes for the public through Seattle Tilth, the NW EcoBuilding Guild, and other local organizations. Davidson explains that approximately one billion gallons of raw sewage ends up in local waterways every year due to heavy rain.

“In many parts of the city, there’s just one big pipe that collects both sewage and storm water, and after a big rain event, overflow will spill into local lakes and rivers,” Davidson says, explaining that raw sewage causes many environmental problems, including making people and animals sick. “If people can take care of their water on their

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SeattleAwakenings.com

up.”

Davidson notes that one of the most popular tanks installed in the Seattle area has only a four foot diameter and holds 800 gallons. “It produces great water pressure because it’s so narrow and tall,” she says.

“I would recommend that people get educated,” says Apostolik, who is hosting a site featuring a small rain water cistern and a permaculture landscape on the Northwest Green Home Tour (Saturday, April 27 from 11am– 5pm, NWGreenHomeTour.org. Additional sites featuring cisterns will be hosted by Mighty House Construction and Martha Rose Construction).

“Go online and start researching Seattle rainfall, the dry and wet periods of time, the size of your roof, and how much rain you can capture and what you would like to do with it,” Apostolik continues.

Many homeowners use their cistern to water the garden during the summer, when rain is much scarcer in the Seattle area and water conservation becomes very important.

“Plants are better able to access nutrients with rainwater rather than municipal water,” Davidson explains. “There are a lot of gardening benefits.”

Some homeowners are concerned about collecting water off composition-shingle roofs, especially if they are

The Rainwise program, which helps the City of Seattle meet requirements of the Clean Water Act, depends on the involvement of concerned citizens.

watering edibles, but only owners with new roofs might need to be concerned, according to Davidson.

“If you have a brand new roof, you usually want to avoid collecting water off it for a year before you start watering the garden with the collected water,” she says. “You can always have your water tested for petrochemicals, but usually I don’t think there’s a reason to be concerned.”

Rain gardens offer an additional option for storm water management and eco-friendly living. They can be as small as 3 by 4 feet and are often installed in a low area in yards, landscaped with native plants and mulch, and designed to help excess rainwater infiltrate into the ground over the 24 hours following a rain event.

“Rain gardens empty over 24 hours, so they don’t hold a puddle in your yard,” says Susan Harper, outreach coordinator for Rainwise, a City of Seattle program that offers rebates to homeowners for installing cisterns and rain gardens.

“They are a functioning infiltration system, and they are designed to make the water go away,” Harper continues, noting that water is only present in rain gardens for short periods of time and thus don’t attract mosquitoes or pose a year-round threat to children.

Rainwise will reimburse eligible homeowners for up to 100 percent of the cost to install rain gardens or cistern systems. Currently, the program targets the most problematic areas prone to the worst sewage overflow, such as Delridge, Ballard and neighborhoods along Lake Washington, and more neighborhoods including Wallingford are scheduled to be added to the list of eligible reimbursement areas this year.

“In the future we hope to have this be a citywide program,” Harper says. “We have about 200 participants in the program now, and maybe a third of all participants install both cisterns and rain gardens.”

The Rainwise program, which helps the City of Seattle meet requirements of the Clean Water Act, depends on the involvement of concerned citizens.

With rain gardens, “You get a beautiful garden and it’s functional, or with a rain cistern, you’re helping solve a problem—either way you are becoming part of the solution,” Harper says.

For more information about rain garden and cistern rebates: Rainwise.Seattle.gov.

Learn more and tour homes featuring rain gardens and cisterns during the upcoming Green Home Tour on April 27. The Green Home Tour, a project of the NW EcoBuilding Guild and Built Green®, will showcase over 20 sustainable homes. For more information: NWGreenHomeTour.org.

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in victory gardens in the communities in which they were consumed.

Today, these small plots are often termed kitchen gardens, comprising parts of household lawns, schoolyards, balconies, patios and rooftops. Fresh taste and the security of local food supplies in case of manmade or natural upheavals are drawing more people to gardening.

Feeding Ourselves Well

Urban Gardening Takes Root

Garden Cities

by John D. Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist

“I

n just one-twelfth of an acre, including lots of paths and a compost heap, our family grows the vast majority of the fresh vegetables we need, plus a decent chunk of our fruits and berries,” says Erica Strauss.

“It’s not a huge garden, but we still feel nearly overwhelmed with the harvest in late August.” Her family of four tends a diversity of edibles on their urban lot in a suburb of Seattle, Washington.

Word has spread because Strauss writes about her experiences via North-

west Edible Life, a blog about food growing, cooking and urban homesteading. “Every kid on the block has picked an Asian pear off my espalier and munched on raw green beans,” she notes. “Even picky eaters seem pretty interested when they can pick tasty treats right from the tree or vine.”

We don’t need to live in a rural area or on a farm to grow our own food.

By the close of World War II, nearly 40 percent of all fruits and vegetables supplying Americans stateside were grown

“Urbanization, a major demographic trend, has implications for how we grow and consume food,” observes Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International. “If we agree that feeding more people fresh, local foods is a priority, we’re going to need to landscape and, in many cases, retrofit urban and suburban areas for increased food production.”

Millions of Americans now participate in growing mainstay foods.

According to a 2009 study by the National Gardening Association, 31 percent of all U.S. households grew food for their families in 2008, and more have since the economic downturn. Bruce Butterfield, the association’s research director, estimates that nearly 70 percent of these gardens are in urban or suburban areas.

“We’re seeing a new crop of farmers that defy stereotypes,” observes David Tracey, owner of EcoUrbanist environmental design in Vancouver, Canada, and author of Urban Agriculture. “Some are office workers leaving

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unsatisfying jobs, techie types learning the trade in universities and back-to-theland folks that happen to live in cities.

Others are activists taking on the industrial farm system, folks adopting trends or entrepreneurs that see opportunities in the rising prices of quality food and the proximity of millions of customers.”

Opportunities and Pitfalls

Urban gardening has unexpected advantages in its use of organic waste like coffee grounds from a local coffee house and rainwater from area rooftops. Converting lawns at schools, churches and empty city lots into community gardens fosters community connections, improves access to affordable nutritious foods and creates employment opportunities.

A widespread challenge to the trend is dealing with the quality of urban soil and testing for possible toxins.

Often, urban soil must be improved using compost and other nutrients before plants can prosper. A nearby irrigation source is also required.

“One potential problem for urban gardeners may be the community reaction to an edible landscape,” admits Strauss. “In some cities, edible gardens in the front yard or even the common parking strip are celebrated and even officially encouraged. But in communities where lawn is still king and city

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codes regarding vegetation are vague and open to interpretation, one complaint from an anonymous neighbor can become an exhausting political and legal fight.”

Feeding Community

Community gardens often transform vacant lots and other marginal land into green growing places. In Chicago, The Peterson Garden Project, an award-winning nonprofit program, has been turning unsightly empty lots into raised-beds in which residents learn to grow their own food since 2010.

“Nationally, it’s been found that having a community garden on unused land increases property values, decreases crime and promotes a sense of unity with neighbors and others,” explains LaManda Joy, president and founder of the project. “We work with property owners on the short-term use of their land to enhance the community in which they eventually plan to develop.”

“Participating in a community garden serves up a lot of individual victories,” says Joy. “Improved health and nutrition, learning a new skill, teaching kids where food comes from, productive exercise, mental well-being, connecting with others and saving money—community gardens help make all of this possible.”

Being Prepared

“How many recalls have we seen because some food item has been contaminated and people have suffered or died as a result? I am concerned about the safety and security of our food supply,” says Wendy Brown, whose family tends a quarter-acre garden with raised and landscaped beds and containers wrapped around their home plus an onsite greenhouse in a beach resort suburb of Portland, Maine. “As a mother, it concerns me that I might feed my children something that will hurt them. High-fructose corn syrup, genetically engineered crops and BPAlined cans are all making headlines. It just seems smarter to grow it myself; that way, we have more control over what our family is eating.”

Brown is one of more than 3 million Americans that are following FEMA recommendations in preparing for any event that might disrupt food supplies. Her book, Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs, shares everything her family has done to safeguard themselves, including growing produce, caring for animals and canning, freezing, drying, cold storage or fermenting foods for later use.

“For me, it’s more about being prepared for the everyday things that are happening, like increases in food and fuel prices or a loss of family in-

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come,” Brown says. “If we’re growing at least some of our own food, I have a lot less to worry about when such things happen.”

The family also keeps rabbits and ducks, plus egg-laying and meat-providing chickens that can total 40 animals in the summer at their “nanofarm”.

These also supply natural fertilizer for the crops. Nearby beehives provide 20 pounds of honey each year. Because the foods they produce are solely for their personal use, the Browns are exempt from regulatory restrictions.

“Our neighbors love what we’re doing,” says Brown, whose house is close enough they can chat across their front porches. “One says our initiative reminds him of growing up in Maine pretty much self-sufficient. The other tells friends and coworkers they aren’t worried if things really go bad because they have us as neighbors.”

Local Foods Grow on Menus

“M

any restaurants are seeking to lower ‘food miles’ and offer fresher, more local food,” reports Michael Oshman, founder and CEO of the Green Restaurant Association, which certifies sustainably operated restaurants. The 500-plus restaurants certified since 1990 include university, government and corporate cafeterias.

The award-winning Uncommon Ground restaurant, in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, maximizes the nation’s first certified organic rooftop farm using just 654 square feet of soil. Combined with its Wrigleyville restaurant’s “sidewalk farm”, client chefs receive 1,200 pounds of fresh produce each year, valued at more than $5,600. Ingredients not

grown onsite are sourced directly from regional farms, with their names often appearing on the menu. Community education is also part of the program.

According to the “What’s Hot” National Restaurant Association nationwide survey of chefs, hyperlocal food sourcing, including rooftop farms, was the fifth-most-popular trend in 2011. Also in the top 10 were locally grown produce sourced from area farmers, farm-branded ingredients and sustainability.

“Customers now have an opportunity to demand local and organic ingredients as much as possible,” concludes Oshman. More Americans than ever want to know the origin of what’s on their plate.

newspaper or cardboard and other organic materials on top—can be effective in urban areas because it involves no digging or tilling. Just as with making compost, alternate between brown and green layers. Once the materials break down, add plants to the newly created growing bed.

Urban dwellers with limited space may employ square-foot gardening, intensively growing plants in raised beds using a growing medium of

vermiculite, peat moss and compost.

This method can yield fewer weeds and is easier on the back. “It’s an easy concept to grasp for new gardeners,” remarks Joy. “We use it to both maximize output in a small area and ensure healthy, organic, contaminant-free soil.”

Rooftop gardens are becoming more common as larger agricultural operations use them to grow income crops. The U.S. Department of Agricul-

Growing Green Thumbs

“With some effort, urban gardeners can grow great vegetables anyplace that affords enough light and warmth,” advises Strauss, who gardens primarily in raised beds in her front and back yards. “I garden on the scale I do because I love it. It’s both relaxing and challenging, and we eat well.”

Urban gardening methods are as diverse as the growing conditions, space limitations and financial resources of the gardener.

“Lasagna” gardening—layering

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ture considers anyone that sells more than $1,000 of produce to neighbors or area restaurants a farmer, rather than a gardener, so regulations may apply.

For renters, just a few tomato plants in a well-maintained container on a patio or deck can yield as much as 50 pounds of tomatoes by taking advantage of its microclimate, influenced by wind blocks, heated surfaces and reflected light from windows.

Urban gardening is also thriving indoors in terrariums, window boxes and small greenhouses. Even partially lit rooms can support certain vegetables or herbs with grow lights. Aquaponic gardening, a closed-loop system that involves both fish and vegetables, expands the self-sufficient possibilities of a hydroponic system of growing plants fed by liquid nutrients.

Feeding Ourselves

With more than 80 percent of Americans currently living in urban and suburban areas, the questionable nutrition of many mass-produced foods, increasing pesticide and herbicide use by non-organic farmers, greenhouse gas emissions from food

Helpful Resources Green Restaurant Association, DineGreen.com Kitchen Gardeners International, KGI.org Northwest Edible Life, NWEdible.com The Peterson Garden Project, PetersonGarden.org Uncommon Ground, UncommonGround.com Urban Farm Online, UrbanFarmOnline.com Urban Garden Magazine, UrbanGardenMagazine.com Urban Gardens, UrbanGardensWeb.com transport and weather patterns altered by climate change, it’s past time to take back some control. Operating our own gardens and preparing our own meals turns us back into producers, not merely consumers.

“For the most part, we’re just average suburbanites,” concludes Brown.

“We just choose to have less lawn and more garden. A huge benefit is that we need less income because we’re buying less at the grocery store. Our goal is to semi-retire in our mid-50s—

not because we’ve made a bunch of money, but because we’ve needed less money to live along the way.”

John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist, co-authors of Farmstead Chef (FarmsteadChef. com), ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance, operate the award-winning Inn Serendipity Bed & Breakfast, in Browntown, WI. They grow 70 percent of their organic food; the cost savings helped them become mortgage-free in their mid-40s.

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ecotip

Transforming Aluminum and Glass

RECYCLING EVERYDAY REFUSE What Happens after the Blue Bin is Emptied

by Avery Mack

E

ach blue recycle bin filled with plastic, aluminum, glass, paper and cardboard helps the environment, because it reduces landfill, takes less energy to repurpose materials than to make new ones and gently reminds us that thoughtful consumption is healthier for people and the planet. But what do all those recyclables turn into?

Repurposed Plastics

Plastic milk jugs turn into colorful playthings at Green Toys, of Mill Valley, California. Repurposing one pound of recycled milk jugs instead of making new plastic saves enough energy to run a computer for a month. All packaging is made from recycled content and printed with soy ink, so it can go into the blue bin again. GreenToys.com’s online counter shows the number of containers recycled—more than 10 million to date.

Fila Golf’s Principal Designer Nancy Robitaille says, “Recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a core 20

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SeattleAwakenings.com

Fila cooling fabric, is used throughout our collection. Each fully recycled PET garment reuses about two-and-a-half 20-ounce plastic pop bottles.”

Patagonia customers are encouraged to return their old coat when buying a new one. Coats in good condition are given to people in need; the PET fleece lining from retired coats is sent to ReFleece, in Somerville, Massachusetts, where it is cleaned and turned into recyclable protective cases for iPads, e-readers and cell phones.

“We expect to make 10,000 cases this year from 2,000 jackets,” says Jennifer Fellers, ReFleece’s CEO. “We use low heat to press the cases into shape.”

Vancouver, Canada, which plans to be the greenest city in the world by 2020, includes recycled plastic from bags and water bottles in laying down warm asphalt mix for roads because it uses less fuel to keep the tar at a pourable temperature. Switching from traditional hot asphalt technology also reduces emissions.

In 2012, Do Something.org partnered with Alcoa to challenge teens to recycle aluminum cans. For every 50 cans collected during a two-month period, they were awarded a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship. The sponsors note that recycling one can saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours. The final total was 1,152,569 cans kept out of landfills.

“Aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times,” says Beth Schmitt, director of recycling programs for Alcoa, which has centers nationwide and cash-back programs for community fundraisers. “We remelt the collected cans, then roll out coils of new can sheets. This process can be repeated without any loss of strength—that’s why we call aluminum the ‘miracle metal.’ If every American recycled just one more can per week, we would remove 17 billion cans from landfills each year.”

Wine bottles become designer drinking glasses at Rolf Glass, in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. “Our designs give used bottles a second life,” says owner Rolf Poeting. Refresh Glass, of Phoenix, Arizona, salvages and preps the bottles. “Then, our glass cutting and diamond-wheel engraving technology transforms them into sophisticated Glacier Glass,” continues Poeting. “This seems to be a trend in many industries, to find additional uses for another company’s recycled products.”

Rewined, of Charleston, South Carolina, also exemplifies this principle. It uses wine bottles to hold their soy-based, cotton-wicked candles, which provide 60 to 80 hours of winescented burn.

Second Life for Paper

Purina’s Yesterday’s News and Second Nature litter for cats and dogs, respectively, is made from recycled paper and absorbs waste upward from the bottom of the litter box for easier cleaning. The unscented litter pellets are three times as absorbent as clay, non-toxic and nearly dust-free. Hedgehogs, mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and reptiles also like Yesterday’s News for bedding. On average, 44 million pounds of paper are annually recycled for these products.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States annually generates 11 million tons of asphalt shingle waste, mostly from re-roofing tear-offs and new installation scrap, comprising 8 percent of construction waste.

Each recycled ton saves a barrel of oil. OFIC North America, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, creates its Ondura corrugated roofing from old newspapers or magazines and cardboard, made durable by infusing it with asphalt. It’s placed atop existing roofs, which means no discarded shingles. Each day, 40 to 50 tons of recycled paper goods find new life in Ondura products, available at most home improvement stores.

Sound inside Buick Lacrosse and Verano vehicles is dampened via a ceiling material made partly from reused cardboard shipping boxes. Paint sludge from General Motors’ Lansing, Michigan, Grand River assembly plant

becomes durable plastic shipping containers for Chevrolet Volt and Cruze engine components. Some 200 miles of absorbent polypropylene sleeves, used to soak up a recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, were converted into air deflectors for the Volt, preventing 212,500 pounds of waste from entering landfills.

As part of its community outreach, 250 shipping crates from GM’s Orion assembly plant became raised garden beds for a Southwest Detroit community garden. A local entrepreneur turned donated sound absorption material into coats that also serve as sleeping bags for the homeless.

Old Tires Transformed

The Rubber Manufacturers Association reports that Americans discard 300 million tires each year, each one having consumed about seven gallons of oil in its manufacture and poised to add to Earth’s landfills. Lehigh Technologies’ micronized rubber powder (MRP), made by freeze-drying discarded tires and pulverizing them into a fine powder, changes the equation. MRP is now used in many items, from new tires, roads and building materials to shoes.

It feels good to place used items in the blue bin instead of the trash, knowing that more and more companies are helping to put these resources to good use.

Connect with freelance writer Avery Mack at AveryMack@ mindspring.com.

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communityspotlight

Selective Supplements Nutrition Helps Local Chiropractor Get Great Results

by Lynn Noelte

T

he walls of nearly every room in the warm and inviting office suite that is home to Greenlake Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing are lined with framed and even notarized testimonials from patients, many of them handwritten. The multitude of notes reveal stories of suffering and pain set right, a collection of which nearly any health practitioner would be proud. Over and over again, the word “thank you” appears, the letters imbued with tones of profound gratefulness.

“I look for what makes us sick, how it makes us sick, and what we need to do to restore our health,” Dr. Steve Polenz says simply. In twenty years of practice, his journey has led him to use a variety of tools including chiropractic care and nutrition to help his patients.

“My goal is to help your body regain its own, inborn ability to heal,” Dr. Polenz explains. “I want your body to maintain an optimal level of health on your own and go through life full of energy and feeling fantastic.”

Dr. Polenz was not always so fortunate. He explains that lots of sports and activity as a youth led to severe joint and back pain. His mother took him to various doctors, but they were

22

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all unable to help.

“I could barely walk and I could no longer play soccer, baseball and run track,” Dr. Polenz says. Finally, his mother took him to a chiropractor. This first session generated instant relief and made an enormous impression on the young Polenz, who vowed to attend chiropractic school to restore health and healing for others, just as he had experienced. He graduated with

“The majority of the time, I can find answers to stubborn health problems, and that’s what I’ve become known for.” a doctor of chiropractic degree and launched his practice in 1993.

“As several years of practice went by I started to get frustrated,” Dr. Polenz says. “Some people who came to see me would heal quickly and well and others would heal slowly, and some would not get better at all.”

Searching led him to the Koren Specific Technique, a low force method of chiropractic care that avoids

traditional cracking and popping, and seeks to adjust the nervous system instead of the skeletal structure.

“Once a blockage is removed, the nervous system can communicate with the body clearly and the body can begin to heal,” Dr. Polenz explains.

He was now able to help even more people, but something was missing.

When he discovered nutritional therapy, it was obvious to Dr. Polenz that the puzzle pieces were clicking into place.

“My patients who were having a difficult time getting well got massive improvement in their health with the addition of nutritional healing,” Dr. Polenz says. “I’ve now had amazing success helping hundreds of patients,” he continues.

Dr. Polenz says that many people experience nutritional deficiencies, sometimes even if they are trying hard to eat healthy. The exact nutrients that are low or missing can vary widely from one individual to another and lack of these nutrients are often a precursor to many illnesses, according to multiple studies from sources including the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Nature Reviews Immunology and others.

“Nutrition deficiencies lead to a breakdown in your resistance and immunity,” Dr. Polenz says. “When this happens, your body loses its ability to cope with environmental stresses like lack of sleep, chemicals, air pollution and off-gassing plastics, as well as overwork, job problems and other sources of stress. So you can end up with chronic back pain, joint pain, insomnia, low energy, digestive problems or other health problems,” he explains.

Dr. Polenz notes that some nutritional deficiencies can be triggered by the presence of chemicals, metals, immune issues and food sensitivities.

“These stressors enter our bodies and cause organ weakness which then causes our health to decline and for us to develop our aches, pains and illnesses,” he says, explaining that the body has to draw from stored vitamins and minerals in its own tissue to metabolize and remove chemicals and metals, and inflammatory processes caused by immune issues and sensitivities can

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rapidly reduce levels of other nutrients.

Twenty years after setting out to help others, Dr. Polenz is confident in his knowledge and techniques, no matter the nature of the health challenge faced by a patient.

“The majority of the time, I can find answers to stubborn health problems, and that’s what I’ve become known for,� he finishes.

Green Lake Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing is located at 9750 3rd Ave NE #103, Seattle. For more information: 206-523-0121 or info@GLChiro.com.

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communityspotlight

Robert Burns enjoys a day in the park with wife Devon Seidel and daughters Sawyer and Skye. Photo by Debbie Cantlin-Carrara, Plum Tree Photography

Envisioning A Greener Community

by Rose Jensen

A

series of unplanned twists and turns led Robert Burns to deep green construction. The owner of Envision Homes, a sustainable building company, Burns got his start in mainstream construction over 20 years ago, and knew a little about green building at the time.

“My focus was always on strong and well-insulated homes,” Burns explains, “but I hadn’t been exposed to ‘deep’ green building.” One day, while out with his two dogs, Sierra, a golden retriever, and India, a black Labrador, he met Cate and Sheldon O’dahl and their golden retriever, Brooklyn, at a community dog park. The O’dahls had been

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active in the green building community for years, teaching classes and contributing to the growth of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. They introduced Burns to people who shared his passion and led him to a better understanding of the full array of the green building spectrum.

“Being a part of this community was incredibly synchronistic and gave me a focus to expand my growing business,” Burns says. He combined his growing knowledge of sustainability with his desire to truly work together with his clients, and the heart and mission of Envision Homes was re-envisioned. “For me, green building is about the details,” he says. “Nothing should slip through the cracks.”

Burns lists client education as a high priority. “There is so much greenwashing out there, it’s crazy,” he says. “For example, to say that something is low VOC (volatile organic compounds) does not mean it is nontoxic. Trying to differentiate between products that are truly green and those that are not has become harder because of marketing.”

Nevertheless, these details are among those that Burns simply will not allow to pass unnoticed. “Some contractors may be willing to ignore these details or don’t care enough to do the work to get an edge.” He finishes, “Am I? No.” Burns explains that he wants his clients to be able to make fully informed choices so he provides them with education and options.

In addition to getting access to the Envision Homes team members’ extensive green building knowledge, clients often gain real and lasting friends. “Our business is built on the idea that anyone can build stuff, but not anyone can deliver the personal and close experience of human connection,” Burns says. He and his crew get to know their client— their kids, pets, dreams and goals—and their clients get

“I love the look on people’s faces when they love their project, and I love when they call me up two years later with another project.” to know them. It’s not uncommon for the Envision Homes team to get invited to barbecues and other gatherings at the homes of former clients, even years after finishing work on their project. “I love the look on people’s faces when they love their project,” Burns says. “And I love when they call me up two years later with another project.”

On top of forming meaningful relationships, Burns believes it’s important to protect his client’s budgets, so he provides good faith estimates rather than a fixed bid. He encourages clients to start with how much they can afford, then they work together to find out what they can do. “I don’t get pulled into the game of contractor vs. client. We’re at the same table, and we can figure this out together,” he says.

Free Lectures on Natural Health

An Envision Homes project. Architect: Heidi Helgeson, H2D Architecture + Design; Photo by Sean Balko, Filmworks Studio.

Burns is also wary of industry practices that traditionally encourage contractors to try and upsell clients’ unnecessary frills or steer them toward a more expensive route to complete their project. “I have a very low tolerance for people spending dumb money,” Burns explains. “We build a bad reputation as contractors when we burn through our client’s budget.”

Burns’ life looks much different today than it did nearly two decades ago when he was starting out in construction. He and his wife Devon have two daughters, nine year old Sawyer and five year old Skye, and live with their cat Toons, their new puppy Shiloh and six chickens in West Seattle. He has recently started doing green light commercial building projects such as offices, restaurants, and tenant improvements. Burns pays it forward by passing his green building knowledge on to others—he has featured projects on the Green Home Tour every year, and regularly invites classes from local community colleges to his home to learn about sustainable construction.

“What’s grander than being a green building contractor? Having the integrity to dig deeper and understand our client’s objective,” Burns says. “You can’t just look at the surface—you have to be willing to take personally what

March 9 Personal Growth: Psychosynthesis March 21 Eating with the Seasons in Chinese Medicine

3670 Stone Way N., Seattle

Details at Events.BastyrCenter.com

From The Founders of Reiki Ranch, Chehalis, WA — half way between Seattle and Portland.

Instantly Change Your Life!

Robert Burns is an active member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.

you are putting into a client’s house.

You have to be willing to grow community one client at a time. It’s about living sustainably and it’s about human connection and experience.”

Robert Burns and the Envision Homes team are Sustaining Sponsors of the third annual Green Home Tour, free to the public on April 27. For more information. visit NWGreenHomeTour.org.

For more information about Envision Homes: 206-356-7853 or Robert@ EcoVisionHomes.com.

Learn Energy Healing Free Usui Reiki 1 Certification - April 13 (Advanced Energy Medicine) • You receive many energy healings during 4 day workshop • Heal the disease called financial hardship and struggle • Get rid of ancient family curses • Find the root cause of any disease & delete it • Learn how to improve relationships and/or attract a mate www.LaserReiki.com To register, email Taylore or Roi at reikiranch@gmail.com or call (360) 748-4426

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calendarofevents

Learn advanced energy medicine. Find and delete energy blockages in moments, heal the disease called financial hardship and struggle, learn how to improve relationships and more. Reiki Ranch, Chehalis. 360-738-4426. LaserReiki.com.

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.

Alternatively, visit SeattleAwakenings.com to submit online.

FRIDAY, MARCH 1 Your Soul Mate’s Ready, Are You? – 7:30-9pm.

Soul mates and authors Riaka and Betsy draw upon highlights from their new book Your Soul Mate’s Ready, Are You? Fulfill Your Heart’s Destiny and share the importance of gaining subconscious support on one’s soul mate journey. $10. East West Bookdshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206523-3726. EastWestBookShop.com/events/4849.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Superconscious Living – Saturdays through April 13. 9:30am-12pm. With Krysta Gibson. This class shows that challenges such as marriage, relationships, child-raising, money, and career actually provide priceless opportunities for spiritual realization. Learn practical techniques for releasing energy blocks & establishing new habits of willingness and creativity. Required text: Awaken to Superconsciousness by Swami Kriyananda. $100.

Ananda Meditation Temple, 23305 Bothell-Everett Hwy, Bothell. Registration required. 425-806-3700.

AnandaWashington.org.

It’s Too Hard! A Look Through HANDLE Eyes at Neurodevelopmental Challenges – 10:30 am-12pm. When daily life isn’t easy to manage, school, work, and social relationships become harder, too. Learn see how sensory/motor issues, immature brain pathways, and food choices can influence learning and behavior. HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) is a non-drug, gentle therapy that is effective for all ages. Free. The Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th, Shoreline. Registration required.

425-778-3082. Handle.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

Revitalizing & Sustaining The Body – 9am-6pm.

Acquire tools for self-care and self-health that will bring joy, vigor, and peace to one’s personal life.

Learn methods to restore, revitalize, and proactively maintain an energetic and physical body.

Explore the relationship between the energy body and its influence on physical health and longevity, as well as awaken the power of the brain, increase mental acuity, and create conscious pathways. $175. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore. Registration required. 425-602-3152.

Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

MONDAY, MARCH 4 Learn to Meditate: Inner Peace Through Relaxation and Concentration – Mondays through March 18. 7:30-9pm. Meditation can transform one’s life. Learn to relax the body and mind, awaken intuition and experience greater joy and creativity in daily life. This 3-session course includes in-class practice, tips on establishing your practice at home, online guided meditations, written instructions, unlimited (no-charge) re-take policy, and ongoing support in-person or online. $45.00.

East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726. AnandaWashington.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5 Love Without Fear - How to Have Healthy Relationships – Tuesdays through March 19. 7:309:00pm. With Nayaswami Jamuna. When people see the “spirit” behind the form of others they can transform relationships to a higher level of realization and fulfillment. $30. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 425-806-3700.

AnandaWashington.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

Indigenous Wisdom Teachings: Methods For

4-Day Laser Reiki Workshop – March 7-10.

Reversing the Disease Process with Ayurveda – 7-8:30pm. Dr. Vasant Lad will share the Ayurvedic concept of health and disease and will walk through the Ayurvedic understanding of the cause of illness and steps along the development and progression of disease all the way to its full manifestation. $15. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

EastWestBookShop.com/events/4909.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 Ayurvedic Management of Chronic Disease – Saturday and Sunday. With Dr. Vasant Lad. Every patient is a living book. In this seminar explore how to read the pages of the book from an Ayurvedic approach. Examine etiological factors, predispositions and pathology for several common, contemporary diseases, and then discuss Ayurvedic assessment and treatment in regard to each disorder. $355. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore. Registration required. 425-602-3152.

Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

Change Your Breath, Change Your Life – 9am5pm. On average people breathe around 24,000 times per day and breath retraining has been shown to efficiently and safely reduce blood pressure, improve sleep, regulate hormones, create mental alertness, help with focus, as well as decrease stress. $99. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore. Registration required. 425-602-3152.

Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

Say “Yes” to Healthy Fats: Whole Foods Cooking – 9:30am-1:30pm. With Sasha Selden, BA. This whole food cooking class is a combination of lecture and hands on cooking. During the lecture portion learn about the science and history of dietary fats, why they are important to your health, how and why to use different fats for different cooking methods and more. Afterward, class will break into teams to prepare a satisfying winter meal. $65. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE,

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Kenmore. Registration required. 425-602-3152.

Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

Personal Growth: Psychosynthesis, A WholePerson Approach – 10:30am-12pm. With Charles Smith, PhD. Psychosynthesis is a holistic and spiritual approach to psychology that considers the whole person. Hear an overview of psychosynthesis and talk about how to use its ideas and techniques for personal growth and development. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle. 206-834-4100.

BastyrCenter.org/content/view/2303.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 The Healing Power of Stories Certificate Training NW – 2:30-5:30pm. An exploratory session to learn about a two-year healing story training with Nancy Mellon beginning in Seattle in the fall.

M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206525-0363. Information@soundcircle.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15 Dignity and Grace: The Embodiment of Freedom – 7pm-8.30pm. Introductory talk with Russell Delman, The Embodied Life. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-372-8822.

LeeAnn@NextStepConsultinginc.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16 An Evening with don Miguel Ruiz and don Miguel Ruiz Jr. – 7-9pm. Coming together to teach the Toltec Wisdom found in Miguel Ruiz JR’s forthcoming book, The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World,

don Miguel Ruiz Jr. & don Miguel Ruiz Sr. will spend the evening uncovering and clearing attachments that no longer serve one’s highest good. $40-100. Center for Spiritual Living, 5801 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

EastWestBookShop.com/events/5000.

how seasonal eating can benefit health and help prevent illness. Free. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle. 206-834-4100.

BastyrCenter.org/content/view/2582.

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

Free Breema Introduction – 7-8:30pm. Find out more about Breema and the Nine Principles of Harmony at this free, introductory, experiential presentation. Breema is a simple, natural form of touch and body movement supported by universal principles. Practicing Breema supports connection with others while at the same time deepening one’s connection to one’s self. Free. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Breema.com.

Qi Gong - Spring Healing – 10am-4pm. With Carrie Lafferty. Learn a simple Qi Gong liver cleanse employing sound, movement, and an intent to detoxify. Have fun and walk in beauty. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required. 206-459-1773. MovementFromWithin.net.

Reading Auras: Interpreting the Energy Fields in Your Life – 12-5pm. With Joanna Nielsen. Lean what an aura is, and how to actually see them.

The “auric system” is an ancient metaphysical system that diagrams the interrelationship between various aspects of our multi-dimensional universe.

Understanding one’s aura will give one personal knowledge of their “whole” body and will bring about a stronger connection with higher-self and intuition. $45. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore. Registration required. 425-6023152. Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19 Women’s Breath & Sound Series – March 19, 26 and April 2. 10am-12pm. With Tracey Stover.

Three consecutive classes are an incredible opportunity to be facilitated in three breath sessions, to clear what inhibits breathing as well as be supported in self-inquiry. The focus of these sessions is to find one’s inspiration in realizing one’s dreams. $150 for series. Location TBA. 206-769-0040 Breathingmandala@gmail.com.

Breath & Sound, Introductory Session – Also March 26. 6:30-7:30pm. With Dave Merrill.

Learn the basics of one’s breathing patterns, what they mean, and how to expand them for health, vitality, and awakening. Experience the healing soundscape of gongs, crystal bowls, and the Tao Lyre and learn more about integrating breathwork into any healing or spiritual practice. $20. Location in north Greenwood. 206-453-9329.

BreathNorthwest@hotmail.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21 Eating with the Seasons in Chinese Medicine – 6pm-7pm. With Benjamin Apichai, MD. Eating foods that are in season locally is one of the best ways to keep yin & yang balanced. Learn

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

The Secret Alchemy of Food – 7:30-9pm. This evening presentation with Meadow Linn, mystic chef and co-author with Denise Linn of The Mystic Cookbook: The Secret Alchemy of Food, will show how food can be a catalyst for bringing more contentment, relaxation, and even connection into one’s life. $10. East West Bookdshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-523-3726.

EastWestBookShop.com/events/4910.

SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Breema Workshop – March 23-24. Learn Breema movement and bodywork, revitalize one’s self and experience Breema’s nine universal principles. $175 before March 11, $200 after. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 510-428-0937.

Breema.com.

Vegfest, A Health Vegetarian Food Festival – March 23-24. 10am-6pm. Featuring over 500 different free food samples to try, free health checks, cooking demonstrations by local chefs, talks on health and nutrition by medical doctors and authors, a huge vegetarian bookstore, special kids program with kid-friendly foods, clowns and more. $8. Kids 12 and under free. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 300 Mercer St, Seattle. Vegfest2013.org.

Healing Sound Circle – 10am-12pm. Harmonize in the healing soundscape of gongs, crystal bowls, and the Tao Lyre. Bring own instrument or borrow ours, and explore in a meditative session of breath, sound, and awareness. $20 suggested donation.

Location in north Greenwood. 206-453-9329.

BreathNorthwest@hotmail.com.

Intentional Communities Movie & Discussion – 3-5 pm. Explore one couple’s pedal-powered search for a place to call home. Mandy and Ryan gave up their jobs, cars and traditional houses to “bikepack”

Natural Choice Directory of Puget Sound

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Seattle

Green Resources • Natural Health Food & Supplements • Mind & Spirit

Your Choice for a Sustainable Future 425.373.1987 www.NaturalChoice.net

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6,500 miles for nearly 2 years around the USA seeking sustainable community. They begin to recognize that community is the secret ingredient to living sustainably on this planet. $10. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206523-3726. EastWestBookShop.com/events/5021.

MONDAY, MARCH 25 Women & Wealth – 7-8:30pm. Break the Rules: creating a financial asset to free yourself from the 9 to 5. Discussion includes: who is creating multiple income streams in today’s environment, and how and what would it take to transition from a full time job to financial independence? Free. Roy Street Coffee & Tea, 700 Broadway Ave E, Seattle. Register: 206-552-8819 or Bitly.com/womenandwealth.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 Breath And Sound, One-Day Intensive – 9:30am-4:30pm. For those who’ve taken the introductory session of Breath and Sound, this day takes one deeper into one’s self via two facilitated breath sessions and teachings on the fundamentals of breathwork and awakening, accompanied by the healing sounds of gongs, crystal bowls, and the Tao Lyre. $150. Location TBA. 206-453-9329.

BreathNorthwest@hotmail.com.

Locating your Personal Power: Expressive Arts Therapies Workshop for Women – 10am-1pm.

With Emily Preston, MA. Explore empowerment in one’s body through art, sound, writing and dialog. Come into relationship with personal power and begin to integrate and direct this energy into important areas of one’s life. $35. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required.

206-805-9411. PrestonTherapy.com.

pleasure and live the life of one’s dreams. This is an 8-week course with guest speakers and field trips around the community. $40, Register by March 30 for special 2 for 1 pricing. 360-269-4955.

save the date WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 Weigh to Go! – Wednesdays through June 10.

6-7pm. Weigh to Go! is a 9-week weight management and lifestyle program developed by Bastyr’s nutrition and clinical health psychology faculty.

This unique and comprehensive program combines individual counseling with weekly group sessions to help meet personal goals for a healthier lifestyle. $300. Bastyr Center for Natural Health, 3670 Stone Way N, Seattle. Registration required. 206-9254662. BastyrCenter.org/content/view/1293.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 Free Reiki I Class – Reiki Ranch, Chehalis.

ReikiRanch.com.

Reiki Master Weekend – April 13-14. Learn Reiki 1, 2 and 3. $200. Reiki Ranch, Chehalis.

ReikiRanch.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.

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QIGONG Five Mountains Institute of Qigong and Taijiquan – Live Healthier. Sustain Vitality.

Classes in Embracing the Taoist Tradition. Dennis Sharp, Certified Instructor. 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle. 425-775-9609. FMI-Qigong.com.

RETREATS

SATURDAY, APRIL 27 NW Green Home Tour 2013 – 11am-5pm. Free public tour of green homes spotlighting sustainable building practices in the greater Seattle area. Multiple locations. NWGreenHomeTour.org.

LED In Hawaii – March 24-28. A Spiritual Playshop with energy healers Kia Abilay and Dorinda Gay. CEU classes offered March 22 & 23. Oahu, Hawaii. 845-679-6911. LedInHawaii@gmail.com.

LedInHawaii.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2 Raja and Hatha Yoga Intensive – Tuesdays through June 18. 6-9pm. Ananda’s most popular and comprehensive course, study and practice meditation, Pantanjali’s 8-Fold Path, mantra, pranayama, chanting, affirmations, chakra exercises, karma, reincarnation, kundalini, astral and causal planes, yoga postures, healing, diet, and yoga routines. $440. East West bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. Registration required.

425-806-3700. AnandaWashington.org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 Free Information Session for Weekend Programs – 6-9pm. Spend an enlightening evening exploring a variety of Bastyr’s new non-credit programs: Essential Oil & Aromatherapy, Medical Qigong, Hypnotherapy, Indigenous Wisdom Teachings, and CranioSacral Therapy. Meet the instructors and ask questions and experience a mini-workshop. Free. Bastyr University, 14500 Juanita Dr NE, Kenmore. Registration required.

425-602-3152. Bastyr.edu/Continuing-Education.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 Raja and Hatha Yoga Intensive – Thursdays through June 20. 6-9:15pm. See April 2 description. $440. Ananda Meditation Temple, 23305 BothellEverett Hwy, Bothell. Registration required. 425806-3700. AnandaWashington.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 New Feminine Paradigm Goddess Class – Classes touch on all areas of life to turn fear into

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Superconscious Living

Taught by Krysta Gibson “Find fulfillment & success by living superconsciously” 6 Saturday mornings beginning March 2 in Bothell

Raja Yoga Intensive With Nayaswami Hriman...

• Mantra Meditation • Pranayama • Patanjali’s 8-Fold Path • Chanting • Affirmations • Chakras • Karma • Reincarnation • Kundalini • Diet • Yoga Postures

12 Tuesdays beginning April 2 in Seattle OR 12 Thurs beginning Apr 4 in Bothell, 6-9 pm

www.AnandaWA.org 425-806-3700 Get people back into the kitchen and combat the trend toward processed food and fast food. ~Dr. Andrew Weil

ongoingevents sunday FREE Energy Healing Clinic – 2nd Sun. Reiki Ranch, Chehalis. Register: 360-748-2100.

Wing Chun Class – 11am-1pm. Wing Chun is a Martial Art with emphasis on efficiency, conserving energy and center line theories. Wing Chun focuses on body stability, footwork and hand techniques.

All ages welcome. Contact instructor prior to class to ensure there have not been cancelations. $20 per person (first class free). Friends, Philosophy & Tea, 13850 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue. 206-349-9376. SpringTimeWingChun.wordpress.com.

Family Fit – 4-5pm. Get active together. Children ages 6-14, along with a parent or two, will get active, make new friends, and play hard in a supportive and gently structured environment. Sample activities may include camp and picnic games, old-school P.E. games, frisbee, walleyball, scooter races, etc. YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility are paired up with good old-fashioned fun, laughter, and physical activity to create quality family time. Free with membership. Daily rates available. Northshore YMCA, 11811 NE 195th St, Bothell. Registration required.

425-485-9797. YMCANorthShore.org.

monday Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 6:30-7:45pm. With Becci Parsons. New strategies for unwinding, relaxing and recovering from life’s challenges. Cultivate resilience and become your most potent self. $20/drop-in, $75/5 prepaid.

M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206525-0363. M-illumino.com.

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Forest Restoration with the Nature Consortium – 10am-2pm. Nature Consortium hosts volunteer work parties year round several times per week in the West Duwamish Greenbelt located in West Seattle. During the fall and winter we remove invasive species, mulch, and plant native plants and trees in Seattle’s largest remaining forest. Other seasons are devoted to maintenance and monitoring. To fulfill our mission to connect people, arts, and nature, performing artists–such as singers and instrumentalists–play in the woods during many of our work parties. Free. West Duwamish Greenbelt, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Ste 107, Seattle. Registration required. 206-923-0853. NatureC.org/volunteer.

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 or maintain a healthy energetic lifestyle. Class includes meditation and movement exercises. Suitable for all levels including beginners. $10/class. Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Rm 5, Seattle. Contact Dennis at 425-775-9609.

Fmi.Qigong@gmail.com. Fmi-Qigong.com.

Tribal Style Bellydance –­ 7-9pm. 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. 206-525-0363. DeepRootsDance.com.

wednesday Do You Love To Garden? – 9am-12pm. This volunteer group helps maintain and improve the Arboretum grounds and gardens. This is an opportunity to share gardening tips with others and to learn from friendly gardening experts. No prior experience required. Lake Wilderness Arboretum, 22520 SE 248th St, Maple Valley. 253-293-5103.

Info@lakewildernessarboretum.org.

Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 11am-12pm. 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.

M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle.

206-525-0363. M-illumino.com.

Prayers for Peace – First Wednesday. 7-8:30pm. On the first Wednesday of every month, the members of all of the Centers of Light pray for peace, creating a surge of positive energy for people all over the world.

Open to all faiths, it is a chance for hearts and minds to make a real difference in the world. People pray for healing, spiritual awakening, love, solutions to hunger crises, war – anything that the world needs in order to become a place of peace. Free. The Center of Light, 8917 Lake City Way NE, Seattle.

Sites.google.com/a/centersoflight.org/seattle.

Wednesday Wellness Talk – 7-8pm. 3rd Wed. Join us for a series of free monthly talks on a variety of health and wellness topics on the third Wednesday of each month. Topics to be announced - check website for updates. Space is limited; please call to reserve a seat. Free. Butterfly Balance Wellness Center, 3515 SW Alaska St, 2nd Fl, West Seattle. Registration required. 206-755-9900.

ButterflyBalance.com.

thursday Do You Love To Garden? – 9am-12pm. See Wednesday description. Lake Wilderness Arboretum, 22520 SE 248th St, Maple Valley. 253-293-

5103. Info@lakewildernessarboretum.org.

Weston A Price Foundation Seattle Chapter Monthly Meeting – 3rd Thursday. 6-8:30pm. A Nourishing Traditions/Weston Price style potluck begins at 6 with a presentation at 7. Contact the organizer for food suggestions if you’re new to NT/WAPF and don’t know what to bring. This month Dr. Tim Gerstmar, ND will be doing a Q&A session. Bring questions about gut health, thyroid issues, immunity, GAPS, prolotherapy, etc. Firefly Kitchens, 844 NW 49th St, Seattle.

Baby Diaper Service 101 – 6:30-7:30pm. 2nd Thurs. Mark Stief, owner, will present the ins and outs of diaper service, share best practice cloth diapering techniques and educate expectant parents on the health and environmental benefits of cloth diapers. $10/family. Parent Trust for Washington Children, 2200 Rainier Ave S, Seattle. Registration required. 206-634-2229.

BabyDiaperService.net/Baby/Diapering-101.

Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 6:30-7:30pm. See Wednesday description. $20/drop-in, $75/5 prepaid classes. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-525-0363.

Info@M-illumino.com.

friday InterPlay – 10:30am-12pm. 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. $10 suggested donation. M-illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-525-0363.

M-illumino.com.

saturday

naturaldirectory Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Natural Directory, email Publisher@SeattleAwakenings.com to request our media kit.

BEDDING

NATURAL PRODUCTS

SEATTLE NATURAL MATTRESS

GLADRAGS

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 16.

CHILDREN’S SERVICES 206-634-2229 BabyDiaperService.Net

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 11.

dentists

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.

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

NEW FEMININE PARADIGM

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 21.

Forest Restoration with the Nature Consortium – 10am-2pm. See Tuesday description. Free. West Duwamish Greenbelt, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Ste 107, Seattle. Registration required. 206-923-0853.

NatureC.org/volunteer.

Dr. Karen Fox 360-269-4955

Turning Fears Into Pleasure and Living the Life of our Dreams.

We touch on all areas of life: Self, Family, Health, Finances, Career, and Romance. Group or individual classes available.

Spring Goddess Classes and Fall Abundant Living Classes.

yoga

MOVEMENT CENTERS

KANJIN YOGA

M’ILLUMINO

$20 per calendar listing. No charge for nonprofits producing events free to the public.Submit by the 12th of each month at SeattleAwakenings.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!

See ad page 26.

PERSONAL GROWTH

BABY DIAPER SERVICE

Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 9-10:15am. With LeeAnn Starovasnik and Vicki Robinson. See Wednesday description. $20/drop-in, $75/5 prepaid classes. M’illumino, 6921 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle. 206-525-0363. M-illumino.com.

Who wants to know about your Event/Class/Workshop?

503-282-0436 Orders@GladRags.com GladRags.com

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

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.

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 2013

31

Seattle’s Hidden Healing Gem

By Eliza Secrist Fletcher

For months, a friend had been advising me to visit her chiropractor, Dr. Dick Shepard. I wasn’t looking forward to visiting yet another new healthcare provider. I knew they all meant well, but so often, I left healthcare offices feeling unseen and unheard, and definitely, unhealthy.

However, my friend had assured me that Dr. Shepard was not your ordinary chiropractor!

Almost within moments of stepping inside Dr. Shepard’s office, I realized this experience would, indeed, be different, and my tension began to evaporate. Just being there felt good. I also quickly learned that Network Care or NSA is unlike other chiropractic methods. It could be considered deeper, and yet it usually feels much gentler than a conventional chiropractic adjustment. The patient’s only task during an adjustment is to relax and breathe while Dr. Shepard uses gentle, triggering touches to help the body release tension. Dr. Shepard explains that he “is looking for tension in the body, which the patient might not even know is there”.

He has discovered that most people unconsciously carry tension throughout their bodies and this tension can result in any number of symptoms in-cluding chronic pain, depression and/or anxiety, digestive distress, headaches, TMJ, sleep disorders, and loss of vitality. With just the slightest touch, Dr. Shepard helps the body release and redirect that tension. The patient’s immediate responses vary from deepening of the breath to involuntary movement and/or to vocalization, all leading to feelings of greater relaxation and well being.

The longer-term results are often amazing and go far beyond relief of pain and symptoms to include improvements in emotional and physical health, as well as improved quality of life.

In my experience, the effect of Dr. Shepard’s care has been startling. When I began care, it seemed unlikely that those brief and mysterious sessions with Dr. Shepard would lift my depression and resolve my chronic pain; and yet, they did. I was soon amazed at how much better I felt after each session. And, that feeling of well-being persisted as I began to shift physically and emotionally in subtle, and not so subtle, ways. Not only have my original symptoms changed, but I also feel a greater sense of ease in my life and in my body.

Instead of looking at what’s wrong with your body, they focus on what is already working well; and, expanding on that, I experienced amazing results!

I’m truly glad I followed my friend’s advice and visited “Seattle’s Hidden Healing Gem”!

Not surprisingly, healing has been a lifelong journey for Dr. Shepard. He received his degree Summa Cum Laude in Chiropractic, and he continues to study both conventional and non-conventional healing modalities. When in chiropractic school, he quickly chose to specialize in Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) because of the depth and breadth of changes he saw and experienced.

Also, Dr. Shepard has achieved the highest level of NSA certification and has served on staff with Dr. Donald Epstein, the founder of NSA. And, coming from a long lineage of healers, he understands that true healing is about healing the entire being, not just parts of the person. Dr. Dick Shepard has been in practice for 18 years.

[To read this complete article, please see our website.]

DR. DICK SHEPARD “not your ordinary chiropractor”

206-525-4155 • www.networkcare.org 8 3 0 1 8 t h Ave nu e N W • S ea ttl e, Wa shi ng t o n 98 1 1 7

fac e bo o k.c o m / Dr D i c kSh ep ar d