Natural Awakenings September 2015 Peace River

A M E R I C A’S L E A D I N G S O U R C E F O R C O N S C I O U S L I V I N G

healthy living • healthy planet

Special Edition

AGELESS

FREE

LIVING

Yoga as Medicine Art of Superconscious Aging Couchsurfing the Globe Eye Health for Dogs

September 2015 | Englewood • North Port • Port Charlotte • Punta Gorda • Venice | PeaceRiverNA.com

letterfrompublisher

T

contact us Publisher Janet Lindsay Managing Editor Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer Contributing Writer Juliette Jones Calendar Editor Cheryl Hynes Design & Production Susan McCann Web Development Stephen Warne Social Media Manager Stephen Warne To contact Natural Awakenings Peace River Edition: 941-564-0885 publisher@nasrq.com

he month of September always reminds me of the start of something new. I think this comes from my childhood and having the summer months off to relax and recharge. September was a start of a new school year and, therefore, new experiences.

With that thought in mind, I am excited about the month of September and this issue has inspired me to get rid of any bad habits and start fresh.

If you only get to read one article in this issue, I encourage you to read “Ageless Being.” No matter what age you are, this article will give you a better mindset and tips on how to defy your chronological age.

Nutrition is so important – eating whole foods and supplementing with vitamins – but we all have to watch out for stress too. Take the quiz on how to “Compute Your Real Age.” You will be surprised at how many years you can take off just following some basic principles. After reading this article, I got some great ideas on how to make myself feel younger!

With September being National Yoga Month, this issue is packed with yogarelated articles, so we can all get familiar with our local studios and the various classes they offer. This is the perfect time to take a class and learn how to meditate.

Plus, yoga can help us all decrease our “real age” – I couldn’t ask for more!

Janet

© 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.

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.

Printed on 100% recycled paper Natural Awakenings is printed on 100% recycled paper with soybased ink.

2

Peace River Edition

www.peaceriverna.com

Fall Classes Now Forming

COURSES INCLUDE: • Introduction to Homeopathy • The Herbal Medicine Chest • Traditional Chinese Medicine • Introduction to Chiropractic

Additional degree programs available

• Herbology and Botany • Ayurvedic Medicine • Nutrition and Aging • Naturopathy

Ranked in the Top 30 Best Online Colleges TheBestSchools.org

Online Shifts are Available Learn more at EvergladesUniversity.edu

Sarasota 866.907.2262 Tampa 844.297.1715

Scan Here

Learn More

Chosen by National Geographic Traveler as

One of the 100 best worldwide vacations to enrich your life.

Feb. 27 - Mar. 5, 2016 Join our 13th annual Holistic Holiday at Sea cruise for 7 nights on the luxurious MSC Divina, one of the most ecologically-friendly and elegant cruise liners on the seas. Bask in gracious Italian hospitality and service all while enjoying inspiring lectures and vegan natural foods prepared by our own chefs.

Departing from Miami, FL and sailing to beautiful St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; historic San Juan, Puerto Rico; & the paradise of Nassau, Bahamas. Learn more about the classes, cuisine and itinerary at holisticholidayatsea.com.

Food options for everyone - vegan, gluten-free, oil-free & ship’s menu

Join 1800+ Like-Minded Vegans

Lectures & Workshops

Featuring World-Renowned Chefs, Teachers & Healers Co-author of The China Study and author of Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition; featured in the film Forks Over Knives

Physician, author, & internationally-recognized speaker on nutrition; founded NutritionFacts.org; spoke at Congress, on Dr. Oz, & the Colbert Report

T. COLIN CAMPBELL, PH.D.

MICHAEL GREGER, M.D.

Founder of the Physicians Commitee for Responsible Medicine; author of Food for Life & Power Foods for the Brain; active health advocate

Swim, snorkel & kayak in the crystal waters of the Caribbean

Long-time radio host, acclaimed physician and health educator; practices nutritionally-based medicine at True North Health Center

NEAL BARNARD, M.D. Author of cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen; her cuisine appears in Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, the Guardian, Oprah & Vegetarian Times

Continuing Education Credits (CMEs & CEUs) will be available Award-winning environmentally-friendly ship

MICHAEL KLAPER, M.D. Two time natural bodybuilding champion, author of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness & Shred It; runs VeganBodyBuilding.com; touring motivational speaker

AMY CHAPLIN

ROBERT CHEEKE

Dancing, socials & singles events Vegan pizza & ice cream parties Cancer support group & recovery panel 35 teachers 135 lectures & workshops 10 cooking classes, 4 intensives Daily yoga, meditation, Pilates, Qi Gong, Do-In, running, fitness & body building classes Private consultations & treatments available

4

Peace River Edition

Relaxing Vacation

Learn More

Spiritual Practices

holisticholidayatsea.com info@holisticholidayatsea.com Toll-Free (US): 1-800-496-0989 Ph: 1-828-749-9537 Or join the conversation: Holistic Holiday at Sea holisticholidayatsea.com/blog

www.peaceriverna.com

Gourmet Cuisine

Book Today

Lorraine Travel bookings@holisticholidayatsea.com Toll-Free: 1-877-844-7977 Ph: 1-305-443-0542 (option 1 for program information option 2 for travel agent) All reservations for our holistic group must be made through Lorraine Travel

contents 6 newsbriefs

6 10

8 healthbriefs

10 globalbriefs 17 healingways

18 conscious

eating

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.

14 AGELESS BEING

by Kathleen Barnes

17 CHOOSE HAPPINESS

Four Tips to Flip the Joy Switch

by Linda Joy

22 fitbody

18 SURF TO TURF

23 inspiration

by Judith Fertig

U.S. Farmed Seafood That’s Safe and Sustainable

24 greenliving

20 YOGA NIDRA

28 calendar

Reshape Your Life, Redesign Your Destiny

11

31 resourceguide

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 941-564-0885 or email Publisher@ nasrq.com. Deadline for ads: the 15th of the month.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

18

IS YOGIC SLEEP

by Yogi Amrit Desai

22 YOGA ENTERS THE

MEDICAL MAINSTREAM Research Proves its Health Benefits

by Meredith Montgomery

23 THE ADVENTURE

OF COUCHSURFING Stay with Locals and Make New Friends

by Lisa Rosinky

Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@nasrq.com.

Deadline for editorial: the 10th of the month.

24 GREENING

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

Major Leagues Sport More Sustainable Stadiums

Email Calendar Events to: calendar@nasrq.com. Deadline for calendar: the 12th of the month.

14

Staying Vibrant in Mind, Body and Spirit

23

AMERICA’S GAMES

by Avery Mack

REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 941-564-0885. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

26

NaturalAwakeningsMag.com natural awakenings

September 2015

5

newsbriefs How the Trees Got Their Voices Named Recipient of 11 National Book Awards

S

usan Andra Lion, author and illustrator of How the Trees Got Their Voices, is helping young readers become aware of the deep connection between all living things within a forest ecosystem.

Through her visually compelling and highly imaginative story of how Mother Earth gave the trees their voices, children learn that the earth’s inhabitants live in relation to each other which teaches them respect for all forms of life. This unique book helps its readers regard their world as a complex tapestry of life and living things.

In addition, it arrives both online and on bookstore shelves just in time for the holiday season – the perfect gift or stocking-stuffer for any child in your life. How the Trees Got Their Voices helps children nurture a deep appreciation for the world’s ecology.

“This medium of a two-level story about the forest, the earth and the environment creates a unique, shared experience between children and the people who read to them because they are sharing the visual experience of this wonderful story and forest world together. It is also one of the loveliest books that readers will ever hold in their hands,” notes Karen Stuth, owner of Satiama, LLC, a Palmer Lake, Colorado-based publishing company that is responsible for releasing this book.

Critics agree that Lion, a Boulder, Colorado-based writer, has created a remarkable work of children’s literature. Even more impressive, How the Trees Got Their Voices happens to be her first published work, as well as a recipient of 11

national awards. These include: • Moonbeam Children’s Literacy Award Winner, Mind, Body, Spirit Category • Coalition of Visionary Resources, Winner Visionary Fiction Book 2015 • Coalition of Visionary Resources Winner, People’s Choice Book of the Year 2015; • Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal • Creative Child Magazine 2014 Book of the Year • 2015 Next Generation Indie Awards, Overall Winner, Best Fiction Design • 2015 International Book Awards, Overall Winner, Mind Body Spirit Category • National Parenting Publications Award Silver Medal Winner, 2014 • 2015 Next Generation Indie Awards, Finalist, New Age Category • Coalition of Visionary Resources Finalist, Conscious Living Book 2015 • Coalition of Visionary Resources Finalist, Children’s and Teen’s Books 2015 “The earth and its inhabitants are so important to me. I have always been connected to nature and am fascinated at the interconnection of all living things. We all rely on each other, from the tiniest bugs to the giant elephants, from a mushroom to the tallest trees,” explains Lion, a sought-after professional designer and illustrator.

A portion of all sale proceeds will be donated to initiatives and groups that help to preserve and replant forests worldwide.

How the Trees Got Their Voices is available through Satiama. com, Amazon.com and many bookstores across the United States.

New Table Thai Massage Now Offered at Beach Life Wellness

K

udos to Diana Caruso, LMT, who recently completed the “Thai on the Table” 12-hour CE course at the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy on August 2. Caruso is now offering this effective and re-aligning modality in addition to her Deep Tissue Therapy expertise at Beach Life Wellness in Nokomis, from Monday–Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thai massage is a form of bodywork that includes gentle rocking, rhythmic compression and passive stretching. Thai massage also uses thumb presses along energy lines (Sen lines) to release energy flow. In a Table Thai treatment, the entire massage is performed on the massage table, incorporating the same techniques used on a mat in traditional Thai massage. The client wears loose-fitting clothing, and no oil is used on the body.

The benefits of a Table Thai massage include an increased range of motion, flexibility, relaxation of tense muscles and relief of joint stiffness. This treatment can assist also athletes in improving their performance. Table Thai massage promotes calmness and inner peace while enhancing the mind-body connection. Caruso is excited to introduce you to Table Thai for only $59 throughout the month of September.

Location: 301 Albee Rd. W., Nokomis. To schedule an appointment, call 941-244-2006.

6

Peace River Edition

www.peaceriverna.com

Natural Awakenings Family of Franchises Keeps Growing

N

atural Awakenings Publishing Corp. (NAPC) recently welcomed new publishers that completed a training program in early August at the corporate headquarters in Naples, Florida. NAPC staff spent several days with the entrepreneurs launching a new Natural Awakenings edition in Philadelphia and renewing publication of the existing Southeast Louisiana magazine.

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

“Living a conscious lifestyle that supports our well-being and the sustainability of planet Earth has become more important than ever,” says Bruckman. “Our dedicated family of publishers, supported by loyal advertisers, connects readers with the resources they need to create a healthier, happy world that works for all living things.”

For a list of locations where Natural Awakenings is publishing or to learn more about franchise opportunities, call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag. com. See ad, page 4.

Holistic Holiday at Sea Sets Sail in February

T

he next opportunity is approaching to learn from many of the world’s leading experts in getting and staying healthy during a one-week Caribbean cruise vacation. A Holistic Holiday at Sea, cited by National Geographic Traveler as “one of the 100 best worldwide vacations to enrich your life,” will depart on its 13th “Voyage to Well-Being” on February 27 next year with 35 teachers, 130 classes, a vegan menu and myriad social events.

Guests may choose from a wide spectrum of classes and workshops, ranging from several types of yoga, fitness and meditation to presentations on integrative medicine, plant-based nutrition, 10 cooking classes and lectures from a host of luminaries that include Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. Michael Klaper. The cruise begins and ends in Miami, with ports of call at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Nassau, Bahamas.

The unique concept is the brainchild of Sandy Pukel, who previously conducted health educational programs in Miami for four decades. His first cruise attracted 400 people; more than a decade later, it counts among one of the largest national holistic events, hosting 1,850 like-minded cruisers on each voyage. “This relaxing vacation and educational experience has profoundly changed thousands of lives,” he says.

For more information or to register, call 800-496-0989 or 877-844-7977 or visit HolisticHolidayAtSea.com.

Curious about Energy Healing?

T

he Brennan Healing Science Practitioners Association is offering free monthly guided meditations, video lectures, webinars, talk shows, interviews, channelings and published papers on healing and other topics. These works are created by the associates and presented on the website for your viewing.

All associates are graduates of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH), a four-year program of intense study for the unfolding of personal growth and cutting edge healing techniques. The primary goal of the BBSH graduates is to heal self-first and to learn advanced healing skills to help heal individuals and humanity.

Brennan Healing Science Practitioners live and work across the U.S. and around the world as healers, authors, attorneys, teachers, therapists, artists, in medicine, and professions they feel most able to offer their talents and healing skills. They are also great parents and everyday people with a strong sense of self. They care about humanity.

On the website, you can read about the origin of Brennan Healing Science, the graduates’ training and the intent of a session. Join the email list to receive updated free educational material and pay-for events around the U.S. or on the web, all presented by the associates.

For more information energy healing or the associates visit, BrennanProfessionalHealers.org/ or follow on Facebook via Brennan Healing Science-USA.

natural awakenings

September 2015

7

newsbriefs

healthbriefs

Englewood Daily Exercise Adds Yoga Center Five Years to Life Introduces New R Classes A t Englewood Yoga Center, we offer both private and semi-private Aerial Yoga classes. Using gravity to your advantage, decompress your spine and challenge your body in new ways. You will gain flexibility, muscular tone and cardiovascular health as you increase joint mobility and gently decompress the vertebrae of the spine, a restorative and strengthening practice.

In addition, try our Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls Classes, combining the healing properties of yoga with sound therapy. The sound vibrations emanating from the crystal bowls re-tune the listener’s body by opening, clearing and re-balancing each chakra. It’s been scientifically established that each of these energy centers are associated with a musical note or vibrational frequency. Return to wholeness as you are guided through a deeply restorative yoga flow, surrendering to gravity and sensations which aids in the removal of tension and blocks in the flow of energy in your body and mind.

We also offer yoga every day on beautiful Englewood Beach! The beach is a place of healing and joy. The salt cleanses us and the sun embraces us in its warmth. The ocean heals the heart, mind, and soul. The overall high vibrational beach energy draws us in.

When we feel compelled to visit it, we must understand that it is a soul call for healing.

Englewood Yoga Center offers a variety of yoga classes designed to meet your needs at any level of practice.

Our instructors focus on the needs and experience level of the individuals participating in the class.

Location: 3455 S Access Rd., Englewood. For more information, call 941-473-0135 or visit LovingLightYoga. com.

8

Peace River Edition

esearch published this year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has determined that just 30 minutes of exercise, six days a week, can result in a reduced risk of early death by 40 percent, regardless of the intensity of the exercise.

The researchers followed nearly 15,000 men born between 1923 and 1932.

The men’s exercise and sedentary levels were measured along with the number of deaths that occurred during two 12-year study periods. In the second 12-year period, the researchers followed almost 6,000 of the surviving men. The researchers compared those men that were sedentary with those that exercised either moderately or intensely and found that moderate to intense exercise increased their average lifespan by five years. This improvement was comparable to the difference between smoking and non-smoking, according to the researchers.

The data comes from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, in Oslo. The scientists’ finding confirms that public health practices for elderly men should include efforts to increase physical activity, along with efforts to reduce smoking.

Muscle-Building Supplements Linked to Testicular Cancer

N

ew research published in the British Journal of Cancer has found that taking muscle-building supplements can increase the risk of testicular cancer by up to 65 percent. The study monitored 356 cancer patients and 513 control subjects, all from Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The case-control study was conducted by researchers from the Yale School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Public Health, and tested for testicular germ cell cancer.

About 90 percent of testicular cancers originate from germ cells.

The researchers found the subjects that used multiple musclebuilding supplements and those that began using the supplements when they were younger had the greatest risk of developing cancer.

GREEN TEA, APPLES AND COCOA PROTECT AGAINST CANCER AND ARTERIAL PLAQUE

R

esearch published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research has found a new mechanism that may provide the key to why some foods are particularly healthy. The researchers found that epigallocatechin gallates, a class of polyphenols contained in green tea, apples, cocoa and other herbs and foods, blocks vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, which is implicated in the buildup of plaque in the arteries, as well as cancer growth. Blocking VEGF helps prevent angiogenesis—when tumors form new blood vessels that help them grow.

The researchers, from the Institute of Food Research, in Norwich, in the United Kingdom, tested the polyphenols, as well as human cells, in the laboratory.

www.peaceriverna.com

Yoga Boosts Brain Gray Matter

R

esearch from the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University Medical Center has found that a regular hatha yoga practice increases gray matter within the brain, reversing the loss found among those with chronic pain. The researchers tested seven hatha yoga meditation practitioners and seven non-practitioners.

Each of the subjects underwent tests for depression, anxiety, moods and cognition levels, along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.

The scientists found that the brains of the yoga meditation practitioners contained significantly greater gray matter by volume in key brain regions, including the frontal, temporal and occipital cortices, plus the cerebellum and the hippocampus, compared to the non-yoga subjects.

The yoga meditation practitioners also had more gray area in the prefrontal cortex regions that are involved in decision-making, reward/consequence, control and coordination.

Support Groups Keep Artery Patients Mobile

R

esearch published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has determined that when peripheral artery disease patients engage in behavioral support groups that encourage exercise, they realize increased mobility.

The researchers from Northwestern University followed 194 patients for a year, testing subjects at six months and again at 12 months. The patients were divided into two groups; one attended weekly intervention group meetings, while the control group attended weekly lectures.

After six months, the researchers found that only 6.3 percent of those that attended the support group meetings experienced mobility loss, compared to 26.5 percent of those that didn’t attend the meetings.

After one year, the support group attendees again showed positive results. The control group had 18.5 percent loss in mobility, while only 5.2 percent of the support group attendees did.

Healthy Food for a Healthy Life

“The Journey In is where you will find that which you have always been searching for”. -Charu-

Exploring The Inner Dimensions of Yoga & Yoga Nidra

The Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation technique, assessible to everyone. It has the power to take you to the innermost, deepest levels of relaxation where your whole body and being is permeate by peace of mind and profound stillness.

Studio Offerings: Weekly Amrit Yoga, Yoga Therapeutics, Meditation in Motion & Yoga Nidra (Meditation) Classes, Transformational Workshops, 6 Week Corporate Stress Management Program, Private Yoga Therapeutics, Yoga, & Life Coaching

Our New Menus Are Here!

New Smoothies, Juices, Gluten-Free Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner items

For more details:

NEW Student Special $57.00 1 month unlimited classes *1 time offer for new students only

visit CafeEvergreen.net or Facebook

Journey Into Complete Well-Being Yoga & Meditation Center

801 Tamiami Trail S. | Nokomis, FL 34275

265 E. Marion Ave. Suite #117 C, Punta Gorda, Fl. 33950 (772)485-0605 • www.journeyinstudio.com

941.412.4334 | cafeevergreen.net natural awakenings

September 2015

9

globalbriefs Spring Cleaning

Connecticut Initiates Mattress Recycling Connecticut has introduced the nation’s first-ever mattress recycling program to get old beds off the curb and into the renewable waste stream via Park City Green, a cavernous warehouse in Bridgeport where mattresses go to die and get reborn. One of only two mattress recycling facilities in the state, it employs workers that manually break down bedding parts, separating the materials into giant piles of foam, mounds of cotton and tall stacks of metal springs. All this gets shipped off to junk dealers to be recycled and reclaimed for later use in the metal industry or as backing for carpets.

The city had been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to pick up mattresses on trash day and break them apart for disposal, but that figure is expected to drop to zero and create jobs at the same time. Connecticut’s program is voluntary, so municipalities don’t have to participate. But because it’s already being paid for by consumers and the mattress industry, state officials expect the program to grow.

Already, more than 60 Connecticut communities are participating.

October 25, 2015 Sponsored by People for Trees, Inc.  An on-road scenic ride through the beautiful pine flatwoods of North Port! It is NOT a race!  Choose your distance, 15, 35, or 65 miles.

Pre-registration of $40 includes: Breakfast by First Watch, catered lunch, desserts, rest stops with homemade snacks, and mobile SAG provided by Louie’s Bicycle and The Bicycle Center of Port Charlotte.

FREE ride t-shirt, “got shade?” sunglasses and goody bag guaranteed to the first 250 who pre-register by Oct. 23.

Begins: Imagine School (Upper Campus) 2757 Sycamore St. 34289 with breakfast @ 7AM Group Starts begin @ 8AM Proceeds benefit the efforts of People for Trees, Inc., a 501©3 non-profit group that strives to create awareness about the importance of protecting and maintaining our native tree canopy through educational programs, workshops, and tree plantings.

The Tour de North Port is being supported by: Natural Awakenings of Sarasota, Real Bikes, FirstWatch Daytime Café, T’s Plus, ROI Media, Patriot Storage, Sunny Days Ice Cream, The North Port UPS Store, Anytime Fitness, Heron Creek Animal Hospital, Bruce Henry/Hathaway Home Services, The Power & Light Co. Registration: www.peoplefortrees.com Contact: Alice White (941)426-9752 or treelady12001@yahoo.com “Save a tree today, and we’ll all breathe a little easier!”

10

Peace River Edition

www.peaceriverna.com

Secular Socialization Today’s Young Adults Are the Least Religious Ever

Researchers led by San Diego State University Psychology Professor Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., found that millennials are the least religious generation of the last six decades, and possibly in the nation’s history. They analyzed data from 11.2 million respondents from four nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 18 taken between 1966 and 2014.

Results published in the journal PLOS One conclude that recent adolescents are less likely to say that religion is important in their lives, report less approval of religious organizations and find themselves feeling less spiritual and spending less time praying or meditating. “Unlike previous studies, ours is able to show that millennials’ lower religious involvement is due to cultural change, not to their being young and unsettled,” says Twenge, who is also the author of Generation Me.

“Millennial adolescents are less religious than Boomers and GenXers were at the same ages,” she notes. “We also looked at younger ages than the previous studies. More of today’s adolescents are abandoning religion before they reach adulthood, with an increasing number not raised with religion at all.”

Source: San Diego State University

A photographer gets people to pose for him.

A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves. ~T. Guillemets

The Meditative Dimension of Yoga

A

n authentic practice of yoga creates a paradigm shift from our conflictcreating, stress-producing interaction between the body, mind, heart and soul which brings them into the unity of integration and oneness. This is the meaning and purpose of the practice of yoga. Healthcare, business professionals, educators, parents, students and the public are waking up to a deep spiritual hunger, a time to explore the deeper meditative and spiritual dimensions of yoga.

The range of yoga has grown but its depth has yet to be explored. The physical practice of Hatha Yoga is one wing, and the spiritual dimension of Raja Yoga (meditation) is the other wing. Your practice will not fly by flapping one wing faster and faster.

Yoga is not one or the other. It is the combination that moves your practice deeper.

I AM Yoga TM (Integrative Amrit Yoga) evolved from insights into the ancient sage Patanjali’s Ashtanga (eight-limbed) Yoga. Patanjali, the Father of Yoga and author of the Yoga Sutras, recommends that yoga be practiced as a combination of Hatha and Raja Yoga where the outer physical discipline is combined with inner mental and emotional disciplines. I AM Yoga uniquely integrates Patanjali’s wisdom where all eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are practiced simultaneously.

The result is a holistic approach that combines the inner and outer dimensions of yoga.

The meditative dimension of yoga releases the energies trapped in the body as self-destructive habits and compulsive behavior patterns that continue to create ongoing stress. This stress is toxic to your body and mind. It appears as emotional irritation, frustration, anxiety, insomnia and fatigue. These symptoms have a crippling effect that destroy your health, as well as the relationships in your love life, family life and work life.

In the practice of dynamic meditation (Meditation in motion), all the physical benefits are still present. More importantly, the meditative aspect of your practice enables you to encounter and dissolve mental, physical and emotional blocks that disconnect you from your inner source of healing, empowerment and wholeness.

The more you suffer from stress, the further you move away from your inner source of harmony, peace, love and oneness within yourself. This separation is experienced no matter where you go, what you do or whom you are with.

Now is the time to recapture the original spirit of yoga that is missing when the practice of Asanas is separated from its meditative dimension. This combination of physical and meditative is the heart and soul in the practice of yoga. With this understanding, you can go beyond the limitations of both body and mind. These limitations are the fundamental cause of all human suffering.

Through the practice of I AM Yoga TM, you create a paradigm shift where you establish a conscious connection to the power of your inner source. This connection to consciousness that you cultivate on a yoga mat automatically supports, guides and protects you no matter where you go, what you do or who you are with. In this integrated state, your thinking, feeling, doing and being are unified. This is the true experience of Yoga.

Yogi Amrit Desai is recognized and honored worldwide as a pioneer of authentic yoga in the West. Over the past 54 years, more than eight thousand yoga teachers in 45 countries have been trained in the yoga systems he developed. He is the founder of one of the largest yoga and health centers in North America, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and now Amrit Yoga Institute, the thriving Yoga and Ayurveda Center in Salt Springs, Florida.

More than an Ad...

It’s a presence in our community .

Advertising with Natural Awakenings reaches your direct market and allows you to be seen in print, online, on Facebook and Twitter, on mobile devices, and through email blasts.

Our conscious consumers are looking for you!

“In my opinion, Natural Awakenings advertising is without a doubt the finest representative advertising vehicle in Sarasota and Manatee Counties”. We have been extremely satisfied with their commitment to our success in all of our marketing campaigns...

Natural Awakenings continues to be our number one lead source. J Kamore, Macys Pest Control.

Become part of our community today call

941.564.0885

For more information call 352-685-3001 or visit AmritYoga.org. natural awakenings

September 2015

11

coverartist

The Subtle Art of Superconscious Aging

by Juliette Jones

“S Three Pose Success Carolee Clark “I believe that everyone is creative in different ways,” says Oregon artist Carolee Clark. “It might manifest itself in cooking, gardening or other creative activities. I am a visual person, and my learning experience throughout my schooling was influenced by this proclivity. I view the world as spatial, noticing colors and patterns.”

A full-time artist since 1998, Clark began painting with watercolors, experimented with pastels and now works mainly with acrylics, favoring landscapes and figures as subject matter.

“My friends tease me about how I continually try new directions and am never satisfied with the work I’m doing at the moment,” she confides, “but I like to push myself to explore bold, new ideas.”

One element of Clark’s ever-evolving passion has remained unchanged: her love of drawing, which enables her to quickly capture her ideas as realistically or abstractly as she desires, and then concentrate on color choices and the application of paints. She explains, “I like to exaggerate forms in a playful manner and use unusual colors and intriguing calligraphic brushwork and patterns.”

Clark’s artwork is held in private collections throughout North America, Europe and Australia. View her portfolio at CaroleeClark.com and her blog at CaroleeClark.WordPress.com.

12

Peace River Edition

uperconscious aging” implies an alternative perspective on aging, or perhaps a vastly different way to negotiate the aging process. Is there a way to look at lifespan which lies beyond current, ordinary conscious perception? Does the mind of the spirit grasp the cycles of aging differently than the ego-mind? Further, is there a purpose for human longevity that is not yet well known or understood?

Most people want to live long, full lives. We know there are many ways to care for ourselves in support of the aging process and longevity – proper exercise, healthy nutrition, detoxification, reduction of stress, the company we keep, creative self-actualization, numerous “state-of-the-art” anti-aging technologies can be applied to the quest for lasting vitality.

Superconscious aging involves more subtle, esoteric ways to support ourselves as we move through time. These modalities are extremely powerful, but hidden or overlooked because they lie beneath our current cultural radar. In the Western world, we haven’t been exposed to the profound purpose and spiritually-conscious objective that fuels the drive for life extension held by Eastern masters of longevity.

Familial and cultural beliefs about the passage of time and aging become internalized and, therefore, affect the way we approach life cycles and enjoyment of life itself. We live in a culture that values youth, and this bespeaks of a healthy desire to be the best that we can be through vital living.

On the other hand, the process of aging has natural roots – youth passes… age happens. When truth is denied in ways that are out of balance or unconsciously destructive, the result is less than positive. If we fail to appreciate the deeper meaning inherent in each life cycle and willingly embrace the teachings which present themselves in each phase, we shortchange our life path in many important ways.

A quest for the Fountain of Youth is anything but new, but in today’s milieu of Western materialism and advancing science, aging is often viewed as a disability, and time itself as a destructive process. Larry Dossey, M.D., describes the prevailing Western temporal view as that of a two dimensional timeline on which we progress forward from past through present to future. Our existence in time becomes progressively more limited as forward movement occurs, and the older we get, the closer we get to the end of this line. Inevitably, we drop off the line and cease to exist. Dossey observes this construct as both stress producing and depressing.

Thus, the worldview of time and aging in the mainstream West is fundamentally based on perceptions of the ego. This perspective is finitude, and time is seen as a destructive process which leads to death of the mortal self. There is no expanded recognition of higher dimensional reality or even mention of the ever-present now – a recognition, I might add, which not only relieves stress, but expands our view of time and being.

In the West, we now combat this perspective with the relatively new appearance of anti-aging science and technology. The accepted definition of anti-aging has to do with the delay or termination of the aging process. At the vanguard of this movement, scientists like Aubrey de Grey work to achieve an “anti-aging

www.peaceriverna.com

escape velocity,” whereby “successive medical advances postpone aging and extend lifespan faster than the passage of time.” De Gray sees aging as a disease and “a barbaric phenomenon that shouldn’t be tolerated in polite society.” Of course, the so-called “cure for aging” would entail cultural-, social- and resource-related consequences.

The Dark Side of Anti-Aging

Are we in a war against aging? Is this good, bad thing or both? “Earth School,” as I refer to our time here on earth, features a curriculum where change is absolute and, at this time in history, “change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.” (R.D. Laing) Like it or not, we are rapidly moving into a very different future than we have previously known. At the moment, however, the phenomenon of aging is met with a significant amount of unprocessed fear and prejudice.

There is a tremendous push in cultural media to exacerbate this fear of aging. Every few minutes, commercials blast over the airwaves designed to create anxiety over the aging process, featuring messages like, “Time is a thief. One out of two women will get osteoporosis.” These fear-based messages are not aimed at health education or real solutions to challenges, but rather material profit. In a similar manner, this also applies to the induced fear of financial failure, loneliness and other social ills associated with aging.

Internalized fear-based messages about time and aging incubate negative expectations and affect enjoyment of life.

Besides the practical challenges connected to aging in our society, there is added internal pressure for those who lose self-respect due to loss of social roles that allow them to be useful and productive. In a hyper-material, fast-paced culture, older people are often viewed as irrelevant or burdensome.

How cultures view and treat their elderly is closely linked to what is considered valuable or treasured. For example, the Koreans and Japanese hold great respect for the elderly and demonstrate this through special celebrations commemorating the accumulation of years as signposts on life’s journey. Latin cultures place great value on family life, often living together as extended family where generational tasks are understood. Breadwinners work outside the home, while the older generation watches over the young. The aged make an important contribution, are integrated into the family culture and, are valued in their role as elders.

The Spiritual Purpose of Longevity

There is evidence of an amazing culture in the East which prizes human longevity and boasts the longest lived people in the world. This culture is not based on ethnicity but the practice of yoga mastership, as described in The Lives and Teachings of the Yogi’s of India. Fate Magazine’s August 2007 issue referenced these individuals documented as living at least 240 years or, in one case, even longer. Moreover, quantity of years is not the endpoint of this extraordinary life extension. Instead, quality of life is primary.

In the fabric of this culture, the point of human longevity is spiritual in nature – to mature a physical vehicle capable of superconsciousness. The accumulation of years, therefore, appears to amplify an ability to develop subtle energies presently unknown to Western mainstream science. Accordingly,

these yogis have learned to evolve a transpersonal, super-ordinary physiology – a kind of time machine for the purpose of evolution.

“None but those who see for themselves will ever believe, do what you may… But so long as men doubt, there will be curiosity and enquiry.” – Anonymous Hindu Adept Sri Aurobindo, in his practice of Integral Yoga, spoke of a science of spirit pointing to a new path of human evolution.

“After attaining the final state of union with the supermind, a yogi begins a structural reorganization of the body at a molecular level and alters the cellular construction” (called the “Diamond Body”). This is the final stage of human development, to create a deathless vehicle for consciousness to operate free from the limitations of flesh. With the attainment of such a vehicle, the yogi is capable of miraculous phenomena.

This worldview of time and aging is based on the perceptions of higher mind. The perspective is infinitude. Aging is viewed as a privilege which lends advantage to spiritual development, and the body is not viewed as core identity. By nature, the human mind regards anything outside its commonly accepted framework as impossible. If our feet are only at the beginning of the path of truth, we may wish to consider that both Eastern and western paradigms of understanding are looking to discover the narrow way to the divine harbor for which all human ships are searching.

“There will come a day when science and religion will walk hand in hand.”Ernest Holmes

Englewood Beach Yoga is 8:30am-9:30am Every Day

Good Morning Yoga Every Day

Join us for Good Morning Yoga on Englewood Beach for a one hour class which is open to all levels, ages and abilities! Holidays included!!!

8:30am-9:30am Every Day, 365 Days a year Tuesday & Thursday 7:45am-8:15 am Morning Sun Salutations with Lata

Englewood Beach Park Sunset Yoga Wednesdays

Englewood Yoga Center A variety of Yoga classes for all ages and abilities with additional classes in Aerial Yoga, Blindfold Yoga and Sound Healing Crystal Bowl Concerts with Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Chakra Yoga/Meditation.

941-417-0135 • 3455 S. Access Road, Englewood

www.lovinglightyoga.com natural awakenings

September 2015

13

AGELESS BEING Staying Vibrant in Mind, Body and Spirit

by Kathleen Barnes

Agelessness: Engaging in and experiencing life without fear of falling, failing or falling apart.

I

n a nutshell, that’s the philosophy of visionary women’s health expert Dr. Christiane Northrup, of Yarmouth, Maine, as explored in her latest book, Goddesses Never Age.

“We’re long overdue for a paradigm shift about how we feel about growing older,” says Northrup. “You can change your future by adopting a new, ageless attitude that will help you flourish physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We don’t have to buy into modern medicine’s promotion of the idea of the pathology of aging.”

One of Northrup’s primary admonitions: “Don’t tell anyone how old you are. Another birthday means nothing.”

Maintain a Sound Mind

Our Western society fosters a belief system that we will become decrepit, frail 14

Peace River Edition

and mentally feeble at a certain age.

“When my mother turned 50, her mailbox suddenly filled with ads for adult diapers, walkers and long-term care insurance,” Northrup quips. The point is well taken. Think vibrant, healthy, gorgeous and yes, sexy Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, Chris Rock and Brooke Shields—all 50 or older—as the targets of ads for Depend.

We’re living and working longer, and many of us are feeling, looking and staying young longer. So is 60 the new 40? Yes, say State University of New York at Stony Brook researchers, and further note that we’re generally leading longer and healthier lives.

Centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. In the 2010 census, 53,364 people had surpassed their 100th year, an increase

www.peaceriverna.com

of 40 percent over the 1980 census, and more than 80 percent of them are women. The National Institute on Aging projects that this number could increase tenfold or more by 2050.

What we think of as “old” has changed. Many baby boomers refuse to buy into the mythology of aging, bristle at being called senior citizens and especially dislike being called elderly.

Their position is backed by science.

Stem cell biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., author of Biology of Belief and currently a visiting professor at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic, in Auckland, is best known for promoting the concept that DNA can be changed by belief, for good or ill.

Lipton explains that we all have billions of stem cells designed to repair or replace damaged—and aging—tissues and organs. “[These cells] are profoundly influenced by our thoughts and perceptions about the environment,” Lipton explains. “Hence our beliefs about aging can either interfere with or enhance stem cell function, causing our physiological regeneration or decline.”

“Yes, we are destined to grow older, but decrepitude and what we call aging is an optional state,” Northrup adds.

“Our genes, nutrition and environment are under our control far more than we may have thought.” More, she says, “Words are powerful. Don’t talk yourself into believing your brain is turning to mush just because you are over 40.”

Take Control of the Body

“Manage the four horsemen of the aging apocalypse,” encourages nutrition and longevity expert Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., a Los Angeles board-certified nutritionist and author of The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer. He says the aging process, including disease, loss of physical or mental function and the general breakdown of systems, is caused by one or more of four factors: oxidative damage (literally rusty cells); inflammation; glycation (excess sugar, metabolic syndrome); and stress.

“Collectively, they damage cells and DNA, wear down organs and systems, deeply damage the vascular pathways that deliver blood and oxygen to the entire body, and even shrink brain size,” explains Bowden.

While it may seem like a tall order to make lifestyle changes that vanquish these four horsemen, Bowden says they can be broken into manageable elements by employing an arsenal of healthful weapons: whole foods, nutrients, stress-reduction techniques, exercise, detoxification and relationship improvement. “All of these actually do double duty, battling more than one of the four processes that can effectively shorten your life,” he reports, based on his 25 years of study.

Oxidative Damage

Consider what rust does to metal. That’s what free radical oxygen molecules do to cells. Over time, they damage them and cause aging from within.

“Oxidative damage plays a major role in virtually every degenerative disease of aging, from Alzheimer’s to cancer to heart disease and diabetes, even immune dysfunction,” says Bowden.

His recommended key to destroying free radicals is a diet rich in antioxidants, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats, nuts, grassfed meats and organic dairy products.

Avoid environmental free radicals that show up in toxic chemicals by eating as much organic food as possible and avidly avoiding residues of the poisonous pesticides and herbicides sprayed on crops eaten by people and livestock.

Inflammation

Long-term inflammation is a silent killer because it operates beneath the radar, often unnoticed, damaging blood vessel walls. Like oxidative damage, inflammation is a factor in all the degenerative diseases associated with aging, says Bowden.

His suggestion: First, get a C-reactive protein (CRP) test to determine the levels of inflammation in our body.

A CRP level over 3 milligrams/liter indicates a high risk of a heart attack.

Anti-inflammatory foods like onions, garlic, leafy greens, tomatoes, beans, nuts and seeds have all been widely scientifically proven to reduce chronic inflammation.

Glycation

This is the result of excessive sugar that glues itself to protein or fat molecules, leaving a sticky mess that creates advanced glycation end (AGE) products

Compute Your Real Age Lifestyle choices can make our bodies older, or younger, than our number of orbits around the sun, according to Michael Roizen, a doctor of internal medicine and author of This is Your Do-Over: The 7 Secrets of Losing Weight, Living Longer, and Getting a Second Chance at the Life You Want. “Seventy percent of aging is in the simple things you do or don’t do,” he maintains.

Here are a few sobering examples: n An unresolved major life stressor, such as a divorce, being sued, the death of a close relative or other traumatic events, can add up to 32 years to chronological age. Managing the stress adds a relatively insignificant two years. n Swap out saturated fats (cheese and meat) for monounsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts and avocados). Subtract 2.5 years from chronological age. n Get up out of the chair every 15 minutes and also take a 10-minute walk every two hours. Subtract 2.1 years from chronological age. n Have close friends. Subtract 2.1 years from chronological age.

Take the Real Age test at ShareCare.com/RealAge.

that damage all body systems and are acknowledged culprits in the dreaded diseases associated with aging.

Bowden’s basic answer is to minimize intake of sugar and simple carbs; anything made with white flour or white rice. Also avoid fried dishes and any foods cooked at high temperatures that actually skip the glycation production in the body and deliver harmful AGEs directly from the food. He advises taking 1,000 mg of carnosine (available in health food stores) daily to prevent glycation.

Stress

The long-term effects of physical, mental or emotional stress are tremendously damaging to the human physiology.

Sustained exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can shrink parts of the brain, damage blood vessels, increase blood sugar levels, heart rate and blood pressure and contribute to chronic inflammation, according to wellestablished science recorded in the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Bowden warns, “Stress management is not a luxury.” In its many forms, including prayer, meditation and breathing exercises, it should be part of any agelessness program. Deep, restful sleep is as vital a component as ending toxic relationships, having a nurturing circle of friends and doing familiar, gentle exercise such as yoga or tai chi.

Overall, Bowden adds, “Rather than thinking of such endeavors as anti-aging, I strive to embody the concept of age independence. I admire former Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, who resigned from the court when he reached age 90 because he wanted to play more tennis.”

Bowden recommends embracing the concept of “squaring the curve”, meaning that instead of anticipating and experiencing a long downhill slope of poor health leading to death, “I look at a long plateau of health, with a steep drop-off at the end.”

Wellness guru Dr. Michael Roizen, chair of the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute, contends that although our chronological age can’t be changed, “Your ‘real age’ [calculated from data he collected from 60 million people] is the result of a wide variety of factors that are within your control.

natural awakenings

September 2015

15

tiful: BeauNaturally!

European Hair Designer

specializes in: All Nutrient Organic Hair Color/ Products Contemporary hair cutting/shaping techniques

Helix USA design cuts by Jutta Call 941-629-0074 Today for your professional consultation withJutta

The “Vines” Shopping Center 701 JC Center Court, Unit 10 Port Charlotte, FL www.europeanhairdesigner.com

Together We Can Make A Difference

Dietary choices alone can make you 13 years younger or older than your actual age.”

Roizen adds uncontrolled portion sizes, tobacco use and physical inactivity to the list of life-shortening lifestyle options.

Align with Spirit

“If you don’t have some kind of spiritual foundation, literally, God help you,” says Northrup. “God isn’t confined to a book or a church, mosque or synagogue.

Divinity is the creative loving, vital flow of life force that we’re all part of and connected to. Our bodies are exquisite expressions meant to embody, not deny our spirits.”

Touch, pleasure and sex can be part of it, too. Individuals that have the most fulfilling sex lives live the longest, according to researchers conducting the University of California, Riverside’s Longevity Project. “Pleasure comes in infinite forms,” says Northrup. “It can mean the exquisite taste of a pear or the sound of an angelic symphony, the kiss of sun on skin, the laughter of a child, spending time with friends or creating a pastel landscape. When you experience pleasure, God comes through and

you become aware of your divine nature. You’ll find that joy comes in ways that are unique to you.”

Connection with the natural world is an essential element of agelessness, says Northrup. “The human body evolved to walk on the Earth, drinking its water, breathing its air and basking in its sunlight.” The bottom line is, “Agelessness is all about vitality. Taking all the right supplements and pills, or getting the right procedure isn’t the prescription for anti-aging,” says this renowned physician. “It’s ageless living that brings back a sense of vibrancy and youthfulness.”

We could live to be well over 100 years old and, as Northrup likes to paraphrase Abraham Hicks, of The Law of Attraction fame, “Wouldn’t you rather have your life end something like this: ‘Happy-healthy, happy-healthy, happy-healthy, dead.’ Isn’t that a lot better than suffering sickness, decrepitude and frailty for years?”

Kathleen Barnes is the author of numerous books on natural health, her latest being Food Is Medicine: 101 Prescriptions from the Garden. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.

Age-Defying Exercise

by Kathleen Barnes

JOIN US! How does your product, service or project support our local or global community?

Be a part of our special Working Together October Issue 16

Peace River Edition

S

pecially designed movements performed to music can dramatically improve memory, as well as slow the process of physical aging, according to Denise Medved, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, the founder of Ageless Grace.

Medved’s foundational physical and mental exercise classes involve 21 exercises that promote brain plasticity by activating all five functions of the brain: analytic, strategic, kinesthetic learning, memory/recall and creativity and imagination. Find videos of Ageless Grace exercises by searching YouTube, including this one: n While sitting in a chair (all exercises are taught in this position to develop core strength), make a circle with the right lower arm. n Add a triangular motion with the left foot. n Next, add a horizontal movement with the left hand. n Finally, do the entire series in reverse.

Classes are available in all 50 states and in 12 countries. To find a teacher nearby, visit AgelessGrace.com.

www.peaceriverna.com

healingways

Choose Happiness Four Tips to Flip the Joy Switch

by Linda Joy

A

recent Harris Interactive poll indicates that only one in three Americans are happy. Success, education and increases in annual household income create only marginally more happiness. So what will it take to go the distance?

Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness endeavors to discover just that. Its collection of intimate stories from more than two dozen women reveals telling insights—most profoundly, that happiness is a choice that anyone can make, regardless of their history or circumstances. Four tips from contributors to the book show how we all can rise up out of our troubles to the other side, shining.

Let Go of ‘Supposed To’

Family, friends and society exert pressure on us to achieve certain goals or impose their definition of success.

When our soul doesn’t fit the mold, exciting things can happen.

Happiness strategist Kristi Ling seemed to have it all: a high-powered job in Hollywood, significant income and the envy of all her friends—but her

success felt empty. She writes from her home in Los Angeles, “Each morning I’d get up thinking about who I needed to please, and then prepare myself to exist for another day. I looked and felt exhausted just about all the time.

The worst part was that I thought I was doing everything right!”

After a middle-of-the-night epiphany, Ling left her job and set out to discover what her heart wanted. She began following a completely different life path as a coach and healer, in which success means manifesting joy.

Be Grateful Now

While we’re striving to change our life or wishing things could have been different, we often forget to pay attention to what we have right now.

Boni Lonnsburry, a conscious creation expert and founder/CEO of Inner Art, Inc., in Boulder, Colorado, writes about the morning she decided to choose happiness, despite the enormous challenges she was facing, including divorce, foreclosure, bankruptcy and possible homelessness. “I thought to myself, ‘Yes, my life could be better, but it also could be a hell of a lot worse. I’m healthy and smart—why, I even have some wisdom. Why am I focusing on how terrible everything is?’”

Using the power of her choice to be happy right now, Lonnsburry not only found joy amidst the adversity, but created love and success beyond her wildest dreams.

Let Love In

We all want to feel loved, but when we’re afraid of getting hurt, we put up barriers

to protect ourselves, even against the love we want.

Certified Relationship Coach Stacey Martino, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, writes, “From the first day we met, I’d been waiting for [my boyfriend] Paul to end our relationship. I begged him for another chance—not for our relationship, but to be my authentic self—to figure out who I am and show up in our relationship as the real me.”

Fourteen years later, Martino and her boyfriend, now husband, are still exploring the depths of their love for one another. For them, the choice to be vulnerable was the gateway to happiness.

Look Inward Instead of to Others

If we can’t own our pain, how can we create our joy? Choosing happiness means taking full responsibility for our state of mind, with no excuses.

Lisa Marie Rosati, of Kings Park, New York, who today helps other women catalyze their own transformation, writes: “I didn’t want to accept what was going on inside [me], so I looked outside for a way to make things better. I depended on intimate relationships to complete me, and on friends and acquaintances for entertainment. My self-esteem floated on incoming compliments and I absolutely never wanted to spend a minute alone with my own thoughts, lest they erode whatever happiness I possessed at the moment. I was exhausted, frustrated and quite frankly, pissed off.”

It took a flash of insight to set Rosati free of her patterns of blame—and then realizing she could create her own fulfillment was all it took to catapult her into a place of empowerment. Look out, world!

As Los Angeles happiness expert and Positive Psychology Coach Lisa Cypers Kamen says, “Happiness is an inside job.” Joy, love and inspired living are ours for the taking—all we must do is choose.

Linda Joy is the heart of Inspired Living Publishing and Aspire magazine. Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness is her third in a series of bestselling anthologies. Next up is Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Cultivating Joy. Learn more at InspiredLivingPublishing.com.

natural awakenings

September 2015

17

consciouseating

SURF TO TURF U.S. Farmed Seafood That’s Safe and Sustainable

by Judith Fertig

Wild-caught fish from pure waters is the gold standard of seafood, but sustainable populations from healthy waters are shrinking. That’s one reason why fish farms are appearing in unusual places—barramundi flourish on a Nebraska cattle ranch, shrimp in chilly Massachusetts and inland tilapia in Southern California.

W

ith the demand for seafood outpacing what can safely be harvested in the wild, half the seafood we eat comes from aquaculture, says Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Yet, farmed seafood has a reputation for uneven quality and questionable farming practices. A primary reason is that much of what Americans buy comes from Asia, where aquaculture is less stringently managed. Meanwhile, domestic aquaculture provides only about 5 percent of the seafood consumed here, according to NOAA.

Safe Seafood Solutions

If we want to eat safer, sustainable, farmed seafood, there are two solutions. One is to purchase farmed fish raised in the U.S., says Sullivan. The agency’s FishWatch consumer information service assures: “If it’s harvested in the United States, it’s inherently 18

Peace River Edition

sustainable as a result of the rigorous U.S. management process that ensures fisheries are continuously monitored, improved and sustainable.”

Whole Foods Markets have found that farming seafood (aquaculture) can provide a consistent, high-quality, year-round supply of healthy and delicious protein. Accordingly, “When it’s done right, aquaculture can be environmentally friendly and offer a crucial way to supplement wild-caught fish supplies. On the other hand, poor farming practices such as the overuse of chemicals and antibiotics and those that cause water pollution and other negative impacts on the environment are bad news.”

A second solution is to consult with a trusted fishmonger that has high standards for flavor, health, safety, sustainability and environmental concerns.

The Green Fish Farmer

Chefs like Rick Moonen, who owns RM Seafood, in Las Vegas, are getting

www.peaceriverna.com

behind U.S. aquaculture farms that do it right, raising healthy, sustainable and delicious fish. Moonen recently became a brand ambassador for True North Salmon, a farm system that integrates the way nature keeps fish healthy and fresh. “They have a salmon farm near a mussel farm near a kelp farm, mimicking the way these three species interact in the wild,” says Moonen.

The best seafood farms take what geography and climate offer—ocean inlets, a natural spring and a natural depression in the land or indoor controlled freshwater tanks—and use clean feed.

With no antibiotics, non-GMO food (free of genetic modification) in the right ratio, good water quality and creative ways to use the effluent, they employ green farming practices to raise fish and shellfish that, in turn, are healthy to eat.

The Atlantic coasts of Maine and Canada are where families have been making their living from the sea for centuries, says Alan Craig, of Canada’s True North Salmon Company. “The fish are fed pellets made from all-natural, nonGMO sources with no dyes, chemicals or growth hormones added. Underwater cameras monitor the health of the fish to prevent overfeeding.”

True North Salmon follows a threebay system, similar to crop rotation on land. Each bay is designated for a particular age of fish: young salmon, market-ready fish and a fallow, or empty, bay, breaking the cycle of any naturally occurring diseases and parasites.

Robin Hills Farm, near Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers vegetable, meat, egg and fruit community supported agriculture, U-pick fruit and a pair of stocked farm ponds. Farm Manager Mitzi Koors explains that the ponds are a way to leverage natural resources, add another income stream and attract visitors.

“We first discovered a low-lying area that would become a beautiful pond with a little work,” Koors relates.

“We then expanded to two close ponds that don’t connect, to keep the older fish raised on at least six months of nonGMO organic feed separate from the newer fish. The ponds are spring fed, providing a great environment for trout.”

In northeastern Nebraska, five generations of the Garwood family have traditionally raised cattle and produced corn and tomatoes. To keep the farm thriving and sustainable, they

have had to think outside the row crop. Today, they’re growing something new—barramundi, or Australian yellow perch. They built a warehouse that now holds 18, 10,000-gallon fish tanks full of growing fish. A Maryland company provides old-fashioned cow manure and leftover grain sorghum from area ethanol plants to create algae, naturally non-GMO, to use as biofuel and fish food. “People prefer to eat locally raised food, even if it’s fish in Nebraska,” says Scott Garwood.

The sophistication of closed containment systems like the Garwoods use means that chefs, too, can raise their own fish, besides growing their own herbs and vegetables. California Chef Adam Navidi, owner of the Oceans & Earth restaurant, in Yorba Linda, also runs nearby Future Foods Farms, encompassing 25 acres of herbs, lettuces, assorted vegetables and tank-raised tilapia. Baby greens, not GMO products, help feed the fish, while nitrates from the ammonia-rich fish waste fertilize the crops. The fish wastewater filters through the crops and returns to the fish tanks in an efficient, conservation-driven system that produces healthy, organic food.

“Someday, chefs will be known both by their recipes and the methods used to produce their food,” Navidi predicts.

Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFoodAnd Lifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

A

10 Seafood Choices to Feel Good About

ccording to the nationally recognized Monterey Bay Aquarium’s SeafoodWatch.org, these farmed fish and shellfish are current Best Choices.

Under each fish or shellfish variety, check the Seafood Recommendations list for specific geographic areas, certified organic options, non-GMO feed, or other designations.

Arctic Char: The farmed variety, raised in closed-tank systems, produce little impact on local habitats in the Pacific Northwest.

Barramundi (Australian yellow perch): Look for it sourced from recirculating aquaculture systems in farms throughout the U.S.

Catfish: Pond-farmed American catfish, found mainly near the Mississippi River, are some of the most sustainable fish available.

Crawfish: Domestic production centers mainly in Louisiana, grown in ponds on existing agricultural lands.

No feeds are added, but minimal fertilizer is used to support an aquatic food web that crawfish thrive on. As a native species, the potential impacts of escape are minimal.

Mussels: Most farmed mussels for sale in the U.S. hail from New England and the Pacific Northwest, or are imported from nations with strin-

gent environmental regulations. The nonprofit Marine Stewardship Council independently certifies some of these mussel fisheries as sustainable.

Oysters: Nearly 95 percent of the oysters Americans eat are farmed in New England, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Northwest. Oyster farms in the U.S. and throughout the world are well managed and produce a sustainable product.

Salmon: Before ordering, Seafood Watch recommends finding out where salmon originated by asking the local grocer or restaurant manager if it’s wild caught or farmed and its source.

Shrimp: Most caught or farmed in U.S. and Canada also qualify as a Seafood Watch Good Alternative.

However, avoid shrimp caught in Louisiana with otter trawls and in the Gulf of Mexico (except Florida) with skimmer trawls. All shrimp from recirculating aquaculture systems constitute a Best Choice.

Tilapia: Tank-farmed tilapia in the U.S. and Canada has become a popular standard.

Trout: Farmed rainbow trout from the U.S. gets a nod because it’s raised in environmentally friendly ways in spring-fed ponds.

natural awakenings

September 2015

19

Yoga Nidra is Yogic Sleep: Reshape Your Life, Redesign Your Destiny

by Yogi Amrit Desai

T

he literal translation of Yoga Nidra is “yogic sleep.” It is an ancient sacred yogic practice that teaches you how to enter the deepest levels of (sleep-like) relaxation and yet remain aware. This is a dynamic state where you are neither awake nor asleep. It is a paradoxical dimension where you are asleep and awake simultaneously.

From this alpha state, yogis have developed techniques to tap into the extraordinary integrative powers of the Third Eye and the higher centers of consciousness. In the sacred space of the Third Eye, the brain waves drop into the silent, peaceful, tranquil space within. Yoga Nidra is one of the most effective and least known techniques to unleash the power of the spirit. It ignites the fire that burns old karma.

Yoga Nidra is the single most powerful tool to help you reshape your whole life, – personal, professional and love life – as well as restore your health. It is simple in practice, yet profound in impact. You can gain new insights and visions that will guide you toward the unfolding of a new life.

Yoga Nidra Awakens the Third Eye Yoga Nidra holds your awareness, combined with intention in a dynamic but restful, active but peaceful state.

Once you learn how to enter this state, you can access the unifying spirit of the Third Eye, represented by the sixth

20

Peace River Edition

chakra. Here, all the fragmented levels of your being are integrated through the power of the Third Eye. Normally, our perception through the five physical senses and the mind are confined to the world of time and space, duality and relativity. We remain blind to the integrated Self that we are. Only the Third Eye penetrates the illusive dimension and limitations of duality. It does not divide reality into good and bad, ugly and beautiful, right and wrong, or you and me, in the way our personality and self-image does.

Yoga Nidra induces freedom from these opposites. It takes no sides.

This is a state that is beyond ordinary waking or sleep, body or mind, time or space. Ordinary sleep is unconscious.

It only rejuvenates your body and refreshes your mind, but has no power to release you from the bondage of pre-programmed unconscious fears, personal biases, belief systems and selfconcepts. Such unconscious patterns keep you from actualizing your inborn, divine potential.

Yoga Nidra Dissolves Deep Karmic Roots Karma is the compelling force that regulates your actions, shapes your self-image, distorts your perceptions, impacts your health, structures your beliefs, initiates personal biases, and creates mental and emotional barriers.

It is built into each individual’s biology and psychology. Although karma may take on many different forms, it is the only problem you face. Yoga Nidra empowers you to uncover and alter the deepest karmic roots hidden in your subconscious.

During ordinary waking consciousness, you are bound by the self-concepts, personal biases and belief systems which make up the body of karma we call the self-image. This self-image or karmic body operates as a separate entity that veils the power of the Self that you are. The self-image shades and distorts all the levels of your being. As a result, the forces of the energy body, the mental body and the emotional body manifest as conflicting voices of body, mind and emotions.

This conflict is the basic source of all human suffering.

The practice of Yoga Nidra helps

www.peaceriverna.com

you to harness and harmonize the conflicting karmic voices and allows you to enter the unified state of your being. You are no longer a separate entity. The voices of your physical, energy, mental and emotional bodies become aligned. The waves of the unconscious voices merge into the ocean of the unified field of consciousness. Duality merges into unity. In this state, higher forces of divinity work for you from within and without.

Entering the Unified State of Being When your whole being is aligned in this way, intentions, affirmations and visualizations allow you to create instant transformation from your deepest core. Shifts in karmic patterning automatically begin to occur. Yoga Nidra is neither logical nor psychological. It is not like a rope that is wrapped clockwise 100 times around a post that requires you to go 100 times counterclockwise to unwind it. Yoga Nidra is more like burning the rope rather than unwinding it. It bypasses the linear, logical approach and allows you to resolve unconscious patterns by burning the karmic rope.

Yoga Nidra practice opens the doorway to the non-physical world from where you can go beyond the unconscious barriers of the five senses of the body and the mind. This connection with the deepest core of your being is where all miracles of selfhealing occur. Yoga Nidra becomes a powerful tool to eliminate karmic stress and banish self-destructive unconscious fears, beliefs and habits. It has the power to actualize your intention, affirmations, healing and prayers.

Ordinarily, our strong efforts and disciplines to change our old habits fail because of the ongoing presence of internal conflicts. Yoga Nidra awakens the integrative power of the soul to support your intention and vision.

Journey into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Center is located at 265 E Marion Ave. Suite 117C, Punta Gorda.

For more information on Amrit Yoga and Yoga Nidra classes, call 772-4850605, visit JourneyInStudio.com or visit AmritYoga.com.

A DV E RTO RI A L

StickNotwith Natural Iodine All Supplements are the Same The Hidden Deficiency Having the proper amount of iodine in our system at all times is critical to overall health, yet the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that iodine deficiency is increasing drastically in light of an increasingly anemic national diet of unpronounceable additives and secret, unlabeled ingredients. This deficit now affects nearly three-quarters of the population.

Causes of Iodine Deficiency

Radiation

Almost everyone is routinely exposed to iodine-depleting radiation

Low-Sodium Diets

Overuse of zero-nutrient salt substitutes in foods leads to iodine depletion

Iodized Table Salt

Iodized salt may slowly lose its iodine content by exposure to air

Bromine

A toxic chemical found in baked goods overrides iodine's ability to aid thyroid

Iodine-Depleted Soil Poor farming techniques have led to declined levels of iodine in soil

A Growing Epidemic Symptoms range from extreme fatigue and weight gain to depression, carpal tunnel syndrome, high blood pressure, fibrocystic breasts and skin and hair problems. This lack of essential iodine can also cause infertility, joint pain, heart disease and stroke. Low iodine levels also have been associated with breast and thyroid cancers; and in children, intellectual disability, deafness, attention deficient and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and impaired growth, according to studies

by Boston University and the French National Academy of Medicine.

What to Do The easy solution is taking the right kind of iodine in the right dosage to rebalance thyroid function and restore health to the whole body.

{

Satisfied Customers

}

I feel much more energetic, my thoughts are extremely clear, and my entire body feels more in balance.

Natural Awakenings Detoxified Iodine is the only change in my daily routine over the last 45 days. The way I feel today is better than at any point in my life that I can remember. ~ James

I’ve been taking this product for over a year and no single supplement, diet or approach (I have tried lots) has had as great an impact as this. I have my energy back, my metabolism is back on track and my mind is clear and the depression has lifted. I love this product and wish more people knew about it. I think many of us are deficient in iodine and it can bring balance to the body. Thank you, thank you Natural Awakenings for offering it! ~ Pamela

Proper iodine supplementation with a high-quality product like Natural Awakenings Detoxified Iodine can prevent harm by protecting the thyroid and other endocrine glands and restoring proper hormone production.

A Few Drops Can Change Your Life!

You could feel better, lose weight or increase energy and mental clarity with a few drops of Natural Awakenings DETOXIFIED IODINE daily in water or topically on the skin.

The supplementation of iodine, an essential component of the thyroid, has been reported to give relief from: • Depression • Weight Gain • Fibromyalgia • Low Energy • Hypothyroidism • Hyperthyroidism • Radiation • Bacteria • Viruses

$19.99 plus $5 shipping • 1 btl. = 6-8 week supply Order today, available only at

ShopNaturalAwakenings.com or call: 888-822-0246

Like us on Facebook at Natural Awakenings Webstore

natural awakenings

September 2015

21

Medicine seminars he and his wife Eliana teach internationally and from their Simply Yoga Institute studio, in Summit, New Jersey.

fitbody

Mounting Evidence

Yoga Enters the Medical Mainstream Research Proves its Health Benefits

by Meredith Montgomery

A

fter practicing internal medicine for 10 years in Boston, Dr. Timothy McCall became a full-time writer, exploring the health benefits of yoga. As the medical editor of Yoga Journal and the author of Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, he says, “In the late 90s, the conveyor belt of patient care continued to speed up and I got frustrated. There was less time to form relationships with patients, which is essential to providing quality care without excessive tests and drugs.”

Initially, McCall found that most of the documented research on yoga was from India, and notes it was low in quality from a Western perspective (though it is now excellent). In the West, the first notable scientific yoga article was published in 1973 in The Lancet on combining yoga and biofeedback to manage hypertension. According to the International Journal of Yoga, the surge in yoga’s popularity here finally gained academic interest in 2007, and there are now more than 2,000

22

Peace River Edition

yoga titles in the National Institutes of Health PubMed.gov database, with 200 added annually.

Initially, yoga teacher and economist Rajan Narayanan, Ph.D., founded the nonprofit Life in Yoga Foundation and Institute to offer free teacher training. Within a couple of years, the foundation’s focus shifted to integrating yoga into the mainstream healthcare system. “We realized that to make a real difference, we needed to teach doctors about yoga and its scientifically proven effects,” he says. Medical providers can earn credits to keep their licenses current by attending courses

by Life in Yoga, the only yoga institution independently certified by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Currently, even if physicians don’t practice yoga, it’s likely that many of their patients do. “You now see it everywhere from major medical centers to mainstream advertising,” says McCall, who notes an increase in doctors, nurses and therapists attending the Yoga as

www.peaceriverna.com

“Yoga may help prevent diseases across the board because the root cause of 70 to 90 percent of all disorders is stress,” says Narayanan. Yoga increases the body’s ability to successfully respond to stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart and lowers blood pressure. That in turn suppresses sympathetic activity, reducing the amount of stress hormones in the body.

Studies collected on PubMed.gov demonstrate that yoga has been found to help manage hypertension, osteoporosis, body weight, physical fitness, anxiety, depression, diabetes, reproductive functions and pregnancy, among other issues. Studies at California’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute have tracked amelioration of heart disease.

A growing body of research is validating yoga’s benefits for cancer patients, including at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. A small study at Norway’s University of Oslo suggests that yoga even alters gene expression, indicating it may induce health benefits on a molecular level.

Cultural Challenges

“For yoga to be effective, a regular practice must be implemented, which is challenging in a culture where people can’t sit for long without an electronic device. It’s more than just popping pills,” says Narayanan.

McCall says, “Even if people can commit to just a few minutes of yoga practice a day, if they keep it up the benefits can be enormous.”

“There are no sales reps telling doctors to use yoga therapy like there are for pharmaceuticals,” remarks Narayanan, and until yoga is funded by health insurance, it will be challenging to gain full acceptance in mainstream medicine.

Another barrier is certification standards. The International Association of Yoga Therapists (iayt.org) and the Council for Yoga Accreditation International (cyai.org) are both beginning to offer certifications for therapy training programs and therapists. Narayanan is

hopeful that certification could lead to yoga being covered by insurance.

Medical school curricula have started shifting to embrace complementary approaches to wellness, with many textbooks now including information on mind/body therapies. The Principles and Practices of Yoga in Healthcare, co-edited by Sat Bir Khalsa, Lorenzo Cohen, McCall and Shirley Telles and due out in 2016, is the first professional-level, medical textbook on yoga therapy.

“Yoga has been proven to treat many conditions, yet yoga teachers don’t treat conditions, we treat individuals,” says McCall. “Yoga therapy is not a one-size-fits-all prescription because different bodies and minds, with different abilities and weaknesses, require individualized approaches.”

While medical research is working to grant yoga more legitimacy among doctors, policymakers and the public, McCall says, “I believe these studies are systematically underestimating how powerful yoga can be. Science may tell us that it decreases systolic blood pressure and cortisol secretion and increases lung capacity and serotonin levels, but that doesn’t begin to capture the totality of what yoga is.”

Meredith Montgomery, a registered yoga teacher, publishes Natural Awakenings of Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com).

September is National Yoga Month

inspiration

The Adventure of Couchsurfing

Stay with Locals and Make New Friends

by Lisa Rosinky

D

people’s faith and trust in aniel Sperry, a “couchsurfer” one another and create in his late 50s, decided a meaningful connecfew years ago to quit his day tions across cultures. job and make a living by performing It’s easy to become cello music and reciting poetry in liva member by creating a ing rooms across the country. “I didn’t profile as a host and/ know it would become a catalyst for or a traveler, which bringing communities of local people includes verified together,” he says, but identification. Guests his first gig, a “litdon’t need to reciprocate by tle shotgun shack” hosting or leaving gifts, alin Elko, Nevada, though lasting friendships became more than a are a common result. once in a lifetime experiHosts and guests are enence. Years later, his Elko host couraged to leave honest remains a close friend and hosts reviews for each other, a regular (and lucrative) stop on his cross-country tours.

As a traveler, offer which helps ensure ongoing safety and good

Not only does creating connections with strangers an ethnic meal, good behavior all around.

Meanwhile, make us happier—as Unistory or how to say non-members also are versity of Chicago social scientists have proven—it leads hello in a different welcome to explore to fun travel stories. If we language. As a host, couchsurfing events in their city. Fun opportuchoose to see the world via be open to what nities to make new conthe decade-old organization at Couchsurfing.com, we guests can teach. nections include weekly language exchanges, might find ourselves sleepKeep a travel log skill swaps, outdoor ing on a sailboat in the Irish Sea; meeting backpackers and guestbook to activities and potlucks.

“For me, it’s by solar-powered light in a cave in Petra, Jordan; sharing record memories. undeniably about the community, the kind of a room with a pet bird that falls asleep listening to sappy love songs on the radio; person it tends to attract,” says Joseph Abrahamson, a couchsurfer in his midor jamming to old-time banjo and fiddle 20s. “A room full of couchsurfers is full tunes in a North Carolina kitchen. of stories and listening and sharing and

The global community of couchtrust. It changes a person in a positive surfers, now 10 million strong, conway… people that travel like this for siders strangers “friends you haven’t long enough can no longer survive with met yet.” They currently are hosting closed minds.” and organizing more than half-a-million events in more than 200,000 cities worldwide this year. The aim is to make Lisa Rosinky is a freelance writer travel easier and more affordable, build in Boston. natural awakenings

September 2015

23

says defenseman Joey Mormina. “The fun light show that follows goals adds energy for the crowd and players.”

LED lighting provides improved clarity in TV transmissions and sports action photos and doesn’t create soft spots on the ice, like traditional lights. “Utica and Binghamton teams switched to LED after playing in our arena,” comments Jim Sarosy, chief operating officer for the Crunch.

greenliving

GREENING AMERICA’S GAMES Major Leagues Sport More Sustainable Stadiums

by Avery Mack

T

raditional sports stadiums and arenas generate a huge carbon footprint. Multiple sources concur that during a single football game, a 78,000-seat stadium can consume 65,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and discarded cardboard, plastic and paper; in-stadium food and beverage containers; and tailgating debris that includes cans and bottles leave behind a mountain of waste.

A dozen years ago, the pioneering Philadelphia Eagles enlisted the help of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to begin a persistent push to their goal of going green. Today, the NRDC publishes the Greening Advisor guidebooks on green operating practices for all professional teams in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, plus the U.S. Tennis Association, and has expanded to include college sports.

Food

Stadium food has always been part of the fan experience, but it’s possible to eat sensibly and well with options like the 24

Peace River Edition

roasted turkey sandwich at AT&T Park, in San Francisco, where concessionaires source locally and compost leftovers.

Veggie burgers, vegan cheesesteaks and sushi have also found their way onto game-day menus to add a change of pace for fans, says Julianne Soviero, author of Unleash Your True Athletic Potential.

The growing interest shown by the sports industry in composting offers enormous potential benefits, and not a moment too soon, says Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D., co-founder of the Green Sports Alliance and director of the NRDC Sports Project. Using recyclable containers counts—New York City’s venerable Yankee Stadium reduced its trash load by 40 percent by switching to biodegradable cups and service ware.

PepsiCo supported the upgrade by exchanging its conventional plastic bottle for a bio-based version made from agricultural waste.

Lights

At New York’s Oncenter War Memorial Arena, the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch pro team skates under LED lights. “They make the arena brighter. It’s easier to see the puck,”

www.peaceriverna.com

Water

“The Crunch is the first pro hockey team to skate on recycled rainwater,” Sarosy adds. “It’s collected from the roof, stored in three central reservoirs in the basement and pumped into the Zamboni machine for resurfacing the ice.” The practice also diverts rainwater from overworked sewer systems.

The first pro football stadium to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, the San Francisco 49ers Levi’s Stadium features a 27,000-square-foot rooftop garden to help control water runoff.

Home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings, the Staples Center has swapped out 178 flush urinals for waterless models, reducing annual water usage by 7 million gallons.

Like the Eagles, the Florida Marlins pro baseball team, in Miami, now uses 50 percent less water via low-flow plumbing fixtures. Also, the stadium’s upgraded landscape design lessens outdoor irrigation needs by 60 percent.

The University of Georgia likes keeping its grass green, but hates wasteful water dispensers. Its football field is now watered via an underground irrigation system that saves a million gallons a year. Soil moisture sensors indicate when watering is needed.

More Creative Practices

Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, now boasts more than 11,000 solar panels and 14 wind turbines that combined, generate more than four times the energy used for all home games in a season. The staff uses green cleaning products and has increased recycling more than 200 percent since 2010. Most creatively, the carbon costs of team travel are offset via mitigation by financing tree plantings in

“It’s collected from the roof, stored in three central reservoirs in the basement and pumped into the Zamboni machine for resurfacing the ice.” - Sarosy their home state and purchasing seedlings for a wildlife refuge in Louisiana.

The Seattle Mariners Safeco Field’s new scoreboard uses 90 percent less power than its predecessor and the Arizona Cardinals pro football team provides bags for tailgating fans to use for recycling.

Five NBA arenas have achieved LEED certification—Phillips Arena (Atlanta Hawks), Toyota Center (Houston Rockets), American Airlines Arena (Miami Heat), Amway Center (Orlando Magic) and Rose Garden (Portland Trail Blazers).

The goal of a cleaner, healthier planet is achievable with systemic shifts like these as more pro and collegiate sports teams score green points.

Connect with our freelance writer via AveryMack@mindspring.com.

The body is your temple.

Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in. ~B.K.S. Iyengar

natural awakenings

September 2015

25

“Age,” she would say, “is just a number.” Her attitude and the way she lived life had a profound influence how I view the aging process.

The Spiritual Work of Aging

by Juliette Jones “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.”

Ram Dass

P

erhaps you remember certain phrases or quotations that your mom or dad oft repeated during the course of your upbringing? I have come to think of these as “parental mantras” which settled into the depths of my subconscious and continue to serve as signposts along my path of life.

My mother brought me into the world at age thirty-nine – a chronology

26

Peace River Edition

considered late in life for childbearing, especially during the 1940s. She lived a philosophy of inner freedom, adventure and strong mindedness well into her elder years. I think her strong vitality was the reason she got so many questions about her chronological age (many of which wouldn’t be considered politically correct), but she wouldn’t have thought to take offense. She simply used such questions as teaching opportunities. “Age,” she would say, “is just a number.” Her attitude and the way she lived life had a profound influence how I view the aging process.

Increasingly, we live in a culture that treasures youth and eschews the social clock of aging. Economic productivity and social achievement

www.peaceriverna.com

roles are prized, and fewer proclaim the value of the “golden years.” This isn’t true, however, in extended family cultures where the social support system embraces natural roles for elders based on inclusiveness and respect.

Alienation across generations is something of a cultural pathology, and in the modern West, alienation from nature has contributed to this problem.

In a world dominated by technology and man-made projections, we have sadly lost our connectedness with nature and the feelings that once made us feel close to plantings, harvests, birth and death, as well as to the innate meaning of the aging cycle.

“The limitations and distortions of our core vision of what it means to be a person in our culture become starkly evident in old age. If to be an old person is to suffer abandonment, disappointment and humiliation, this is not a geriatric problem. It is the disproof of our whole shaky pudding, technology, science and all. If our old people are empty, our vision of life is empty.”

– Robert Kasselbaum In the East (particularly India), certain cultural traditions still define and emphasize the tasks assigned to social roles according to age – childhood through twenty (student), twenty through forty (the tasks of adulthood, raising children etc.), forty through sixty (spiritual study) and beyond this, complete freedom from social roles.

According to this view, the importance of spiritual deepening is emphasized as one advance in years. Old age is

counted as an achievement leading to freedom, rather than a disability.

In the East, the physical body is seen as a vehicle for the ripening of awareness, and is “dropped” at the time of exit – a vehicle for the purpose of sojourn on planet earth. As with Christian mysticism, it is understood that one must lose the physical to gain a greater life. Internal preparation for change and loss is understood as an extremely important task, especially in the latter cycles of life. The goal is to become deeply aware of the “that” within the self that does not change in the midst of cycles of change, and to be present in the face of change without fear. This is a great art and, fundamentally speaking, cannot adequately be put into words but has something to do with realizing a profound state of inner awareness.

“In the modern West, life is generally spent denying aging and death. The material world emphasizes bodily reality over inner life and material productivity. There is a price to be paid for the neglect of depth perception and practice. For those who have spent their entire lives denying the reality of aging and death, it is difficult to embody a different view after a lifetime of looking the other way.

The profound challenges inherent in aging and death are intense, and quite beyond the comprehension of the ego.

Die in the morning so you need not die at night.”

– Ram Dass All cycles in nature have purpose, and winter is no exception, but there is great advantage in seasonal preparation. Recognizing and honoring this stage of life has exceptional value.

Rather than seeing “old age” as an obstacle, it is possible to see it as a template for spiritual discipline and practice. Transformation, letting-go, contemplation, compassion, sharing, life-review and completion of projects are the tasks of eldership. Not everyone receives the chance to become an elder, and in this may provide opportunity for a master work.

“At fifteen, my heart was set on

learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, my ear was obedient. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desire without overstepping the bounds of what was right.”

– Confucius The nature of aging has to do with time, as well as the ability to transform through the physical, psychological and spiritual dynamics of life cycles.

As people get older, they often start to think they have less of a chance of succeeding based on age. People who think this way are more likely to give up since they tell themselves it’s already too late to change or accomplish. Add to that a person who is older may have already formed false beliefs about life and success, and once someone harbors negative beliefs about himself or about life, it is more likely he will prove himself right.

The ability to flourish during the last half of life is not based on chronological age. Success in life has much more to do with strong belief, passionate desire and preparation. My first formal spiritual teacher, the late Dr. Sarah E. Akens, used to say, “There’s no such thing as competition. We can all be the best we can be!” In today’s world, this may appear untrue from the standpoint of the ego, but is anyone truly competing against others in the unified field?

Every person is born to this life with many purposes they are here to accomplish. When it comes to success and the ability to excel in any endeavor, the best practice is to build a habit of “being the best that you can be in any and every endeavor.” This mentality is common among successful people and can be used as a daily yoga in every phase of life. Another good habit is to brush negative thoughts aside with the hand of the mind or to put negative thoughts in neutral gear, using the image of a stick shift in a car.

Is it really that rare for people to exhibit accomplishments later in life?

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich said this: “I discovered, from the analysis of over 25,000 people, that

men who succeed in an outstanding way seldom do so before the age of 40, and more often they do not strike their real pace until they are well beyond the age of 50. The average man reaches his greatest capacity to create between 40 and 60.”

There are numerous people who don’t reach real success until quite advanced along the “line of time” Maybe you know someone like this?

Many well-known late bloomers have interesting success stories. For example, Morgan Freeman was born at a time when discrimination was in full swing.

He had always wanted to be an actor, watched movies constantly and pursued his ambitions passionately. However, initially, he didn’t succeed and wound up with a different career. Nevertheless, his dream would not leave him so he tried once again, reaching his first success at age 50 and winning an Oscar at age 67.

I assume most people know about Grandma Moses who should be an inspiration to every artist. She was 76 when she took up painting and began selling her creations for two or three dollars apiece. She became so successful, however, that she soon sold her work for thousands of dollars.

Posthumously, some of her paintings even sold for over a million dollars.

Peter Mark Roget was famous for authoring the Thesaurus which he published at the age of 73. He even had the disadvantage of coming from a family with mental illness, but this hereditary set-back did not dissuade his desire to leave a legacy. Finally, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded the Hare Krishna movement at age 69, an immigrant from India who started with only 50 dollars, a pair of symbols and the desire to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna.

“The success stories of different people all over the world, across all age groups, are the same. Names change, but the story remains the same. If a person believes in himself, keeps trying, does his best, gets rejected then, after some time, someone recognizes his work, he becomes successful.”

– Tony Robbins

natural awakenings

September 2015

27

calendarofevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 12th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Email publisher@nasrq.com for guidelines. No phone calls or faxes, please. Visit NASRQ.com to submit online.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 The Yoga Sanctuary’s Annual Yoga Month Challenge – September is National Yoga Month, designated by the Department of Health & Human Services, with festivities occurring across the country. Hundreds of studios, teachers and students join in. Come celebrate with The Yoga Sanctuary and discover the transformational power of a consistent yoga practice.

Take The Challenge–20 yoga classes in 30 days–and see the difference for yourself! $89/month. 112 Sullivan St, Punta Gorda. For Info 941-505-9642, info@ theyogasanctuary.biz, theyogasanctuary.biz.

Course Registration 2015-16 Begins – Sarasota/ Manatee’s leading lifelong learning institution, Pierian Spring Academy, covers the gamut from art and music, through science, politics and world affairs, offering a total of 70 courses, 50 of which are new. 10 locations. Tuition: $60/4 weeks; $85/6.

Visit psasrq.org.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Free Healing Clinic – 4-6:30pm. Our Masters tap into the Divine Source of energy to balance and heal your being. Relax and enjoy this renewing and enlightening experience. Love Donation Appreciated. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@ angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 Have You Had a Spiritual Experience? – 6:30-7:30 pm. Introductory discussion about spiritual experiences, past lives, dreams & Soul Travel. Free Spiritual Experiences Guidebook, includes CD. Free, Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd, Venice, 941-358-0325, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Psychic Intuitive & Trance Channel Readings – 10:30am-5:30pm. Sherry Lord is a versatile channel who can answer your questions, both business and personal, and help you on your spiritual path. $40/15 mins; $75/30 mins; $125/60 mins. Deep Trance Channel Sessions $175/50 mins. Elysian Fields, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-3613006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

Reiki Share – 7-9pm. An Invitation to Reiki Practitioners - All Levels are most welcome! Join in the fun of giving and receiving healing. $5/Love Offering. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@ angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 Fermentation Fervor Workshop – 10am-4pm.

During this hands-on class, you will practice six different homemade ferments and taste them all as part of a light lunch. Come discuss the health benefits of traditional live-culture ferments with a registered dietitian, learn how to transform your kitchen into a fermentation station, and leave feeling knowledgeable, secure, and confident about making these creations at home. $100. Need-based financial aid is available. Transition membership discounts apply.

Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct. 941-545-5635, SarasotaPEACEnter. org. 941-408-3374, Info@transitionsrq.org.

28

Peace River Edition

Connect with Prana Workshop – 11:15am1:15pm. Amrit Yoga is how to awaken the prana by disengaging it from domination of the ego-mind and unite or impregnate it with spirit. The biological prana body overlays the physical body like a veil.

Often our capacity to feel has been heavily compromised by pockets of unconscious blocks hidden in areas that have become insensitive. You do this unconsciously in a futile attempt to protect yourself from pain you experienced in the past. Learn why the Amrit method of Yoga is all about Prana, the Yamas & Niyamas, and how they are used to release, dropping from thinking to feeling. Yogic Scriptures & Correct Knowledge, Integrative Intention. $25/ Pre-registration, $35/Day of workshop. Journey Into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Studio, 265 E Marion Ave, Ste 117C, Punta Gorda. RSVP 772-485-0605, JourneyInStudio.com.

59th Englewood Pioneer Days & Parade – Sept 5-7. Family fun and activities include Cardboard Boat Races, Photo Contest, Car Show, Englewood’s Got Talent, Diaper Derby, Fish-a-Thon for kids, a chalk fest, Little Miss/Mr Pageant. EnglewoodPioneerDays.com/calendar.html.

The 12th Annual Venice Triathlon – Swim .25 mile; Bike 12.1 Miles; Run 3.1 Miles. Event is USAT sanctioned and open to individuals or relay teams.

Awards are presented five deep in each division: Standard 5-year age groups (14 & under to 80+); Clydesdale & Athena (39 & under and 40+); Fat Tire (Male & Female); Relay Teams (2 or 3 people). Entry until Sept. 3, $85/Individuals, $160/teams. Sept 4 & 5, $95/Individuals, $180/Teams. Packet pickup Sept 4, 3-7pm, at Real Bikes of Venice (581 US 41 Bypass, N Venice). Packet pickup at 6am on race day. Sharky’s on the Pier, 1600 S Harbor Dr, Venice, then a closed course through downtown Venice. swflymca.org/programs/venice-triathlon.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 ECK Worship Service – 10-11am. This month: Gratitude, a Key to a Loving Heart. Learn how gratitude opens our heart to love and all the gifts that love brings. Free, Charlotte County Cultural Center, Rm I, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte, 941764-1797, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

Open Heart Divine Healing Service – 12:15pm.

The first Sunday of each month. Through the gathering of the Faithful, experience and co-create the Anchoring of Powerful Divine Healing energies within the Sacred Circle. Expect Miracles! Rev Sharon Elizabeth James. Love offering. The Cosmic Center of Spiritual Light, 5041 Ringwood Mdw, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. 941-371-9333, CCOSL.com.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 59th Annual Pioneer Days Parade – 9am. Parade begins at St Raphael’s Church, follows Olde Englewood Rd, turns onto W Dearborn St, proceeds to N McCall Rd, turning left. Events schedule, EnglewoodPioneerDays.com/calendar.html.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Have You Had a Spiritual Experience? – 6-7 pm.

Introductory discussion about spiritual experiences, past lives, dreams & Soul Travel. Free Spiritual Experiences Guidebook, includes CD. Free, Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave, Sarasota, 941-3580325, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

www.peaceriverna.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Afternoon Angel Healing with Meditation and Messages – 1-3pm. A powerful afternoon of channeled Angelic guidance with crystal bowls for healing, growth and awakening to Christ Consciousness, with meditation and messages, channeled by Alysia Sargent and Melissa Parks. $25.

The Cosmic Center of Spiritual Light, 5041 Ringwood Mdw, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. 941-371-9333, earthangelsofsarasota.com, CCOSL.com.

Qi Gong – 7-8pm. Qi Gong opens pathways in the body to circulate & stimulate the body’s internal processes to allow for the smooth flow of Qi (energy), which can increase strength and produce vitality. $10. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Dr Bill Philpott, 941-587-1288, revpat@ angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Intuitive & Healer Readings – 10:30am-5:30pm.

Sept 10 & 17. Guest Reader Deborah Chadwick is able to communicate with her guides and angels, quickly receiving very specific information for her clients.15 mins/$30; 30 mins/$60. Elysian Fields, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

Connecting with Your Spirit Guides – 7-8pm.

Join Angela Valentine for a group guided meditation that will allow each participant to learn how to meet their spirit guides. $10. Elysian Fields, Midtown Plaza, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Peace Kirtan – 7pm. Cheryl Chaffee presents Kirtan, a call-and-response devotional chanting. Learn different mantras to activate the different energies of the Divine, and feel how they vibrate through your body, heart, and mind to bring feelings of love, joy, and peace. Donation. Venice Holistic Center, 714 Shamrock Blvd, Venice. Info, 941441-5926, VenicePeaceProject.org.

Ascending To A New World – 7-9pm. A mind blowing discussion about the Awakening and Ascending of humanity to the Christ Consciousness and heaven on earth, channeled by Alysia Sargent and Melissa Parks. $25. The Cosmic Center of Spiritual Light, 5041 Ringwood Mdw, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. 941-3719333, earthangelsofsarasota.com, CCOSL.com.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Psychic Fair – 10am-3pm. Are you searching, questioning and seeking answers? Choose from some of the best Intuitive Artists in the Area! See what your future holds! Free healing and refreshments. Private Readings $15/15 mins. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

Fishermen’s Village Annual Fall Festival – 10am-4pm. Fun activities for the family, live music, exhibits and vendors. Interested in participating, contact Kathy Burnam, kathyb@fishville.com.

Fishermen’s Village, 1200 W Retta Espl, Punta Gorda, 941-639-8721, Fishville.com.

Intuitive Arts Fair – 10am-5pm. No appointments made by phone. First come, first served. $35/30 minutes. Elysian Fields, Midtown Plaza, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

Community HU Song – 11-12am. For everyone of any background or belief. Singing ‘HU’, a love song to God, for 20 min. can bring insight, peace, and calm into your life; followed by light refreshments. Free.

Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd, Venice, 941-358-0325, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 The Urantia Book Lecture – 2pm. From The Urantia Book, Damon Michaelson will bring spiritual insights by sharing revelations of the life and teachings of the Master Jesus. Susan Houliston will then channel Spirit Jacob to add further info. $10/ Donation. Six weekly discussion sessions follow: 2pm, Sundays, Sept 20, 27 and Oct 4, 11, 18, 25. $10/Donation. Center for Metaphysical Fellowship, 2044 Bispham Rd, Sarasota. 941-266-8435, CMFSarasota.org.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Elysian Fields Anniversary Sale – 10am-6pm.

Sept 18-20. We’re celebrating our 24th year, offering 20% to 50% off all regularly priced merchandise. Midtown Plaza, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

Comedy for a Cause 3 – 6pm. The 3rd Annual Improvisational Event is cast with community business leaders from Southwest Florida performing in a hilarious fundraising evening to benefit the Charlotte Players and its many programs. Audience ages 18 & over. $75/Dinner & Show; $25/Show only. Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, Hibiscus Hall ABC, 75 Taylor St, Punta Gorda. Info & Tickets, 941-255-1022 or CharlottePlayers.org.

JG Big Star Productions Presents Red Griffin – 7pm. Solo production will cover the greatest country music artists from past to present. With over 40 years in the music industry, Red Griffin performs country, classic and southern rock, blues, and bluegrass. Crowd entertainment and involvement is his forte, with sing-alongs. Griffin has played with Billy Joe Royal and Johnny Paycheck & has opened for Alabama, Vern Gosdin, Jack Green, Gene Watson and Daryl Singletary. Tickets: $15, $13/CC Members (limit 2). The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte. Tickets, 941-625-4175, online app.arts-people.com/ index.php?ticketing=cccct, at Information Desk.

Séance – 7-9pm. A Séance is a meeting where the group wishes to communicate with Spirit. Join our Psychic/Spiritualist Medium from England in this exciting 2-hour workshop. Limited seating of 8 max. Pre-registration a must. $25. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, Donna 561-346-6296, angelministriesfl.org.

Couples Weekend Getaway & Workshop – 7pmSun 2pm. Join Richard & Diana Daffner, authors of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples, for a romantic beach getaway. Bring joy, intimacy & passion to your relationship. Celebrate your love. Connect with your beloved on a soul level. $695/couple. Siesta Key Beach. 941-349-6804, IntimacyRetreats.com.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AMC Basic Integrated Energy Therapy – 10am4pm. You will learn to conduct the 5-min empowerment self-balancing & clearing session; Become familiar w/Energy Anatomy and Cellular Memory Map; “Read” Energy; Conduct a full Basic-level IET session. $180/0.5 Credit. Angel Ministries College, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

Chefs Cooking for Kids – 6-9pm. Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast for a culinary extravaganza with leading local chefs and restaurants.

Enjoy delicious culinary samplings created by our guest Chefs de Cuisine, music, auction, raffle and cash bar. Heron Creek Golf & Country Club, 5301 Heron Creek Blvd, North Port. 941-488-4009.

Storytelling on Stage: Up Close and Personal!

– 7pm. You will find yourself transfixed as you listen and view the artistry of Mac Martin and James Hawkins on stage. Two highly ranked performers,

combined, they have written over 400 songs in Folk and Americana-Rock genres. Listen, Learn, Love-the creative works-experience it for yourself!

Tickets: $15, $13/CC Members (limit 2). The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte. Tickets, 941-625-4175, online app. arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=cccct.

Annual International Coastal Clean-Up Day – Help keep Sarasota County beautiful. Included in the clean-up: Bay Island Park, Bayfront Park and Marina, Bird Key Park, Brohard Beach, Caspersen Beach, Centennial Park, Edwards Islands, Golden Beach, Ken Thompson Park, Lemon Bay Park and Nature Center, Lido Beach, Manasota Beach, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty Park, North Port, Philippi Estate Park, Quick Point Nature Preserve, Rattlesnake Island, Ringling Causeway, Service Club Park, Siesta Beach, South Jetty Beach, South Lido Beach, Turtle Beach, Venice Beach, Venice Fishing Pier and Whitaker Bayou. Info & Volunteer, 941861-5000, Details, escape-to-sarasota.com/september-sarasota-events.html#sthash.0upZ33LF.dpuf.

Reflexology Certification Program Weekend – Sept 19-20. This weekend is part of a 12-month, 300-hour program available for LMTs, acupuncturists and licensed health professionals with massage in their scope of practice to train to become Certified Reflexologists. Sam Belyea, program director, guides students through balancing the systems of the body using the technique of Reflexology. Each weekend includes additional topics such as business development, meditation, and self-care. $2100/Year; $175/Weekend. The Foot Whisperer Reflexology Institute, 4810 W. Gandy Blvd., Tampa, Details 813-831-9420, FootWhisperer.com/reflexology_training.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Community HU Song – 10-11am. HU is an ancient name for God. When sung as a pure prayer of love, it opens your heart to God’s Love for you; 30 mins, followed by light refreshments. Free, AmericInn, 5931 Fruitville Rd (W of I-75), Sarasota, 941-358-0325, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 Reiki I Certification – 6:30-9pm. In this 2-day workshop you will receive Reiki Attunement, experience guided meditation, meet your Reiki Guides, and so much more! $75/$15 Reiki I manual.

Angel Ministries College, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@ angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

AMC Awakening to a Life of Joy – 7-9pm.This 10-week college course takes you on a profound and safe journey of self-discovery in order to clear the way to living a more peaceful, loving and joyful life and so much more! $200/2.0 College Credits.

Angel Ministries College, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@ angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Intuitive Reading with James Wanless – 10:30am-5:30pm. Sept 24-25. Author and creator of Voyager Tarot. 30 mins/$75, 60 mins/$135. Elysian Fields, Midtown Plaza, 1273 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota, 941-361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 The ‘BIG’ Clay Shoot Venice – 11am Lunch.

12:30pm Shoot. Please join us for our third annual ‘BIG’ Clay-Fun Shoot for a great day of sporting clays which includes a golf cart, raffle and lunch from Beefy’s BBQ. Sarasota Trap, Skeet & Clays, 3445 Rustic Rd, Nokomis. Sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters, 941-488-4009.

Artwork of the Temples of Human Kind – 7-9pm.

Introduction to Selfica, a discipline that involves the concentration and direction of vital and intelligent spiral energies into art forms, by Damanhur, Italy, Ambassador Crotalo Sesamo. Damanhur is a 40-year-old spiritual eco-community in northern Italy, known for the Temples of Humankind, called the “eighth wonder of the world.” $10. The Cosmic Center of Spiritual Light, 5041 Ringwood Mdw, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. 941-371-9333, CCOSL.com.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 Psychic Fair – 10am-3pm. Are you searching, questioning and answers? Choose from some of the best Intuitive Artists! See what your future holds! Free healing & refreshments. Private Readings $15/15 mins. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

Voyager Tarot Certification Class – 10am-5pm.

Sept 26-27. With James Wanless, author/creator of Voyager Tarot. $250/Two-day class, including free book. Early-bird pricing $200 thru September 15th.

This class is designed for both the beginner and advanced tarot student. Limited space available!

Hotel Indigo, 1223 Blvd of the Arts, Sarasota. Info & rsvp, 941-361-3006, ElysianFieldsOnline.com.

Atlantis and Other Ancient Civilizations – 10am6pm Sat. 1-8pm Sun. Sept 26-27. This workshop will touch on the mystery of the archeology of Atlantis knowledge which presents innovative approaches on how to tune into different time lines, including time travel, with Damanhur Ambassador Crotalo Sesamo. Damanhur is a 40-year-old spiritual eco-community in northern Italy, known for the Temples of Humankind, called the “eighth wonder of the world.” $270/By 9/11, $300/After. The Cosmic Center of Spiritual Light, 5041 Ringwood Mdw, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. 941-371-9333, CCOSL.com.

Mystical Bazaar – 11am-5pm. Come for a day of fun and mystical connections and experiences! The Sarasota Mystical Bazaar is an annual event for the public to enjoy. It is a marketplace hosting many different things: Vendors, Psychic Readers, Speakers, Message Gallery, Healers, Aura Photos, Gemstones and Jewelry, Metaphysical Items. $5. Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N Tamiami Trl, Sarasota. Light@MysticalBazaar2015.com, MysticalBazaar2015.com.

Chakra Connection – 3-6pm. This workshop will help you understand the corresponding body parts, emotions of the seven major energy centers. You will be shown how to check and balance your Chakras and learn exercises and acquire tools for clearing blockages. $25. Angel Ministries, 2269 S Tamiami Trl, Venice. Rev Patricia Charnley, 941-492-4995, revpat@angelministriesfl.org, angelministriesfl.org.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 ECK Worship Service – 10-11am. This month: HU, the Most Beautiful Prayer. Join others in learning how singing HU puts you in tune with Divine Spirit, giving you insight into how to respond to everyday situations. Free, AmericInn, 5931 Fruitville Rd (W of I-75), Sarasota, 941-358-0325, Meetup.com/EckankarInSarasota.

planahead SAURDAY, OCTOBER 24 Pet Rescue Festival – 10am-3pm. An opportunity to adopt pets from animal shelters and rescue groups, including dogs, cats, birds, horses & more.

Activities include the Walker Art Center’s hilarious Internet Cat Video big screen presentation, K9 demos, entertainment, and fun vendors. The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte. Info & Film Tickets, 941-625-4175 X221, PetRescueFestival.org.

natural awakenings

September 2015

29

ongoing events sunday

Gentle Mixed Yoga – 9:30-11am. Gentle mixed level yoga. All levels and bodies welcome. $10.

238 W Tampa Ave, Ste 250, Venice. 941-468-0403.

Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Gentle Yoga with Lata – 11am-12:30pm. A heart centered gentle flow of postures and deep stretching, breathing techniques and relaxation helping you to release tension and stress in the body and mind. $12/drop-in; $55/5; $100/10. Englewood Yoga Center, Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, 941-473-0135. Lata528@gmail.com.

Amrit Level 1 Yoga – 9:30-11am. In this class you will be guided through the Level 1 Amrit Yoga posture sequence. With continued practice, this sequence is specifically designed to lead students into a deeper experience of integration. You will be guided into proper alignment for your body type through energetic extensions and press points.

Working with the 1st and 2nd half of the posture brings the nervous system into balance and body into homeostasis. Intentionally repeating this sequence is similar to chanting a mantra repeatedly-it focuses the mind so that the body can relax fully.

All levels welcome. $15/1, $125/10, New student special $57/unlimited-1x offer/new students only.

Journey Into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Studio, 265 E Marion Ave, Ste 117C, Punta Gorda, 772-485-0605, JourneyInStudio.com.

Silent Retreat – 10am-3:45pm. 2nd Sun. Venice Mindfulness Community. Come to all or part. Silent brown bag lunch Noon-1:30pm. Venice Holistic Community Center, 714 Shamrock Blvd, Venice, RSVP 941-615-7613.

A Cosmic New Thought Service – 10:30-11:30am.

A metaphysical universal service with music, talk, meditation and chants, to educate & expand our understanding and concepts to clarify and empower our connection with Infinite Spirit, Divine Source.

Free energy healings at 10am. Love offering. The Cosmic Center, 5041 Ringwood Meadow, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. Rev Zan Benham 941-922-7839, Zan@Woman-Spirit.com, CCOSL.com.

Chess – 11am-3pm. The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte. Info & sign-up 941-625-4175.

Cosmic In-Service – 12:15-1:30pm. Gathering of Lightworkers. A call to Planetary World Servers to anchor Light and work with our family of light to bridge Heaven and Earth. Love Offering. The Cosmic Center, 5041 Ringwood Meadow, Bldg G-2, Sarasota. Rev Sharon Elizabeth James, 941-3719333, CCOSL.com.

monday Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga Infused – 8:30-9:45am. A fun class, blending yoga fit & Pilates to build full body strength, improve posture, increase endurance, stamina & flexibility. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941-473-0135.

Lata528@gmail.com, LovingLightYoga.com.

Paddleboard Lessons & Tour – 9-10:30am. Learn how to stand up paddleboard while exploring the barrier islands that surround the North Jetty. Great opportunity to see dolphins, manatees and other wildlife. $25. N Jetty, Nokomis. 941-234-4311.

SUPEnglewood.com.

30

Peace River Edition

Sunlight Yoga – 9:30-11am Mon, Tues, Thurs.

5:45-7:05am Wed. With Debbie Downing. Gentle flowing hatha yoga for range of motion, balance, relaxation. Mixed level. $10. The Power of One, 238 W Tampa Ave, Venice Centre Mall/KMI Bldg, Rm 250. 941-468-0403. SunLightYoga@verizon.net.

Sunset Yoga – 6pm. Relax, breathe, stretch & enjoy the sunset on beautiful Englewood Beach.

Beginner friendly. Donation. Sponsored by Loving Light Yoga, Englewood Beach (N end). 941-4730135. LovingLightYoga.com.

Amrit Yoga Nidra Class – 6-7pm. The Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation technique, accessible to everyone. It has the power to take you to the innermost, deepest levels of relaxation where your whole body and being is permeated by peace of mind and profound stillness. Yoga Nidra takes you beyond the ordinary state of mind where the deepest level of healing and rejuvenation take place effortlessly. Free during Yoga Month.

Journey Into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Studio, 265 E Marion Ave, Ste 117C, Punta Gorda, 772-485-0605, JourneyInStudio.com.

Evening Yoga Flow – 6-7:15pm. Join Lata in this evening slow flow vinyasa practice. Bring your focus to releasing stress and tension in the body and mind while opening the heart and freeing the spirit, slowing down from your busy day as we link breath and movement with grounding asana sequencing and longer held forward bends to relax and re-new. Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941-473-0135. Lata528@gmail.com, LovingLightYoga.com.

tuesday Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga with Robert – 8:30-10am. Class includes gentle warms ups, yoga postures & relaxation, all levels are welcome. $12; $100/10; $55/5. Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941-473-0135.

Lata528@gmail.com, LovingLightYoga.com.

WSLR Peace & Justice Show – 9-10am. Tune in to 96.5 on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays of the month for The Peace and Justice Report. Submit any event announcements for the show to Info@wslr.org.

Gentle Mixed Yoga – 9:30-11am. Gentle mixed level yoga. All levels & bodies welcome. $10. 238 W Tampa Ave, Ste 250, Venice. 941-468-0403.

Deep Water Aerobics – 10-10:45am Tues & Thurs.

Come join the fun. Some swimming ability required. $3, South County Regional Park, 670 Cooper St, Punta Gorda, 941-629-0170, 941-505-8686.

Yoga/Pilates Flow, Level One – 11am-12:15pm.

With Lata. Great for beginners and all levels. A flow of yoga postures and Pilates to strengthen, tone and stretch the entire body. $12, Packages available. 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941473-0135. LovingLightYoga.com.

www.peaceriverna.com

Community Acupuncture with Dr Wald and Dr Dienes – 1-3pm. $35. Beach Life Wellness, 301 Albee Rd W, Nokomis. Space is limited. Reservations, 942-244-2006, BeachLifeWellness.com.

Transformative Yoga – 5:30-6:45pm. The literal translation of Nidra is sleep. However, Yoga Nidra is a dynamic state, not the unconscious sleep of nighttime. It has the ability to alter your unconscious programming. You tap into creative powers beyond the ego-mind and have access to healing on physical, mental and emotional planes. First class complimentary, $10 thereafter. Venice Holistic Community Center, 714 Shamrock Blvd, Venice.

Register, Facilitator Rick Rabalais 941-539-9149.

Yin/Restorative Yoga/Yoga Nidra – 6-7:15pm Alternate Tues. Yin/Restorative Yoga with the healing crystal bowls or yoga nidra, (guided meditation) with bowls. Relax, open the body & mind. $15. Englewood Yoga Center/Loving Light Yoga. 941-4730135, LovingLightYoga.com.

wednesday Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga for Well-Being – 8:30-10am. Guided meditation, breathing exercises, sun salutations and an energizing flow of postures with a guided relaxation.

All levels welcome. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

941-473-0135. LovingLightYoga.com.

Amrit Yoga Nidra – 10-11am. The Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation technique, accessible to everyone. It has the power to take you to the innermost, deepest levels of relaxation where your whole body and being is permeated by peace of mind and profound stillness. Yoga Nidra takes you beyond the ordinary state of mind where the deepest level of healing and rejuvenation take place effortlessly. $15/1, $125/10, New student special $57/unlimited-1x offer/new students only. Journey Into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Studio, 265 E Marion Ave, Ste 117C, Punta Gorda, 772-485-0605, JourneyInStudio.com.

Gentle Yoga Flow – 11am-12:30pm. A flow of postures designed to increase strength, flexibility and the flow of vital energy. Ending with a guided deep relaxation to restore body, mind, and spirit.

Beginner friendly. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, E Englewood. 941-473-0135, Lata528@gmail.com.

Debbie Downing Yoga – 5:45-7:15pm. Gentle mixed level yoga. All levels and bodies welcome. $10. 238 W Tampa Ave, Ste 250, Venice. 941-468-0403.

Sunset Yoga – 6pm. Relax, breathe, stretch & enjoy the sunset on beautiful Englewood Beach. Beginner friendly. Donation. Sponsored by Loving Light Yoga, Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

LovingLightYoga.com.

Square Dancing – 7-9pm. The Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte.

941-625-4175.

thursday Kundalini Yoga/Gong Meditation – 8-9:30am. A blend of postures, mantra & gong meditation offering a technology that aligns with the ever-evolving universe. All levels. $15; $52/4; $88/8. Moving Toward Stillness Wellness Center, Osprey. 941-812-8695.

Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga Infused – 8:30-9:45am. A fun class, blending yoga fit & Pilates to build full body strength, improve posture, increase endurance, stamina & flexibility. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941-473-0135.

Lata528@gmail.com, LovingLightYoga.com.

Zumba/Yoga Class with Allison – 9-10am. Feel young & energetic on Venice Beach. Dance & relax. Donations. W Venice Ave, on the Beach, Venice. VeniceInformationCenter.com.

Englewood Farmers’ Market – 9am-2pm. Find a wide range of fruits, organic vegetables, fresh baked German breads, gourmet French foods, fresh seafood, bonsai plants, orchids, garden plants, kettle corn and much more! Olde Englewood Village, W Dearborn St, Englewood, EnglewoodFarmersMarket.org.

Gentle Mixed Yoga – 9:30-11am. Gentle mixed level yoga. All levels & bodies welcome. $10. 238 W Tampa Ave, Ste 250, Venice. 941-468-0403.

Deep Water Aerobics – 10-10:45am. Some swimming ability required. $3, S County Regional Park, 670 Cooper St, Punta Gorda. 941-629-0170, 941505-8686.

Awakening Spirit Kundalini Yoga – 11am12:15pm. Awaken spiritual energy with breath, movement and meditation, with Jana and Hannah. $10. Venice Holistic Community Center, 714 Shamrock Blvd, Venice. Register 941-488-1828.

Gentle Yoga Flow – 11am-12:30pm. A flow of postures designed to increase strength, flexibility and the flow of vital energy. Ending with a guided deep relaxation to restore body, mind, and spirit.

Beginner friendly. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, E Englewood. 941-473-0135, Lata528@gmail.com.

Open Gym Basketball – 5-8pm. Drop in & enjoy a game of indoor basketball. Shoot some hoops.

Play 3 on 3, 5 on 5 or a pickup game with friends.

Times subject to change. $2/player. Tringali Recreation Ctr, 3460 N Access Rd, Englewood.

Gentle Restorative Yoga – 6pm. Unwind the body with this gentle restorative class. All levels. $15/ first class free. Moving Toward Stillness Wellness Center, Osprey. 941-266-6962.

Restorative/Therapeutic Yoga – 6-7:15pm. With Healing Crystal Bowls. Therapeutic yoga flow & restorative postures. Release tension in the body and mind. Pre-registration required. $15. Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941473-0135. LovingLightYoga.com.

Amrit Yoga Therapeutics – 6-7:30pm. Over time patterns, of thinking and feeling are energetically and physically held in the body. Left unsolved, they can manifest as tension, agitation, health imbalances and other problems. Through the understanding of these holding patterns and the use of yoga postures to free prana, the body mind complex can begin to heal and integrate itself. The focus of this class is learning to relax with forms of energy one would normally resist and recognizing that even the most intense, uncomfortable sensations lead back to stillness and calm. All levels welcome. $15/1, $125/10, New student special $57/unlimited-1x offer/new students only. Journey Into Complete Wellbeing Yoga & Meditation Studio, 265 E Marion Ave, Ste 117C, Punta Gorda, 772-485-0605, JourneyInStudio.com.

friday

saturday

Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-9:30am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Beach Yoga for Everybody – 8:30-10am. Relax, breathe, stretch & greet the beautiful morning on beautiful Englewood Beach (N end). 941-473-0135.

Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood.

Lata528@gmail.com. LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga for Well-Being – 8:30-10am. Guided meditation, sun salutations and an energizing flow of postures with a guided relaxation. All levels welcome. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga Studio, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941-4730135, LovingLightYoga.com.

Yoga with Robert – 8:30-10am. Class includes gentle warms ups, yoga postures & relaxation, all levels are welcome. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, Englewood. 941473-0135. LovingLightYoga.com.

Gentle Yoga with Lata – 11am-12:30pm. A heart centered gentle flow of postures and deep stretching, breathing techniques and relaxation helping you to release tension and stress in the body and mind. $12; $55/5; $100/10. Englewood Yoga Center, Loving Light Yoga, 3455 S Access Rd, 941473-0135. Lata528@gmail.com.

Punta Gorda Farmers Market – 8am-Noon. Voted the ‘Best Small Market in Florida’ and 15th in the USA, we have a large number of vendors offering fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, Italian bakery, fresh homemade pasta, kitchenware, cupcakes, beef and fresh seafood, fresh citrus, jewelry, candles and soaps, dip mixes, Florida arts and crafts, cheese, French bakery, baguettes and olives, homemade pies, orchids, organic produce, personalized pens, kettlecorn, coffee beans and drinks, native and exotic plants.Taylor St (across from Historic Charlotte County Courthouse), Punta Gorda. 941391-4856. Info@PGDowntownMerchants.com.

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, email publisher@nasrq.com to request our media kit.

EAR/NOSE/THROAT PHYSICIANS SILVERSTEIN INSTITUTE

Drs. Silverstein, Rosenberg, Wazen and Bhanot 1901 Floyd St, Sarasota 400 S. Tamiami Tr., Ste 260, Venice 941-366-9222 • EarSinus.com Physician Group offering the most advanced diagnostic & specialty care for disorders of the head, neck, ears, nose and throat – including hearing, balance, sinus, allergy and surgical/ non-surgical facial plastics.

MINERAL SPRINGS/SPA THE SPRINGS AT DAYS INN

18051 S Tamiami Tr., Fort Myers 239-267-7900 TheSpringsResortFL.com From over 1,000 feet below, warm mineral spring waters bubble to the surface and cascade from our large fountain beneath our domed pool.

Even those with sun sensitivites can enjoy our local fountain of youth.

Come and enjoy the healing and resorative powers of our high-mineral-content waters. Just 30 minutes away.

ORGANIC SALONS EUROPEAN HELIX HAIR DESIGNERS

Jutta Mestas, P.H.D. The Vines , 701 JC Center Court, Unit # 10 Port Charlotte, FL 33954 941-629-0074 Discover the “Magic” of Helix. Adds Volume, Body, Curls or Waves. We do with Scissors what others do with Chemicals.

PEST CONTROL GOOD NEWS PEST SOLUTIONS

Dean Burnside, President Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice 941-371-1311 GoodNewsPestSolutions.com Go Green Plus 3 • Pest Control, Termite Control • Rodent Proofing and Trapping • Bat and Bird Exclusion • Mosquito and Mole Suppression • Bed Bug Control • Residential and Commercial.

SOLAR ENERGY SOLAR DIRECT

6935 15th St. E., #120, Sarasota 941-359-8228 SolarDirect.com Solar Direct offers solar and renewable systems, professional installations, do-ityourself kits, and e n e rg y - e ff i c i e n t products.

YOGA LOVING LIGHT YOGA & HEALING CENTER

3455 S. Access Rd., Englewood 941-473-0135 LovingLightYoga.com Yoga for Every Body. Restore your Body, Mind & Spirit!

natural awakenings

September 2015

31

32

Peace River Edition

www.peaceriverna.com