news briefs

Begin a Career in the Healing Arts

Lotus Professional College is accepting applications for several upcoming programs, including a 600-hour Esthetics day and afternoon program (January 24); a 600-hour Master Esthetics day program (January 24); the new 600-hour Acupuncture/Chinese Herbal Medicine program (April 25); and a 600-hour Massage Therapy day and night program (April 25).

Lotus Professional College offers training for a career in acupuncture, therapeutic massage and basic and master esthetics. Experienced faculty and staff have strong educational backgrounds and broad experience in their fields as well.

Lotus Professional College now offers federal financial aid and is certified by the State Council of Virginia for Higher Education, a licensed Esthetics and Master Esthetics school under the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulations and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.

Location: 8935 Patterson Ave. For more information or to tour the school, call 804-290-0980 or visit LotusVa.com. See ads, pages 3 and 31.

Find Fresh Fruit in the Winter

During the winter months, Agriberry Fruit Farm sells high-quality apples from trusted partner farms throughout the Appalachian foothill region at St. Stephen’s Farmers’ Market at 6000 Grove Avenue on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Lakeside Farmers’ Market at 6106 Lakeside Avenue on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, as well as the Birdhouse Winter Market (preorder online), RVAg Marketplace and Fall Line Farms.

Agriberry Fruit Farm, founded in 2008, is owned and operated by Anne and Chuck Geyer and their adult children, Pierson and Colleen. The Geyers grow fruit, including raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums and apples, on 25 acres of land in Hanover, northeast of Richmond. They grow strawberries on land in Mosley, south of Richmond in Chesterfield County.

Order online at AgriberryStore.com. For more information, visit Agriberry.com. See ads, pages 11, 18 and 31. Throughout the month of February, in recognition of Heart Health Month, Debbie Troxell, RN, MSNH, a local thermographer and owner of Lifestyle Designs, LLC, is offering special pricing on all thermography services. One region of the body is $167 (save $20), half-body is $287 (save $40) and full-body is $547 (save $50). These services are often covered by FSAs and HSAs.

By detecting heat patterns and blood flow in body tissues, thermography’s preventative and diagnostic applications include cardiovascular health, breast health, musculoskeletal disorders, dental health, sinus and allergies, thyroid health and full body health maintenance. Thermographic images are interpreted by Dr. Matthew Lee, M.D., RPh, MS, of eLEEte Physicians.

Location: 1404 Starling Dr., Henrico. For more information or to make an appointment, call 804-683-7774 or visit RVAThermography.com or LifestyleDesignsWellness.com. See ads, pages 11 and 33.

New Herbalism Book by Kat Maier

Author of a new book, Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, Kat Maier is the founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville. One of her greatest accomplishments has been to train the many clinical herbalists that have gone on to begin other schools, apothecaries or open practices of their own. In clinical practice for more than 30 years, Maier teaches at universities, conferences and herbal schools across the country and around the world. Also a founding member of Botanica Mobile Clinic, a nonprofit dedicated to providing accessible herbal medicine to local communities, Maier is coauthor of Bush Medicine of San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

In this new resource both for the home apothecary and clinical practitioners, the celebrated herbalist brings alive elemental relationships among traditional healing practices, ecological stewardship and essential plant medicines. By honoring ancient wisdom and presenting it in an innovative way, Energetic Herbalism is a profound and practical guide to family and community care for those seeking to move beyond symptom relief and into a truly holistic framework of health.

Purchase the book at KatMaierHerbalism.com and Amazon.com.

The 12th annual Richmond Virginia Environmental Film Festival (RVA EFF) will take place from February 18 through March 4, showcasing the newest local and national films that focus on critical environmental issues and inspire action. Voted as one of the best film festivals by Style readers, the RVA EFF was recently awarded the Virginia Travel Leader award by the Virginia Green Travel Alliance.

The free festival kicks off on Friday, February 18 at the Richmond City Main Library with the James River Association presenting Eight Billion Angels. On Saturday, February 19, the Byrd Theater will screen The Lorax; “One Health,” an episode of the VPM program Untamed (winner of two Telly awards and an Emmy nomination) that will be followed by a Q&A with Ed Clark, president and founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia; and High Tide in Dorchester, a tale of a Chesapeake Bay town affected by climate change. The festival continues at the Byrd on Sunday, February 20, and includes awardwinning films from the Virginia Environmental Film Contest.

The following two weeks will showcase films presented by these partners of RVA EFF: Drive Electric RVA, Pedal Power, Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, University of Richmond, VCU Biology Department, Maymont Foundation, City of Richmond Department of Sustainability, Richmond City Main Library and Henrico County Library.

Sponsors include the Enrichmond Foundation, Convert Solar, Ian Patrick of Merill Lynch, Capital Region Land Conservancy, Sierra Club-Falls of the James Group, RIC Today, VPM, BlueRidge Outdoors magazine and Natural Awakenings magazine.

Admission is free. For updates and more information, visit rvaeff.org. See ad, page 2.

Celebrating a Plant-Based Lifestyle

Nonprofit Vegan Action will be hosting Richmond’s fifth annual vegan restaurant challenge, Vegan72x2, from January 25 through 30. There will be new restaurants participating this year, in addition to those that have been creating delicious, unique dishes since the beginning. This year also features a V72x2 collaboration with Three Notch’d Brewing Company with a Special Beer Release on Friday, January 28 from 3 to 7 p.m. Guests that track multiple restaurant visits will win a free sweet treat. Vegan Action works to eliminate animal suffering, reduce environmental impacts and improve human health through a vegan diet.

For location and more details, visit Facebook page @ RichmondVeganAction or Vegan.org. See ad, page 11. Last October, Andrew Bloomquest left his job as a graphic designer and created Align Yoga, Rocks & Reiki, a new studio for the Richmond wellness community at 2509 East Broad Street. It’s a massage, reiki and yoga studio, combined with a metaphysical retail shop. Bloomquest and Shree Fulcher, owner of Ascension Studio in the North Carolina Outer Banks, have teamed up to provide a safe and sacred space for people to gather and heal together. Align is equipped with all the healing modalities for patrons to connect with their inner bliss.

Align Yoga, Rocks & Reiki offers yoga every day, and each class is pay-what-you-can with a variety of styles to choose from, including guided relaxation meditations, restorative yoga, gentle beginners yoga and vinyasa flow. Or book a therapeutic massage or reiki session to help reduce stress, relieve pain and enhance your body’s immune system, further promoting natural healing and wellness.

The metaphysical shop sells crystals to decorate homes and offices and project a vibratory field of unconditional love and protection. Handcrafted jewelry, specially blended teas for each chakra, oracle cards, books and incense are also available.

For more information, call 804-305-8932 or visit AlignRVA.com.

Building Resilience Through Self-Love

Brandon Farbstein’s new book, A Kid’s Book About Self-Love, encourages children to embrace what makes them unique, learn how to quiet the critical voice inside their head and feel empowered to be comfortable and happy in their own skin, especially when life throws them curveballs and challenges. In our social media age, youth are calculating their worth based on how many likes and views they get, and often feel they don’t measure up, creating feelings of isolation. Farbstein says, “Self-love isn’t talked about very much, but this book seeks to open up a conversation about how important it is to love yourself.”

The 22-year-old Gen Z Richmond native activist, author and motivational speaker was born with a rare form of dwarfism. He continues to use his experience to inspire millions and #ElevateEmpathy on a mission to spread his global message across all ages, break barriers and amplify the voices of those that don’t yet feel empowered to speak out. Now a professional speaker, Farbstein was named by Instagram as one of the 19 most influential teenagers in the world.

For more information, visit BrandonFarbstein.com. Buy the book at AKidsCo.com/Products/A-Kids-Book-About-Self-Love.