NORTON

And maybe as we stop long enough we might just realize that we are actually seeing them for the very rst time.

Getting on island time or mountain time, or wherever else we go to relax and take a break, helps us to unwind and let the stressors of life go. If we are lucky enough to live in such an area full time, we understand what island time and mountain time means, and recognize it’s one of the reasons we chose to live

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LIVING & AGING WELL

Lisa Varga older adults will be the focus of the April 6 presentation at the Seniors’ Council of Douglas County meeting. e presenters are specialists at Rocky Vista Health Center in Parker, Colorado. e meeting is free and open to the public from 10-11:30 am at Canvas Credit Union, 9990 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree.

Osteopathic Manipulative (OMM) is a great complement to traditional medical techniques, including drug therapy and surgery. OMM takes a holistic approach to the diagnosis and treatment of medical issues throughout the body. It is a therapeutic application of careful, manual pressure or force on an a ected area of the body. If a patient is experiencing issues with a certain organ, a trained OMM physician may examine for structural problems in the spinal column since these problems can radiate outward and cause dysfunction in various organs. e treatment may include manipulation of bones and joints which may be the root cause of illness, there. injury, or pain. Trained physicians may use several osteopathic manipulative techniques to treat their patients. ese techniques will be discussed and demonstrated by JP Krueger, M.D., who is specialty trained in OMM, during the April 6 presentation. e feet are one of the most important parts of the human body. ey are constantly helping us stand, walk, run, or perform other movements we do throughout the day. Additionally, they help maintain balance, allowing us to walk upright. A podiatrist is a doctor who specializes in caring for the foot and ankle, including the bones, muscles, ligaments, and other parts of the lower extremities. Podiatrists also treat symptoms of peripheral vascular disease and neuropathies which can cause numbness and pain in the feet. is article was prepared by Lisa Varga, Liaison for Rocky Vista

Is it time to leave the anxiety, stress, and impatience behind? Can we get ourselves comfortable with a slightly slower pace? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can embrace island time and mountain time for the gift that they truly are, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Zach Weis DPM is an experienced podiatrist, who will present on treatment of the feet, with emphasis on signs and symptoms of peripheral vascular disease.

Health Center. Seniors’ Council of Douglas County generally meets the rst ursday of the month at locations throughout Douglas County. Contact Seniors’ Council at dcseniorlife@douglas.co.us. For current information on meetings and activities, visit www.douglas. co.us/community-services/services/ senior-services/seniors-council/.

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Speed dating events in metro Denver o er alternatives to swiping

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On a ursday night in late January, dozens of people walked past displays of tarot cards and crystals towards a dim room at the back of Full Moon Books in Lakewood. A man at the room’s entrance asked them each to remove their shoes. e smell of burnt sage lled the air.

For a while, people mingled. e event was not to start until 7 p.m., and stragglers arrived until moments before the doors closed. When it was time, a woman wearing a pink velvet robe asked everyone to sit in a circle.

“For all the new people, this is where we’re all going to get naked,” the woman joked. Everyone laughed, and she continued, “ ere will be none of that. is is just a really fun, safe event.”

Danny Neifert, a facilitator of an event called Tantra Speed Date, was playing with the stereotypical understanding of the word “tantra.” For many people, the term brings sex to mind. Although tantra is a spiritual practice that includes sexuality, Neifert said it has more to do with connection.

“Tonight, for the sake of simplicity, we’re just going to swap out the word ‘tantra’ with ‘connection,’” she said to the group. “It’s about connecting to yourself, connecting to the person that’s standing in front of you, connecting to the room, connecting to the building, the soil, the snow, the stars — you ll in the blank in a way that makes sense to you.” is event is one of several forms of speed dating in the metro Denver area, where singles are stepping out of their comfort zones to nd hope, chemistry — and maybe even love — beyond the screens and swiping of modern dating.

For the next several hours, the attendees took turns rotating from person to person, doing mindful activities with a new partner at each station. At one, a partner mirrored the others’ physical actions. Next, strangers gave each other back massages. Some stations involved speaking — about gratitude, letting go or joy — and at others, people danced.

Paying attention

Guy Shahar is a founder of e Tantra Institute, a New York-based company that aims to help people become “better lovers” through sacred sexuality. e company teaches courses about sexuality, tantra and relationship skills, in addition to hosting events like Tantra Speed Date.

Since 2017, Tantra Speed Date has hosted over 550 events in 40 cities for attendees of all ages.

“Most of the stations are really just about (giving) people instructions that show them how to put their attention on each other,” Shahar said about the speed dating event.

In his eyes, lack of attention is the number one challenge people face in modern dating, partly because of technology and partly because of the number of potential partners.

“A hundred years ago, who could you date? e people from your neighborhood, the people around you,” he said. “Now you can date anybody in the world… You open up any of those dating apps and you could be swiping on a di erent person in less than a second.”

His speed dating event, he said, is designed to put people in situations where they must focus on each other.

“Like a mirroring exercise, right?” he said. “I’m watching you, and I’m responding to what you’re doing… My attention is on you… Getting people to bring their attentions to each other is a really beautiful way to fool them into connection and intimacy.”

Once people surrender to paying full attention, Shahar said it’s easier to tell if there is chemistry between them.

After the initial connection, Shahar said other things become important as a relationship continues.

“ at connection isn’t necessarily compatibility,” he said. “You might have an amazing connection, or let’s say amazing chemistry… but their habits might be totally not compatible with yours. If you want a sustaining relationship, then you need to nd some points of compatibility or you need to be able to work with habits.” at being said, Shahar thinks having the opportunity to initially sense a connection is a powerful way to see if there’s any potential with a person.

“(To) just start your relationship o with that kind of intimacy and connection just seems like a really great, really beautiful way to get yourself o on the right foot,” he said.

Is a few minutes enough?

For speed dating skeptics, it may seem improbable that a person could have any sense of real connection after an encounter that lasts only a matter of minutes.

Dr. Randi Smith, a practicing psychologist and psychology professor at Metro State University Denver, said a few minutes might not be enough to tell a lot about a potential partner –but it can show some things.

“ ere’s some really recent research that suggests that we’re able to pick up on somebody’s relationship anxiety, their attachment anxiety, in a very brief interaction,” she said. “So can we predict whether this relationship will have legs, whether it will have a future? Probably not, but we might be able to weed out some people whose anxiety might prevent them from having a good relationship with us.”

In addition, Smith said quick interactions can give people a sense of physical attraction and even immediate emotional attraction based on how it feels to talk to a potential partner.

On a deeper psychological level, she said people at speed dating events are probably thinking about reciprocity of liking. is idea is that people tend to like those who like them.

“Speed dating is very strategic, right?” she said. “You have little time, you’ve got to gure out how to make these choices, and so our brains are going into high strategic,