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LEAN ON ME How Neighborhoods Build Togetherness

Don’t Get Ticked Off

Natural Ways to Avoid and Treat Lyme Disease

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Guys Now Realize Yoga’s Benefits June 2015 | Mobile/Baldwin Edition | www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Shanti Warrior School of Living Yoga Mobile, AL

“Bodhisattva School” Now Enrolling! | Sept. 2015-Aug. 2016 with lead trainer Tracey Narayani Glover www.shantiwarrior.com 251.510.2418 “He crosses. He crosses. And he helps others to cross.” ~Narada

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You’re eating organic.

You’re wearing organic.

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GO ORGANIC with your hair?

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.

15 RETHINKING RECOVERY 15

Holistic Approaches to Healing Addictions

by Lisa Marshall

18 YOGA FOR THE BRO’S Men Find it Builds All-Around Fitness

by Meredith Montgomery

22 NATURAL DADS

How They Raise Conscious Kids

by Lane Vail

22

24 THE TEENY-TINY

VACATION OPTION

B-Butterfly SALON

Organic Hair Color & Products

Mini-Dwellings Make Travel a Lark

by Avery Mack

26 DON’T GET TICKED OFF Natural Ways to Avoid and Treat Lyme Disease

by Linda Sechrist

28 MANLY FOODS

24

Boost Testosterone with the Right Choices

by Kathleen Barnes

30 THE GUT-MIND CONNECTION

David Perlmutter on How Stomach Microflora Affect Brain Health Call today for a free consultation.

251-990-9934

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Come in and meet our new stylist, Megan!

by Linda Sechrist

32 WALKING THE CAT Harness a Curious Cat for a Lively Stroll

by Sandra Murphy

34 HIDDEN TREASURES Neighbors Discover Their Wealth of Resources

by John McKnight and Peter Block

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10 7 newsbriefs 10 healthbriefs 12 globalbriefs 14 ecotip 18 fitbody 22 healthykids 12 24 greenliving 26 healingways 28 consciouseating 30 wisewords 32 naturalpet 34 inspiration 36 calendar 14 40 classifieds 41 naturaldirectory

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letterfrompublisher A couple years ago, Josh asked our son Mays how the two of them were different from me. Mays said, “We’re carnivores and Mom’s a vegetable.”

As the only female in our family, it sometimes feels like my “vegetable” diet is just one item on a long list of things that sets me apart from the guys. Life among boys often seems dirtier, smellier and rowdier than planned, but we learn a lot from each other’s differences and embrace the things we all enjoy.

They love to run, I prefer to walk, but we all agree on the pace of a challenging hike or neighborhood bike ride. The guys like to talk (loudly) a lot, while I crave peace and quiet, so we all practice the mantra, “Know when to speak, know when to listen.” And although the dirt they track in the house from the soccer fields irks me, getting dirty in the garden is a family affair. We may challenge each other’s opinions at times, but it’s our yin and yang personalities that keep family life balanced, yet dynamic.

As you read this issue of Natural Awakenings, be open to a new perspective and find inspiration to try something new. If you are a male that’s never tried yoga, read “Yoga for the Bros” and “Local Guys Have Fun With Yoga” to learn that it’s not limited to females, and sometimes classes take place at the local brewery. For fathers, seek out fresh parenting tips in “Natural Dads” to bring a more mindful approach to raising kids.

If you’re used to taking extravagant vacations, read “The Teeny-Tiny Vacation Option” and consider fun dwellings away from home that have a smaller environmental footprint. For those who barely know their neighbors, foster a sense of community based on ideas from “Hidden Treasures.” And if you’re battling addiction or know someone that is, find holistic healing inspiration from “Rethinking Recovery.”

Capitalize on the adventurous spirit of summer and have fun trying something you wouldn’t normally do. I don’t think I’m ready to eat like a carnivore, but I might be up for causing a little rumpus with an evening of loud storytelling and family sing-a-longs.

contact us Publisher/Editor Meredith Montgomery Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Assistant Editor Martin Miron Contributors Josh Montgomery, Anne Wilson Michael Wilson Design and Production Meredith Montgomery Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin P.O. Box 725, Fairhope, AL 36533 Phone: 251-990-9552 Fax: 251-281-2375

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SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to the free digital magazine at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Mailed subscriptions are available by sending $30 (for 12 issues) to the above address. © 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

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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.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recyclable newsprint with soybased ink.

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newsbriefs Get a Jump on Pool Maintenance with a Sustainable Solution ECOsmarte offers an environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine and saltwater pools that utilizes an ionic copper water technology system pioneered

by NASA. Copper is very stable in water and not effected by heat. It is only activated when it attacks and kills unwanted living organisms such as algae, bacteria and mold.

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LA ECOsmarte also provides chlorine-free whole house water treatment systems without removing beneficial minerals. Well and municipal water supplies contain fluoride, chlorine and other byproducts.

For more information, call 251-586-8250 or 251-709-7023, email LAECOsmarte@ att.net or visit LAECOsmarte.com. See ad, page 5.

Unique Bodhisattva School Teacher Training Offered in Mobile Shanti Warrior School of Living Yoga owner Tracey Narayani Glover, JD, E-RYT 200, will be offering Bodhisattva School, a yearlong Yoga Alliance-registered 200-hour teacher training program, from September 2015 to August 2016, in Mobile.

Upon completion, students will be qualified to register for an RYT-200 certification.

Bodhisattva School highlights the four main branches of yoga: raja, jnana, karma and bhakti, with emphasis on yogic philosophy and ethics, as well as asana, yogic diet and cooking, selfless service, meditation, mantra, pranayama, spiritual discussion and kirtan. Glover says, “Yoga is more than something we do in a class, it’s a way of life. I help students recognize the divine love that is the true essence of our being and the only true path to happiness and peace.”

Glover practiced healthcare law before receiving her teaching certification in Rishikesh, India. She also operates a vegan cooking business, The Pure Vegan, and founded the nonprofit group Awakening Respect and Compassion (ARC) for all sentient beings.

Application deadline is Aug. 15. Location: Most training sessions will be held at Quiet Mind Yoga Studio, in Mobile. For an application, schedule and program requirement call 251-510-2418 or visit ShantiWarrior.com. See ad, page 2.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Are on the Way Tesla Motors, the California-based electric car maker, recently installed free charging stations at Bel Air Mall, in Mobile, and The Gulf restaurant, in Orange Beach. Installing the machine will allow customers to drive with minimal stops to their destination.

The stations will allow electric car owners to drive between Houston, New Orleans and Florida for free.

The Tesla Supercharger is substantially more powerful than any charging technology to date, the company said.

It can provide enough power to drive 170 miles in 30 minutes. "Tesla is very focused on providing free long distance travel across the country," says Tesla spokesperson Alexis Georgeson. "We place Superchargers along major corridors that our customers often travel and that connect city centers."

Locations: Bel Air Mall, 3299 Bel Aire Mall, Mobile. The Gulf, 27500 Perdido Beach Blvd., Orange Beach.

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June 2015

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Green Living Starts at Home.

newsbriefs Natural Awakenings Publishers Attend Conference in Florida

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CONSTRUCTION LLC

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Specializing in Energy Efficiency, Reclaimed Materials, Low VOC Paints and Flooring Residential New Construction & Remodeling

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Prana (energy) is found everywhere and affects your health, relationships, prosperity & spirituality.

Increase Focus & Concentration Heal Health Issues • Alleviate Pain Reduce Stress • Recharge & Relax the Body Call for info on upcoming classes, healing sessions and meditation: 251-454-0959

Natural Awakenings publishers from around the nation attended a company conference from May 1 to 3 at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort, in Marco Island, Florida. Highlights included separate presentations by two prominent master life and business coaches, David Essel and Mary Lynn Ziemer, who also participated in discussions on how publishers can become more personally empowered in awakening and uplifting their communities.

In addition, special topics included expanding editorial exposure for a strong advertiser base, effectively managing reach and keeping operations efficient.

Subsequent breakout sessions afforded the opportunity for franchisees to share progressive ideas.

The conference was followed by a three-day training program for new publishers taking over the production of three existing magazines. Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. training staff worked with the new publishers of the Bucks and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania; Hudson County, New Jersey; and South New Jersey editions from May 4 to 6 at the corporate headquarters in nearby Naples.

Launched by founder and CEO Sharon Bruckman with a single edition in Naples in 1994, Natural Awakenings has grown to become one of the largest free, local, healthy lifestyle publications in the world, serving approximately 4 million readers in 95 cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

“It’s always heartening to bring our Natural Awakenings family of publishers together to share successful practices and pioneering ideas as we work together with our communities to create a healthier, more sustainable world,” Bruckman says.

For more information, visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. See ad, page 35.

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Send submissions to Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com or call 251-9909552. For submission guidelines, visit www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Imagination is more important than knowledge. ~Sylvia Plath

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HEALTHY EATING STARTS WITH NATURAL FOODS

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Food Democracy and Inspired Living Issue Help Conscientious Consumers Seeking Products & Services such as: • Community Supported Agriculture • Herbalists • Dietitians & Nutritionists • Homeopathy • “Eat Local” Chefs & Cooks • Natural/Organic Restaurants • Garden Supplies • Natural Supplements • Health Food Stores • Organic Food/Farmers’ Markets — and many more leading suppliers and providers

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healthbriefs

Hatha Yoga Boosts Brainpower

R

esearch from Wayne State University, in Detroit, has found that hatha yoga can significantly improve cognitive health in as little as two months. Researchers tested 118 adults with an average age of 62 years. One group engaged in three, hour-long hatha yoga classes per week for eight weeks, while the other group did stretching and strengthening exercises for the same duration. The participants underwent cognitive testing before and after the eight-week period.

At the end of the trial, the hatha yoga group showed significant improvements in cognition compared to the other group. The yoga group also recorded shorter reaction times, greater accuracy in high-level mental functions and better results in working memory tests.

Source: Journal of Gerontology

Acupuncture Treats Prostate Enlargement

R

esearch from China has found that a combination of acupuncture and moxibustion, a form of heat therapy in which dried plant materials are burned on or near the surface of the skin to warm and invigorate the inner flow of qi, or energy, can effectively reduce the symptoms of benign prostate enlargement.

Researchers tested 128 patients with prostate enlargement for three months, dividing them into two groups. One group was given acupuncture and moxibustion; the other took a traditional Chinese herbal medication for prostate enlargement called Qianliekangi. The patients’ prostate symptoms were tested using the International Prostate Symptom Score, maximum urine flow rate and residual urine tests.

At the study’s end, the patients given the acupuncture/moxibustion treatment reported significantly reduced levels in all three tests—calculated at an 89 percent total effective rate—compared to the herbal medication group.

An Avocado a Day Keeps Bad Cholesterol Away

R

esearch published by the Journal of the American Heart Association has determined that just one avocado a day can significantly reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), a type of cholesterol carrier known to increase the risk of hardening of the arteries.

The researchers tested 45 overweight adults between 21 and 70 years old that followed an average American diet for two weeks before adopting one of three diets: a low-fat diet, a moderate-fat diet that included one Hass avocado per day or a moderate-fat diet without an avocado.

After five weeks, researchers found that the addition of the avocado reduced LDL significantly more than the diets that did not contain the fruit. While both the low-fat and moderate-fat diets reduced LDL levels, the moderate-fat diet with an avocado reduced LDL by better than 60 percent more than the moderate-fat diet alone, and above 80 percent more than the low-fat diet alone.

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Stroke Risk Rises with Two Drinks a Day

N

ew research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke has determined that drinking two alcoholic beverages per day during middle-age years increases the risk of stroke more than other known factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

The study followed 11,644 twins from Sweden for 43 years, starting between 1967 and 1970. All began the trial when they were under the age of 60. The scientists compared the effects of having less than half a drink—classified as four and two ounces of wine for a man and a woman, respectively—daily to drinking two or more daily.

The study found that consuming two drinks per day increased the risk of stroke by 34 percent compared to drinking less than half a drink per day.

Those that downed two or more drinks a day during their 50s and 60s had strokes an average of five years younger than light drinkers. The increase in stroke risk was found to be higher than the danger generally posed by diabetes and hypertension.

Silence is a true friend who never betrays. ~Confucius

Antioxidant-Rich Berries Thwart Alzheimer’s

A Pain and Depression Ebb with Flotation Therapy

n international team of scientists has confirmed that consuming berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, mulberries and raspberries can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Blueberries, in particular, were found to be associated with increased memory and learning.

Researchers from Washington State University, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, India’s Annamalai University and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences reviewed two decades worth of research relating to consuming berries and dementia. They found that the many biochemicals contained in berries provide antioxidant protection to neurons and prevent the formation of beta-amyloid fibrils found in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

N

ew research from Sweden has found that flotation therapy helps increase sleep quality, reduce pain and relieve anxiety and depression. Flotation therapy, sometimes called isolation therapy, consists of floating in a tank of water with minimized interruptions and sensory stimuli.

Researchers from Karlstad University divided 65 people into two groups.

One group underwent 12, 45-minute flotation therapy sessions for seven weeks, while the other group did not.

Both groups were given a battery of physiological and psychological tests before and after the treatment period.

The therapy was conducted using three commercial flotation therapy centers that provided sensory isolation systems to promote relaxation as part of the treatment.

Compared to the control group, the flotation therapy group reported significant decreases in pain, anxiety, depression and stress levels and better sleep quality. The flotation group’s average depression scores went from 4.42 to 2.25, while the control group’s scores barely budged. The worst pains among the flotation group dropped from 64 to 40 on the scale.

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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Solar Harvest

New Technology Makes Windows Power Producers

SolarWindow Technologies, Inc.

SolarWindow Technologies’ new window coatings are a “first of its kind” technology that could turn the buildings we live and work in into selfsufficient, mini power stations. They can generate electricity on see-through glass and flexible plastics with colored tints popular in skyscraper glass.

The coating can be applied to all four sides of tall buildings, generating electricity using natural and artificial light conditions and even shaded areas. Its organic materials are so ideal for lowcost, high-output manufacturing that the technology is already part of 42 product patent applications.

When applied to windows on towers, it’s expected to generate up to 50 times the power of conventional rooftop solar systems while delivering 15 times the environmental benefits. For example, a single SolarWindow installation can avoid the amount of carbon emissions produced by vehicles driving about 2.75 million miles per year, compared to 180,000 miles for conventional rooftop systems.

Lost Lands

Salinity is Eating Away Farmland Worldwide Every day for more than 20 years, an average of almost eight square miles of irrigated land in arid and semiarid areas across 75 countries have been degraded by salt, according to the study Economics of Salt-Induced Land Degradation and Restoration, by United Nations University’s Canadianbased Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

Salt degradation occurs in arid and semi-arid regions where rainfall is too low to maintain regular percolation of rainwater through the soil and where irrigation is practiced without a natural or artificial drainage system, which triggers the accumulation of salt in the root zone, affecting soil quality and reducing productivity. In the Colorado River Basin alone, studies peg the annual economic impact of salt-induced land degradation in irrigated areas at $750 million.

The cost of investing in preventing and reversing land degradation and restoring it to productive land would be far lower than letting degradation continue and intensify. Methods successfully used to facilitate drainage and reverse soil degradation include tree planting, deep plowing, cultivation of salt-tolerant varieties of crops, mixing harvested plant residues into topsoil and digging a drain or deep ditch around salt-affected land.

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Farm Therapy Veterans Heal Through Agriculture

Of the 19.6 million veterans in the United States alone, approximately 3.6 million have a service-related disability, 7.6 percent are unemployed and they collectively make up 13 percent of the adult homeless population, according to the Independent Voter Network.

Organizations worldwide are helping veterans heal their wounds through farming and agriculture.

The goal is to create a sustainable food system by educating them to be sustainable vegetable producers, providing training and helping families rebuild war-torn lives.

Eat the Yard, in Dallas, Texas, was founded by Iraq War veterans James Jeffers and Steve Smith to cultivate fresh produce in community gardens. The two began organic farming in their own backyards for both therapeutic and financial reasons, and then slowly began to build more gardens in their community.

They now sell their produce to local restaurants and businesses.

The Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is working with veterans across the U.S. to transition them into agriculture. The coalition partners veterans with mentors experienced in farming and business, matches them with agriculture-related job opportunities and organizes equipment donations in Iowa and California. FVC is helping former members of the armed forces in 48 states.

Source: FoodTank.com/ news/2014/11/veterans-day

Creature Crime Feds Make Animal Abuse a Felony In October, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classified animal cruelty as a class A felony and a “crime against society,” on a par with such serious crimes as homicide. The FBI intends to prosecute intentional abuse and torture, gross neglect, sexual abuse and organized abuse, which includes dog fights.

Also, the onset of tracking animal abuse cases nationwide will assist local police and counselors in identifying and connecting with minors that show an early tendency to abuse.

FBI studies show an alarming connection between animal abusers and perpetrators of extremely violent crimes against humans. The goal is that early detection and intervention will help certain children get the counseling and social support they need to live productive lives free of crime and abuse.

“Regardless of whether people care about how animals are treated, people, like legislators and judges, care about humans, and they can’t deny the data,” says Natasha Dolezal, a director for the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, Oregon.

Source: EliteDaily.com

Plastics Ping-Pong

China Reverses Its Recycling Policy Plastic items we carefully separate from the rest of the trash and put in a distinct container may have a dubious fate, according to environmental watchdog Quartz. U.S. recycling companies have largely stayed away from accepting plastic, and most of it has been shipped to China, where it can be processed more cheaply. But China has announced a new Green Fence policy (Tinyurl.com/ ChinaGreenFence), prohibiting importation of much of the plastic for recycling that it once received.

Plastic categories #3 through #7 (shampoo bottles to butter tubs) may go into domestic landfills again until a solution is found, says David Kaplan, CEO of Maine Plastics, a post-industrial recycler.

China controls a large portion of the recycling market, importing about 70 percent of the world’s 500 million tons of electronic waste and 12 million tons of plastic waste each year. These Chinese policy changes will put pressure on Western countries to reconsider their reliance on this formerly cost-effective practice of exporting waste and the necessity for increasing their domestic recycling infrastructure.

Euro Space

Forty Percent of Hamburg Will Be Green Space Hamburg, Germany, named Europe’s 2011 Green Capital by the European Union, is implementing an ambitious plan to create and link 27 square miles of new and existing green space, comprising 40 percent of its land area. The result will put nature within easy reach of every resident, provide connectivity for walking and bicycling to eliminate automobile traffic by 2035 and make the city more resilient to flooding caused by global warming. The metro area population currently numbers 4.3 million as Europe’s 10th-largest city.

Since 2000, Germany has converted 25 percent of its power grid to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. The architects of the clean energy movement energiewende, which translates as “energy transformation”, estimate that 80 percent to 100 percent of Germany’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2050.

Angelika Fritsch, a spokeswoman for the Department of Urban Planning and the Environment, says, “The more important result may be the provision of green infrastructure to absorb rain and flood waters.” Sea levels in the port city have risen by 20 centimeters over the past 60 years and are expected to rise another 30 centimeters by 2100.

Source: Inhabitat.com

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GREEN DRINKS A monthly happy hour for environmentallythoughtful folks.

NOW GATHERING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAY.

Join us for happy hour! fairhope

2nd Tuesdays 5-7PM Fairhope Brewing Company

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Antisocial Insects

Natural Ways to Keep Crawling Critters Away With picnics and barbecues on the calendar, summer is a time for indoor/outdoor entertaining with family, friends and neighbors. To keep invading ants away, hosts will want to use natural materials, many of which can be found in the kitchen, instead of chemical products that may be hazardous to humans, pets and wildlife.

Natural lines of defense. Applying ground cinnamon or mixing some of the spice with sugar, cloves and water into a thin paste and using a cotton swab to dab it in cracks and around doors and windowsills outside the house where ants might enter can be effective. The aroma is too strong for them, so they’ll either succumb or turn away.

Another method recommended by the Mother Nature Network is to clean floors and countertops with a solution of one cup each of vinegar and water, with the option to enhance it with 15 drops of lemon oil.

Try a simple spray. An organic insecticide for application in grassy locations, applied to the legs and sides of the picnic table or chairs, can help reduce intrusion by ants and other pests. ChasingGreen.org suggests pouring one-and-a-half cups of water into a blender and adding two bulbs of garlic. Liquefy the ingredients to a smooth blend, strain out the remaining pieces of garlic, dilute the mixture with about a gallon of water and fill a spray bottle.

Organic pest control. Some manufacturers specialize in eco-friendly products, including the Extremely Green Gardening Company (ExtremelyGreen.com) that offers diatomaceous earth, Hasta La Vista Ant! and Bug Shooter insecticide.

Other chemical-free bug traps can be found at many hardware stores.

Avoid temptation. Keep food container lids and boxes tightly closed indoors and keep food covered as much as possible outdoors.

Taking natural preventive steps now is timely because many ant species are highly active in early summer as they seek to increase the food stores for their colonies.

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RETHINKING RECOVERY Holistic Approaches to Healing Addictions

by Lisa Marshall

T

hrough 15 years of alcohol and prescription drug addiction, one prominent Virginia business owner tried it all to get clean: three inpatient rehab centers; talk therapy; Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), spending roughly $200,000 in the process.

“I would follow through for about a year, and then start to feel like I was on top of things and get complacent,” says the 52-year-old, who asked that her name not be used. She’d treat herself to “just one drink” and soon find herself in a familiar downward spiral. She last relapsed in October 2012. Three months later, she was on the interstate in the morning, a half-empty four-pack of mini wine bottles on her front seat, when she swerved and slammed headon into a semi-trailer truck. She escaped her flattened car with minor head trauma, gratitude that her children didn’t have to “bury their drunk mother,” and a renewed will to sober up and rediscover happiness.

Today, she’s done just that, thanks to a comprehensive, holistic approach that included hiring a life coach that specializes in addiction, overhauling her diet, making time for daily physical and spiritual exercises and reframing her addiction, not as a disease she is cursed with, but as a predisposition she has the power to keep at bay.

“Yes. I was passed a gene by my alcoholic father. Yet that only becomes

a threat to me when I make a choice to ingest something that cuts the beast loose,” she says. “I work hard every day, using a whole bunch of different tools to keep that from happening again.”

She is one of a growing number of alcoholics and addicts reaching beyond the standard trifecta of 28-day rehabs, 12-step programs and psychotherapy toward an approach that addresses mind, body and spirit. More than 40 million Americans over the age of 12 (16 percent of the population) are addicted to alcohol or drugs, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at New York City’s Columbia University. Yet the standard treatments yield less-than-stellar success rates.

Sixty percent of addicts return to drug use within a year after rehab, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and only 5 percent of AA attendees continue with meetings after 12 months, according to AA research. David Essel, a Fort Myers, Florida, life coach who specializes in working with substance abusers, says that when examining all the data, only about one in 10 addicts or alcoholics that use conventional means alone are still clean after one year. Fortunately, because people vary widely in emotional needs and physiologies, other complementary options are also catching on.

Mending Brain and Body

Enter a group meeting for recovering addicts or alcoholics and chances are there will be a pot of black coffee, plus donuts or cookies. “Having poor eating habits is a primary contributing factor to relapse,” says Registered Dietitian David Wiss, founder of NutritionInRecovery.com, which provides nutrition consulting for recovery programs in Los Angeles. Because substance abuse can deaden appetite and many of the same neurological circuits that drugs and alcohol stimulate are also activated by salty or sugar-laden foods, newly recovering addicts tend to be ravenous and drawn to junk food. “After 30 days in treatment, people can gain 10 to 30 pounds. They often turn back to addictive substances they’ve abused to get their appetite back under control,” says Wiss. (Because smoking deadens taste buds, drawing people to seek out more intense salty or sugary flavors, it exacerbates the problem.)

In a subconscious attempt to get maximum stimulation of now-neglected reward centers in the brain, users often eat little most of the day, then binge later, leading to erratic blood sugar levels that can impact mood, further sabotaging recovery. After years of abuse, addicts also tend to suffer deficiencies of proteins and good fats—key building blocks of a healthy brain.

“The brain has been rewired due to the use of substances. Without healing it, you can attend all the meetings in the world and you’ll still struggle with cravings,” reports Essel. He starts new clients with 500 milligrams (mg) daily of the dietary supplement DL-phenylalanine, an amino acid precursor to feel-good neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine. He also gives them tyrosine, an energizing amino acid said to quell sugar cravings.

For relieving a craving in progress, he recommends 500 to 1,000 mg of glutamine, placed under the tongue.

Wiss says he generally recommends food over supplements, yet asking newly recovering addicts to also revamp their diets can be tough. “I wouldn’t expect anyone to make a big nutritional change in their first week of sobriety,” he says.

After that, he encourages small steps: Drink eight glasses of water per day. Eat three meals and three snacks to keep blood sugar stable. Load up on fiber, which can help heal the gut and replenish it with healthy bacteria. Eat plenty of lean protein natural awakenings

June 2015

15

to promote production of feel-good brain chemicals. Load up on nuts, seeds, fatty fish and other omega-3 fatty acids that suppress inflammation in the brain and have been shown in some studies to quell depression.

Daily exercise is also key as Wiss notes that it “circulates our blood and gets all those healthy nutrients into our brain.”

Physical activities can also help fill the void and even provide a new sense of identity for someone whose self-esteem has been shattered, says Scott Strode, founder of Denver, Colorado’s Phoenix Multisport, which hosts group cycling, running and climbing outings for recovering addicts and alcoholics.

Strode kicked his own cocaine habit 18 years ago by immersing himself first in boxing, then climbing and triathlons. He founded Phoenix in 2007 to help fill what he sees as a gaping hole in recovery support services—a place where people with similar pasts can gather and talk without dwelling exclusively on their dependence issues. He has since served 15,000 people in Colorado, California and Boston, offering 60 free outings a week for anyone at least 48 hours sober.

“By being part of something like this, you can let go of the shame of being the addict, the junkie or the one that let down the family. Now you are the climber or the mountain biker,” says Strode. He stresses that Phoenix programs aren’t intended to replace treatment. Still, “For some, just that redefining of self may be enough. For others, it’s a powerful tool in a broader toolbox.”

Beyond AA

Co-founded in 1935 by an alcoholic named Bill Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous now has 2 million members and has played an important role in many successful recoveries. However, its God-based approach (five of the 12 steps refer to God or Him), a credo that alcoholics must admit “powerlessness” and its emphasis on alcoholism as a defining disease aren’t for everyone.

Naysayers point to a 2006 finding by the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration that states, “No experimental studies unequivocally demonstrated the effectiveness of AA or 12-step approaches for reducing alcohol dependence or problems.”

Such concerns have prompted some alternative recovery fellowships, including Moderation Management (Moderation.

16

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

org), which helps people that want to drink less; and Smart Recovery (SmartRecovery. org), which supports an ethos of selfempowerment via cognitive behavioral therapy, nutritional changes and group discussions. Other programs focus on renewing the soul by applying metaphysical practices to the traditional 12 steps.

“The conventional 12 steps talk about a higher power outside of you,” says Ester Nicholson, a singer, author and addictions counselor. In her book Soul Recovery: 12 Keys to Healing Addiction, she describes a descent into crack cocaine addiction beginning in her teens, and the long climb out of it.

At first, she says, the 12 steps helped her break free of what she calls the “spiritual malady, mental obsession and physical allergy,” that is addiction. But after a decade of being clean, followed by a nearrelapse, she discovered meditation and other spiritual practices. “I realized that this higher power can restore me to sanity, but the higher power is actually within me.

I found this wonderful bridge between the 12 steps and universal spiritual principals,

and it is rocking my world.”

Patti Lacey, 54, an Essel client, likewise found lasting sobriety by extending her toolbox, learning to focus not only on past pain, but on bringing forth her best self. According to the International Coach Federation, which reports an uptick in interest in recovery coaching, a coach helps to establish individual goals and map a journey to success.

Two years into recovery, Lacey still takes her supplements daily, rises at dawn to meditate, attends 12-step meetings and is part of a nondenominational church community. She also regularly meets with her coach to report progress and update goals, including getting a handle on her finances, a frequent casualty of addiction.

“Everybody’s journey is different,” Lacey confirms. “What I needed was someone to tell me exactly what to do in the beginning, and then be around to hold me accountable. That changed everything.”

Lisa Marshall is a freelance health writer in Boulder, CO. Connect at LisaAnnMarshall.com.

Complementary Healing Tools

by Lisa Marshall

Ear acupuncture: Since 1974, addiction specialists have used an ear acupuncture needling protocol to ease cravings, decrease anxiety and improve sleep during withdrawal. Numerous published studies in The Lancet, the Archives of Internal Medicine and others support its efficacy. More than 1,000 U.S. programs now use it, according to the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (AcuDetox.com).

Neurofeedback: Also known as EEG biofeedback, this technique uses electroencephalography sensors attached to the head to enable someone to observe their own brain wave activity on a computer and learn to intentionally alter it via visualization and relaxation techniques (isnr.net).

Aromatherapy: Life coach David Essel recommends three aromatherapy oils to clients in recovery: lavender, a relaxant; lemon grass, for energy; and frankincense, a mood-balancer.

Ibogaine: This psychoactive brew derived from the West African shrub Tabernanthe iboga has been used ceremoni-

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

ally for centuries. In the 1960s, an opioid addict accidentally discovered that after experiencing an intense, four-to-eighthour dreamlike “trip”, his cravings for heroin ceased. Deborah Mash, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and molecular and cellular pharmacology at the University of Miami, traveled to Amsterdam in the early 1990s to see if there was any truth to such cases.

“I saw a man that was on heroin and cocaine and addicted to benzodiazepines undergo detox with no withdrawal signs, and in 36 hours look like a new person,” she recalls. She has been studying it ever since. The drug is believed to serve as an addiction interrupter, acting on opioid receptors in the brain to quell withdrawal symptoms. Some describe it as “resetting the brain” to a pre-addicted state.

Ibogaine is illegal in the U.S. Some offshore clinics are providing it, but Mash warns that some are unscrupulous, so buyer beware. (ClearSkyIbogaine.com offers medically supervised Ibogaine therapy in Cancun, Mexico).

ad_2-16_fengshui831_ad 2/15/15 2:29 PM Page 1

Recovery at the Deepest Soul Level I

n her book, Soul Recovery: The 12 Keys to Healing Addiction, Ester Nicholson offers a metaphysical take on the 12 steps. Here’s a look.

You are the Power. Through my conscious union with the infinite universal presence, I am powerful, clear and free. Through the realization that God is within me, expressing as me, my life is in divine and perfect order.

Restored to wholeness. Through my conscious connection with the one power, I reclaim my spiritual dominion and emotional balance. I am restored to my original nature of clarity, peace and wholeness. I am restored.

Complete surrender. I turn my life over to the care of the God I understand, know and embody as love, harmony, peace, health, prosperity and joy. I know that which I am surrendering to, and I do so absolutely. Knowing that this power is the very essence of my being, I say with my whole heart and mind: Thy will be done.

An examined life. Through my absolute surrender and conscious connection to the one power and presence, I courageously, deeply and gently search within myself for all thought patterns and behaviors that are out of alignment with love, integrity, harmony and order.

Living out loud. I claim the courage and willingness to share the exact nature of my mistakes with another spiritual being. I am heard with compassion, unconditional love and wisdom. In this loving vibration, clarity, peace and balance are restored.

Honoring the inner child. I am now ready to release all thought patterns and behaviors

unlike my true nature, which is wholeness. I free-fall into the loving presence of spirit within, and allow it to heal every known and unknown false belief. I am transformed by the renewal of my mind.

Never give up. In loving compassion for every aspect of my being, I humbly surrender to the love of spirit. I know myself as a perfect expression of life. I surrender all, and I am restored to the life I am created to live.

Willingness. I acknowledge the people I have offended based on false beliefs, fear, doubt and unworthiness. I am willing to go to any lengths to clean up my side of the street.

Cleaning up the wreckage. Backed by all the power of the universe, I lovingly, directly and honestly make amends in a way that supports the highest good of all concerned.

Spiritual maintenance. I am in tune with my inner self. With integrity, love and self-compassion, I acknowledge my mistakes and continue to clean up the mistakes of my past and present.

Conscious contact. Through daily prayer and meditation, I deepen my conscious connection to the divine and experience the fullness of the universal presence as the dynamic reality of my life.

Loving service. Through my awakened consciousness, I am now prepared to carry the message of truth out into the world. I am now a clear channel to support the awakening of others to their true identity of wholeness.

fengshui 831 Feng Shui made Simple Meryl Hyderally 251-463-1862 fengshui831.com meryl@merylhyderally.com Energize Your Home, Energize Your Life Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast

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fitbody

Yoga for the Bro’s Men Find it Builds All-Around Fitness

by Meredith Montgomery

F

ive thousand years ago, most yoga teachers and students were men.

Today, of the 15 million American practitioners, less than a third are males.

However, this figure has increased in the past decade, with teachers in some areas reporting a balanced ratio of men and women in their classes.

Yet, even as professional athletes add yoga to their training regimen, Power Yoga founder Bryan Kest, in Santa Monica, California, points out, “To the mainstream man, yoga is not masculine. You see men in ballet performances, but it doesn’t mean men are attracted to ballet.”

Eric Walrabenstein, founder of Yoga Pura, in Phoenix, agrees. “To achieve the widest adoption of the practice, we need to shift away from the notion that yoga is a physical exercise primarily for women, to one that embraces yoga’s holistic physical, mental and emotional benefits for anyone regardless of gender.”

Life Benefits

Physically, yoga can complement traditional workout routines by increasing flexibility, strength and balance, and also play a role in pain management and injury prevention. Kest says, “Yoga is the best fitness-related activity I know of, but the tone and shapeliness that results is a byproduct. The focus is on balance and healing.”

He encourages students to challenge themselves without being extreme. “The harder you are on anything, the faster you wear it out.

If our objective is to both last as long and feel as good as possible, it makes 18

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

no sense to push hard. Instead we should be gentle and sensitive in our practice.”

Men will do well to learn how to stop what they’re doing and breathe, says Kreg Weiss, co-founder of My Yoga Online (now on Gaiam TV), from Vancouver. He emphasizes the importance of modifying poses as needed during classes and notes that doing so takes vulnerability that doesn’t come naturally to most men.

“If you find yourself shaking while holding downward dog, allow yourself to go down to the floor without worrying about what others will think.”

Societal pressures of masculinity sometimes dictate who a man thinks he should be. Breaking through such barriers enables a man to be relaxed with himself and unafraid as, “It changes what goes on off the mat, too,” observes Weiss.

Bhava Ram (née Brad Willis), founder of the Deep Yoga School of Healing Arts, in San Diego, points out, “Men need yoga because it helps us deal better with stress and emotional issues. When we have more inner balance, we show up better for ourselves, spouses, friends and loved ones.”

Therapeutic Benefits

As modern science begins to document yoga’s healing effects, it’s being used in treatment plans for conditions ranging from addiction and trauma to multiple sclerosis and cancer. Ram was a Type A aggressive reporter and network war correspondent and, “Like many men with similar personality types, I struggled with anger and control issues. I had no interest in yoga; it seemed strange and unnecessary to me,” he recalls.

After a broken back, that ended his journalism career, failed surgery, www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

advanced cancer and dependance on prescription drugs, he found himself facing death. Inspired by his young son to take control of his health, he embraced yoga as a healing way forward. After two years of dedicated practice, Ram says he turned 80 pounds of physical weight and 1,000 pounds of emotional toxins into gratitude, forgiveness and loving kindness. “I left 90 percent of my back pain behind and the cancer is gone.”

Kest explains that yoga’s significant therapeutic value is based on its capacity to reduce stress and its effects, while teaching and strengthening techniques to cope with it. “Ninety percent of the stress we put on our bodies originates in the stress we put on our minds,” he says.

“If you want to be healthy, you have to look at mental fitness, not just the size of your biceps or the strength of your cardiovascular system. It’s calmness and peacefulness of mind that matter.”

Tips for First-Timers

Weiss urges men new to yoga to take time to find the right class. “When men that can’t touch their toes walk into some preconceived notion of a class full of women Om-ing, they feel apprehensive and the experience does them no service.” Regardless of one’s state of fitness, it’s important to start slowly, with a focus on the breath. “If you don’t have a good foundation, you can miss a lot of yoga’s benefits. Seek teachers with a solid yoga background educated in anatomy.”

Walrabenstein recommends that firsttimers find a class that meets their expectations of targeted benefits. “Remember that yoga is supposed to serve you in enabling your best life possible. If for you that means a vigorous workout, go for it. Even the most physically-oriented yoga styles can carry profound mental and spiritual benefits—and can lead to a deeper, more rewarding practice over time.”

Arrive early to class to get settled and talk with the teacher about physical status, potential limitations or other concerns.

Yoga is practiced barefoot and clothing should be loose and comfortable, allowing the body to sweat and move.

Walrabenstein reminds men to have fun. “Yoga, like anything, can be awkward at first. Make space for your learning curve and remember, no one in class is judging you.”

Local Guys Have Fun with Yoga

two Fridays a month for Sunset Yoga for Charity (ThriveFairhope.com). The picturesque setting is inviting, with beginnerfriendly classes that are donation-based for different charities each week.

Men might also find comfort in attending their first class with a male teacher.

Synergy Yoga and Pilates (Synergyoga. net) co-owner Chris Garrett says, “I think it does make a difference for men new to yoga to see someone to whom they can better relate, especially those who come to yoga based on a doctor’s recommendation.” Synergy offers four classes a week taught by men.

Private yoga sessions are a good option for anyone uncomfortable with a group setting or for those wanting to focus on a specific goal or therapeutic aspect of yoga. Regardless of the setting, Garrett encourages new students to find teachers and classes that are fun, “If you are not having fun and enjoying the process, then what's the point? I think it might be a ‘guy thing’.”

For local yoga studios, see page 21.

by Meredith Montgomery

A

lthough most studio classes in Mobile and Baldwin counties follow the national trend of attracting more women than men, yoga classes held at unique local venues are experiencing a more balanced ratio. Mobile yoga student Bob Morgan says, “Don’t think yoga is just for girls. It’s a hard workout and you just have to try different things and do what you can.”

At least half the students at the Dauphin Island SUP (DauphinIslandSUP.com) weekly stand up paddle board class are males. “I never did yoga before trying SUP yoga,” says Alan Stabler, who does it to keep aging muscles limber and less prone to injury. “It’s an awesome core workout and you catch on quick, but it’s challenging for everyone, even the instructor. You won’t be the only one taking a refreshing splash.”

Bend + Brew is another fun way for men to get started in yoga. “Come for the yoga, stay for the outstanding local beer,” says Soul Shine Yoga (TheSoulShineLife. com) owner Emily Sommerville. This 60-minute vinyasa flow class is offered at Fairhope Brewing Company once a month and is open to all levels. Accord-

ing to Sommerville, the studio’s heated Power Hour classes are popular with male students, and like all yoga classes, “are a great complement to strength training and other forms of exercise.”

At the age of 63, Alfred Brooks started practicing yoga after being injured during weight training. He currently takes yogalates classes (a combination of yoga and Pilates) at Peak Condition Pilates (PeakConditionPilates. com), in Mobile, and says, “Yoga and Pilates focus on the hip area and lower abs, which is tied to the lower back.

When I focus on these areas, everything else seems to work better.”

He’s experienced better balance, posture, mobility and overall strength, which has been beneficial in his work training horses.

Many males can be seen practicing on the bluff in Fairhope

Be open to the power of relaxation and letting go.

Like anything that is organic and pure and whole, yoga works in a lasting way over time. ~ Bhava Ram

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June 2015

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ccording to the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, an essential aspect of recovering from trauma is learning ways to calm down, or selfregulate. As suicide, divorce, domestic violence, drug abuse, homelessness and violent behavior continue to plague veterans and members of the military, yoga is being regarded as a promising treatment or adjunctive therapy for addressing symptoms associated with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Numerous studies indicate that veterans that practice yoga (including postures, breath work, guided visualization and affirmation) can better cope with PTSD and other emotional challenges, and realize enhanced physical and mental stability.

Former war correspondent Bhava Ram founded Warriors for Healing (W4H).

Launched online and through trained teachers this year, “We want to spread the word that yoga science is proven to be extremely effective for coping with PTSD and life-based trauma,” he says. The intention is to help people unlock their inherent power to heal, and to assist in a journey of self-empowerment as they establish new lives.

W4H and its foundation partners provide resources for veterans and their families to implement yoga’s transformational lifestyle practices, including nutrition, philosophy, breath work and postures. Studies from leading institutions including the University of California, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have shown that these practices can change the organism that is us down to the level of our genomes. “We’re not stuck where we are,” says Ram. “My own history illustrates this, and I’ve seen many others heal from remarkable challenges.”

Bootstrap, an online yoga system specific to the challenges of military dutyrelated stress, has distributed 70,000 yoga sessions to troops and veterans and their families since 2013. Designed to fill the many gaps left by traditional treatment strategies, it’s tailored to empower users to manage stressors and stressful episodes in a productive and ongoing way.

Founder Eric Walrabenstein, a former U.S. Army infantry officer, notes that the program is curriculum-driven. Beyond breath and body postures, its 10-week structure makes it accessible to those that wouldn’t necessarily step into a studio.

“The multimedia program has been clinically proven to derail chronic stress caused by military service in less than one hour per day,” he says.

Bootstrap is presented as a stress-management program that just happens to use yoga techniques. “We did this because many men tend to self-select themselves out of the practice,” he says. “We wanted to avoid that as well as the idea that yoga is primarily about postures, when that’s only a small fraction of what the practice is.”

Visit WarriorsForHealing.org and BootstrapUSA.com.

No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for “we” are the only thinkers in our mind.

When we create peace, harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.

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healthykids

Natural

DADS How They Raise Conscious Kids

by Lane Vail

F

athers are more involved in their children’s lives than ever before, embracing their roles of leader, nurturer and protector, and they’re reaping extraordinary benefits. According to a 2014 study published in the Academy of Management Perspectives, fathers that spend more time with their kids are both happier at home and more satisfied at work. Today, many mindful dads engaged in a natural lifestyle apply that same health consciousness to their parenting.

Support Mama. Natural fathering begins during pregnancy, with an informed birth plan. “Support whatever birthing decision the woman feels will provide her the most comfort and relaxation,” advises Dr. John Douillard, an ayurvedic chiropractor and author of six books, including Perfect Health for Kids.

Hold her hand, rub her back, advocate for her rights and after the birth, support her efforts to breastfeed whenever, wherever and however long she wants.

“Fathers should recognize that the burden of care is clearly on the mother for at least the first year, so her opinions and wishes deserve special consideration and respect,” says Ben Hewitt, father of two, home unschooler and author of The Nourishing Homestead.

Embrace physical closeness. Bonding through nurturing touch is powerful and rewarding for father and child. A recent study published in the Journal of Perinatal Education found that fathers that practiced 22

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

infant massage experienced significant stress release and bonding with their offspring. Wearing a baby or toddler in a sling, wrap or carrier is another comforting way to spend time together.

Co-sleeping helps foster a more natural sleep rhythm with a nocturnally hungry baby, while also offering another way to connect. “Any stress my family may have experienced during the day dissipated when we reconnected at nighttime,” Hewitt attests. “Looking back, I can’t imagine having missed out on that opportunity to be so close with my kids.”

Feed healthy habits. Natural dads are educated about both naturopathic and Western medicine to make informed choices regarding prevention and intervention. Douillard applies the ayurvedic principle of seasonal eating in order to bolster the immune systems of his six children and clients. Cooling foods like fruits and vegetables in summer prevent overheating; warming foods like soups, nuts and meats in winter lubricate mucus membranes and facilitate fat and protein storage; light foods like leafy greens in spring detoxify the body. His experience is that when kids with robust immunity catch the occasional malady, its severity and duration are reduced, and natural herbs often provide a gentle first step toward recovery.

Douillard treats colds with a spoonful of equal parts turmeric and honey mixed into a paste. “Turmeric is a powerful anti-

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

inflammatory and antiviral herb that also helps liquefy mucus in the respiratory tract,” he says. For tummy troubles, he suggests offering kids an herbal tea of cumin, coriander or fennel.

Above all, parents must exemplify good health habits. “Eat better, exercise regularly, change your diet with the local season and your kids will follow along,” says Douillard.

Impart green morals. Earth-conscious parents teach their children how to leave a faint ecological footprint by supporting local eco-friendly companies, reducing the presence of toxic chemicals in the home and consuming and wasting less. However, wagging a finger and imploring kids to be eco-friendly is not enough; model helpful behaviors and illustrate the implications of their choices.

“Instead of saying, ‘You should recycle,’ show kids online pictures of the giant flotillas of plastics polluting the oceans,” says Hewitt. Maintain an experiential dialogue about respecting, preserving and enjoying nature.

Encourage adventure and resourcefulness. “Historically,” says Hewitt, “children learned alongside their parents and community, immersed in their environment, an arrangement that allowed them continual opportunities to prove their own resourcefulness.” All dads, like homeschoolers, will find satisfying fun in sharing problemsolving, hands-on projects with their kids, like building a debris shelter in the woods, planting a garden, or using repurposed materials to engineer something with form and function. Learning doesn’t have to be a hierarchical activity, wherein dads teach children, says Hewitt. “The opportunity to learn and explore together is powerful.”

Play. Hewitt encourages dads to look for opportunities to relieve kids of their often overwhelming and scattered schedules. “It’s incredibly important for kids and adults to set aside time for free play and exploration,” he says.

“Go outside with them,” says Douillard. “Make up games, goof off, run around, roll around and just be with them. It makes a world of difference in their lives.”

Lane Vail is a freelance writer in South Carolina and blogger at Discovering Homemaking.com.

Family Center Fosters Dynamic Dads

Cool Daddy

by Lane Vail

I

n terms of discipline, natural fathering is neither tough nor timid, punishing nor permissive. The mindful dad is calm, connected and capable. He’s able to harness introspection and observe himself as he parents, because he focuses more on managing his own behavior than that of his kids.

“Fathering is a leadership role, not a management role,” says Hal Runkel, a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of the bestseller ScreamFree Parenting. “If I manage myself with calmness and clarity, I can lead my children to learn to manage themselves.”

Runkel says the first step is “committing to cool.” Find an anxiety- or anger-managing technique that feels natural, such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, visualization, prayer or counting beads on a bracelet, and call on that skill to maintain coolness when challenged by a child, advises Runkel.

It’s a misconception that emotions need to be released or they will consume us, he says. “Emotions just are; it’s the thoughts about emotions that drive us crazy.” Learning to name, tame and befriend feelings through introspection and mindful exercises allows space for calm conversations with children to emerge.

“We fathers have a special responsibility to lead with calm because we are physically imposing in children’s eyes,” he says. “The approachable dad has teachable kids, and he lets natural and logical consequences do the teaching.”

The Family Center, a nonprofit organization in Mobile, Baldwin and Washington counties, is the local facilitator of the National Fatherhood Initiative (Fatherhood. org). By offering free programs, the center works with dads that want to improve their relationship with their children.

Executive Director Lydia Pettijohn says, “We partner with rehab centers, jails and work release programs to help men prepare to parent in a better way than they have in the past.”

The center currently offers Dynamic Dads, a six-week workshop that helps dads understand why they are important to their children’s lives and how to be a good role model. It trains them to meet the four whole-life needs of children: social, physical, emotional and moral.

Together We Can is a unique, interactive five-week workshop to help parents learn the skills for creating healthy family relationships. Skills include how to listen better, resolve conflict and get more involved in their children’s lives. The key message is to create strong families by learning to co-parent as a team, and it is open to all parents, regardless of their relationship.

The center has a full schedule of free parenting classes to carry out their mission of strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect by providing education, training and support at no cost to parents and caregivers in Southwest Alabama.

For more information, call 251-479-5700 (Mobile), 251-626-1610 (Daphne) or 251-847-6453 (Chatom), or visit FamilyCenterMobile.org.

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June 2015

23

greenliving

After stays in guesthouses and hotel rooms, a tiny house felt spacious, so I decided to build my own as a home base.

THE TEENY-TINY VACATION OPTION Mini-Dwellings Make Travel a Lark

by Avery Mack

Tiny vacation cottages offer a simple, cozy setting for taking time off together and spell crazy fun—a huge improvement over sterile motel rooms.

M

ost of us are oriented to a typical American house averaging 2,300 square feet, making it a childlike hoot to step into the petite footprint of a tiny house one-tenth the size.

Vacation rentals of “tinies” are available nationwide in all shapes and styles—including treetop aeries.

Tree houses range from rustic to luxurious. Marti MacGibbon and her husband, Chris Fitzhugh, spent a romantic weekend at the Out ‘n’ About Treehouse Resort, in Cave Junction, Oregon. “The Peacock Perch is a favorite,” says MacGibbon. “It also helps me overcome my fear of heights.”

In Hawaii, Skye Peterson built a tree house from recycled materials in five native ohia trees outside Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The eco-friendly, solarpowered, passive-energy vacation home enchants guests with firelight at night and breakfast in the morning.

For those that prefer ground-level vacationing, glamorous camping, or glamping, offers an outdoor experience with the com-

24

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forts of home. Yellowstone National Park’s Yellowstone Under Canvas has summer options for every budget through September 7, including an onsite gourmet restaurant.

Tipis offer the basics, while a roomier safari tent adds a wood-burning stove with complimentary firewood. A deluxe suite with private bath sleeps a family with king-size and sofa beds. All face majestic views of mountains, water and wildlife.

Rustic Karenville, eight miles from Ithaca, New York, isn’t on any map.

Owner and builder Karen Thurnheer and her husband, Robert Wesley, live in a 270-square-foot cabin amidst a small village of tinies next to the 9,000-acre Danby State Forest. The little buildings don’t have running water; some have woodstove heat, electricity if the generator’s running and there’s a composting outhouse. “The houses are silly and fun,” she says. “There’s fresh air and at night a million stars.”

Sarah and John Murphy welcome travelers to enjoy urban life with

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photo courtesy of Pat Capozzi

~Lauren Juliff, professional travel blogger amenities in the heart of Music City via Nashville’s tiniest guest house. With a complete kitchen and bath, conditioned air and Wi-Fi, its 200 square feet can accommodate four.

Rhode Island’s Arcade Providence historic shopping mall took a hit from Internet shopping. Now it’s vibrantly alive as micro-apartments (bedroom, bath and kitchen in 300 square feet) fill the second and third levels, while first-floor stores cater to residents and destination shoppers. The “no vacancy” sign is regularly posted for apartments acting as dorms or pied á terres.

On the West coast, near the 150-acre Lily Point Marine Park, in Port Roberts, Washington, a secluded gingerbread cottage affords a gas fireplace, solarium and upstairs deck for viewing wildlife.

“It’s relaxing and romantic,” says owner Pat Capozzi.

Artsy and trendy, Caravan is the first tiny hotel in the United States. Since 2013, guests have enjoyed a choice of its six tiny houses in Portland, Oregon’s Alberta Arts District.

Simple-living students, retirees and even families with small children and pets are embracing the concept longerterm. “The best part,” says Macy Miller, a Boise, Idaho architect who built her own tiny of recycled materials at a cost of $12,000, “is no mortgage.” To avoid local minimum-size zoning requirements, her house is mounted on a flatbed trailer.

The 196-square-foot space is also home to her boyfriend James, toddler Hazel, and Denver, a 150-pound great dane.

Recently, Miller blogged, “I’m designing what may be the first tiny nursery as we expect baby number two!”

As Thurnheer observes, “There are lots of silly people like me who love living tiny.”

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

photo courtesy of Out ‘N’ About Treesort

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healingways

Don’t Get Ticked Off Natural Ways to Avoid and Treat Lyme Disease

by Linda Sechrist

I

n 1977, two Yale School of Medicine scientists identified the infected blacklegged deer tick carrying the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi as the disease-transmitting organism of Lyme disease. Since 1982, this most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the U.S. has gained notoriety, with its own resource book, Disease Update: Science, Policy & Law; research center (Columbia-Lyme.org/index.html); International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society website, ilads.org; Lyme Times

print journal (LymeDisease.org); and national informational organization, the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance (TBDAlliance.org).

The surge of activity appears justifiable. According to scientists at the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 300,000 cases are diagnosed annually in this country alone.

Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, is a post-treatment Lyme disease patient and co-founder of LymeAid 4Kids (Tinyurl.com/LymeAid4Kids)

that funds the diagnosis and treatment of uninsured children with Lyme. She disagrees with physicians that downplay late-stage cases and insist that the disease is cured with a simple round of antibiotics, as does Katina Makris, a classical homeopath from New Hampshire and host of Lyme Light Radio.

After experiencing mysterious symptoms, Makris spent five years suffering from debilitating symptoms familiar to individuals with Lyme—undiagnosed, relapsing fevers, lingering fatigue, joint pain, headaches, neurological symptoms and cognitive impairment. “Then I finally began my 10-year healing journey,” she says. Her book Out of the Woods: Healing from Lyme Disease for Body, Mind, and Spirit, is a recovery memoir and resource guide for alternative medical, emotional and spiritual support.

Lyme evades detection by standard blood tests for bacterial antigens and antibodies. “The ELISA [enzyme-linked immuno assay] test is only accurate between two weeks and two months after the bite,” says Makris, who notes that the Western Blot test is somewhat more accurate, while the IGeneX Laboratory test is superior. She believes the best laboratories for testing are Clongen Laboratories and IGeneX Laboratory Services.

Dr. Richard Horowitz has treated more than 12,000 Lyme disease patients as medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, in Hyde Park, New York. The author of Why Can’t I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease raises another red flag regarding detection. Testing for coinfections frequently transmitted along with Lyme is unreliable. Horowitz, who will

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Essential Oils to Repel Ticks 1 cup distilled water 2 drops geranium essential oil 2 drops Palo Santo essential oil 1 drop myrrh essential oil 4 drops grapefruit essential oil 1 drop peppermint essential oil 1 drop Thieves hand soap or castile soap Place all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake. Spritz on socks, sneakers/ hiking boots, ankles and legs at a minimum and consider other exposed skin. conduct a workshop with Makris at New York’s Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, in Rhinebeck, and online, from June 26 to 28, counsels that antibiotics are not effective because they don’t address all of the infecting organisms now frequently found in ticks.

Stephen Harrod Buhner, of Silver City, New Mexico, an independent scholar and citizen scientist and author of Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections, says that the bacteria have jumped species and found new hosts that live in habitats formerly occupied by wild animals: “They have learned to exist in humans and are teaching each other how to resist antibiotics and more easily infect us. What they do together in the body is a great deal more complex than what they do alone, making them difficult to treat. Bartonella species utilize the immune system of whatever mammal they infect as part of their infection strategy. Any existing inflammation in

the body, such as arthritis, facilitates the growth of Bartonella.”

The weaker or more compromised one’s immune system, the more likely a debilitating course of illness will occur.

An improved immune system can identify the outer membrane proteins of the offending bacteria and create countering antibodies in four to eight months.

“Once the immune system creates the proper antibodies, the bacteria are then eliminated fairly rapidly,” advises Buhner.

Makris is grateful that she saw a nutritionist trained in functional medicine.

“He worked slowly and methodically to reduce the inflammation, build up my immune system and restore my digestive, endocrine and nervous systems before killing the bacteria and opening up natural detoxification pathways to flush out the bacteria and their endotoxins.

We used weekly acupuncture appointments, good nutrition and homeopathic formulas, plus various herbs, vitamins and mineral supplements,” says Makris.

Ticks in high-vegetation areas wait for a passing host. To avoid these hitchhikers, wear light-colored long pants tucked into socks. A shirt should also be tucked in. Later, strip down and search hair, underarms, legs, behind the knees and ears, and in the belly button.

As commercial tick repellants contain toxic ingredients, a targeted mixture of topically applied, therapeutic-grade essential oils is preferred.

Linda Sechrist is the senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.

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MANLY FOODS

Boost Testosterone with the Right Choices

by Kathleen Barnes

Today’s rates of male infertility and sexual dysfunction suggest that low testosterone is rapidly becoming a national problem.

J

ohns Hopkins School of Medicine epidemiologists estimate that 18.4 percent of all American men over the age of 20, totaling 18 million, have reported experiencing erectile dysfunction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 7.5 percent of all sexually experienced men under 45, or more than 4 million, have consulted a fertility doctor, suggesting it’s a serious problem among younger men.

“Both erectile dysfunction and infertility reflect elements of lifestyle choices, especially obesity, smoking and exposure to environmental toxins,” says Naturopath James Occhiogrosso, of Fort Myers, Florida, author of Your Prostate, Your Libido, Your Life: A Guide to Causes and Natural Solutions for Prostate Problems and ProstateHealthNaturally.com. He says there are many ways to address low testosterone, a factor in both issues, and a healthy diet is crucial for healthy sexual function in both men and women.

Some foods can help, while others can hinder a man’s sexual vitality, advises Craig Cooper, of Newport Beach, California, founder of the CooperativeHealth network of men’s health websites and author of Your New Prime: 30 Days to Better Sex, Eternal Strength, and a Kick Ass Life After 40. He identifies key 28

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no-nos that decrease testosterone as eating excess sugar, drinking excessive alcohol and being sedentary. Here are the best foods for increasing testosterone.

Shrimp: Like fatty fish, this tiny crustacean is one of nature’s few food sources of vitamin D, which Harvard School of Public Health research confirms is linked to testosterone levels. Four ounces of shrimp contain 162 IU (international units), about 40 percent of recommended daily intake.

Oysters, red meat and pumpkin seeds: All of these are rich sources of zinc, which Cooper notes has a direct link to higher testosterone levels. He cautions, however, that too much zinc can cause its absorption to diminish. Men need 11 milligrams (mg) of zinc a day. Oysters are considered a food of love for a reason: One shelled oyster contains 12.8 mg of zinc.

Pumpkin seeds are zinc powerhouses with 7 mg in 3.5 ounces. By comparison, 3 ounces of beef liver or dark chicken meat deliver 4.3 mg and 2.4 mg, respectively.

Lean, grass-fed beef, tuna and nuts: These are high-quality sources of omega-3 fatty acids. “Without obtaining at least 20 percent of our daily calories from fat (no less than 15 percent) we can’t function at optimum capacity, as hormones are produced through the components of dietary fats, including the sex hormones like testosterone,” advises Virginia Beach, Virginia, Registered Dietitian Jim White, a spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “A diet high in carbohydrates and too much dietary fat—more than 35 percent—will cause a gain in

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body fat, which can decrease testosterone levels. Balance is the key.”

Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage: Cruciferous vegetables are rich sources of indole3-carbinol, which helps both balance testosterone and estrogen, and neutralize excess estrogen in men and women, says Occhiogrosso. Yes, men have estrogen, too, just less than women, and too much blocks testosterone production.

Red grapes: This whole food is a good source of resveratrol and proanythocyanidin, which block harmful estrogen production, says White. Excess estrogen production spurred by eating foods like soy and flax and the growth hormones contained in big agriculture’s meat and dairy products lowers testosterone production in men.

Strawberries: Due to their cortisollowering vitamin C, all berries help reduce stress, including when hormones are released during a heavy workout that can hamper testosterone production.

One study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine confirms that more cortisol equals less testosterone; another in the World Journal of Men’s Health shows that high cortisol lowers sex drive and results in delayed ejaculation. Plus, two Brazilian studies showed animals with the highest vitamin C intake had the highest sperm counts among study subjects. Another good cortisol fighter is the allicin in garlic.

Pomegranates: Occhiogrosso likes pomegranates for building testosterone levels. An impressive study from the International Journal of Impotence Research showed that the performance of 47 percent of the impotent male study participants improved after consuming a daily glass of pomegranate juice for four weeks.

“Food is always the first choice when I’m treating men with testosterone and fertility issues,” says Occhiogrosso. “It’s often effective without the dangers of testosterone injections.”

Kathleen Barnes is the author of numerous health books, including Food Is Medicine: 101 Prescriptions from the Garden. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.

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ealth counselor James Occhiogrosso says it’s essential to know a man’s entire hormone profile, not just testosterone levels, to understand the best way to treat problems.

A hormone panel should include blood and/or saliva tests of the following: 4 Testosterone 4 Free testosterone 4 SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) 4 Progesterone and estradiol (hor mones not only present in women) 4 DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), a precursor, or foundational hormone, that produces both estrogen and testosterone

Body Building Doesn’t Build Testosterone

M

any people think that bodybuilders define he-man muscles by producing huge amounts of testosterone. Not so, says Naturopath James Occhiogrosso, who specializes in men’s health. “Bodybuilders consume huge amounts of protein to build muscles,” he says. “When a man’s pumping 100 to 150 grams of protein into his body every day, he will actually produce less testosterone.” For healthy testosterone levels, he recommends that a man derive a maximum of 25 percent of his daily calories from protein.

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wisewords

The Gut-Mind Connection David Perlmutter on How Stomach Microflora Affect Brain Health

by Linda Sechrist

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r. David Perlmutter, a board-certified neurologist and recipient of the Linus Pauling Award for his innovative approaches to addressing neurological disorders, has recently released Brain Maker, the latest in a series of books on brain health. This medical advisor to the Dr. Oz Show demonstrates how brain problems can be prevented by adopting lifestyle changes that nurture the bacteria living in the digestive system.

Why did you begin your book with the quote, “Death begins in the colon,” rather than “Brain health begins in the gut”?

I wanted to draw attention to the real lifeor-death issues mediated by what goes on inside the gut. Individuals with an immediate concern for their heart, bones, immune system or brain must recognize that the health of these parts and functions are governed at the level of commensal gut bacteria, the normal microflora that eat what we eat. This relationship is the most powerful leverage point we have for maintaining health.

How were you led to expand from studying the nervous system and brain to investigating gastrointestinal medicine?

Early on in my career, I was taught that everything that goes on in the brain stays there. But leading-edge research now reveals that seemingly disparate organs are in close communication, regulating each other’s health. As scientific literature

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began supporting the notion that gut-related issues have a huge bearing on brain health, and specifically on brain disease, it became important to me to be able to leverage deep knowledge of this empowering information in terms of being able to treat brain disorders.

What is the Human Microbiome Project (HMP)?

HMP, launched in 2008 by the National Institutes of Health, is a $115 million exploration of the gut microbiome. In the ongoing research project involving genetic and DNA assessment, researchers are looking at the microbiome array in the gut of individuals suffering from various diseases. They are drawing correlations between emerging patterns in the abnormalities of gut bacteria and specific diseases. For example, autism correlates with an overabundance of the Clostridia species. In diabetes, there are more Firmicutes than Bacteroidetes, which we also see in obesity characteristic of the Western cosmopolitan diet.

This is paving the way for interventions designed to restore a normal balance of gut bacteria. An example in my book is Dr. Max Nieuwdorp’s research at the University of Amsterdam, in which he discovered an array of abnormal bacteria that characterize Type 2 diabetes. In the more than 250 individuals diagnosed with diabetes that he treated in a doubleblind study, he was able to reverse the disease by inserting a series of fecal material transfers from healthy, lean donors into diabetic patients.

What is the most eye-opening information about the roles played by gut organisms?

More than 100 trillion bacteria live in our gut. Plus, there are viruses, yeast species and protozoa. When we factor in their genetic material, it means that an astonishing 99 percent of the DNA in our body is bacterial. It’s humbling to realize they influence all manner of physiology, from our immune system to our metabolism, making vitamins, maintaining the gut lining and controlling inflammation, the key mechanism involved in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and any number of brain degenerative disorders.

They also exert influence over the expression of our 23,000 genes, in effect regulating the expression of the human genome.

The latest startling discovery—which is so new that it’s not in the book—is that bacterial DNA sequences have now been found in the human genome, meaning we are partly bacterial. It reveals the most sophisticated symbiotic and intimate relationship at the deepest level imaginable. It turns the previous way of thinking about who we are upside-down. Our perceptions of the world, moods, hunger or satiety, even our metabolism, are dictated by gut bacteria, which deserve careful stewarding. They don’t deserve, for example, to be bombarded by the capricious use of antibiotics whenever we have the sniffles.

How can we reestablish good gut health?

Better food choices bring about significant changes in our body’s microbiome.

By incorporating prebiotic foods such as Jerusalem artichokes, dandelion greens, garlic, leeks, onions, jicama or Mexican yam, as well as fermented foods such as kimchi, kombucha tea, yogurt and kefir, individuals can reestablish good gut health that helps them gain control over inflammation, the cornerstone of all degenerative conditions. Inflammation originates in the gut. Balancing bacteria and reducing intestinal permeability, which allows substances to leak through the lining of the small intestine into the bloodstream, can reduce it.

Visit Linda Sechrist’s website, ItsAllAbout We.com, for the recorded interview.

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Walking The Cat Harness a Curious Cat for a Lively Stroll

by Sandra Murphy

C

ats live longer these days, due to improved food, regular veterinary care and indoor living, but there’s another aspect of health to consider. To thrive, cats need mental and physical stimulation, which outdoor adventures naturally deliver.

“Leash walking’s a great way for cats to get fresh air, exercise and explore,” says Utica, New York, Veterinarian Debra M. Eldredge, author of Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook. Kitty’s senses are activated in such expanded horizons. For trips outside the yard, Eldredge advises, “Choose your places and times; you don’t want to mingle with joggers and skateboarders.”

Cats have definite preferences. “Jagger walks around the block with my husband, Rob,” says Anna Easteden, an actress in Los Angeles. Jagger has no problems with dogs he meets, but not all cats are so tolerant. “Star walks only in the yard, companioned by Fuzzy and Boots.” All four are microchipped in case of an escape.

Carrie Aulenbacher, of Erie, Pennsylvania, author of The Early Bird Café, first got her cat Daisy used to a harness indoors before venturing outside. “Now he runs to the door and meows to go out,” she says. Daisy’s been hiking for 10 years. View some of his adventures at Tinyurl.com/DaisyTheHikingCat.

Boston insurance underwriting assistant, cat blogger and artist Koshka Koh routinely walks her Abyssinian therapy cat, Jake. “We can’t hurry. People ask questions and want to pet him. They say, ‘I wish my cat could do that.’”

Good to Know Tips The Best Friends Animal Society, in Kanab, Utah, averages 625 cats in residence and Society Manager Michelle Warfle supports an enriched environment. “We teach as many cats as possible to leash walk,” she says. Her tips include: Don’t

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progress too quickly, keep walks fun and use a harness, not the collar. Warfle’s own cat, Earl, hikes about two miles before tiring. A backpack-like pet carrier lets a feline take a break.

Adapt the walk’s length or location to a pet’s age and physical limitations, such as arthritis. “Jabez always loved to walk on Ventura’s wet sandy beaches,” says Californian Kac Young, a naturopath with a Ph.D. in natural health. “His second choice was a trip to Home Depot to ride in the cart.” Now 18, Jabez doesn’t travel as often.

Routinely check kitty’s neck, tail, stomach and inner thighs to pick off fleas and ticks after an outing before they become a bigger problem. (For an infestation of fleas, comb the cat with natural dishwashing detergent and water to drown them and rinse kitty afterward.) Pet-grade diatomaceous earth is safe to rub into her fur and bedding.

Consider yard plants like mint, lemongrass, sage and lavender to repel bugs. Multiple studies suggest catnip, which kitty can roll in, may be an even more effective mosquito repellant than the toxic DEET (mosquitoes spread heartworm).

Cat companions agree that when kitty explores a blade of grass or pounces on a blowing leaf, it presents a delightful opportunity to be in the moment. A change of pace benefits those on both ends of the leash.

Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

Cat Walk Savvy

by Darlene Arden n Cats need to get used to an idea before embracing it.

Proceed slowly. n A collar is for ID tags, not walking—a cat can wiggle out of a collar. A harness, properly fitted at the pet supply store, is best. Designate a comfortable, padded, wider harness solely for walking, not to restrain the cat in the car (a crate is safer). n Let a cat see and smell the harness before putting it on.

Small treats help. Don’t let the cat bat it like a toy. Put the harness on for short spans each day until he’s used to it—cats tend to fall over, “paralyzed”, when it’s first introduced. n After the harness has been worn comfortably, add the leash and let him drag it around in an enclosed outdoor space.

Never use a flexi-lead/retractable leash. A six-foot bungee (stretchy) or woven leash allows space to explore without getting tangled in a bush or beyond reach.

Holistic Mercury-Free Dentistry GENERAL, COSMETIC AND BIOLOGICAL Mercury-Free, BPA-Free Fillings Bio-Compatible Materials•Dental Homeopathy Cosmetic Dental Restorations•Implants Microscopic Bacterial Analysis P3-Certified Practitioner for Medically-Relevant Gum Therapy CEREC Crowns In A Day•Extractions Clear or Removable Orthodontics Snoring Prevention•Teeth Whitening

Dr. Dayton Hart, DMD 251-943-2471

225 W. Laurel Ave • Foley, AL 36535

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n Leash walk around the house without pulling, yanking or dragging—just do some pet-paced walking. n Don’t force the next step, because the outdoors can be a big, scary place; most cats need to observe first before exploring. n Use lots of praise and treats.

Darlene Arden is a certified animal behavior consultant from Boston and author of The Complete Cat’s Meow and Beautiful Cats.

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June 2015

33

inspiration

HIDDEN TREASURES Neighbors Discover Their Wealth of Resources

by John McKnight and Peter Block

T

he essential promise of consumerism is that everything fulfilling or needed in life can be purchased— from happiness to healing, from love to laughter and from raising a child to caring for someone at the end of life.

What was once the task of relatives and neighbors has been outsourced, costing the family its capacity to manage traditionally provided necessities. The community, which once provided an extended support system, is no longer viable, replaced by paid professionals and technology.

Until the 20th century, the basic philosophy of rearing children was that they become effective grownups by connecting with productive adults and learning the community’s skills, traditions and customs from them. Youth had jobs to do: caring for the elderly and young, doing household chores and helping with food. When they became adults, they were thus equipped to care both for the next generation and for those that had cared for them.

Today, the most effective communities are those in which neighborhoods and residents have reclaimed their traditional roles. The research on this point is decisive. Where there are “thick” community connections, there is positive child development. Health improves, the

34

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

environment is sustained and people are safer and have a stronger local economy.

We too, can decide to shift our attention toward rebuilding the functions of our family and neighborhood. We have the gifts, structures and capacities to substitute for our habit of consumption.

Here’s an example of how it works.

Neighbors Naomi Alessio and Jackie Barton were talking about family challenges when Alessio noted her son Theron’s encouraging turnaround after he met Mr. Thompson, who had a metalworking shop in his garage. The old man invited him in and something clicked. Theron began to stop by every day, proudly bringing home metal pieces he’d learned to make. Alessio could see Theron change and finally stopped worrying about what he was doing after school.

Barton admitted that her son Alvin was in trouble, and asked Alessio if there might be someone in the neighborhood whose skills would interest him. They decided to ask all the men in the neighborhood about their interests and skills. In three weeks, they found men that knew about juggling, barbecuing, bookkeeping, fishing, hunting, haircutting, bowling, investigating crimes, writing poems, fixing cars, weightlifting, choral singing, teaching dogs tricks, mathematics, pray-

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ing and how to play trumpet, drums and the saxophone. They discovered enough talent for all the kids in the neighborhood to tap into.

Three of the men they met—Charles Wilt, Mark Sutter and Sonny Reed— joined Alessio, Barton and Thompson in finding out what the kids on the block were interested in learning. Also, why not ask the kids what they knew? They found 22 things the young people knew that might be of interest to some adults on the block.

The six neighbors named themselves the Matchmakers and began to connect neighbors that shared the same interests, from gardening to job opportunities.

They created a multiuse neighborhood website. Many neighbors formed a band, plus a choir led by Sarah Ensley, an elder who’d been singing all her life. Charles Dawes, a police officer, formed an intergenerational team to make the block a safe haven for everyone.

Then Lenore Manse decided to write family histories with photos and persuaded neighborhood historian Jim Caldwell and her best friend, Lannie Eaton, to help. Wilt suggested that the Matchmakers welcome newcomers by giving them a copy of the block history, and then updating it with information about each new family.

Three years later at the annual block party, Barton summed up the neighborhood’s accomplishment: “All the lines are broken; we’re all connected. We’re a real community now.”

These local connections can give the modern family what the extended family once provided: a functioning community with a strong culture of kin, friends and neighbors. A regenerated community emerges, yielding essential qualities of a satisfying life: kindness, generosity, cooperation, forgiveness and the ability to nurture families that have reclaimed their function.

Adapted from an article by John McKnight and Peter Block for YES! Magazine that appears in its anthology, Sustainable Happiness. They are co-authors of The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods (Abundant Community.com).

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calendarofevents Dates and times may change. Please call ahead to confirm. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

Ocean Camp – 9am-12pm, 1-4pm. Tues-Fri, Jun 2-Jul 31. Ocean Camp for future scientists and ocean lovers. Half and full day options. Ages 5-12. New this year: fun with LEGO, team building and nature photography! $125 half day/$225 full day. Orange Beach. OceanCamp@gmail.com. Facebook.com/ oceancamp/info.

MONDAY, JUNE 8

Delta Discoveries Science Based Art Camp – 9am-12pm. Jun 8-12. Explore Mobile Tensaw Delta through the world of snakes, alligators, turtles, plants and insects living in our own backyard through science and art activities like orienteering, paper making, driftwood sculpture, building paper wasp nests, hikes, etc. $125. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort. 251-377-0054. JuJuHiker@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 9

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Fairhope

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour every second Tuesday. With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Brief speaker and/or announcements at 6pm. Food sponsored by Sunflower Cafe.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13

Usui Reiki Level I Certification Weekend w/Julie – 10am-5:30pm. Jun 13-14. Renew or begin your healing journey with Reiki. Making life changes?

Connect with Universal Life Force only used for healing, emotional, mental and physical. You will get hands on experience, Level I for self-healing, Level II working with others. $250. prepaid/$300 at the door. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope. Julie: 251-281-8811. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail. com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events/.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Mobile

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks every third Wednesday. With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks.

June 17 • 5-7pm

Alchemy Tavern 7 South Joachim Street, Mobile MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks

June 9 • 5-7pm

Fairhope Brewing Company 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope 251-279-7517 MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

Man maintains his balance, poise and sense of security only as he is moving forward.

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Meditation on Twin Hearts – 3-4pm. In this universal meditation we become a conduit of divine blessings and world service to the planet and humanity by blessing with peace, love, joy and goodwill. It's an advanced meditation for achieving illumination or universal consciousness. Donation.

Mobile. 251-454-0959.

Pranic Healing Intro – 2-4pm. Pranic Healing is an all natural healing system designed to teach you how to heal yourself and loved ones. Learn about your energy field, how to keep it healthy, create a speedy recovery of ailments, stress reduction, meditation, plus much more! Free. Mobile. 251-454-0959.

Summer Solstice Celebration – 4-7pm. Singing Bowls – Drums – Chant! Bring your celebration intention to welcome the first day of summer! Please bring your singing bowls for a grand vibrational experience to be played on the half-hour. Snacks provided. Tour our new office space. Free. Reiki Center of Fairhope, 19655 Hwy 181, Fairhope.

Julie: 251-281-8811. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@ gmail.com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events/.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

Toxic Mold Meets Thieves – 6:30pm. Join us as Laurie Azzarella, explains how using the one true Young Living Thieves™ Essential Oil can alter your health and wellbeing and assist in removing mold and mildew from your home and body.

Nothing works like Thieves™. $5 at the door.

Prodisee Pantry, 9315 Spanish Fort Blvd, Spanish Fort. 850-380-4943. LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com.

MarketingScents.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26

Pranic Healing Level 1 – 6-9pm. Jun 26-27. Learn anatomy of the energy-body, 11 major chakras, their functions, how to feel energy & validate details in your life with it, keep yourself energetically clear & balanced, step-by-step techniques for healing yourself, loved ones, plus much more! Call for details.

Mobile. 251-454-0959.

Wisdom of the Earth Level I Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification – Jun 26-28. CEUs available for LMTs. Middle Earth Healing and Learning Center, 20205 Middle Earth Rd, Citronelle.

251-866-7204. MidEarthHealing@yahoo.com.

MiddleEarthHealing.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

Reflexology Proficiency Workshop – 7:45am-5pm, Jun 27-28. Laurie Azzarella will be instructing Phase III for IIR Students in advanced Foot Techniques, pathologies and hand Reflexology. Prerequisites include Phase I and II and 50 case studies. $350 preregistered. Bay Branch Estates off Rt 90 in Malbis area. 850-380-4943. LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com.

Reflexology-usa.net.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

Astara Metaphysical Study Group – 2-4pm. If you seek enlightenment, healing for body and soul, mystical wisdom of the ages at your fingertips, if you want to express hidden potentials of mind and Higher Self, you may be very near the answer to your desires through Astara, a place of light. Donation.

Mobile. 251-454-0959.

~Maxwell Maltz

36

SUNDAY, JUNE 21

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ongoingevents

monday

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

sunday

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

Discounts on Supplements – Every Sunday get 15% off supplements at Fairhope Health Foods (251-928-0644) and Virginia's Health Foods (251479-3952). 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope and 3055-A Dauphin St, Mobile. VAFairhopeHealthFoods.com.

Mindful Movement – 9:15am. Unwind your morning with a beginner friendly mindfully moving yoga practice ending in restorative yoga positions. Practice among Himalayan salt lamps and waterfalls. $10 donation. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-379-4493.

ThriveFairhope.com.

Knollwood. Unity Mobile, 5859 Cottage Hill, Mobile. 251-661-1788.

Group Reformer Class – 12pm. Mon and Wed. Catch the wave of classical fitness and join Adrienne during your day for a Pilates group reformer class. Stand taller, get toned and be both leaner and stronger. Also Wednesdays at noon. Please log onto the website to make reservations. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

AHA Afternoon Yoga – 1pm. Jun 14, 18. Explore body-mind-spirit while promoting balance and wellness within. Eclectic yogic elements ensure variety and fun; traditional foundations ensure proper body alignment and safety. Beginner-friendly. Props provided.

Call/text to register. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100.

Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile. 251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Center for Spiritual Living Service – 10am. Make every step, every choice, every word, a conscious one. Center for Spiritual Living, 1230 Montlimar, Mobile. Rev. Sherrie Quander: 251-343-0777.

CenterForSpiritualLiving-Mobile.org.

Open Table Worship Service (United Church of Christ) – 10:30am. Weekly progressive Christian worship. Gathering in the chapel at All Saints Episcopal Church, 151 S Ann St, Mobile. 251-545-1011.

Ellen.OpenTable@gmail.com. OpenTableUCC.org.

Gentle Yoga for Everyone – 1-2pm. Take time for yourself to relax, stretch and breath with gentle guidance from Julie who has been teaching since 1989. All levels welcome. If you think yoga is not for you give this class a chance, everyone can do yoga, chair, standing or floor. Free. Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave, Fairhope. Julie: 251-281-8811. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail. com. ReikiCenterofFairhope.com/events/.

Sunday Yoga! – 2pm. Relax and renew at the end of a long work week. Enhance balance, strength, and suppleness with Jasmine, Natalie, Susan or Adrienne while your minds experiences pure delight!

Please check the website for the schedule rotation.

Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Explore a spiritual pathway with Mobile Unitarian Universalists, 6345 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. UUFM.org.

Sunday Worship – 11am. Celebrate Spirit in this special and sacred space. Between Hillcrest and

ent

o th t a p the

Heated Meditation – Mon, Wed, Fri. Purify body and mind in this heated guided meditation hour. Rest in a heated space that inspires detoxification. Release physical and mental impurities. The power of the heat and power of the mind brings you physical and mental clarity. Led by Betsey Grady. $10. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

tm ver a e r t r an e e h . t c cans easier Coast i

he t n o

MCI Patient Navigators help patients find their way to wellness.

Coping with cancer is difficult.

Faced with so many treatment options, it’s easy for patients and their families to feel stranded. But at USA Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI), you’re not alone. Our new Patient Navigator program gives you a dedicated professional who is there offering support and guidance every step of the way through the treatment process.

At MCI, you not only get leading edge research and state-of-the-art cancer treatments, you also get complete patient-centered care. That’s the advantage of having an entire team behind you on your journey to wellness. That’s how we’re turning the tide on cancer.

Minds Conquering Cancer www.usamci.com 1660 Springhill Avenue Mobile, Alabama 36604 – 251-665-8000 –

1-800-330-8538 188 Hospital Drive, Suite 400 Fairhope, Alabama 36532 – 251-990-1850 –

natural awakenings

June 2015

37

Men’s Pilates Class – 4pm. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person.

Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile.

251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Gentle Yoga with Dana – 4:15pm. Join Dana for a calming yoga class to ease stress and both soothe and quiet the mind. Find your bliss in the land of "ahhhhs". Leave feeling on top of the world and really enjoy the splendor of the day! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Doggie Happy Hour – 5-7pm. 1st Mon. A rescue networking event hosted by My Happy Dog 123.

Bring your dog for drinks and live music while raising money for a local rescue foundation. Q&A with local vets. Free grain-free dog treats. Raffle prizes. Puppy photo booth. Free. OK Bicycle Shop, 661 Dauphin St, Mobile. Viviane Hentschel: MyHappyDog123@ gmail.com. MyHappyDog123.com. Facebook.com/ myhappydog123.

Outstretched Christ-Centered Yoga Class – 5:45pm. Also at 8:15am on Wed. Each week Pneuma offers two donation-only yoga classes open to the public. Classes are appropriate for all levels and include a Christ-centered devotion. Donation only.

1901 Main St, Daphne. See website for more info: Pneuma-Yoga-Movement.com.

Bridging the Great Divide – 6-8pm. The Family Center is offering this class for parents of teens.

It helps prepare and equip parents for having the important conversations needed with their teens.

Helps parents see things from the teen perspective.

Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

Together We Can – 6-8pm. The Family Center offers this class to help parents build a better future for their children by working together as co-parents.

It is open to couples regardless of their relationship.

Become a team that supports your family's success.

Free. 27365 Pollard Rd, Daphne. Christie Brannon: 251-626-1610. BaldwinFamilies@gmail.com.

FamilyCenterMobile.org.

tuesday YogaKids – 9:30-10:30am. YogaKids explore yoga through movement, music and mindfulness. Parents can attend Power Hour at the same time. Ages 5-10. $8 drop in. Packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

La Leche League Mobile Bay Area – 10:30am.

La Leche League meetings are open to all women with an interest in learning about and supporting breastfeeding. Meetings are always free and babies/children are welcome. 251-689-2085. For location information or breastfeeding help contact AmandaLLLMobile@yahoo.com or MeghanLLL@ yahoo.com.

Pilates Classes – 12pm & 2pm. Also 12pm, Thursdays. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for

38

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. more time options. Advanced registration required.

2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 251-344-0590.

PeakConditionPilates.com.

Grief Recovery Meeting – 1-2:30pm. This is a Christian-based grief recovery program for all losses. Experienced, professional and compassionate staff members support you through the grief process with the goal of transitioning into a renewed life of purpose and fulfillment. Ascension Funerals & Cremations, 1016 Hillcrest Rd, Mobile. 251-6348055. AscensionFuneralGroup.com.

West Mobile Farmer's Market – 3:30-6:30pm.

Farmer's market sponsored by Christ United Methodist Church featuring locally grown produce, honey, seafood, baked goods and other home made products. Every Tuesday until July 7th. Located on Hillcrest Rd just south of Grelot Rd, Mobile. 6101 Grelot Rd, Mobile. 251-767-7526.

Green Drinks Fairhope – 5-7pm. Every 2nd Tues.

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks. Connect with other progressive people in our area. Brief speaker at 6pm.

Sponsorship, speaking and catering opportunities available. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Ave, Fairhope. 251-279-7517.

MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com. Facebook. com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

Yin Yoga with Cindy Johnson – 5:30pm. Experience yin yoga, a blissful and meditative evening of gentle stretching that focuses on your joints and muscle tissue. Yin yoga is gentle and nurturing, bringing balance to an active lifestyle. A perfect way to ease into yoga. All welcome. $10. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626. Info@RosieBluum.com.

RosieBluum.com.

Integrated Yoga Therapy with Laura Jones – 5:45pm. This all levels, beginner friendly class will allow students to deepen their self awareness and let their true light shine. Create a healing space and go beyond the physical practice - become more in tune with your true self. Come experience the joy!

Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Sierra Club Meeting – 6-8pm. 1st Tues. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort.

Guided Meditation – 7pm. Go within. Release thoughts, concerns and worries as you relax into the peaceful state that is your true nature. Let us guide you to tranquility and freedom of mind. Your only requirement is to listen, allow, be open and bring your imagination. $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-5175626. Info@RosieBluum.com. RosieBluum.com.

Self-Healing Mastery Series – 7-8:30pm. With Julie E Brent. "Healing Begins With Me" our focus, to remember how you are designed to heal naturally and why.

Learn practical techniques to improve your ability to heal yourself, group support for the process of mastering self-healing. Limit 10. $15/class with registration.

Reiki Center of Fairhope, 19655 Hwy 181, Fairhope.

Julie: 251-281-8811. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail. com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events/.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

wednesday Soul Shine Core Yoga – Wed & Fri. You're as strong as your core and your core is so much more than strong abs! Using a variety of standard yoga poses and core-specific exercises, enhance your core strength and your yoga practice in this dynamic, invigorating class. All levels. Unheated. $15 drop in. Packages available. Soul Shine Yoga South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

Pilates Classes – 6am Yogalates. 8am Chair Pilates.

6pm Reformer. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes.

Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 251-3440590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Yoga with Susan – 8am. Join Susan Kangal and start your day with her refreshing energy as she challenges you with a strong emphasis on alignment and focus while still calming the mind. Sink into the moment and experience the bliss—yes! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Pilates for Older Adults – 9am. Wed & Fri. Includes work on the reformer and mat focusing on balance, core strength and flexibility. Slow to moderate pace. Advanced registration required.

2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 251-344-0590.

PeakConditionPilates.com. $5 Yoga & Chair Yoga – 9:15am, Flow. 10:30am, Chair Yoga (seated or holding onto chair to practice balance). Beginners welcome. Bring your own mat.

Enjoy exercise at every level. Improve balance, strength and flexibility. $5. Fairhope UMC CLC. 251-379-4493. ThriveFairhope.com.

AHA Integrative Yoga – 9:30am. Wed & Fri. Attain inner peace, relieve stress and build strength/ flexibility through body-mind awareness, breath and postures. Includes healing techniques like affirmations, mudras, chakra balancing and guided/ silent meditations. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Positive Parenting – 9:30-11:30am. The Family Center offers a 9-week course using the Nurturing Parenting curriculum which focuses on positive discipline and communication with children. Open enrollment is available; certificates upon completion.

Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

Free Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis – 10:30am. This chair yoga class is free to participants and funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Build strength and flexibility while improving balance and circulation.

Fairhope. Thrive@ThriveFairhope.com. 251-379-4493.

Green Drinks Mobile – 5-7pm. Every 3rd Wed. Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks. With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Sponsorship, speaking and catering opportunities available. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Alchemy Tavern, 7 S Joachim St, Mobile.

MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com. Facebook. com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

Eastern Shore MS Support Group – 5:30pm.

2nd Wed. Eastern Shore MS Support Group meets each month at Ruby Tuesday in Fairhope. Family, friends and caregivers are always welcome. Weezer: 251-928-7606.

WE HAVE AN INALIENABLE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT WE’RE EATING

Power Flow Yoga with Angela – 5:45pm. Join associate Baptiste Power Vinyasa Teacher Angela Cain to revitalize and energize your day. Enjoy the sweet sweat and moving meditation of Power Flow and leave class refreshed and recharged! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Near Death (NDEs) and Related Experiences – 6pm. 2nd Wed. Mobile affiliate group of IANDS. All are welcome to share experiences and support.

Free. West Regional Branch, Mobile Public Library, Grelot Rd (near University Blvd). 251-340-8565. lbrlumin@aol.com. IANDS.org.

Chill Skills – 7-9pm. The Family Center offers an inspiring four-week class designed to change your life outlook. Learn what fuels your anger and how to see it in a new light. Warning: classes may cause peace. $25/week. 601 Bel Air Blvd. Suite 100, Mobile. Call 251-479-5700 to register for next class.

Guided Meditation – 7pm. Guided meditation with Betsey Grady. Meditation is a wonderful way to quiet the mind, still the body and relax your being. $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626.

RosieBluum.com.

thursday YogaKids – 9:30-10:30am. YogaKids explore yoga through movement, music and mindfulness. Parents can attend Power Hour at the same time. Ages 5-10. $8 drop in. Packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

AHA Lunch-Time Core Flow Yoga – 12:10pm. Energize, align, strengthen, center. Focus on flow and core strengthening. Includes eclectic yoga postures and/or Pilates with traditional foundations to ensure proper alignment, safety and fun. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. Call/text to register. $50 for 6-wk course.

Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile. 251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com

Be an advocate for consumers.

Advertise your healthy products in

Natural Awakenings’

July Food Democracy Issue Contact us at: 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Make our community a little GREENER...

Support our advertisers.

For every $100 spent in locally owned businesses, $68 returns to the community.

source: the350project.net

natural awakenings

June 2015

39

Spring/Summer Market on the Hill – 3-6pm. May 28-Jul 30. The Spring/Summer market will be open Thursdays, May 28-Jul 30. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more.

Lavretta Park on Old Shell, Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

Men’s Pilates Class – 5pm. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person.

Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile.

251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Dynamic Dads – 7-9pm. The Family Center is the site of the Mobile County Fatherhood Initiative. Six Thursday night classes delve into the importance of fathers and how to meet the challenges of being the father your children need--A super hero for your super kid! Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

friday Pilates Classes – 8am & 10am. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/ person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

EXO Chair Pilates –8:30am. Join Dana for a unique & fun, full-body workout—use controlled movement on the EXO Chair to develop both overall & core strength, increase flexibility & improve posture.

Develop and challenge the core. Reservations are required. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-4731104. Synergyoga.net.

Pilates for Older Adults – 9am. Wed & Fri. Includes work on the reformer and mat focusing on balance, core strength and flexibility. Slow to moderate pace.

Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/ person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

AHA Integrative Yoga – 9:30am. Wed & Fri. Attain inner peace, relieve stress and build strength/ flexibility through body-mind awareness, breath and postures. Includes healing techniques like affirmations, mudras, chakra balancing and guided/ silent meditations. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AHA Supervised Student Massage & Reiki Clinic – Jun 12. School-supervised internship

gives opportunity for student practitioners to work with clients in a professional setting and clients to receive quality, full-length healing treatments at a great value. Appointment only. Appointments at 4:30, 5:45 & 7pm. $25 for 1-hr full-body student massage and/or Reiki session. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Sunset Yoga for Charity – 2nd & 4th Fridays, MarOct. Beginner friendly yoga on the bluff ending at sunset. Start time varies with sunset time. Full schedule of details and charities online: ThriveFairhope. com. Bring your mat and a donation for the charity supported. Donation. Henry George Bluff, Fairhope.

251-379-4493. ThriveFairhope.com.

saturday Spring/Summer Market on the Square – 7:30am12pm. Apr 25-Jul 25. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

Saturday Morning Yoga with Augusta – 7:308:45am. All levels. The movements will challenge you to stay mindful and your mindfulness will allow you to honor your limits without judging yourself. $15 drop-in. $10 students and instructors. Creative Outlet, 66 1/2 S Section St, Fairhope. 251-928-5363.

HeartStringsYoga.com. $5 Soul Shine Hot Power Hour – 9am. A faster paced power vinyasa flow that will build strength, increase flexibility, strengthen your core and transform your body and mind. Find your groove, shine your light and practice at your own level. 60 min class in a heated room. $5. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope. Namaste@TheSoulShineLife.com.

TheSoulShineLife.com.

Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga – 9:30-11am. Enjoy building your core strength, balance, flexibility and all while you're having fun in the sun! Reservations required. All levels welcome. Must be able to swim.

You only live once...try it you'll like it! Rental $30, Class $20. Packages available. 411 Audubon Dr, Dauphin Island. Michael: 251-591-3316 or Susan: 443-8939. DauphinIslandSUP.com. Facebook.com/ SUPYogaWSusan.

AHA Morning Yoga – 9:30am. Jun 13, 20. Explore body-mind-spirit while promoting balance and wellness within. Eclectic yogic elements ensure variety and fun; traditional foundations ensure proper alignment and safety. Beginner-friendly. Props provided.

Call/text to register. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100.

Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile. 251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Confucius 40

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

classifieds Fee for classified listings is $1 per word. Email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet. com for details. Volunteer opportunities are listed for free as space is available.

OPPORTUNITIES BECOME A PUBLISHER – Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin is for sale! The current owners are looking for passionate individuals that want to make a difference in our local community. Meaningful, homebased career opportunity with a proven business system. Exceptional franchise training and support available. Be in business for yourself but not by yourself. 239-530-1377.

NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/mymagazine.

See ad, page 3.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - Add a Rejuvenation Studio to your EXISTING beauty, fitness, or health/wellness business. Bring in new customers, gain revenue from several sources, and your customers will love it! For more information, call: 864-569-8631.

LMTS, TEACHERS NEEDED – Mobile wellness center seeks compassionate, mindful, self-motivated massage therapists and yoga/movement/meditation/CE class/ workshop instructors. 251-753-1937. Email resume to Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVENT COORDINATOR NEEDED - Part-time position with local farm/event venue. Experience with eco-friendly practices preferred. Email resume to majoleeb40@gmail.com.

SERVICES IN TU ITIV E~PS Y C HIC ~ME D I U M - Marie Bates Curry offers intuitive guidance and spiritual connections. Individual and small group readings by appointment only. 251-300-7261.

VOLUNTEER OPPS AZALEA CITY CAT COALITION – Volunteers needed in any capacity. Contact Susan Young: 251-648-7582. SusanYoung@ AzaleaCityCats.org.

DOG RIVER CLEARWATER REVIVAL STORM DRAIN MARKER PROJECT – Volunteers needed to educate the public about the storm drain system. Supplies and instructions provided. Work at your convenience.

Contact Janet Miller: J46Miller@yahoo.com.

251-654-1827.

naturaldirectory

ECO-FRIENDLY POOLS

Connecting you to the leaders in healthy and green living in our community. To be included in the Natural Directory, email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Did you miss our 2015 annual Healthy and Green Living Directory?

Contact us to find out where you can pick up a copy of this expanded edition, or read it online at TinyURL.com/February15.

BEAUTY B-BUTTERFLY SALON

103A North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-990-9934 BButterflySalon.com salon offering organic B-Butterfly Aproducts and services

SALON

including hair color, perms and shampoo.

Make a difference today in your hair, your life and the Earth. Visit us for a free hair exam today and go organic! Manicures, pedicures and eyebrow waxing also available.

See ad, page 4.

CANCER CENTERS USA MITCHELL CANCER INSTITUTE 1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile 188 Hospital Drive, Suite 400, Fairhope 251-665-8000 • usamci.com

At USA MCI, we combine leading-edge research with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment tools in order to provide the absolute best cancer care possible. See ad, page 37.

CHURCHES CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING 1230 Montlimar Drive, Mobile 251-343-0777 CenterForSpiritualLiving-Mobile.org

R e v. S h e r r i e Quander invites you to visit a loving, inclusive spiritual community where we aim to make every step we take, every choice we make, every word we speak a conscious one. Sundays at 10 a.m. See ad, page 31.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY KRISTEN KELLY, LMT

Rosie Bluum 6A S Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-599-5943 • 251-517-5626 Offering Chinese Craniosacral Therapy, a subtle blend of Chinese meridian therapy and craniosacral energy work, that indirectly approaches physical and psychological imbalances.

This experience teaches your body to use its own bioelectric immune system. See ad, page 14.

L.A. ECOSMARTE LLC

Susan Nice: 251-709-7023 Dan Nice: 251-586-8250 LAEcoSmarte@att.net; LAEcoSmarte.com Non-salt, non-chlorine, chemical-free pool water t e c h n o l o g y. T h e b e s t alternative to chlorine and salt water pools. Easier to use, safer and more effective than traditional methods.

See ad, page 5.

ESSENTIAL OILS LAURIE AZZARELLA YL #327923 Daphne, AL • 850-380-4943 LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com Laurie.MarketingScents.com

Experience the healing, uplifting and detoxifying benefits of authentic, genuine therapeutic grade essential oils and supplements. Contact us for personal Zyto Wellness readings and wholesale privileges. Wellness classes last Thursday of the month at Prodisee Pantry.

See ad, page 27.

DENTISTRY DR. DAYTON HART, DMD

IAOMT Protocol 225 West Laurel Avenue, Foley 251-943-2471 • DrDaytonHart.com Free book for new patients: Mercury Free Dentistry.

Offering ozone; laser (nosuture) gum surgery; testing for compatible materials and cavity-causing bacteria; examine for gum disease and bacteria; laser cavity diagnoses; saliva pH check; oral galvanic screening; no fluoride. See ad, page 33.

FENG SHUI FENGSHUI831

Meryl Hyderally, Feng Shui Design Consultant 251-463-1862 • Meryl@MerylHyderally.com fengshui831.com Utilizing feng shui principles, let us create an o rg a n i z e d a n d productive space that reflects who you are while enhancing your life, personally and professionally.

It's about more than aesthetics—holistically designed spaces are conducive to an effortless life.

See ad, page 17.

fengshui 831

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS THE WILLOW TREE AT ROSIE BLUUM 6A South Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5326 or 251-751-6945 RosieBluum.com

Offering gifts and services that nurture your spirit.

Books, card decks, essential oils, Bach Flower Remedies, crystals, salt lamps, incense and organic clothing. Local art, jewelry, honey, soaps and candles. See ad, page 14.

NAN cardholders receive discounts at these businesses. Visit www.TinyURL. com/NANCard for details.

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings here.

natural awakenings

June 2015

41

FOOD & NUTRITION

GREEN BUILDING

CHASING FRESH MARKET

MIKE KERR CONSTRUCTION LLC

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5800 • ChasingFresh.com 8am-5pm, Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm, Sun

Certified Green Builder 251-391-4848 MikeKerrConstructionLLC.com

Now located in Windmill Market. The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, raised and made in Alabama.

Produce, honey, dairy, grains, seafood and meat.

Delivery available.

JEN ADAMS, LMT

22787 US 98, Building D, Suite 5, Montrose 251-616-4201 • JenAdamsLMT.info JenAdams.Massage@gmail.com

Live green, build green.

Specializing in energy efficiency, reclaimed materials, low VOC paints and flooring.

Residential new construction and remodeling. See ad, page 8.

Unique massage technique that is gentle enough for the severest sufferers of pain and deep enough for the most rigorous of athletes. 14 years experience in the bodywork and natural wellness field.

SUN-INSPIRED ARCHITECTURE

Debbie Coleman, Architect, AIA, LEED GA 251-341-0509 • Interest08@SunPlans.com SunPlansGulfCoast.com

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 • Café: 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

a week. See ad, back cover.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 39 years. Store open 7 days

Naturally bright spaces!

Designing for delight, durability, comfort and lowenergy. Services range from simple consulting to detailed drawings – starting with your ideas or ours. New construction and renovations.

HEALING ARTS

THE HEALTH HUT

680 S. Schillinger, Mobile: 251-633-0485 (Across from Home Depot) 6845 Hwy 90, Daphne: 251-621-1865 (Across from Fresh Market) For 30 years The Health Hut has been the go-to place for high quality, whole-food vitamins, herbs and sport supplements at great prices. Service-oriented, knowledgeable staff. See ad, page 23.

VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ II

PRANIC HEALING IN MOBILE Deana Lannie 251-454-0959

Free healing nights and group meditations every Tuesday. Pranic Healing classes and the advanced technique of Superbrain Yoga. See ad, page 8.

HOLISTIC WELLNESS Certified Health Coach Emily@TheSoulShineLife.com • 205-478-4287 TheSoulShineLife.com

Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 38 years. Store open 7 days a week. See ad, back cover.

BETSEY GRADY

Founder of Rosie Bluum 6A S Bancroft Street, Fairhope • 251-517-5626 BetseyGrady.com • RosieBluum.com Certified MARI® practitioner, Reiki master, meditation teacher and natural intuitive.

Experience peace of mind, find clarity and reconnect with your own power by learning to go within. Group classes and one-on-one instruction available. See ad, page 14.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING MIDDLE EARTH HEALING AND LEARNING CENTER

20205 Middle Earth Road, Citronelle 251-866-7204 • MiddleEarthHealing.com

EMILY SOMMERVILLE, RYT

3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile 251-479-3952 • Café: 479-3200 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

MEDITATION

Increase energy and manage stress by finding balance in a life that lets your soul shine.

Find true health and vibrancy by fueling your body with clean, nutritious foods. Free initial consultation. See ad, page 21.

Middle Earth offers workshops on permaculture, r a i n w a t e r harvesting, graywater recycling, shiitake mushroom cultivation, composting, soil building, chemical-free gardening, aquaponics, real food, natural medicine making, reconnecting with Mother Earth and medicinal aromatherapy. See ad, page 27.

WATER FILTER SYSTEMS L.A. ECOSMARTE LLC

NAN cardholders receive discounts at these businesses. Visit www.TinyURL. com/NANCard for details.

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings here.

42

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Susan Nice: 251-709-7023 Dan Nice: 251-586-8250 LAEcoSmarte@att.net; LAEcoSmarte.com Premium water that is safe and sustainable for people and the planet. ECOsmarte treats all of your water, indoor and outdoor, with a chemical-free water purification system. See ad, page 5.

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WE HAVE MOVED! BIGGER, BETTER STORE!

Get 20% off these brands in June: Virginia’s & Fairhope Health Foods Private Labels • Nordic Naturals

and 15% off Barleans Products in June.

15% off all supplements on Sundays.

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope 251-928-0644

3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile 251-479-3952

Locally owned for 39 years. Thank you for investing in your health! www.VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Offering full organic lunch menus in Fairhope & Mobile.

Also Sunday brunch and dinner on Thursdays and Fridays in Fairhope Featuring free-range meats, farm-fresh produce, organic wines & options for special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free).

Asian Fusion • Mediterranean • Italian • Tex-Mex Thai • Pizza • Sandwiches • Pasta • Salads

Catering service and take-out available. Menus online. Call for specials.

Located next door to Fairhope Health Foods and inside Virginia’s Health Foods in Mobile.

Fairhope: 251-929-0055 Mobile: 251-479-3200 Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm; Sunday Brunch 10:30am-2pm Thursday & Friday Dinner 5-9pm

Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm Sunday 11am-2pm