NO STONE UNTURNED
CONJURING THE ‘GOOGLE GODS’
WHAT ‘R’ YOU WAITING FOR?
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS | PG 2
CORRIDOR | PG 7
LOCAL | PG 10
Greenwood Cabinets & Stone has it all— including the kitchen sink
S O U T H
Such a way with search words
M E T R O
RTD’s new R Line on track this weekend
VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 14 • FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Since 1982
www.villagerpublishing.com
TheVillagerNewspaper
@VillagerDenver
Healthy, ‘Wellthy’ and Wise Greenwood Village ‘yogi’ practices what she teaches
Forget yoga franchises and gurus on remote mountains. For Gargi Agarwala, spirituality and wellness are just part of the daily routine. “Meditation to me is like brushing teeth,” she said. During her summers in India as a child, Agarwala got used to “meditation walking” or instinctively striking a yoga pose while doing her daily chores. Even simple giggling was a common “meditation” in her grandmother’s neighborhood. “I remember hearing through the windows people laughing out loud as they were walking in the morning at sunrise,” Agarwala said, noting the benefits of what is called laughing yoga or laughter meditation. “When we laugh, even when we’re faking it, our whole body is filled with endorphins. It’s nature’s way of telling us that we’re doing the right thing.” Agarwala, whose transcontinental story has brought her to Greenwood Village, has not let a Western life in the suburbs or financial well-to-do eep her from a daily grounding in practical wellness—or from being “wellthy,” as she calls it. Her new book, Wellthy Ways: 8 Counterintuitive Steps to Longevity, Self-Care and Inner
Indian-born Gargi Agarwala strikes a yoga pose in her Greenwood Village home. Photo by Peter Jones
Freedom, essentially boils down a millennium of Eastern tradition and philosophy into an accessible 88-page primer designed for the Western everyman. The idea, Agarwala said, is not to be a weekend warrior, but to integrate practices and mental attitude into the daily humdrum. The book even includes downloadable smartphone tips and meditations geared to staying focused, winding down and handling rejection.
“It takes work every day, but it becomes more habitual with regularity and consistency,” the author said. “Health and ‘wellth’ come from what you do every day.” The book runs the gamut, from diet suggestions and tips on stress reduction to thoughtful appreciation of the only moment we truly have—this one. In the author’s case, that might be the authentic pleasure of a simple first cup of coffee.
“It’s not in a to-go cup as I’m driving and stressing about what my day brings, she clarified. “ always put it in a really nice cup. I smell it. I put nutmeg and cinnamon in. It’s that mindful practice of genuinely just enjoying my cup of coffee.” No time for that, you say? In a sense, Agarwala could not agree more. “The trick is to manage your energy,” she said. “If I’m worrying about the next thing, I’m
not fully engaged in what I’m doing—I’m managing my time, which I cannot manage.” Born in India, Agarwala spea s a ritish accent that befits her years mostly growing up in northern England’s Yorkshire, where her physician father practiced. Raised Hindu, she attended Catholic school while spending summers with her grandmother in India. Continued on page 2
Additional land for Orchard Station Council postpones referendum vote
Alberta Development Partners has acquired a 10-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Interstate 25 and Orchard Road. The acquisition of the most strategic corner in the Denver metropolitan region’s southeast corridor is a key component to Alberta’s controversial plans for the redevelopment of the property surrounding the Orchard Station light-rail stop. The site
includes the Marilyn Hickey Ministries building at 8081 E. Orchard Road. Alberta has been gathering input from the community as it puts together a vision for a proposed mixed-use development. “This site and the adjacent parcels to the north represent one of the best opportunities in the country to create a visionary mixed-use destination,” said Don Provost, founder of Alberta. “We look forward to our continuing discussions with
elected officials, staff and most importantly, the residents.” In other news on the Orchard Station development front, the Greenwood Village City Council has postponed its decision on whether to put a referendum before voters about changing the city’s Comprehensive Plan, a move that could pave the way for the controversial development, if voters were to approve the changes. The council had originally planned to ma e a final decision
about a public vote on Feb. 27, but that decision is now likely to take place March 6 when a full council is expected to be present. At press time, Ron Rakowsky, mayor, said the agenda for that meeting was to made Feb. 22 during a meeting with city staff. He said with an issue as important as the Orchard Station Subarea, all eight members should be there. He told The Villager he believes the council would approve the referendum.