Natural Awakenings Fairfield County October 2017

E E FR

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

LIFE Transformative Medical DESIGN TRAVEL Massage Outer Adventures

Live Mindfully From the Inside Out

Inner Journeys

Targets Specific Health Woes

October 2017 | Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition | eNaturalAwakenings.com

The Natural Choice – The Breiner Whole-Body Health Center

Optimize Your Smile and Your Health!

Whole-Body Dentistry® provides comprehensive oral health care using traditional and holistic approaches. We understand the “mouth-body connection.”

Mark A. Breiner, DDS

Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry Fellow of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology Speaker and best-selling author of Whole-Body Dentistry®

Mercury-free for over 30 years, Dr. Breiner is a pioneer and recognized authority in the field of biological and holistic dentistry.

WholeBodyDentistry.com 203-371-0300

501 Kings Highway East, Suite 108, Fairfield CT

Doesn’t it make sense to see the authority?

The Natural Choice – The Breiner Whole-Body Health Center Caring Naturopathic Physicians Offering the Best in Holistic Healing

Our integrative approach treats a widerange of conditions including: ADD/ADHD Allergies Anxiety & Depression Autism Brain Injuries Candidiasis Chronic Fatigue (or Fatigue Concerns) Difficulty Concentrating Female Concerns Fibromaylgia

Gastrointestinal Concerns Healthy Aging Hormonal Issues Immune Disorders Lyme Disease RSD Sports Injuries Stress-related Symptoms Thyroid & Adrenal Issues Toxicities Weight Gain

Learn more about our approach. Watch our new therapy videos – all on our website!

We can help you get your health back in balance naturally with proven treatments and therapies:

From left to right:

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND, Director Dr. Elena Sokolova, MD, ND & Dr. David M. Brady, ND, CCN, DACBN

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) EEG Neurofeedback Acupuncture Chinese Medicine Homeopathy Energy Medicine Electrodermal Screening Metabolic Typing

WholeBodyMed.com 203-371-8258

Functional Medicine Colon Hydrotherapy Natural Hormone Therapy Herbal Medicine Nutritional Assessment Allergy Desensitization FDA-cleared Phototherapy Detoxification Abdominal Manual Therapy

FREE CDs on our Whole-Body approach to Lyme Disease.

Call now for details.

501 Kings Highway East, Suite 108, Fairfield CT

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Whole-Body Medicine, LLC – The Natural Approach for Optimal Health

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

MINDBODY MASTERY NICOLE FEVRIER DAVIS (646) 739-7879 www.mindbodymastery.org NASM, & AFAA, Certified Personal Trainer, Reiki Master, and Psychic

A collaborative effort to support the mind, body and soul connection. We explore your journey to your authentic self through psychological services, fitness/weight loss strategies and Reiki healing.

Open House Oct. 20th 5-8pm Oct. 21st 11-2 pm 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 105E Ridgefield, CT

Anna Huff, PhD Teresa Reyes Castillo, PhD Licensed Psychologists 203-614-1089 info@being-centered.com www.being-centered.com

PROVIDING HOUSE CALLS. Intelligent Wellness for Enlightened People eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

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contents

Come Exerience a Day of Spiritual & Creative Enlightenment!

Sun. Nov. 12, 2017 10 AM - 5 PM 2 Rooms of Dynamic Speakers & Guided Meditations

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.

26 TRANSFORMATIVE TRAVEL

Outer Adventures, Inner Journeys

by April Thompson

30 LIFE FROM

THE INSIDE OUT

26

Using Intuition to Design Your Ideal Life

by Melanie Barnum

TAROT & INTUITIVE READINGS

32 LIFE DESIGN:

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY HEALTH & WELLNESS

An Adaptation of Universal Laws

AURA PHOTOS

by Darlene Alvarez Maddern

ANGEL CARDS

42 CHANGING BEHAVIOR VIA 30

CRYSTALS CANDLES

WHOLE BEING THERAPY

SOAPS

CCBH Uses DBT to Create Sustainable Change

DOLLS

44 MEDICAL MASSAGE

MUCH

For more info email:

MORE...

Targeted Therapy for Specific Ills

cryours87@yahoo.com

by Linda Sechrist

46 CHINESE MEDICAL

or call

203-733-6560

MASSAGE

Zheng Gu Tui Na is An

Advanced Form of Therapy

by Wanda B. Simmons

Wyndham Southbury

52 FELINE WORKFORCE

(Formally Crowne Plaza)

Why a Job is the Cat’s Meow

1284 Strongtown Rd. Southbury, CT

by Sandra Murphy

55 AGING WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE

Finding Fulfillment, Creativity

and Meaning

by Deborah Shouse

$6 Admission $1 OFF

59 FERMENTED

Cut-Out Entire Ad For Coupon 4

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

44

AND

FOODS REVIVAL

Rediscover Probiotic-Rich Foods

by Judith Fertig

natural awakenings

52 55

COMING IN JANUARY & FEBRUARY

18

20

24

8 newsbriefs 18 healthbriefs 20 globalbriefs 22 eventspotlight 24 masteringyoga 29 wisewords 37 practitionerprofiles 42 communityspotlight 46 therapyspotlight 49 fitbody 50 naturallyhealthypet 54 petresourceguide 58 inspiredtable 59 consciouseating 63 calendar 67 classifieds 68 resourceguide 74 displayadindex

Natural Awakenings’

Annual Directory Issues Fairfield & Westchester Editions

Double Directory Special

Reach more than 100,000 readers in the Fairfield/Housatonic Valley CT and Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess NY! Advertise your business year-round in two Natural Awakenings’ annual directory issues!*

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Westchester Directory Edition is January 2018 Fairfield Directory Edition is February 2018 *WPC: Early Pricing ends November 1, 2017 *FFC: Early Pricing ends December 15, 2017 Final Deadlines: WPC-12/12/17 • FFC-1/12/18

Fairfield Edition • 203-885-4674 NicoleM@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

5

letterfrompublisher

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contact us Publisher/Executive Editor Nicole Miale Editor Ariana Rawls Fine Design & Production Kathleen Fellows Erica Mills Local Contributors Melanie Barnum, Alexa O’Rourke, Mary Oquendo, Wanda B. Simmons Sales & Marketing Nicole Miale Operations Jill Badyrka Distribution Man in Motion LLC Richard Bruno

Natural Awakenings Fairfield County 137 Danbury Rd, #323, New Milford, CT 06776 Phone: 203-885-4674 Fax: 203-516-2392 NicoleM@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com eNaturalAwakenings.com NaturalAwakeningsSingles.com © 2017 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.

had the good fortune to spend a lot of time this summer with my partner’s oldest two children—my “children by choice”—as I helped teach them to drive. During the long hours we spent in the car together, we had wide-ranging conversations about choices, independence and the concept of designing your life. We talked about how our lives and paths are created based on the moment-by-moment thoughts we think and choices we make. It was interesting to converse with them on such themes while witnessing them at the precipice of adulthood as they learned to drive and navigate the new, exciting, intimidating world of adult decision-making. Children today have so much of their Nicole Miale lives prescribed to them: from an early age they’re told what time to get up, what and when they eat, how to think, where they spend their after-school time, and more. Life is so regimented that when they are “set free” upon the world as late teens, they are genuinely bewildered by the endless sea of possibilities before them. This reality is starkly reflected by the rising teen drug epidemic and high numbers of teens who don’t make it through their first year of college; they’re simply not prepared to cope with life “on their own.”

It seems to me we can do better to prepare these kids for the wonderful, confusing and endlessly fascinating world we live in. We can start by taking a look at ourselves. I realized during those car conversations that although I certainly knew many of the right words to say, I wasn’t necessarily teaching them by my own actions. “Do as I say, not as I do?” Yes, it applied to me in some areas. With awareness is opportunity for change; I’ve set new personal intentions, including tuning more into my own inner guidance system. We all have one and it functions well with or without us. The question is how much time and energy we invest in developing a strong connection to it and how well we listen when we’re receiving guidance. If the goal is improved life experience, the more, the better!

I hope the articles in this issue provide inspiration and ideas for how you might refresh your commitment to creating your own life experience rather than being an unwitting accomplice to it. Whether you want to travel to gain insight—a la Eat, Pray, Love—improve your intuition or work on achieving abundance goals, this month’s articles provide great blueprints to consider following. We’re not innocent bystanders; whether our experience is good or bad, we play a part. The more honestly we can look at that and own our part, the more potential we have for growth and empowerment. That’s what Natural Awakenings is all about!

October is shaping up to be a busy month in terms of events and happenings throughout the region. Whether you seek great food, family fun, transformative education or inspiration, you can definitely find something that will fill your needs this month! Look for us there… we will be at many upcoming events.

With love and light,

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.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $30 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink.

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

See our advertiser index on page 74, making it easier to find the resources you need. natural awakenings

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newsbriefs

Manage Stress…

Don’t Be Managed By It!

L

NewLife Expo Comes to Hotel New Yorker October 27-29

earn from Brian Luke Seaward, PhD, how to manage stress instead of having stress manage you.

He is an internationally known author, award-winning film director, motivational speaker and holistic stress management expert. The Institute for Holistic Health Studies at Western Connecticut State University will present Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward on October 18 at 7:30pm.

This presentation is open to Brian Luke Seaward the community and will be held in the Ives Concert Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus in Danbury. A book signing immediately follows his presentation. General admission tickets are $15; they are available at the WCSU box office on campus, by phone at 203-837-TIXX or online at WCSU.edu/Tickets. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Originally from New England, Seaward is an expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and corporate health promotion. He has authored more than 12 books, including Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, The Art of Calm and Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward.

His documentary, Earth Songs, has appeared at several film festivals and on PBS affiliate stations.

The Institute for Holistic Health Studies has partnered with the Goldstone Caregivers Center at Danbury Hospital to bring Seaward to Danbury. He will also present Filling Your Cup: Caring for the Caregiver, from 5 to 7pm, October 19, at Danbury Hospital. For additional information, and to RSVP for this event for caregivers of all kinds, contact Miranda Dold at Miranda.Dold@WCHN.org.

E

xhibitors from around the world are expected to participate in New York City’s next NewLife Expo, which returns to the newly renovated Hotel New Yorker (34th Street and 8th Avenue) October 27 through 29. They will be on hand with cutting-edge information, products and services designed to feed the mind, body and spirit, says expo founder and producer Mark Becker.

“Crystal Tones will bring their crystal bowls, and Momentum98 will demonstrate their infrared saunas,” he says. “They will join at least a hundred other exhibitors in our marketplace of the future, and we’re adding new exhibitors every day.”

Now in its 28th year, the NewLife Expo is America’s longest-running event focused on holistic enlightenment and rejuvenation, Becker says. “This year’s expo will feature predictions for the next four years, and cutting-edge information on anti-aging and vegetarianism.”

Featured speakers will include Drs. Jane Goldberg, Eric Kaplan, Paul Lnig Tai, Luke Cua and Ben Lane. Among the various panel topics will be Strange Universe, Nutrition and Vibrational Healing-Light Language. Judy Satori and Gail Thackray will also join this year’s presenters.

“Come to the NewLife Expo, and for as little as $15 a day, you will meet thousands of people who want to feed their minds, enlighten their souls and purify and tonify their bodies,” Becker says. “You might even meet your soul mate.”

For more information, including times and exhibition opportunities, email Mark@NewLifeMag.com. or visit NewLifeExpo.com.

For more information, contact Institute for Holistic Health Studies’ Director Christel Autuori at AutuoriC@WCSU.edu.

Location: Ives Concert Hall on the WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St, Danbury. See ad, page 23.

Transform your life —The Mind: your most powerful tool.

Your subconscious mind has the answers to recognize and achieve what you want and need. NJsĶ ǼÞŸŘǣÌÞƼǣʳʳʳɠÌ Ǽ _Ÿ Ý _Ÿ ŘŸɠʷ ɟsÞ¶ÌǼ ĶŸǣǣʳʳʳOĶÞsŘǼǣ ĶŸǣs ɠsÞ¶ÌǼ s ǣÞĶɴʳ ǢǼNjsǣǣ Ŏ Ř ¶sŎsŘǼʳʳʳÞŘ OŸŘǼNjŸĶʰ O ĶŎʳ rŎŸǼÞŸŘ Ķ ǼNj ȖŎ ʳʳʳNjsĶs ǣÞض ǼÌs s¯¯sOǼǣ Ÿ¯ ǼNj ȖŎ ʳ EȖǣsʳʳʳNjsOŸ¶ŘÞʊsʰ ǣǼŸƼʰ ¶Ÿ ¯ŸNjɠ Nj_ʳ ƻ ÞŘ OŸŘǼNjŸĶʳʳʳƼÌɴǣÞO Ķʰ sŎŸǼÞŸŘ Ķʰ OÌNjŸŘÞOʰ OȖǼsʳ Ës ĶÞض ŎsŎŸNjÞsǣʳʳʳĶsǼǼÞض ¶Ÿʳ

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NsNjǼÞ¯Þs_ NJs¶ÞǣǼsNjs_ NŸŘǣȖĶǼÞض ËɴƼŘŸǼÞǣǼ NsNjǼÞ¯Þs_ ƻNjŸ¯sǣǣÞŸŘ Ķ NŸ OÌ NsNjǼÞ¯Þs_ NJsĶ ǼÞŸŘǣÌÞƼ NŸ OÌ NsNjǼÞ¯Þs_ DsNjs ɚsŎsŘǼ NŸ OÌ r®ǻ ƻNj OǼÞǼÞŸŘsNj ● NJsÞĨÞ ƻNj OǼÞǼÞŸŘsNj ōsŘǼ Ķ ®ÞǼŘsǣǣ NŸ OÌ Veterans’ Stress Project Coach

Althea Founder and director of Universal Intelligence, LLC 203.451.3383

Call today for a FREE consultation 203.451.3383 Redding CT. ● universalintelligence.info ● support@universalintelligence.info 8

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

Neurofeedback Workshop in Ridgefield

J

oin Dr. Roseann CapannaHodge, EdD, BCN, LPC, for a free workshop on October 17 about how non-medication alternatives can support brain, mental and physical health. NeuroRoseann Capanna-Hodge feedback therapy is a powerful, safe, non-medication treatment for common childhood and adult issues and disorders.

From 7 to 8:30pm, come learn how a QEEG (brain mapping) works, what neurofeedback therapy is like and how it could benefit you or your child. The latest technology will be discussed, including advanced bioregulation therapy (BRT), which combines PEMF and biofeedback to promote healing. All attendees will receive a $100 coupon toward a brain mapping; this offer only applies to new clients.

Capanna-Hodge is a Connecticutcertified school psychologist, a licensed professional counselor and a board-certified neurofeedback provider with more than 20 years working with children, teens, adults and parents. She currently has private practice offices in Ridgefield and Newtown.

New Naturopath Joins Ingels Family Health

D

r. Jaquel Patterson, a naturopathic physician, joined Ingels Family Health in Fairfield on the first of October. She has been practicing for over nine years in both Connecticut and New Jersey, most recently in Bloomfield, CT. Patterson brings a wealth of experience with specific expertise in homeopathy. Her areas of focus include autoimmune, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, allergies and inflammatory conditions. She will be working with Dr. Darin Ingels on low-dose immunotherapy, and protocols used for allergies, asthma, Lyme disease, autism, PANDAS/ PANS and other persistent and recurrent infections.

Patterson is an active member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and serves as the current president-elect.

Jaquel Patterson

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Patterson, call 203-254-9957.

Learn more about Dr. Jaquel at DrJaquel.com. Location: Ingels Family Health, 22 Fairfield Pl, Fairfield.

For more information and to register for the event, visit tinyurl.com/Neurofeedback1017.

Location: 898 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ste 6, Ridgefield. See ad, page 16. eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

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newsbriefs

Grounding with Gems in Old Greenwich

Soul Healing Work in Fairfield

M

aster healer and teacher, Eilis Philpott of Soul Healing Journey, LLC, has introduced Passion, Peace & Purpose. The new four-session package uses soul language, Akashic field therapy and rebirthing to support you in discovering your purpose, creating peace and passion around it, and shifting smoothly into the new energies.

Week 1 covers discovering your purpose with a soul language identification session. In the second week, you delve into your conscious and subconscious mind using the rebirthing breath (conscious connected breathing) to uncover and start clearing out what is preventing you from living your purpose in a state of peace and passion. The Eilis Philpott third session looks into your Akashic Records to find traumas that have been stored there. You will clear and heal these traumas to allow full access to your potential. In the last week, you will continue the journey from the third week to delve into your conscious and subconscious mind.

Back by popular demand are Angel Light Healing Initiations, which Philpott has held intermittently for 15 years. The event consists of an initiation to the healing energy of the Angels of Light, followed by instruction in how to use the energy for you, your loved ones and other things. There will be time to practice both giving and receiving during the event. A requirement of this initiation is that each participant wears all white clothing.

For more information on this new package and all upcoming events, call 203-767-5954, email Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com or visit SoulHealingJourney.com. Location: 40 Livingston St, Fairfield. See ad, page 20.

T

he Stamford Mineralogical Society, founded in 1954, will host its annual gem, mineral, jewelry and fossil show on November 4 and 5 in Old Greenwich.

The show includes 23 retail dealers and one wholesale dealer selling a variety of specimens and jewelry. There will also be a mini-mine for children in addition to hourly door prizes and two show grand prizes available for all attendees.

For more information, email Info@StamfordMineralSociety.org or visit StamfordMineralSociety.org. Location: Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, 90 Harding Rd, Old Greenwich.

DID YOU REALIZE THAT

TOXINS Toxins drive neurological, metabolic (including weight gain), immune and cardiovascular illnesses – and any disease ending in “itis”. We have the knowledge and technology to help your body heal itself. For 25+ years, our patients have enjoyed remarkable success with naturopathic treatments which cleanse, detox, nourish, repair and balance. Call us to schedule an appointment:

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

ARE OFTEN THE ROOT CAUSE OF

INFLAMMATION?

D r M a r v i n S c h w e i t z e r. c o m 2 0 3 . 8 4 7. 2 7 8 8

1 We s t p o r t A v e n u e Norwalk, CT 06851

Integrative Health & Healing M.A. Transformative Coach at Saint Francis Hospital begins October 27th!

HOLISTIC COUNSELING COACHING & HEALING

Training Program to Start

I

fwww.learn.edu you have ever thought becoming a life coach, or | about 203.874.4252 wish to enhance your skills in your current profession, The 171Institute Amity Road, Bethany, CT Graduate is launching its Transformative Coach Training program this month. Earn an associate certified coach credential in a four-month on-site program focusing on a transformative way of being while in relationship with self and others. The Bethany-based trainings will take place October 13 to 15, November 18 to 19 and December 16 to 17, in addition to the January 13 to 14, 2018 weekend.

The inspiring modules include pathways to transformation; inner passion, vision and overcoming challenges; the exploration of perspectives; being in the present moment; subpersonalities and parts work (internal family systems); how to utilize somatic wisdom and read energy; and group and individual mentoring.

The coach trainer, Guthrie Sayen, PhD, is the co-founder and lead trainer of Transformative Coach Training, senior faculty for Coaching for Transformation (CFT), and former faculty at True Purpose Institute. She has done trainings in internal family systems for Voice Dialogue, psychosynthesis, Four Archetypes coaching and more.

The application fee is $60. The total tuition is $3,168, which is divided into four payments. Discounts are available for The Graduate Institute alumnus. Tuition for the Transformative Coaching includes three one-on-one mentor coaching sessions (required for the Associate Certified Coach credential) with Guthrie Sayen, PCC. You will become qualified for the ACC Professional Coach designation from the International Coach Federation.

For more information, call 203-874-4252, email Admissions@Learn.edu or visit Learn.edu. Location: 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. See ad, page 43.

Soul Focus Adds to Repertoire

M

ela Rispoli of Soul Focus has added crystal light therapy to her wellness practice in Bethel. Combining her strength in mediumship along with crystal healing and other modalities, Rispoli creates individual healing experiences that best fit her individual clients’ needs.

“Mediumship is healing on many levels already,” Rispoli says. “I’m thrilled to add another opportunity to assist those that are seeking healing Mela Rispoli on all levels of their being. I’m most excited about the results.”

Sessions are offered for a full hour by appointment.

For more information, visit Soul-Focus.me. Location: Soul Focus, 145 Grassy Plain St, Bethel. See ad, page 33.

Enhanced Reiki Healing One hour sessions

Coaching & Enhanced Reiki Healing One-and-a-half hour sessions

Rebecca Schoenewolf

203-826-2558 • www.rsholisticservices.com

Offering mental health services in the Danbury area.

Lovе. Sex. Intimacy.

Workshops & Retreats

The Art of Touch for Couples Wildly Orgasmic Woman (WOW) Becoming a Better Lover, and more…

Dr. Inessa Zaleski, DD, CMCH

Creator of Reikinosis™ | Calmness.com/LSI 1-203-708-7777 | 1-800-929-CALM PRACTICAL GUIDANCE on utilizing our inherent sexuality to enrich our everyday lives.

Change Your Story, Change Your Life!

Restoring Creativity, Wellness, and Balance Nancy S. Scherlong, lcsw,ptr, m/s Coaching, Psychotherapy, Expressive Arts Workshops HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY • COACHING • EXPRESSIVE THERAPIES/TRAINING

914.572.3167 | www.wellnessmetaphors.com 898 Ethan Allen Hwy, Suite 7 | Ridgefield, CT 06877

Patricia’s Presents

Beautiful Objects for Discerning Customers Pet and Equestrian Themed Items

A treasure trove of unique gift items to suit all tastes!

Luscious Vegan Leather Goods 860-946-9705 199 Ethan Allen Highway Ridgefield, CT 06877 Stunning Fair Trade Jewelry… www.patriciaspresents.com and more

eNaturalAwakenings.com

Plentiful Parking!

October 2017

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newsbriefs Massage Therapy Complete This Course in 9 Months Day Classes

New Esthetics Location!

44 Shelter Complete This Rock Road Course in 6 Months Day Classes

Find out more! (203) 797-0551 Ridley.edu | 44 Shelter Rock Road, Danbury, CT 06810 For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of the students who have completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at www.Ridley.edu

Natural

Family Based Chiropractic Care

Specializing In Infants, Children, and Pre and Postnatal Women

Pre and Postnatal Women

Back, Pelvic, Neck, Shoulder, and Arm Pain • Headaches Carpal Tunnel Syndrome • Improve spinal and pelvic alignment to help babies in the breech or occiput posterior "sunny side up" presentations • Reduce The Incidence of C-Section

Children

Ear Infections • Asthma & Allergies • Scoliosis • Colic Reflux • ADHD • Sports Injuries • Torticollis Lactation Issues / Tongue-Tie Complications

Dr. Sloves has 25 years of experience and is one of the only Chiropractic Physicians in Connecticut with Board Certification in Maternity and Pediatric Care.

Call 203-838-1555

Associates in Family Chiropractic 156 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851 www.ctChiropractic.com

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

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orldwide Healing Day is a free event where people from across the globe will unite as one as they collectively focus their intentions and create a unified field of healing energy.

It will take place on October 21 at 3pm. All are welcome and no prior experience required.

Imagine the healing power participants can create when their gifts and intentions are combined in this one-hour interactive session. Healing circles are ancient ceremonies that enable each of us to create deep connections with others outside the normal constraints of space and time. Create a mini-circle with family, friends and members of your local community. The Worldwide Healing Circle Network is an opportunity to connect with other likeminded seekers to continue your lifelong learning process and contribute to the education and growth of others.

For more information, visit DeborahKing.com/Events/ Worldwide-Healing-Day.

Elliptica Studios Opens in Fairfield

Healthcare Alternatives

Dr. Risa M. Sloves

Healing Ourselves, Families and the World

T

he new Group Elliptical Studios in Fairfield is a collaboration between Greenwich resident Laura Laboissonniere, an owner of 3 Pure Barre studio, and Westport resident Clair Mason, the owner of Norwalk-based Intensity. A Greenwich location will launch later this fall.

Elliptica is a Group Elliptical class; it takes the community and energy of a spin class and replaces the bikes with ellipticals. Elliptica Studios’ main goal with their classes is fun; each class is scored by a pumping soundtrack that keeps participants stepping to the beat. As they step, fitness seekers are getting a low-impact, total-body cardio workout that may even burn up to 30 percent more calories than an average spin class.

When Laboissonniere and Mason were introduced by a mutual friend in 2016, they knew their shared experience, passion and entrepreneurial qualities for the group fitness business was going to lead to something new.

For more information on Elliptica Studios, call 203-292-5129 or visit EllipticaStudios.com. Location: Sportsplex, 85 Mill Plain Rd, Fairfield.

natural awakenings

Open Meeting in Woodbury

A Vibrational Sound Event with MJ Sawyer

K

indred Spirits has relocated from Redding to Ridgfield and will welcome MJ Sawyer, vibrational sound healer and therapeutic counselor, for a shamanic sound healing event on October 18 from 7 to 9pm.

The shamanic sounds help clear blocks that create suffering and realign the energetic system so you can experience your authentic self. The shower of vibrational sounds you receive can aid in clearing unhealthy attachments to people, places and things in addition to negative feelings, belief systems, patterning, cell memory, neural pathways and genetic coding.

Sawyer has authored a number of articles and books, including Choosing Sanity: An Unprecedented Guide to Healing Brain Chemistry Disorders Without Medications.

The fee for the healing event is $25 per person.

For more information and to register, call 203-431-1999, email JTKindredSpirit@gmail.com, or visit ShamanicSoundCermonies.com or LightenUp-MJSawyer.com.

Location: Kindred Spirits, 197 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte 7), Ridgefield.

S

atsang, an open meeting in universal truth, is a supportive space to discover a natural quiet joy and ease of simply being. Tathina Feran, a writer, teacher and volunteer in Stamford, will be leading an open meeting in Woodbury on October 1 and is scheduling future meetings in Stamford.

“When I met Gangaji in August of 2016, I had been on a serious Tathina Feran search for peace and true fulfillment which started around the time I graduated from Temple University,” Feran explains. “This unexpected longing brought me to many teachers and paths, but Gangaji's message is: ‘closer than any teaching is the truth of who you are.’ Meeting Gangaji in the supportive context of satsang allowed me to put all my teachings down for a split second and receive the utter simplicity of this universal truth we all meet as. In stopping my search and investigating into what is here, I discovered myself as being home no matter what is occurring circumstantially, mentally, emotionally and physically. This is the invitation I share with you, with anyone wanting to discover themselves as freedom itself.”

If you are interested in attending the Woodbury event or hosting a future open meeting, email ThisOpenMeeting@ gmail.com or visit About.Me/TathinaFeran.

NOREEN EHRLICH

Success Coach, Radio Host, Motivator, Money Expert CREATE THE INCREDIBLE LIFE YOU DESIRE Are you ready to become the best version of yourself?

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newsbriefs

Program to Feed Those in Need and Furry Best Friends

T

Empowered by Empathy Workshop

I

ntuitive counselor Victoria Shaw, PhD, LPC, will lead a workshop, Empowered by Empathy, at Barefoot Living Arts in Fairfield on October 15. An empath herself, Shaw will help participants understand the nature of intuitive empathy and share tools and strategies that have helped her and her clients manage and get the most of their empathic gifts. This workshop is appropriate for anyone who identifies as an empath, or thinks they Victoria Shaw might be as well as those who love them.

Intuitive empaths are highly sensitive people who experience other individuals’ feelings and pain as if they were happening to them. Intuitive empathy can be a great gift when managed correctly, allowing for a deeper sense of connection with and compassion for others. But feeling other people’s feelings can be overwhelming and confusing. Many empaths can suffer from mood swings, anxiety, depression, obesity, addiction, co-dependency and chronic fatigue.

The course fee is $35 per person, or $30 if paid in full

by October 6.

For more information, call 203-254-3403, email VFShawPhD@ gmail.com or visit VictoriaShawPsychotherapy.com. Location: Barefoot Living Arts in the Sportsplex@Fairfield, 85 Mill Plain Rd, Fairfield. See ad, page 19.

here’s a new spiritual community working hard to help those in need. TAS, Inc.’s mission is to use the “food as medicine” principle to provide clean, healthy, locally sourced food to those in need through a BOGO system. Those who are able will buy one meal (tax-deductible donation) and TAS, Inc. d/b/a Julie Taboolie’s Community Food Outreach will then give one meal to an individual in need, along with food for his or her companion animal. Many times individuals in financial distress will choose to feed their furry best friend instead of themselves.

TAS, Inc. wants to remedy that so all humans and furry best friends are fed in the Woodbury, Southbury, Bethlehem, Middlebury and Watertown areas. Their ultimate goal is to purchase a mobile restaurant and/or food delivery system to make this mission possible.

In Woodbury, TAS, Inc. will hold a fundraiser to support their cause, from 6 to 9pm, October 21. King Solomon’s Lodge #7 of Woodbury is the sponsor and location. Why should kids have all the Halloween fun? Get a babysitter, put on your best retro 1960s or 1970s-themed costume and enjoy the festivities.

There will be food by Labonne’s Markets, prizes and a raffle.

Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite.com. Advance adult tickets are $25, and seniors and veterans are $20.

With inspiration from the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaji) and Ram Dass, the TAS, Inc. community has been working on a small scale until now as they awaited their 501(c)3 nonprofit determination. As of March 16, they became official and are working toward full implementation of their community dinner program.

For more information, call 203-263-3176, visit Feeding-Everyone.org, or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Location: King Solomon’s Lodge #7, 14 Park Rd, Woodbury.

We’re what you’ve been looking for!

NICE PEOPLE GREAT MUSIC UPLIFITING EXPERIENCE INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES

Celebration Service Sundays at 10:30 am

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Rev. Shawn Moninger, Unity Minister

3 Main Street, 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06851 (203) 855-7922 www.unitycenternorwalk.org

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Broadway & Cabaret Sing David Friedman, - Sat, Oct 7th at 7 :30pm Reiki Healing Circle - Thurs, Oct 12th at 7pm Open Mic Night - Sat, Oct 21st at 7 pm

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

see all events in the calendar listings

natural awakenings

Ridgefield Welcomes New Psychotherapy & Fitness Center

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eing Centered: Psychological Services, PLLC, provides individual psychotherapy for adults, group psychotherapy, consultations, and psychological evaluations. In October they will open their Ridgefield practice side-by-side with MindBody Mastery. An Open House is scheduled for October 20 from 5 to 8pm, and October 21 from 11am to 2pm, at their new Ridgefield location.

MindBody Mastery and Being Centered are collaborating to combine the science of wellness with the language of souls to assist clients. MindBody Mastery’s Nicole Fevrier Davis is a NASM & AFAA certified personal trainer, Reiki Master and psychic. Dr. Teresa Reyes Castillo and Dr. Anna Huff are licensed psychologists. Services are available separately or combined for personal training and psychological services.

The three professionals use their various skills and training to help clients find their truth and find a deeper meaning within their lives. The psychological practice focuses on treating the individual from a holistic perspective; integrating mind, body and spirit. To do this, the practitioners focus on meeting individuals where they are, both mentally and physically, including providing house calls. For some, the most comfortable place to trust someone else is within their own space. Therapy at their home allows individuals to receive the services they may need within their time and space.

People in search of their own truth and meaning can often use this type of therapy to guide themselves to a stronger connection with their inner self and with others. Individual therapy can also provide alleviation from internal and external conflicts, emotional distress and mental illness. The focus of this type of therapy is on resolution through the development of internal strength and encouragement of self-reliance.

Being Centered helps people find their soul and develop the courage to follow it.

MindBody Mastery

For more information about Being Centered, call 203-614-1089, email Info@Being-Centered.com or visit BeingCentered.com. For more information about MindBody Mastery, call 646-739-7879 or visit MindBodyMastery.org. Location: 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 105E, Ridgefield. See ad, page 3.

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Rewiring the Brain: What is Neurofeedback?

A Workshop presented by Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, Ed.D, BCN, LPC Board Certified in Neurofeedback Tuesday -- October 17, 2017 at 7:00 pm At the Offices of Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge 898 Ethan Allen Hwy., Suite #6, Ridgefield, CT Please call 203-438-4848 or e-mail: info@drroseann.com to reserve your spot!

Neurofeedback therapy is a powerful, safe, non-medication treatment for common childhood and adult issues and disorders, including: ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, Anxiety, Trauma, Stress, Learning Issues, Speech/ $100.00 coupon Language Issues, Memory, Social Issues, Head Injury, Sports-Related towards a brain Concussion, Mood Issues, and Pain. Come learn how a QEEG (brain mapping! mapping) works, what Neurofeedback therapy is like, and how it could benefit you or your child. We will also discuss our latest technology – Advanced Bioregulation Therapy (BRT), which combines PEMF and Biofeedback to promote healing.

All new clients will receive a

Neurofeedback/Biofeedback is rated by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a Level 1 intervention for ADHD – the same as medication!

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238 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe, CT 06468 marygilbertsonwellness.com • maryglbertsonwellness@gmail.com 16

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

Past Life Regression For Insights into Now

P

ast life regression and exploration is a therapeutic technique for opening our past lives coherently.

Often we are carrying—at an unconscious cellular energy level—many fears, experiences, memories, events and traumas from our past lives that show up in this present life. They can cause us to have emotional and physical difficulties, such as unexplained fears, addictions, low self-esteem, repeated relationship failures, weight issues, physical and emotional pain, or feelings of inadequacy or feeling stuck.

While we are in a hypnotic state with a trained professional, we safely experience each past life ourselves. Under hypnosis, an event or an unconscious memory is identified from the subconscious; it is then brought to the conscious mind, permitting these issues to clear up, heal and not return.

Past life regression reveals the origin of these issues. The root cause or the patterns from past lives—whether positive or negative—are triggered in this present life. They can affect our emotional responses, relationships, drives, ambitions, fears, self-worth and physical bodies, thereby causing us pain. When we release or enhance these energies and these patterns from the past, we are able to live more freely in our present true lives. Think of it as healing the past to create a healthy future.

Althea, the founder and director of Universal Intelligence, LLC, is a coach, hypnotist, and EFT and Reiki practitioner.

She has trained with seasoned regressionists, including Brian Weiss, MD. Connect at 203-451-3383, Support@UniversalIntelligence.info or UniversalIntelligence.info. See ad, page 8.

ecotip LilKar/Shutterstock.com

Mold Gold

Decaying Autumn Leaves Feed Summer Gardens In many parts of the U.S., autumn brings fallen leaves, and the benefits of composting can be extended via leaf molding. “You get new leaves every year. You don’t need to take leaves to a landfill or burn them,” advises Lee Reich, Ph.D., a garden and orchard consultant in New Paltz, New York (LeeReich. com). Digging or tilling leaves into garden beds and containers, using them as mulch, fosters natural soil conditioning, supplies beneficial nutrients and enriches earthworm habitat. PlanetNatural. com estimates that 50 to 80 percent of tree nutrients end up in their leaves.

According to FineGardening.com, “Leaf mold prevents extreme fluctuations in soil temperature, keeps the soil surface loose so water penetrates easily, retains soil moisture by slowing water evaporation and stimulates biological activity, creating a microbial environment that helps thwart pests.”

One method comprises piling leaves in a corner of the yard or in a wood or wire bin at least three feet wide and tall.

Thoroughly dampen the entire pile and let it sit, checking the moisture level occasionally during dry periods and adding water if necessary. Another option is to fill a large plastic bag with leaves and moisten them. Seal the bag, and then cut some holes or slits for airflow. Check every month or two and add water if the leaves are dry.

Either way, the decomposition process for most leaves can take six to 12 months; DIYNatural.com reports that some leaves, like oak, can take up to three years to decompose.

Hasten the process by mowing the leaves a couple of times before adding them to the pile or bag; turning them over every few weeks with a shovel or garden fork; or covering the contained pile with a plastic tarp to keep the leaves wetter and warmer.

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healthbriefs

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The UB Clinics are open to the public and provide comprehensive healthcare services to over 20,000 patients per year with an emphasis on wellness and prevention at the nation’s Center of Excellence for integrative healthcare.

Call today to discover how you can receive state-of-the-art, patient-centered care in the following fields:

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

esearchers from the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, in New York City, studied the impact of music therapy on 60 patients that had undergone spinal fusion surgery. Half received a 30-minute music therapy session, along with standard postoperative care, within 72 hours of surgery.

The other half received only standard care.

The scientists used the visual analog scale to measure pain before and after music therapy in both groups concurrently. The patients receiving music therapy experienced average pain level reductions from 6.2 to 5.09, while the control group averaged slight increases in pain, from 5.2 to 5.87.

“The degree of change in the music group is notable for having been achieved by non-pharmacologic means, with little chance of adverse effects,” explains Centaer Director and study co-author Joanne Loewy. “Pain is subjective and personal, and warrants an individualized approach to care. Certified, licensed music therapists can tailor treatment to each patient’s musical preferences and address their pain level.”

Banning Trans Fats Lowers Heart Attacks

E

leven counties in New York instituted restrictions on trans fatty acids in restaurants in 2007. Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine used data from the New York State Department of Health statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System and U.S. Census population estimates to determine the impact of these restrictions on the health of the community; they compared the 11 counties that had the restrictions to 25 counties without them. The scientists concluded that hospital heart attack admissions were significantly lower for the 11 counties with the restrictions.

natural awakenings

Jonathan Vasata/Shutterstock.com

Clinics

Tyler Olson/Shutterstock.com

Music Soothes Pain after Surgery

IVL/Shutterstock.com

SPIRULINA REDUCES WEIGHT AND CHOLESTEROL

S

pirulina platensis, a single-celled bluegreen algae used in supplements, is often taken for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

A new study from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, tested the efficacy of spirulina supplementation on the body mass index (BMI), weight and cholesterol levels of 64 obese adults between the ages of 20 and 50.

Subjects were divided into intervention and placebo groups. The intervention group took twice-daily supplements of Spirulina platensis for 12 weeks. BMI, fasting blood samples and lipid profiles were assessed at the beginning and end of the study, and food intake and appetite were reported daily.

The scientists found more than double the reductions in both body weight and BMI in the spirulina group, compared to the control group. In addition, reductions in both total cholesterol and appetite were found in the intervention group.

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

WOMEN LIVE LONGER WHEN SURROUNDED BY GREENERY

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esearchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, followed 108,630 U.S. women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study between 2000 and 2008, comparing their mortality rates with the amount of vegetation around their homes.

The researchers also accounted for related risk factors such as age, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and smoking behaviors. They concluded that subjects living in the greenest areas had a 12 percent lower mortality rate than those living in the least lush areas during the study period.

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globalbriefs

your light !

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

When you are being your light you: • Live Your Soul's Purpose • Attain Deep Peace • Have Balance Around Giving and Receiving • Have Loving, Supportive Relationships • Have the Career that Sings to Your Soul

Fare Price

Save on Holiday Plane Tickets The easiest way to save money on airfare is by being flexible, because flying on certain days at certain times can be more affordable. Shopping among airports and carriers can also yield dividends, perhaps leaving from one airport and returning to another or combining airlines based on the lowest available rates for legs of the trip. Off hours for flying are very early in the morning or late at night; keep looking for deals right up to the deadline.

Airlines send deals and special offers to those that sign up for email alerts. Stay updated on their social media platforms if they release special offers to online followers. To avoid incrementally increasing prices and falling victim to some packagers’ tactics of dynamic pricing and tracking computer searches, clear the browser’s cookies between searches. Try helpful Travel Apps for smartphones; not only are they mobile, they vary in service and scope to suit individual needs. Most are free.

9

One-on-one Sessions workshops & Trainings with

Eilis Philpott Master Healer and Teacher

203-767-5954 • Fairfield, CT Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com www.SoulHealingJourney.com

Wildlife Wipeout J. Marijs/Shutterstock.com

Wind Turbines Kill Winged Creatures Wind turbines make cleaner energy, but are dangerous to birds and bats. According to a study in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, approximately 573,000 birds and 888,000 bats are killed annually by wind turbines, which are providing increased wind power capacity nationwide. At one solar power plant in California, an estimated 3,500 birds died in just the plant’s first year of operation.

What would help most is offshore turbines and knowledge about migration routes. The safest place for wind turbines is in the ocean, because songbirds and bats don’t migrate over such waters. On land, many songbirds fly at night and can’t see the wind turbines until it’s too late. Once they’ve discovered the unsafe area, they avoid it. Because migration routes are based on availability of food, water and resting areas, birds are forced to fly around the turbines, adding miles to their trip and the burning of more calories.

Estimates of just how many bats are dying each year range from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Radar installations help to keep bats away from the deadly blades. Other remedies include slowing the blades at night to reduce collisions, which has proved to reduce overall wildlife deaths by 73 percent.

In 2016 the American Wind Energy Association announced voluntary guidelines to halt turbines during low wind speeds, when bats are most active, to reduce bat fatalities by 30 percent. With two more industry changes, bat fatalities could drop 90 percent: feathering, or turning the blades parallel to the wind so the turbines don’t rotate; and higher cut-in speeds so they don’t rotate in light winds.

Take action at NationOfChange.org/petitions/protect-bats-lethal-wind-turbines.

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

Hong VoShutterstock.com

be

be your light!

9

Migrating Trees

Resource Saver

The consequences of climate change are impacting plant species in unanticipated, but logical ways; for instance, conifers and other needle trees are moving northward because they are more sensitive to temperature than flowering, deciduous trees. They already populate the boreal forest of eastern North America, so they’re well-adapted to expand into colder, drier conditions.

Individual trees can’t move, but populations can shift over time as saplings expand into a new region while older growth dies in another. A new study published in Science Advances also shows that about three-quarters of tree species common to eastern American forests, including white oaks, sugar maples and American holly, have shifted their population centers westward since 1980 due to drier conditions in the East.

Global warming has significantly altered rainfall totals.

Songlin Fei, a professor of forestry at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, and one of the study authors, observes, “Different species are responding to climate change differently. Most of the broadleaf species of deciduous trees are following moisture that’s moving westward.”

Changes in land use, conservation efforts, wildfire frequency and the arrival of pests and blights all play parts in shifting populations. Forest ecosystems are defined as much by the mix of species and the interaction between them as by the simple presence of many trees. If different species migrate in different directions, then ecological communities could eventually collapse.

Innovative Building Material Trumps Concrete Oleksandr Rybitskiy/Shutterstock.com

WathanyuSowong/Shutterstock.com

Forests Shift West with Climate Change

Concrete and steel allow us to build immense houses, skyscrapers and dams, but in 2012, the U.S. Energy Information Administration determined that cement manufacturing uses more energy than any other industry. A new substitute process of growing biodegradable bricks via millions of bacteriadepositing chemicals, similar to the way coral grows, is now coming into use.

The bacteria are injected into a brick mold with an aggregate material such as sand. After a short time, the bacteria turn it into a solid brick. Not only is this a renewable resource, it uses relatively little energy and is a viable option for future methods of construction, including terraforming other planets (Tinyurl.com/Biodegradable BuildingMaterials).

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October 2017

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eventspotlight

Annual Wellness and Sports Event Returns to Stamford

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helsea Piers Stamford is getting ready to host the sixth annual Stamford Health-sponsored Health Wellness & Sports Expo 2017, presented by WABC-TV. The event will take place October 21 from 10am to 4pm and October 22 from 11am to 5pm. Admission and parking are free.

Expo visitors will find health education, fun activities for children and special guests as well as the latest information, products, services and demos from more than 100 exhibitors.

“We are excited to be part of this annual event again this year,” says Vicki

Hoffman, director of Orthopedic Service Line, Stamford Health. “Expo 2017 will address a wide variety of health concerns and feature many innovative exhibits to help the community set off on a healthy course.”

Staff from Stamford Health will provide information on many medical conditions and treatments, and children will enjoy the Stamford Health volunteer HAHA clowns. In conjunction with Stamford Health’s Department of Trauma Services, there will be a Toucha-Truck from the Stamford Fire Department in the parking lot at Chelsea Piers both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food for The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and receive a free raffle ticket. Raffle tickets can also be purchased for $5. Raffle prizes will be announced throughout the weekend. All visitors will receive a Passport for Life, provided by Healthcare News, to record their expo participation.

Those who visit 40 exhibits can receive a complimentary day pass to Chelsea Piers Connecticut. There will also be flu shots provided by CVS Health (insurance and/or cash payments accepted).

New attractions this year include

Discover Scuba classes with Capt.

Saam’s Scuba School at the Chelsea Piers pool on Sunday afternoon. The Loft Healthy Seminars is a series of ten 45-minute presentations on timely food topics by area restaurant representatives in a lounge-like setting in the Healthy Restaurant Sampling Zone. Visitors can taste healthy cuisine and beverages from 18 restaurants.

Special guests will include Gillian Neff of News 12 Connecticut. Jenna Hourani, RDN, a retail dietitian from Grade A ShopRite, will offer healthy food demos. Billy Blanks Jr., of Shark Tank fame, will conduct his popular Dance It Out fitness class on Saturday and Sunday at the Chelsea Piers Athletic Club.

Visitors can meet additional As Seen on Shark Tank wellness entrepreneurs at the Expo’s Shark Tank Health Zone.

Sponsors are Stamford Health, WABC-TV, Grade A ShopRite, Ageless Personal Training, Athletic Gaines, CVS Health, EBMAS CT Martial Arts, Even Hotels, Mountainside, Sacred Heart University, Val’s Putnam Wines & Liquors, Healthcare News, News 12 Connecticut, Stamford Magazine/ Moffly Media, Star 99.9, 95.9 Fox, The Advocate/Hearst Media Services, Natural Awakenings, Natural Nutmeg, Jen Danzi and Macaroni Kid.

This event is created and produced

by TMK Sports & Entertainment, a Greenwich-based event marketing company.

For updates and schedule information, visit HWS-Expos.com, and follow on Twitter @hws_expos, Instagram @hws_expos and Facebook.com/hws.expos. Location: Chelsea Piers Connecticut, 1 Blachley Rd, Stamford. See ad, page 48.

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7365 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06614 | www.truehealthct.com | 203.923.8633 22

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

BRIAN LUKE SEAWARD S P E A K S AT W C S U

Brian Luke Seaward PhD, best selling author, motivational speaker, award winning film director, holistic stress management expert, workshop facilitator, and teacher will present “Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backward.”

This event is sponsored by the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at WCSU and will include a book signing immediately following the presentation.

“It has been said that he looks like James Taylor, dresses like Indiana Jones, and writes like Mark Twain. In the role of traveler, visionary, mystic, healer and mentor, Brian Luke Seaward has created a legacy in the field of wellness and health promotion for all to share.”

October 18 at 7:30 pm Ives Concert Hall 181 White Street, Danbury, CT General admission is $15 WCSU employees and alumni are $10 WCSU students with valid ID are free Tickets at staff and faculty rate will be available at the information desk in the Midtown student center or purchase online at www.wcsu.edu/tickets. Valid WCSU ID required at time of purchase.

To buy tickets:

call (203) 837–TIXX or visit wcsu.edu/tickets

For additional information:

please contact Christel Autuori at autuoric@wcsu.edu eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

23

Mastering Yoga

The yoga community in Fairfield County and the Housatonic Valley has never been more vibrant!

This section provides connections to studios and teachers in the area, as well as helpful editorial to support your efforts to improve your practice.

Lyashenko Ego/Shutterstock.com

Your studio could be featured here

School Om Work

Kids Calm Themselves with Meditation

by April Thompson

Reach over 60,000 Natural Awakenings readers by placing your ad here.

Call for more info.

203-885-4674

24

S

choolchildren are learning the calming effect of tuning into their minds and bodies through a pioneering program in Baltimore, Maryland, that’s replacing time outs and school detentions with mindful moments. Trained staff—including many former students—teach yoga, mindfulness practices, meditation, centering and breath work that empower kids to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Brothers Atman and Ali Smith and friend Andres Gonzalez founded the nonprofit Holistic Life Foundation (HLF) in 2001 in response to the pressing need to help kids living in challenging urban environments better manage stress, anger and other heightened emotions. Today, the organization is

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

sowing the seeds of mindfulness with some 7,500 students a week across 18 Baltimore-area schools, usually beginning through daylong, school-wide interventions and afterschool programs supporting targeted populations.

Frustrated kids cool off and center themselves through breathing exercises and meditation in the Mindful Moment Room in the HLF flagship Robert W. Coleman Elementary School. “Sometimes when I get mad, I just breathe deep. I picture being in a certain place I like and I just stop being mad… I think of being a bigger person and doing something maybe a wise man would do,” advises one fifth-grade participant.

“When we had to take a big test,

before I took it and in the middle, I took deep breaths to stay calm and finish the test. When everybody around you is making a lot of noises, you just try to tune them out and be yourself, do your breathing,” says another fifth-grader.

The training starts with educators learning mindfulness techniques both to help their students and also manage their own stress in the classroom. “The program was a fantastic experience,” says Lori Gustovson, a teacher at Baltimore’s Lincoln Elementary School. “We integrated the exercises into our daily schedules, helping many students and teachers focus their attention and regulate emotions such as anxiety, anger and frustration. We are a better school because of the time they spent in our classrooms teaching us the beauty of paying attention to breath, movement and each other,” she observes.

Participating schools have reported fewer fights, better attendance and higher grades, among other benefits, according to Ali Smith, all results backed by independent research.

Recent studies in schools from San

These are tools kids can rely on for the rest of their lives, and use them to get back to their center. ~Ali Smith Francisco to Columbus, Ohio, have shown that teaching kids mindfulness practices can heighten attentiveness, self-control and empathy, while reducing stress, hyperactivity and depression, and improving academic performance.

The kids also apply their newfound skills at home. “To take ownership of the practice and understand the benefits, you have to know how to explain it, so we use a reciprocal teaching model,” says Ali. “We teach the kids to say, ‘Mom, Dad, you look stressed; can you take a breather with me?’”

Martin, a Lincoln Elementary student, was pleased to report, “I went to my house and taught my mom how to do all the things you guys taught us.”

Virginia, another student, noted, “This morning I got mad at my dad, but then I remembered to breathe, and then I didn’t shout.”

Other schools are following suit.

Mindful Schools began in 2007 as a single-school program in Oakland, California, and then expanded to support online and in-person courses and a network of mindful educators spanning all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The David Lynch Foundation funds efforts to bring transcendental meditation to underserved kids in classrooms like the Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School, in Queens, New York; Wilson High School, in Portland, Oregon; and Wayzata West Middle School, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, among others.

Find easy instruction at Tinyurl.com/ MindfulnessStarterLesson.

Connect with freelance writer April Thompson, in Washington, D.C., at AprilWrites.com.

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TRANSFORMATIVE

TRAVEL Outer Adventures, Inner Journeys

by April Thompson

An open-hearted journey can take unexpected paths. More travelers today are searching for deep and lasting changes in their view of themselves and the world.

Declare Your Intentions

Stay Open

Cousineau suggests that travelers prepare to open their thinking by reading about the history, culture and geography of a place, and then continue to learn en route by talking to locals for insight

Move Beyond Comfort

“Travel can serve as a vehicle for expansive personal growth. Through it, we learn to explore the world and ourselves,” Boyle observes.

“When you venture outside the controlled environment of prepackaged trips for tourists to face difficult decisions and

mimagephotography/Shutterstock.com

Attention and intention are the main ingredients for transformative travel for Phil Cousineau, acclaimed author of The Art of Pilgrimage. “Ask yourself what is motivating the journey: Are you going just to check something off your bucket list because you read about it or are you going because your grandma told you how magical her visit there was in the 1920s? Are you going because you’re at a crossroads in your life, marriage or work?” queries Cousineau.

Naming your intention helps open up the heart and psyche for transformation. Cousineau recommends sharing our choice beforehand with a friend or even a casual acquaintance. Writing it down can also unpack those yearnings and understand the pull to a place.

Part of the intention setting is

clarifying what we hope to accomplish through making a journey, suggests Nathaniel Boyle, creator of The Travelers podcast and the travel platform Holocene that facilitates community among transformation-seeking travelers.

It might be climbing a mountain with our spouse to strengthen a marriage, or taking a cooking class in Italy or a basket weaving workshop in Indonesia to rekindle a sense of fresh input and creative expression.

rather than relying only on a guidebook.

“Make yourself vulnerable. Ask questions and be humble. Talk to your waiter or cab driver about their lives and conditions in their country. Those that become most delighted and transformed by their experiences are the most curious,” observes Cousineau.

Anna Pollock, of London, England, founder of Conscious Travel and a sustainable travel expert, elaborates on potential results. “Travelers may see the world and their part in it differently or feel greater clarity, peace, freedom or hope. For some, it’s about insights into their personal purpose. Others may return with a deeper sense of connectedness or feeling of mastery that comes from trying something completely new.”

Jake Haupert, of Seattle, owner of Evergreen Escapes International, co-founded the Transformational Travel Council to help people embark on such life-altering journeys, and translate “Aha!” moments on the road into meaningful changes back home. He has witnessed individuals undergo radical shifts from changing careers to becoming parents.

One couple was so moved by their experiences on an African safari that they adopted their first child from Kenya.

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natural awakenings

Pius LeeShutterstock.com

Do Less, Experience More

If we truly want to know the secret of soulful traveling, we need to believe there is something sacred waiting to be discovered in virtually every journey. ~Phil Cousineau confusing and chaotic situations that require problem solving, that’s where real change can occur,” says Haupert.

“My 12,000-mile journey from Washington, D.C., to Antarctica was transformative in so many ways,” says journalist Andrew Evans, author of The Black Penguin memoir. “I’m a geographer by training and spent four years studying maps, but I never understood the true size of the world until I traveled across it on a Greyhound bus. I now see the world as much smaller and much more accessible. The trip made me a stronger, more confident person, and less afraid of what other people think of me; it also made me want to keep traveling.”

“Travel comes from the word travail, to labor, and trip from tripalium, Latin for a medieval torture rack. Metaphorically, travel can feel like torture at times, and some travelers feel unhappy, unprepared, bored or disappointed,” remarks Cousineau. “But the flip side is that travels can stretch us, just like a medieval rack.”

If you have stretch goals, you can build them into an itinerary, advises Haupert, whether it’s getting up the courage to skydive or negotiating a purchase in a foreign street market.

To heighten experiential awareness while traveling, build fewer to-dos into an itinerary, the experts recommend.

“Immerse yourself in a place. Leave time for unplanned explorations, rather than bouncing between destinations without space for spontaneity and restful reflection,” says Haupert. “Also build in time for meditation, yoga, simple relaxation or other intentionally restorative moments in-between the high-intensity peak experiences.”

Haupert suggests staging a ceremonial start to a journey, such as a special dinner or bike ride upon arrival. Similarly, Cousineau recommends starting a new journal on every journey, to ceremoniously start anew in one’s thinking.

Engaging in ritual can also help awaken the traveler, says Cousineau.

He suggests walking in silence as we approach a sacred site, or physically engaging with it, as pilgrims might do when they palm the feet of a Buddha statue or press their forehead to the Wailing Wall.

Sacred sites are fertile ground for transformative experiences, says Lori Erickson, an Episcopal deacon, travel writer and author of Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God, a memoir of her trips to a dozen of the world’s holy sites. “So many people have prayed and opened their hearts in a holy place that you can feel the energy,” she says.

Erickson suggests that travelers seek out hallowed ground from different traditions, which can help heal divides among people of divergent faiths. “The art and architecture of holy sites are beautiful manifestations of spiritual longing and human creativity. These places have the power to move you, regardless of your own spiritual background.”

Lasting Travel Gifts

When you give while traveling, you often get back even more, says Cousineau. “A pilgrim never travels empty-handed. Bring gifts; even postcards from home can make a meaningful connection.” He recently brought baseball equipment along on a group tour he led to give to kids in baseball-crazed Cuba. Giving ap-

Journey Jump-Offs Here’s a short list of resources to inspire transformative adventuring.

n The blog at AyanaJourneys.com explores Cambodia’s sacred Buddhist sites.

n Evergreen Escapes at Evergreen EscapesIntl.com specializes in unforgettable locales tailored to the traveler’s inner calling.

n “The Travelers” podcast via Holocene.io/travelers features stories and advice from 200-plus changemakers on topics ranging from creativity, fear and gratitude to travel-related careers.

n Muddy Shoe Adventures at MuddyShoeAdventures.com offers small-group trips that challenge participants with combinations of physical activities and cultural experiences.

n OuterTravelsInnerJourneys.com connects people through shared spiritual adventures like mind-body healing and immersion in nature.

n Phil Cousineau (PhilCousineau.net) hosts writer’s retreats, literary tours and pilgrimages to historic sacred sites.

n Responsible Travel at Responsible Travel.com offers socially and environmentally conscious tours to all seven continents, including small-ship cruises to more authentic, lesserknown ports of call.

n Transformational Travel Council’s website Transformational.travel conveys uplifting stories, a travelers’ forum and other tools for changeseekers.

n World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (wwoof.net) links volunteers with organic farmers to help build a sustainable global community.

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October 2017

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preciation is as important as tangible mementos, he notes.

“Gratitude makes transformation possible; that’s what modern people are longing for, to be touched.”

Boyle suggests that finding ways to give back can unlock unique opportunities. Quinn Vanderberg and Jonathon Button, guests on Boyle’s podcast, left stable lives and jobs in California for Nicaragua in 2012 with only their travel bags and a shared dream. Brainstorming a vision for a new life together, the 25-year-old pair had realized, “We wanted life to be filled with travel, culture and people, and to make an impact along the way,” says Vanderburg. “We went knowing we wanted to create a social venture, but first wanted to see what was really needed by the community.”

They went on to partner with local educational nonprofits and artisans to launch Life Out of the Box, a line of clothing and accessories modeled after Toms’ “Buy one, give one” business model. For every product sold, the entrepreneurs donate school supplies to a child in need. Since 2012, the project has expanded to also support kids in Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico and Morocco.

Drive Home Transformation

Starting with a moment of reflection before departing a place, take advantage of a trip’s afterglow to recall insights learned, gel memories, share insights and move to make changes stick. Haupert sees this as a good time to develop an action plan to “express gratitude for the journey and create a framework for your homecoming.”

Then, take a day to reflect upon returning home before jumping back into work or other obligations, internalizing your experience and integrating your “traveler self” back into normalcy. It might involve a trip to the spa, an afternoon of journaling or organizing trip photos, suggests Haupert.

“Resist the urge to check emails the minute the plane touches downor start planning the next trip. Take time to remember the journey and see your home turf with fresh eyes,” adds Cousineau.

The returned pilgrim has a responsibility to memorialize the journey, an ancient tradition of Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths, advises Cousineau. The San Francisco writer traveled with a group on foot from Louisville, Kentucky, to Thomas Merton’s Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, to celebrate the legacy of Merton and Mahatma Gandhi. One of the women inked a footprint from each of 100-plus travelers, sewing them into a quilt to commemorate the pilgrimage.

Chronicling the journey can be as simple as a dinner party with friends to share what we have learned, says Cousineau, but suggests that travelers engage attendees to also contribute their own stories and reflections.

“We have a choice upon returning; do nothing and just let that experience fade or own it for ourselves,” concurs Boyle.

“It’s incumbent to extract the meaning of our experiences and find a way to express them, whether through a photo series, article, painting or video. The traveler’s ‘third act’ of creativity after preparation and execution is how we process change.”

Connect with freelance writer April Thompson, in Washington, D.C., at AprilWrites.com.

natural awakenings

wisewords Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo

What difference can exploring the nature of consciousness make?

JOINING SCIENCE TO SPIRITUALITY

by Linda Sechrist

I

n 2008, the Sebastopol, California, filmmaking team of Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo created Science and Nonduality (SAND), which later became a nonprofit organization aimed at fostering a new relationship with spirituality that is free from religious dogma, based on timeless wisdom traditions, informed by cuttingedge science and grounded in direct experience.

The next year, they organized the first SAND conference, exploring nonduality and the nature of consciousness. Since then, the duo has been producing short films that contribute to the expansion of human awareness, and hosting annual conferences in the U.S. and Europe involving leading scientists, academics and other pioneering thinkers.

Thousands of participants from around the world interact in forums and respectful dialogues with luminaries such as Menas Kafatos, Ph.D., a professor of computational physics at Chapman University, in Orange, California; Peter Russell, a theoretical physicist and author of From Science to God: A Physicist’s Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness; Robert Thurman, Ph.D., professor of Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University, in New York City; evolutionary biologist Elisabet Sahtouris, author of EarthDance: Living Systems in Evolution; and Robert Lanza, physician, scientist and co-author of Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe.

Where do revelations about a deeper reality begin?

MB: Individual and communal explora-

tions often occur around life’s big questions, such as what it means to be conscious and to seek meaning and purpose; the possible place of intuition as the edge where knowledge meets the unknown and unknowable; and how crucial individual awakening is to social transformation.

What is meant by nonduality?

ZB: Nonduality is the philosophical, spiritual and scientific understanding of fundamental oneness in which there is no separation. Through quantum mechanics, Western science has reached an understanding of what Eastern mystics have long understood.

Duality, generally determined in terms of opposites such as self and other, conscious and unconscious, illusion and reality, as well as separation between the observer and the observed, is an illusion. Nonduality is the understanding that our identifying with common dualisms avoids recognition of a deeper reality.

Until recently, human sciences have ignored the problem of consciousness by calling it the “hard problem”.

This has led to our present fragmented worldview rife with chaos, conflict and crises. It may be time for scientists to accept the discoveries of the mystics and consider consciousness intrinsic to every observed scientific phenomenon.

Understanding that consciousness is the key to the universe, reality and ourselves may be the missing link in bridging science and spirituality.

ZB: Understanding the new science that points to consciousness as allpervasive and the fundamental building block of reality—that we are all made of the same essence, like drops in the ocean—can change how we approach and harmonize day-to-day living. We can be far more open, peaceful and accepting of others.

Absurd violence, as well as economic, social and political crises, could all be things of the past, based on a new quantum understanding of our interconnectedness and oneness.

How has the nonduality movement evolved?

MB: SAND has evolved into something we never imagined when we began discussing the ideas that the true spirit of science and spiritually is best supported by an open mind and a non-dogmatic inquiry; while science seeks to understand our external reality and spiritual thinkers seek to understand our inner, personal experience of consciousness, these seemingly different disciplines rarely come together in open dialogue.

It became more evident that we weren’t looking for scientific answers or proof of what spiritual wisdom traditions teach, but rather to expand the questions asked of both science and spirituality.

Open-ended questions arise such as: What if space and time are just useful maps and quantum mechanics is pointing us to a deeper reality more mysterious than we can ever imagine? What if science and spirituality, while responding to our collective aspiration to grow and progress, would no longer need to carry the burden of having all the answers? What if we considered our search open-ended, rather then having to arrive at a grand theory of life or final state of enlightenment? What if, while we probe deeper into reality and who we are, we realize that knowledge gathered will always be just a stepping-stone?

For information about the 2017 conference in San Jose from Oct. 18 to 22, visit ScienceAndNonduality.com.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Connect at ItsAllAboutWe.com.

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Life from the Inside Out

Using Intuition to Design Your Ideal Life

by Melanie Barnum

W

hat if you could design a life for yourself that would make you happy? That you could create a life you would truly enjoy living? How about if you could use your intuitive abilities to do it? Would you make the simple changes necessary to increase your joy?

Would you decide you are worth it?

We are all born with intuition. Being intuitive is part of our human birthright. It is something we are gifted as children but often forget to use as we grow up. We’ve heard of women’s intuition and gut instincts, but how often do you actually use your psychic senses intentionally?

Step 1. Release the Stress You are not going to get anywhere if

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you can’t allow yourself to release the stress. Holding onto thoughts and feelings that cause you tension will always be an option, but they will never be a good one. Having the opportunity to let negativity out allows you to open up to positive energy instead. This is the first step to designing your new life.

Let It Go Go somewhere where you won’t be disturbed for at least 10 minutes. Sit or lay down and relax. Take a moment to focus on your breath. Breathe in. Pay attention to how your breath feels as it travels through your mouth, down into your chest and through your lungs. With every inhalation imagine relaxation flow-

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ing through your body. When you exhale allow any tension to be released with every breath. Continue by taking deep breaths in and out until you feel relaxed.

Now, take a moment to think about any negative beliefs you may have about yourself. It can be that you’re not good enough, don’t have enough, are not attractive enough, don’t have enough to offer others, or are not worthy of having a positive relationship. Separate one thought from the rest, one that might be standing out above all else. Now imagine in your hand is an empty red balloon. Put the balloon to your lips and, as you focus on that negative thought, begin blowing it into the balloon. In your mind, repeat your negative belief as you blow. When you feel like it is totally filled, tie it off. Holding it between your thumb and your finger, release the balloon while saying, “I release this negative belief that’s held me back from designing a life I want to live.”

Next, one by one, focus on each negative belief you’ve held onto. Release them individually by blowing them into their own balloons and letting them go.

Continue until you have relinquished any hold these negative beliefs had on you.

Step 2. Pay Attention to How It Feels Our spirit knows when we are moving towards something that our soul needs. It just feels right. When we’re going against our higher good or our higher selves, it feels off. Imagine trying to swim upstream against the current.

Think of the effort it takes to cut through the water and struggle against the tide.

When we are moving in the wrong direction, everything feels harder. Every step becomes more and more difficult.

But when we are on the right path, it feels like we’re moving with the current, and everything seems easier. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have obstacles or pitfalls, but you’ll be able to get through them and see the sunlight on the other side. It will finally feel like you’re going with the flow and at times you even be able to float along without any effort.

Go Swimming!

Using your psychic sense, or clairsentience, you can explore your goals.

Again, just take a few deep breaths to begin relaxing. When you are ready, think about something that makes you feel really happy. It might be your kids or your significant other. You may feel extremely happy when you think about a specific location or something you do.

Now pay attention to how that makes you feel. How does it make your body feel? How does it feel emotionally?

Next, think of something that makes you angry or sad, or something that just feels wrong. It can be something that goes against your basic sense of humanity or something more personal. Again, focus in on how it makes you feel. How does it feel inside your body? Does it make you feel heavy or light?

Does it make you feel overwhelmed or even physically sick?

Do you feel nauseated or does it give you a headache? Just take a moment to focus on that feeling.

Think about one of your goals. How does it make you feel? Does it feel light and airy? Does it feel as though you’re weighted down? Do you feel like you are swimming upstream against the current or like you’re going with the flow?

Does it make you want to cry? Does it make you want to laugh? When you feel like you have determined what your clairsentience is trying to tell you move on to another goal or dream that you have and do the same thing.

When you are done, revisit your goals and your dreams.

Do they still feel like something you want to do? Does it feel like you’re moving in the right direction? It’s alright to decide you want change something. It’s also okay if you’ve determined the way that you thought you were going to accomplish something may not be the best way anymore. You can trust your intuition will let you know what to do.

Design It! There’s no reason to work harder than you have to. Manifesting means to set into motion the development of something you desire or wish to create. But, manifestation can be a double edged sword. In other words, what you think or believe, is or will be. Simply stated this means if you spend most of your time concentrating on what is wrong you may be bringing in more negative energy. If you direct your energy in a positive way you can bring happiness into your life.

Thought is the easiest way to begin the manifestation process. Thinking about what it is that you want, stating it aloud or even writing it down and then letting it go allows the universe to begin working in your favor. This doesn’t mean you ignore the signs or the solutions being presented to you; you still have

to be present in your life and participate in it. You cannot ignore the gentle nudges from the universe that are keeping you on your path to manifest what you want. So, let’s design your life.

Manifest It! Do you know what you want? Think about the previous exercises and make a decision right now about what you’d like to accomplish or what you’d like to bring into your life. Now is the time to start that process.

Think about one thing you’d like to have, achieve or accomplish. Get a piece of paper and write down what it is you’d like to manifest. Then, step back and read it aloud ten times. By reading it and repeating it, you are stating to the universe exactly what it is that you’d like. When you’ve written down what you’d like to manifest and read it out loud, find a safe place to put your paper. Then let it go. Thank the universe, your guides, your deceased loved ones and all your helpers from the other side for their guidance and assistance in creating what it is you’d like to manifest.

Walk away. This step is hard. We feel as though we need to control the way things happen in order to create the outcome we want. By releasing the control, however, we provide the space for the manifestation process to begin.

Give it a little time; you may begin to see signs that you’re on the right path or you may begin noticing you’ve manifested exactly what you want already.

You are now well on your way to designing the life you want using your intuition. Enjoy it and enjoy the process. You can revisit any of the steps at any time if you feel as though something else needs to come into your life in order to create the design you want. You have put into motion the beginnings of a whole new world of opportunity designed just for you.

Melanie Barnum is a practicing psychic and medium. She is the author of five books on psychic ability and manifesting, including her latest, Llewellyn’s Little Book of Psychic Development, and is currently working on her sixth. She is also the creator and producer of an oracle card deck, the Psychic Symbols Oracle Cards. Connect at MelanieBarnum.com or follow MelanieBarnumPsychic on Facebook.

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LIFE DESIGN:

An Adaptation of Universal Laws

by Darlene Alvarez Maddern

T

he concept of “Life Design” may be fairly new; however, when we take a close look at the underlying tenets used to create the “design”, we see similarities to universal laws—such as the Laws of Attraction—that have existed for centuries. The success of a Life Design is generally based on the following: deciding what would make us happy in various areas of our lives, a belief we can make it happen, focusing our thoughts on what we want, letting go of limiting beliefs and being willing to act on our plan. These are the same steps for creating the life we want using the Laws of Attraction.

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To create a Life Design or a Lifestyle Design means to examine our current lives and decide what we would like to change to make us happy. For example, designing our “happy” life means deciding what we want to do for a living or how much we want to work. It encompasses where we want to live, how we want to spend our leisure time, and what things we want to do in and with our lives. It doesn’t matter how old we are or at what stage in life we are. What does matter is that we follow the steps and believe it is possible.

When Timothy Ferriss wrote The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich, it became a bestseller; it was the beginning of a different method and focus for how to create the life we desire by design. One of the first statements Ferriss makes in regard to designing our lives is that we need to change our way of thinking. “Life doesn’t have to be so damn hard,” he says. “It really doesn’t.

Most people, my past self included, have spent too much time convincing themselves that life has to be hard.”

In Ask and It Is Given, Esther and Jerry Hicks explain the Laws of Attraction, how they work and how they impact our lives. They begin by reminding us who we really are and why we are here. “You are here to experience outrageous joy,” is a phrase used by the Hicks. They go on to explain how life is not supposed to be hard, and we’re not meant to struggle.

Instead, we’re meant to be happy and to enjoy all that life has to offer.

Step one in Life Design is to decide what it means to be happy. One of the ways to do that is to use our imagination and get clear on what it is we really want in our lives. What would make us happy? This is also the first step in using the Laws of Attraction. Gaining clarity on exactly what we want to create in our lives is the first step to manifesting it.

Ferriss tells us his book is different because, “First, I’m not going to spend much time on the problem.” Similarly, The Laws of Attraction state that what we focus on expands.

We need to be aware that the energy of the problem is not the same energy as the solution. In other words, to be successful, we need to focus on the solution, not the problem.

Ferriss, like the Laws of Attraction, find it more beneficial to focus on what we do want, and not what we don’t want, as a key to creating our desired experience.

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One of the most powerful notions in Ferriss’ Life Design is that we get to create our own reality. That is something we already do all day and every day without necessarily realizing it. How we choose to think about something is us creating our own reality. What he refers to specifically is the common ideas of the reality we have constructed that says life is hard, we have to have a “9-to-5” job and work overtime to make enough money, and we have to be able to save our money to retire someday. This way of thinking has become what most people believe is the “reality” of life.

Reality is not set in stone and we don’t have to go along with someone else’s version of it.

Ferriss’ belief is that we need to reclaim what reality is for ourselves. We get to define what we want our reality to be. “Reality is negotiable,” he says. Reality is not set in stone and we don’t have to go along with someone else’s version of it. The Laws of Attraction state that we create our own reality and, in that, we always have the power to change it. When we decide to change our reality, we let go of limiting beliefs and replace those beliefs with beliefs of empowerment and confidence.

Both perspectives express the idea that our concept of reality can always change. It can and does change whenever we decide we want something different in our lives. In the moment, we allow ourselves to think differently. We begin to see our lives through a different lens, perspective and reality.

For the successful Life Design, there are, of course, steps to follow, plans to put in to place and expected actions based on those plans. The plans and actions develop out of the desire and ideas of the individual. Similarly, with the Laws of Attraction, the steps develop from a place of feeling good.

When we feel good, the laws say, we then allow in inspired ideas that move us to act, and to develop plans and steps to follow. This is referred to as “inspired action”.

Today, there are many versions and adaptations of how to create your “Life Design”. There are means for us to empower ourselves and be deliberate in designing and creating a life we want. At the core, they say we are to focus on what we want, believe we can have it, look for the joy in life and follow our inspired plan.

It seems we are continually looking for the way to fulfill our purpose in this life as well as to find happiness, love and prosperity. It’s likely there will be other “designs” that will develop to help bring more of us to an understanding of the power we have to change our lives through universal laws.

Darlene Alvarez Maddern is a life coach, mentor, teacher and speaker. Connect at 860-488-2619, DAMaddern@gmail.com and CreateWithYourThoughts.com. See Community Resource Guide listing, page 70.

145 Grassy Plain St. Bethel, CT

Soul Focus Mela Rispoli 203-570-3868 mrispoli2@aol.com

Family and Child Psychotherapy Support and Guidance • Divorce Anxiety • Parent/Child Conflict Attachment and Bonding • Trauma • Grief Professional/Executive Coaching

Robin Ordan, LCSW 203-561-8535

www.robinordanlcsw.com Located on the Old Greenwich/Stamford Border

Health coaching to support recovery from: ADD SPD Autism ADHD

maria@mariarickerthong.com

eNaturalAwakenings.com

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serve as an amazing reflection piece down the road. The key to happiness is to be content and thankful for what is going on today in our lives. The gratitude journal is a tool that will keep us in the present.

Stand Up and Shake It Out

MINDFUL MOMENTS Simple Shifts to Transform Daily Life

by Alexa O’Rourke

T

he season of fall is a period of transition. The colors of the trees change, the sky gets darker, the leaves fall and the temperature becomes cooler. In nature, autumn represents a beautiful time for transformation and an opportunity for a rebirth. Mother Nature is like a mirror; whatever is happening in the exterior environment can also be felt within.

Just like the life cycle of a tree and the shedding of its leaves, the spirit goes through a similar turning point process. Feelings of change, uncertainty and releasing of energies and emotions are often taking place internally during this seasonal change. There is truly no better time than the present to set intentions and stay on the path of self-development. Recognize this is an opportunity for growth and allow change to unfold naturally. To move forward on this journey, small long-lasting shifts can be implemented immediately to transform the day. Each of these shifts does not require a lot of time or energy, but will trigger a ripple effect. These mindful, connecting exercises are meant to be implemented on a daily basis.

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The exercise of jiggling is meant to move the body; it’s especially important for those who sit at a desk all day. As Carol Shwidock, owner of Stamford’s Harmony Yoga, says, “Get up a few times a day and shake it out. Stand up in your office or take a break outside and give everything a little shake. It is so, so good for your body to move around. The energy in the body can get stuck, so the shaking of your limbs, will allow for the chi to move exactly where it needs to be.” Feel the energy in the body and the difference before and after the movements take place. This exercise brings greater awareness to the physical body and a greater sense of connection to us.

Breathe

Listen to Music That Will Soothe The Soul

Music has the power to create change inside of ourselves. The vibrations of sound have an impact on our thoughts, moods and actions. Listening to music that empowers energy and heightens awareness can provoke happiness within us. It can also open our minds to see other perspectives and, ultimately, awakens our consciousness. Music has the ability to stimulate various aspects within ourselves. For instance, listening to soft instrumental music can calm our inner self and produce healing effects. Different vibrations can also be felt in different parts of the body. Whether alone with headphones or jamming out in the car, hearing the positive vibrations of music can shift our focus and open the door for an abundance of light to flood in.

There is no better way to center ourselves than to focus our intentions on the breath. Even if we don’t have time to sit in meditation for hours, the 16-pointed breath is a great tool to use that can stop negative thinking in 16 seconds. “Breathe in for four, observing the air as it moves into your nostrils and to the back of your throat. Feel your breath as it moves down into your chest and feel your belly expand. Hold your breath in for four, observing your belly.

Exhale for four, witnessing as it moves into your chest, throat and out though your nostrils. Hold your breath out for four while observing, watching and witnessing the present moment. Be sure you are following your breath, the key to the process is observing all along the way,” says Shwidock. This exercise can be used time and time again to interrupt feelings of negativity.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

Set Intentions

In the moment or during nightly reflection, list three things to be grateful for.

The journal will allow us to see the magic that takes place during our daily routine. It only takes a few minutes, but it has lasting effects. The journal can

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

Beginning in the morning, set intentions for the day and repeat those positive affirmations to bring yourself back to center. This practice will set the tone for the day, calling to the universe and uncovering the power of manifestation.

Start with saying “I am”; follow it with whatever you feel you need to call into your day. It could be the same affirmation each morning or it can change. A few examples are “I am love, I am light, I am strong, I am joy.” If moments of uncertainty present themselves throughout the day, bring those affirmations to the front of mind. Repeat the affirmation for as long as it takes to feel relief and be brought back to the present moment.

The art of setting affirmations is all about shifting intentions for greater opportunity.

joy in others and in us. Smiling is a small gift that can be given to one another. It may be the best present that individual has received all day. Smiling opens the door to greater connection and union. If you like what someone is wearing, pay them a compliment.

Life is about connection, wholeness and spreading love. In the end, we are all here for the same purpose. We are loving beings, and extending a helping hand, a smile or a compliment can ignite positive change all around.

Connect

Take Care of the Planet

This is a relatively simple shift that can also have lasting effects in the community. Reaching out to family members, friends or even strangers can increase

While walking to and from destinations throughout the day, pick up any trash that may be visible. Feel warmth in knowing it is helping our planet and

cleaning up the community. Mother Nature is our home; we can all contribute in small ways to make it a better place to live. This simple act will put us more in touch with nature and opens our eyes to the similarities we collectively share with nature.

Gift a Hand-Written Note

A hand-written note is a personal way to show caring. It has so much more impact than an email or text message.

It doesn’t matter if the note has a purpose or not; sometimes the best notes have no real reason. Letters can be left for loved ones to simply say hello or it can be a thank you note sent for an act of kindness. The handwriting from a personal note brings the message

152 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT • 203-856-9566 • www.203TLC.com TLC Center was founded in 1997 by Beth Leas on the premise that a single candle burns brighter in a gathering.

Today TLC is Fairfield County’s largest holistic health network, with more than 90 independent members. TLC Members are dedicated to healthy living by offering high quality private sessions, products, workshops and classes.

Energy Healing

Personal Development

soul Healing journey, llC Eilis Philpott Fairfield 203-767-5954 Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com SoulHealingJourney.com

Meditation & Counseling meg reilly, ms, CH Meg Reilly 360 203-952-6272 MegReilly360.com Classes monthly in Norwalk Personalized service by appointment

learning with Horses Carrie Brady Possibilities Farm Wilton 203-210-7484 LifeYouveImagined@gmail.com PossibilitiesFarm.com

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Tesa Baum, CHT, RM Hypnosis, Reiki, Higher Brain Living, Mind-Body Therapies Ridgefield 203-244-5141

25+ years experience Energy Healing, Meditation, Tarot Private sessions, Workshops, Events In-person or by phone 203-856-9566 www.bethleas.com Norwalk

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Ask a Powerful Question

Questioning has the power to open us up to greater possibility and ultimately allows us to uncover deeper meaning.

The right question can create a shift and further the journey of personal development. For this reason, if we find ourselves stuck or experiencing low energy, we can ask what we need to do to shift our energy or what opportunities were have not taken advantage of yet. By silently contemplating questions and taking our time with the response, we can find answers to these questions in order to help guide us along on the path of self-development.

Disconnect from Technology

"Things do not change; We do."

– Henry David Thoreau

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natural awakenings

Technology is amazing and allows us to do many great things during our day-today lives. However, it also has the ability to take us away from the present moment. It is easy to get caught up in mindless Facebook scrolling and judgmental behavior via social media. Disconnect to feel the calming effects of a nightly cup of hot tea before bed rather than scrolling through TV channels. Enjoy reading a book. Transform the usual screen time for practices of self-discovery.

This fall provides an ideal time for self-reflection. It is an opportunity to look into the mirror that Mother Nature has gifted humankind and study our reflection. What else can we do to be the best version of ourselves? Implementing these 10 simple shifts can lead to greater self-discovery. Since fall is a time when school is back in session, emulate the attributes of an educator and teach others about these shifts.

Teaching these lessons to our family, friends and co-workers will create a greater impact on us while guiding others on this journey too. Set an example for those around and be a witness as we transform our lives and the community that surrounds us.

Alexa O’Rourke, a life coach and aspiring holistic practitioner, also graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in public relations and communications. Connect at 203-5541324 or Orourke.Alexa@gmail.com.

practitionerprofiles Possibilities Farm Carrie Brady, JD, MA 189 Cannon Rd, Wilton 203-210-7484 PossibilitiesFarm@gmail.com PossibilitiesFarm.com

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health 5 Sylvan Rd South, Westport 888-745-3372 CCBHTherapy.com Practice summary/ services offered: We are group of experienced professionals committed to providing comprehensive, individualized mental health services in a warm and healthoriented environment. We serve children, adolescents, adults, couples and families, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy also provide consultation and training to the community and Doprofessionals. you want to: other

Practice summary/services offered: We help clients live the life they imagined through programs for personal growth and well-being. We also harness the untapped potential of teams in professional development programs.

What drew you to coaching/DBT: counseling as a profession?

Throughout my professional life, I Increase joy and happiness discovered a consistent theme. People are often held back by What drew you to coaching/counseling as a profession? and decrease stress? limiting beliefs about themselves and/or a situation. When Throughout our years in the field, we have seen a great need they open up to possibilities, amazing things can happen. for mental health services that are both evidenced-based (in

Create a lifetime of fulfillment by learning

keeping with the highest standards of research in the field) How long have you been in practice? how to establish and maintain meaningful and also warm, individualized and client-centered.

I’ve had over 15 years of experience as a healthcare industry relationships, while building mastery and executive and consultant, and also have served as an artist How is your work different from that of others in your in all areas of your life. in residence working with students with special needs. Myskillfulness profession? dream of creating Possibilities Farm came true in 2016.

We offer full Standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

yogaPrograms • meDITaTIon • adolescents, mInDfulneSS for adults, pre-adolescents and What training and/or certifications do you have?

DBT InDIvIDual TheRapy • DBT gRoup TheRapy families; we also offer Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), I am certified by the Equine Experiential Education Associacouples therapy, family therapy, therapeutic yoga services, tion (E3A) and by the Professional Association of Therapeu-CognITIve BehavIoRal TheRapy meditation training and naturopathic medicine services. tic Horsemanship (PATH) as an equine specialist in mental 1-888-745-3372 health and learning. I am also a Reiki master.

What should a client expect from a session or series of 5 Sylvan Road South, Westport, CT 06880 sessions with you?

What is your particular specialty or niche? fax 203-307-5788 • www.ccbhtherapy.com Clients and families should expect to feel welcomed from the I love helping clients rediscover their hidden strengths and first point of contact and to receive a personalized, in-depth unique gifts. Simply being in the presence of horses is powerassessment, followed by a collaboratively defined, compreful. Horses are naturally mindful, collaborative and authenhensive treatment plan.

When a child or teen is the client, tic, and they exude peace and joy. Horses help to bring out parents and families will receive ongoing guidance and supthe best in humans. port throughout the treatment process.

What should a client expect from a session or series of What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know? sessions with you?

Our clinicians are committed to excellence in client care and The horses help guide the energy work for a profoundly relaxing and enlivening experience. The personal and profes- dedicated to helping individuals and families realize optimal sional programs are customized and powerful. We work with emotional well-being. If our team is not the best fit for a client’s needs, we will help to identify an alternate plan. the horses on the ground (no riding) and discuss how to use the insights to thrive in personal and professional life.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

One of the great gifts of horses is that they see you as you truly are right now. They see through your words and can feel your heart rate and respiration. They don’t judge you or infer future behavior based on your past. They see all of the possibilities in you in every moment. eNaturalAwakenings.com

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practitionerprofiles MindBody Mastery LLC Nicole Fevrier Davis 646-739-7879 NJFDavis@gmail.com MindBodyMastery.org

MindBody Mastery

Practice summary/ services offered: Psychic mind/body readings/ workouts, personal training and Reiki.

What drew you to coaching?

Since I was 16, I have been researching how the mind and body interact. My father was an artist who loved to draw nudes. We studied human anatomy together. My mother overcame many diseases. I found the human body to be a miracle that we sometimes misunderstand. I wanted to help bridge that gap in understanding and heal where I could.

How long in practice?

For 30 years total. The first 20 were my group exercise and Reiki practitioner years. The last 10, I’ve become a Reiki Master and developed my psychic mind/body personal training techniques and workshops.

What training/certifications do you have?

I am a Reiki Master (since 2007). I am a National Academy of Sports Medicine and Aerobic & Fitness Association of America-certified personal trainer with corrective exercise and behavioral change specialist designations. I was a metabolic technician at Lifetime Athletic in Westchester as well and I am CPR/AED-certified.

What is your specialty or niche?

Primarily in the mind/body connection, I give psychic readings when working with personal training clients. I combine the science of wellness with the language of our souls as this affects almost every aspect of weight loss, and being healthy and fit.

What to expect from a session from you?

As a personal trainer, I’ve been told that I am an inspiration and I give people hope, joy and a sense of empowerment.

As a client says, “I’m addicted to my workout! Nicole makes working out, dare I say, fun!”

As a psychic and Reiki Master, a client says, “It was by far the most wonderful, body-lifting, mind-clearing thing I have ever done for myself. Not only can she read my body’s needs and my mind, but she gets me as a whole.”

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Most people underestimate their personal power. They are powerful engineers of their own success physically, emotionally and mentally.

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

Embrace Balanced Health Melissa Reagan Brunetti, Owner Westport • 203-216-5934 Melissa@EmbraceBalancedHealth.com EmbraceBalancedHealth.com Practice summary/services offered: Melissa Reagan Brunetti is a certified Nutritionist Consultant (CNC).

Embrace Balanced Health offers guidance on proper nutrition leading to a healthy lifestyle and assisting in achieving specific health-related goals.

What drew you to coaching/ counseling as a profession?

My own healing journey. Most of my life I struggled with sugar addiction, allergies and asthma. In my determination to gain control of my own health, I sought educational sources to help me understand how nutrition could be an effective approach to healing. Once I discovered what was going on in my body biochemically, I was able to target nutrients that resolved my sugar addiction alleviated allergies and asthma, and freed me from the use of medication.

How long have you been in practice? Four years What training or certifications do you have?

Certification as a clinical nutritionist from NHI (Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy, NHI College). Training by high-caliber faculty on topics that included (among others): the development of customized integrated nutritional programs; the use of vitamins, antioxidants, supplements, and nutrient-dense foods; macronutrient balancing; common dietary systems; proper nutrition for engaging in sports and exercise regimens; and essential oils for therapeutic purposes.

I am certified in nutritional therapy and advanced sports and exercise nutrition from the Health Sciences Academy and have completed advanced courses in metabolic healing.

What is your particular specialty or niche?

Embrace Balanced Health specializes in working with sugar addiction, sports nutrition, blood sugar imbalances, weight management, allergies and asthma, digestive health, fatigue, stress management, and depression.

What should clients expect from a session or series of sessions with you?

I will help you to discover areas out of balance and create a customized plan to tackle your health challenge. We will use a combination of macronutrients, micronutrients, supplements, essential oils and lifestyle changes to enhance the healing phase. Instead of using diets, we focus on nutrient-dense foods that improve the function of the body and mind.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I believe empowerment is the key to your own health. Healing comes from within, and my role as a nutritionist is to empower clients to heal themselves. I would like to partner with you by guiding and supporting you on your path to better health and improved happiness.

natural awakenings

Soul Focus

Victoria Shaw, PhD, LPC

Mela Rispoli 145 Grassy Plain St, Bethel Soul-Focus.me

Westport • 203-254-3403 VFShawPhD@gmail.com VictoriaShawPsychotherapy.com

Practice summary/services offered: Soul Focus offers a variety of modalities to put you in touch with your soul. All are meant for the purpose of healing and/or growth in whatever area of your life it is most needed.

What drew you to your profession?

My innate ability to connect to spirit and heal others from a very young age has kept me on the path I am on today. There is no question in my mind this is my purpose.

How long have you been in practice?

I have been working within the metaphysical realm of existence for nearly four decades. I have been at my current location in Bethel for nearly six years.

What training and/or certifications do you have?

My ability as a medium has been further enhanced by some of the most renowned and gifted individuals in the world today. I am a Reiki practitioner, and offer a variety of healing including crystal light therapy, which I have uniquely personalized.

What is your particular specialty or niche?

Mediumship has always been a mainstay; it can provide tremendous healing. Meditation at Soul Focus brings understanding of self, a connectedness, and a pathway to spiritual growth and understanding. Crystal light therapy enhances the body’s ability to heal on many levels.

What should a client expect from a session?

Accessibility and guidance to health and well-being. A blueprint of understanding, and acknowledgement of what is required to move them a step forward to a better “future” self.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Healing, whether emotional or physical, is what is necessary for everyone. Taking the initiative for your health and wellbeing is a key component. Soul Focus is the place to help bring a better understanding of the nature of your essence.

Positive & Nature Based Psychology Promoting well-being and resilience.

Happiness • Strength • Hope • Wisdom • Coping • Flourishing

Ann C. Reeves, Psy. D, CAPP Licensed Psychologist

203-451-6208

annreevespsych@optonline.net • www.annreevespsychology.com Offices in Newtown & Wilton, CT

Practice summary/services offered: I support clients in dealing with life’s struggles and improving the quality of their lives. My work combines the best of traditional psychotherapy with intuitive guidance. I offer intuitive counseling for children, teens and adults, and intuitive consultations for adults.

What drew you to coaching/counseling as a profession?

I have a strong desire to be of service and to support people in living more joyful and fulfilling lives. The more I do this work, the more it is apparent that this truly is what I was meant to do.

How long have you been in practice?

Seven years What training and/or certifications do you have?

I have a doctorate in cognitive psychology from Princeton University, and completed post-doctoral training at Columbia University Teachers College in child development and educational psychology. I am a licensed professional counselor, and a certified distance counselor with advanced training in EMDR, dialectal behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and energy psychology.

What is your particular specialty or niche?

Incorporating my intuitive gifts into the counseling process and supporting my clients in tapping into their own intuitive guidance.

What should a client expect from a session or series of sessions with you?

Sessions can help clients understand themselves better, identify personal strengths, find direction and guidance in making important decisions, process past hurts, release resentments, reduce anxiety, and learn to deal with life’s struggles in a more empowering and conscious way.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

That I love what I do; I continue to be inspired by my clients’ spirit, courage, healing and growth.

Massage Therapy

The Gift of Relaxation Specializing in: Swedish • Pregnancy • Injury • Infant Trigger Point • CranioSacral Therapy

Robin Ordan, LMT 203-561-8535

www.robinordanlmt.com Located on the Old Greenwich/Stamford Border eNaturalAwakenings.com

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practitionerprofiles Universal Intelligence, LLC

Darlene Alvarez Maddern

Redding • 203-451-3383 Support@UniversalIntelligence.info UniversalIntelligence.info

“Create With Your Thoughts” DAMaddern@gmail.com CreateWithYourThoughts.com

Practice summary/ services offered: My name is Althea, which means healer. I work collaboratively with clients to release them from where they are “stuck” to where they would like to be by using the modalities of hypnosis, coaching, emotional freedom techniques and others in a safe, tranquil environment.

What drew you to coaching/counseling as a profession?

Discovering the true, authentic person inside each of us.

Many people become stuck and dissatisfied with their present situations. Together, we are able to explore their subconscious mind through hypnosis and bring about the change they want.

What training and/or certifications do you have?

I am a Connecticut-registered consulting hypnotist, certified relationship coach, certified bereavement coach, professional life coach, veterans’ stress project coach, Emotional Freedom practitioner, Reiki practitioner and mental fitness coach.

What should a client expect from a session or series of sessions with you?

To release them from unwanted thoughts and behaviors—and achieve their desired goals—by utilizing the subconscious mind, which has the answers to recognize and achieve what you want and need. For example, healing relationships, losing weight, removing fears, releasing physical and emotional pain, stress reduction, self-esteem, and dealing with a blockage or imbalance. Regressions are also very revealing and enlightening.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The mind, body and spirit are powerfully aligned to guide and heal our wounds. By becoming aware of our essence—of who we really are, not who we think we are—we are able to overcome obstacles that limit our growth. We explore and listen to our bodies and intuitions with the powerful tools we already have to achieve where we want to be as our subconscious will tell us. I achieve extraordinary outcomes, often after only a short period, for many who have for years dealt with frustrations, disappointments and not sustainable results.

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Practice summary/ services offered: Using the Laws of Attraction to understand the power of our thoughts, and sociology to discover how we develop concepts of ourselves and others, clients come to learn how “thoughts become things” and how we create our experiences.

One-on-one coaching sessions, speaking events, workshops and webinars are focused on helping clients understand how they can move beyond their limiting beliefs to create the experiences they desire. I am a life empowerment coach, teacher, speaker and mentor. In addition to being a QSCAcertified Law of Attraction coach, I have a master’s degree in sociology.

What first drew you to this profession?

My passion is to see people create joy, love and success in their lives, as I have, with a method that really works. I’ve always had a deep curiosity about “how to live a happy life.” Early on, I was taught the power of positive thinking.

I was also drawn to the discipline of sociology to develop a sense of self and better understand how the relationships of the social world and institutions impact life experiences.

Then the Laws of Attraction’s universal laws brought my understanding full circle. My goal is to coach and teach others with this 360-degree perspective.

What can a client expect from working with you?

Clients can expect a safe, caring and supportive environment to learn and grow in. With a focus on love and compassion, they will uncover thoughts and behaviors that do not serve them, and develop new ways of thinking and being that will empower them to create the joy and success they want.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The focus of my practice is to help people move beyond thoughts and feelings of self-doubt, limiting beliefs and unworthiness to confidence and empowerment. I help clients become aware of their thoughts and feelings, and how to adjust to keep their focus on what they want in life in order to manifest the confidence, relationships, career, health and joy they want.

natural awakenings

The Sacred Spirit Bobby Kitsios 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford 203-344-9311 TheSacredSpirit.net@gmail.com TheSacredSpirit.net Practice summary/services offered: I am a talented tarot reader, psychic and medium with clients nationwide.

I also offer energy healing and am a certified Reiki practitioner and teacher of tarot, meditation and psychic/mediumship development.

I am in the process of becoming a Spiritualist Minister.

Meet Your

Natural Match On Our Newly Upgraded Website We invite you to join and experience a truly conscious, loving, dating environment with amazing members.

What drew you to coaching/counseling as a profession?

Curiosity initially drew me to the health and wellness profession. My life has never been the same. A deep desire to help people in any way and to be of service to spirit developed as a result.

In partnership with the Conscious Dating Network, upgrades include a new, contemporary, responsive layout for all devices; a dynamic search engine; and an improved matching system.

How long have you been in practice?

I have worked as a spiritual healer for over 10 years, a tarot reader for 5 and a medium for 3 years.

Autumn is here; be proactive by joining today. Your natural match is waiting to meet you!

What training and/or certifications do you have?

I am certified as a Reiki Master and certified through the Lilydale Assembly in Healing Mastery. I also have a certification in restructuring.

What is your particular specialty or niche?

In energy healing I specialize in the use of crystals during the healing (placed on chakra system). In psychic and evidential mediumship, I specialize in bringing a practicality to life’s lessons and evidence of loved ones who have crossed over in a caring and loving way.

What should a client expect from a session or series of sessions with you?

A client should expect a healing in whatever way he or she may need it or be ready to accept it. Hopefully they will leave more peaceful, centered and in some way better than they were when they entered. They can also expect a practitioner who cares about them as a person, as a spirit and as a spark of the divine. Clients can expect me to be there for them in whatever way I can, even if it’s just through continued prayer for their well-being.

What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

My work is on behalf of spirit which we are all a part of. This is a great responsibility for me that I take seriously. I truly wish to help people be the best they can be – physically, emotionally and spiritually; and live the best life they can live.

Try for FREE at NaturalAwakeningsSingles.com eNaturalAwakenings.com

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communityspotlight

Changing Behavior Via Whole Being Therapy

CCBH Uses DBT to Create Sustainable Change

by Nicole Miale

A

s the evidence mounts to support the undeniable relationship of the mind-body, mental health professionals are discovering using new methods to support the whole person they treat. No longer limited to traditional “talk therapy,” some professionals are seizing this newer connected care model as a raison d’être. Michelle Feeney, owner and clinical director of The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health (CCBH) in Westport, started her center with this concept in mind. Now entering its fifth year in practice with

an expanding staff of 10 therapists-including one psychiatrist and a naturopath who is also a nutritionist-CCBH is a model for a new paradigm in mind-body care.

“Basically, I’m a weirdo from California who came here with a strong appreciation for naturopathic, holistic and spiritual concepts,” Feeney explains. “I wanted to create a center grounded in evidence-based medicine that didn’t exclude other possibilities. Within this very clinical, evidence-based practice, we’re able to explore some very spiritual things, which I love.”

The center’s core philosophy and primary therapeutic approach is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), a novel approach pioneered in the 1980’s but rooted in ancient mindfulness teachings. The primary goal of DBT is to help people with serious issues create self-change in their lives, increasing quality of life and positively impacting relationships.

“A limitation of traditional psychotherapy is that it’s not enough for someone to feel understood/validated,” Feeney says. “They need to actually create change. And we can only move towards change when we have come to accept the present. Acceptance is a key.”

Designed to help children, adolescents, adults, and families more effectively regulate their behaviors and emotions, DBT has demonstrated success in the following areas: impulsive behaviors; emotional ups and downs; depression; anxiety; anger; addictions; eating disorders; self-harm; suicidal thinking; relationship or family conflict; borderline personality features; and PTSD. Each member of the CCBH DBT treatment team is “Intensively Trained,” meaning they have undergone the highest level of training offered by Behavioral Tech, LLC: DBT-founder Marsha Linehan’s training and research institute.

The center treats individual patients emerging from institutional settings as well as whole families affected by emotional dysfunction of one kind or another. As Feeney explains, “DBT is like learning a whole new language and skill set so it is important to involve the family. This allows for a

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natural awakenings

familial understanding of (and commitment to) concepts and goals.”

Within the practice each therapist has their own specialty, but the team works collaboratively-meeting twice per week-and the center treats patients of all ages, with all diagnoses. The focus at the center is more on the type of therapy rather than a type of patient. All initial referrals and intakes are handled

by Feeney; she then makes a plan for the new person and places them in the capable hands of the therapist she thinks best for the situation.

“Each therapist has the ability to do their work and build their practice as they want,” she says. She considers herself one of the team, but as practice director she is also guardian of the business. She practices her own connected care to maintain healthy balance for herself as she juggles multiple roles at the center with her personal responsibilities at home. Therapy with her own therapist, meditation, exercise (SoulCycle is a current favorite), and taking time away are some keys to her personal care plan, Feeney says. That mix of mind-body techniques is not unlike what might be recommended for a patient at CCBH, where physical aspects such as biological testing, nutrition, cranio-sacral therapy and exercises may be considered integral parts of an individual’s holistic care plan.

“It really depends on the patient what services we might use,” Feeney explains. For example, she says bodycentric techniques such as yoga have proven to be very successful with those with eating disorders. Certain yoga pose sequences seem to allow the patients to connect with their physical bodies in a way they might have resisted doing before. Once the patient can truly “feel” their body, it helps to lessen or aid in elimination of the extreme body dysmorphia that can be so destructive.

Radical acceptance is the goal, Feeney says. Understanding the difference between pain (sometimes unavoidable) and suffering (often self-inflicted) is a critical component to the DBT approach.

“Before we can do anything about what we want to change in our lives, we must first notice it,” she explains. “We can only move towards change when we have come to accept the present.”

The present for CCBH is one of growth; the practice celebrated its fourth anniversary by adding two new part-time therapists. Feeney has carefully selected the team and says watching the practice grow over the years has been a beautiful blessing. “From the moment this place was even a concept, it has just unfolded in front of me,” she says. “It has truly been amazing.”

For more information about The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health (CCBH), call 888-745-3372 or visit CCBHTherapy.com. See ad, page 57.

Nicole Miale is publisher of Natural Awakenings Fairfield County/ Housatonic Valley and Greater Hartford County. Connect at NicoleM@ NaturalAwakeningsmag.com.

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MEDICAL MASSAGE Targeted Therapy for Specific Ills

by Linda Sechrist

S

haron Puszko, Ph.D., founder of the Daybreak Geriatric Massage Institute, in Indianapolis, teaches and certifies massage therapists working in assisted living, long-term care and memory care facilities. She relates, “These individuals appreciate not only the physiological benefits of massage but also having a therapist touch and address them by their names. A 105-year-old woman jokes, ‘Now that they’ve figured out how to keep us alive for so long, they don’t know what to do with us. Thank God for massage therapy.’”

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Specialty certificate programs such as Puszko’s, representing advanced education and training within a modality qualified as therapeutic massage and bodywork, are benefitting both massage therapists and clients. Some outcomebased specialty modalities considered as requirements for specific populations such as seniors, athletes, infants and cancer patients and survivors, are referred to as “medical massage”.

The nonprofit National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork provides an accredited, voluntary certification beyond entry-level

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

state licensure. To maintain their status, therapists must complete 24 hours of continuing education and 100 hours of work experience, and pass a criminal background check every two years. The certifying board also approves continuing education providers that teach specialty techniques, including integrative health care, sports massage and military veteran massage. The result is therapies administered according to a national standard of excellence requisite for therapists working in collaboration with doctors, chiropractors, wellness centers, retirement care communities and other medical settings.

Puszko, an approved provider who founded her service in 2000, offers beginning and advanced weekend workshops for therapists on the complexities of physiological changes and technical skills required to work with geriatric or senior clients. She works from three offices in upscale retirement communities and teaches approved continuing education curricula throughout the U.S. and internationally.

“Although the skills I teach are not taught in massage school, they are in demand at independent and assisted living facilities where massage is considered a vital aspect of health care,” says Puszko. “Older Americans represent the greatest challenge to massage therapists. For elderly residents, stretching and pulling on delicate skin and joints, as well as pushing one’s elbow into gluteus maximus muscles, are unacceptable approaches.” She explains that they might be called upon for a range of needs from helping prepare a 70-year-old marathoner for a race to reducing the stress of an exhausted hospice patient.

Geri Ruane is one of four founding directors of Oncology Massage Alliance, in Austin, Texas. She manages the operations for this nonprofit created in 2011 to help therapists that volunteer to administer complimentary hand and foot massage therapy to cancer patients and caregivers in chemotherapy infusion rooms and prior to radiation treatment. The alliance offers financial assistance to licensed massage therapists for advanced training through approved third-party oncology massage classes and provides hands-on experi-

ence with cancer patients.

Ruane defines the essential aspects of an oncology massage therapist’s (OMT) skill set. “A properly trained therapist has an informed understanding of the disease itself and the many ways it can affect the human body; the side effects of cancer treatments, such as medications, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation; and the ability to modify massage techniques in order to adapt accordingly. Our main purpose is to reduce stress and provide emotional support for cancer patients and caregivers in radiation and infusion rooms.”

For example, an OMT will ask a patient about their cancer treatment history, including particulars of related individual health issues, prior to the massage. Hospitals in 35 states and Washington, D.C., now offer massage therapy to individuals during cancer treatment. MK Brennan, president of the Society for Oncology Massage, created in 2007, in Toledo, Ohio, is a registered nurse with a longtime practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Brennan observes, “In nursing school, I was taught how to give a back rub, an aspect of patient care once provided by all nurses, but no longer part of a nurse’s education. It now appears that there could be a resurgence of interest in offering massage therapy in hospitals that would encompass more medical aspects and require modified techniques for different patient populations.”

In addition to oncology and geriatric massage, other select massage therapy modalities such as orthopedic, bodywork, Asian techniques and those related to pregnancy, infant and child health care as well as other special needs require advanced education and training.

Before making an appointment with a massage therapist/bodyworker for a specific type of help, inquire about their knowledge, experience, training and continuing education. Ask about additional credentials above entry-level core education that are specific to special needs.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Connect at ItsAllAboutWe.com.

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therapyspotlight

Chinese Medical Massage Zheng Gu Tui Na is An Advanced Form of Therapy

by Wanda B. Simmons

S

ince ancient times, Chinese medical practitioners have understood that energy, or “qi” (pronounced “chee”), in the body must constantly flow in order to relieve stress and prevent diseases. One of the types of Chinese medical massage used to promote healing qi is tui na (pronounced

“tweena”), which means “push and grasp”. The manipulative massage incorporates deep, continuous and repetitive hand techniques at the joints, along the meridians, and at acupressure points. Tui na, which is used over the entire body and particularly the back, can help with a myriad of ailments,

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including chronic pain, musculoskeletal conditions, sprains, strains, arthritis and digestive problems.

In 1997, acupuncturists Tom Bisio and Frank Butler came together to share their gathered skills of tui na with zhen gu from their personal teachers. Zheng gu, which means “upright bone”, is the physical manipulation of the joints and bones. Bisio and Butler created a formal program in New York City called zheng gu tui na (pronounced “zheng goo tweena”), a Chinese medical massage and independent healing system created to correct structural alignment and alleviate certain orthopedic conditions. Zheng gu differs from chiropractic or osteopathic adjustments as it includes the manipulation of joints and the surrounding tissues, muscles and fascia. Since Chinese medicine addresses the entire body, a zheng gu tui na practitioner recognizes that a symptom exhibited in one area of the body may actually stem from a problem elsewhere in the human system, including emotional and psychological factors.

Zheng gu tui na, which means “correct the bone through push and grasp massage technique,” is an advanced therapy that can be particularly useful for those with active lifestyles.

Tui na is a basic form of Chinese medical massage and is usually taught to Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) practitioners in one to three semesters or more. Zheng gu is an advanced form of Chinese medical massage generally only taught to individuals who apprentice with a TCM practitioner or through the Zheng Gu Tui Na Training system that was taught and offered by Bisio and Butler.

When zheng gu tui na is used in conjunction with Chinese herbal medicine, martial arts, diet and qigong, healing outcomes are even more increased.

“[The Chinese medicine practitioner wants] to break down stagnation and restore the free flow of qi through various methods: manual techniques, like cupping or bleeding; then through more energetic techniques like acupuncture and massage; and then on to taking herbs to break the stasis. From a Western perspective, we really just

want to minimize the pain and visual swelling,” Bisio says. “From a practitioner’s perspective, we want to realign the tissue so it can properly heal. We want to make sure all the bones are in place so that the connective tissue and supportive structure is correct. We are trying to support the body’s natural process of healing.”

Zheng gu tui na is usually only known to an advanced TCM practitioner or a person who has been exposed to this advanced form of healing. The modality is more common in Asian countries or where Eastern medicine practices are being shared and taught.

Mixed martial artists as well as other martial art students are exposed to this form of healing as well. Indigenous peoples from around the world offer their own form of advanced therapeutic massage and structural healing, and can be found under other massage form names.

In a typical session, such as for someone with neck or back pain, a sprained ankle or a frozen shoulder, a visual structural analysis is reviewed, and a full medical history with pulse and tongue diagnosis is conducted. This is then followed by implementation of a variety of tools, including the initial tui na medical massage, adjunctive cupping, diet changes, acupuncture, cranial sacral therapy or energy healing, among others.

This advanced form of treatment is ideal for, and particularly useful for, sports enthusiasts, including many professional athletes such as football players, pro surfers, MMA Fighters, mixed martial artists, cyclists and others.

For those interested in learning this advanced form of therapy, classes and workshops may be found online.

Wanda B. Simmons (Ahonui), a licensed acupuncturist and former student of Bisio, has apprenticed with him for over 20 years and completed the entire advanced training system of zheng gu tui na. She incorporates this full medical massage approach at her healing center, Aloha Mana, a Center for Healing Arts, in Fairfield. Simmons offers sports medicine classes and internal arts workshop. Connect at AlohaManaHealing.com.

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Experience Massage at Ridley-Lowell Clinics

T

he massage therapy industry has seen continued growth and recognition over the past seven years since, RidleyLowell Business and Technical Institute opened its doors in Danbury in 2010.

There are a variety of different types of massage, which can leave clients wondering what the best choice is for them.

If someone is seeking relaxation and renewal, a Swedish massage incorporating some aromatherapy oils, long, gliding strokes and peaceful movements may be a good fit. Sports massage helps with injury recovery, prevention and training.

Clinical or orthopedic massage lets the massage therapist create a treatment plan designed on the physical needs and concerns of the client, allowing them to outline a schedule of appointments with an end goal in mind.

When clients have a medical indication for massage therapy, the first “rule of thumb” is to ask if they have been seen by their doctor. Many underlying health concerns may be a contraindication for massage or require a physician’s approval, including diabetes, heart conditions, cancer patients, and high-risk pregnancies.

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

Many clients seek massage therapy for relaxation, stress reduction and body-mind connection. Some of the additional benefits of therapeutic massage include calming the nervous system by reducing anxiety and decreasing muscle spasms and pain, relaxing the musculoskeletal system by preventing and relieving stiffness and soreness in muscles and soft tissues, and positive effects on our cardiovascular system including reducing heart rate and blood pressure.

Students in the institute’s 900-hour massage therapy program learn many types of massage therapy, including sports, medical, clinical and orthopedic. The massage therapist students study anatomy and physiology, kinesiology and pathology. These future licensed massage therapists take a thorough medical intake and health history form and maintain an accurate medical charting to help determine what type of massage is appropriate to meet each individual’s needs, and when it is best to refer clients to a physician.

Ridley-Lowell Business and Technical Institute’s Massage Therapy Clinic is open to the public as of October 13; it will be open Fridays during the day for 11am and noon appointments only, and on Thursday evenings beginning on October 19 for 7:30pm and 8:30pm sessions only. Appointments are 50-minute sessions for $30. Clients are asked to arrive 10 minutes prior to their appointment to fill out a client intake form.

For more information, contact Lead Instructor Kelly McCaffrey, LMT, at KMcCaffrey@Ridley.edu. Location: 44 Shelter Rock Rd, Danbury (entrance is located in the rear of the building next to a maroon awning). See ad, page 12.

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fitbody

ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com

BUILDING BETTER BONES Bouncing, Leaping and Lunging Our Way to Bone Health

by Kathleen Barnes

Success in the quest for stronger bones is possible at any age.

Start and Stay Young

“Peak bone strength is reached by the age of 30, so it’s vital for young people to engage in dynamic impact movement through their teen years and 20s,” says Sherri Betz, chair of the American Physical Therapy Association bone health group, a doctor of physical therapy and geriatric-certified specialist with a private practice in Santa Cruz, California.

Engaging in sports during our youthful developing years helps build strong, wide and dense bones that will carry us well into old age, literally giving us a firmer base to stand on. It’s paramount to encourage children and young people to be physically active and for us all to continue with athletic activities throughout adulthood to preserve the bone health peak we reach at age 30.

Optimal Bone Exercises

“Adulthood is a perfectly good time to start building and improving bone fitness and health. The outcome is just a little bit less,” says Steven A. Hawkins, Ph.D., a professor of exercise science at California Lutheran University, in Thousand Oaks.

“Bone responds to exercise much like muscle,” explains Larry Tucker, Ph.D., professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. “Bone doesn’t grow, per se, but like muscle, it does get denser and stronger according to the stresses and strains put on it.”

“The key is to put a heavy load on bones to stimulate them to grow,” Hawkins notes.

Standing exercises are recommended, because the bones most likely to benefit from strengthening exercise are 30 targeted leg and hip bones, says Tucker.

“Surprising the bone is your best bet,” points out Betz. “Don’t do the same things over and over again at the same time, either repetitive exercises like running or weight lifting or consistent combinations; even high-intensity exercise can diminish the effects.”

The most highly recommended exercises involve those that require changing directions, bouncing and leaping—from basketball to lively dances, and even some intense yoga postures. Hopping and jumping are probably the best way to strengthen bones, but must be done in the proper

way, according to Tucker and others.

Research by Tucker’s team published in the American Journal of Health Promotion studied the effects of jumping on hip bone density in premenopausal women. It may seem counterintuitive, but Tucker reports that most benefits are gained from jumping as high as possible, resting 30 seconds and repeating up to 10 times twice a day in intervals at least eight hours apart. “If you jump continuously, the exercise loses effectiveness pretty quickly,” he says.

Those that enjoy circuit training should do something else during the 30-second rests between repetitions, Tucker advises. Because it’s the jolt of jumping that stimulates bone strength, using a mini-trampoline or another cushioning device to lessen impact on the body won’t increase bone density.

Betz cautions against starting a jumping program too quickly. “Proper alignment, balance and body awareness come first,” she says. “Do 20 to 25 heel raises in a row, a full squat with good alignment and a full lunge to ready the body for a jumping program.” Such strengthening safeguards against falling and injury.

Walking Isn’t It

Walking, running, weight training and other repetitive exercises don’t improve bone density, says Hawkins. “Walk and do other repetitive exercises for cardiovascular health and general fitness.

While these might help maintain current bone strength, they won’t improve bone density.” Walking reduced the risk of hip fracture by 41 percent for postmenopausal women walking four hours a week, with fewer falls due to improved strength, balance and other factors per the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Numerous studies confirm that exercise of any kind keeps us healthy, but for bone health, the answer is to start weight-bearing exercises early and sustain the practice for a lifetime.

Kathleen Barnes is a health writer and author of The Calcium Lie II: What Your Doctor Still Doesn’t Know, with Dr. Robert Thompson. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.

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naturallyhealthypet Stratford Event Raises Funds for Animals

T

The Monthly Naturally Healthy Pet Section Starts Here!

News, articles, resources, events— all dedicated exclusively to happy, naturally healthy living for our furred, feathered and scaled animal companions

he Stratford Animal Rescue Society welcomes you to its 12th Annual Fall Festival to Benefit Animals, from 11am to 5pm, October 8, at Paradise Green Park in Stratford.

The family-friendly event will include food trucks, contests, canine demonstrations, games, music, local celebrities, entertainment, pet adoptions, a low-cost microchip clinic, a silent auction, and over 100 crafters and vendors for people and pets.

The Pet Parade, a one-mile dog walk, will include about a hundred dogs walking down Main Street. Check-in is from 11am to 12:30pm with the parade starting at 1pm. This time is subject to change so check on the days before the event. All dogs must be friendly, leashed and vaccinated. Dog walk participants must bring proof of up-to-date rabies vaccination and license to register. No more than two friendly dogs per person. Join in the walk only if you and your dog can comfortably go the distance of one mile. Be prepared to pick up after your dog. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to walk. No retractable leashes are allowed. Use a six-foot or shorter nonretractable leash. Registration is $20 for up to two dogs.

Pam Landry, currently an on-air personality with WXPK-FM’s The Peak, will on hand as mistress of ceremonies. Pets from Stratford Animal Control will be available for viewing on a mobile adoption unit provided by the North Shore Animal League. Lauren Collier is back at STARS this year. Rainforest Reptile will join with a presentation of Reptiles Rock. This includes 10 to 14 smaller animals—such as bugs, frogs, snakes and lizards—to look at. A fun, informative presentation by the herpetologist will focus on four larger animals: a red or yellow foot tortoise, a monitor or tegu lizard, a nearly 10-foot boa or python, and an American alligator.

All proceeds help to sustain the society’s mission of helping animals throughout the year.

For registration, visit StarsFest.org/Vendors.html for vendors, StarsFest.org/ Sponsors.html for sponsors, and StarsFest.org/Dog-Walk.html for the Pet Parade.

For more information, visit StarsFest.org. Location: Paradise Green, Stratford.

For information on how you can be a part of a future issue, call

203-885-4674 or email NicoleM@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

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Now you know who your clients are and want they want. How do you find them?

Effectively Marketing a Pet Business The W’s of Your Ideal Client

by Mary Oquendo

“B

uild it and they will come” marketing only really works in the movies. Add in that people need to see an advertisement 13 times before recognizing it, as well as that marketing to the masses is not cost effective, as it dilutes the message. The result is a depleted or an overextended marketing budget when trying to reach the general population.

The American Pet Product Association estimates that there are currently 66.75 billion pets in the U.S., which averages to seven out of 10 families having pets. Danbury alone boasts over 9,000 licensed dogs; add a couple surrounding towns and that number jumps to around 30,000.

There is plenty of “pie” to go around, as the saying goes, because the pet industry is a huge market to tap and most small businesses cannot accommodate that volume. Instead, spend those marketing dollars wisely by targeting the ideal clients.

Identifying the Ideal Client Demographic?

This includes type of pets, number of average pets per household, age, sex, income and spending habits. The smaller the demographic group, the more focused your marketing must become. A single mobile pet groomer needs less than 150 regular pets to be successful. Three sites to find demographic information include SuburbanStats.com, tinyurl.com/AVMAStats and American PetProducts.org.

What Do They Want?

This can be approached in two different ways. The first is to find out what is needed and then provide it. The second is to offer what you are passionate about and convince clients through marketing that they want it. Figure out either or both with a client/competitor/your business venn diagram.

It’s easier to start with competition. What are they doing/selling that is working well for them? What can we do better or with a twist? This exercise can identify both similarities and differences to other local businesses. It becomes a choice to design a marketing plan that appeals to what makes us the same only better or one that highlights our unique perspective. This exercise can also help to identify types of customers that are not ideal clients.

Tell Your Friends and Family Practice an elevator speech with them. This is a term that refers to a brief conversation in which you describe what you do in the amount of time it takes to go from one floor to another in an elevator. It’s more than just a statement; it conveys passion and why a potential client would be interested in your goods or services. A mobile groomer’s might be: “I groom cats and dogs in a nurturing, respectful spa-like environment in my state-of-the-art mobile grooming van. Conveniently in your driveway.” These two sentences clearly indicate the benefits of what is offered as opposed to simply stating a profession.

Target Message in Niche and Weekly Publications If you’re not sure if the publication is a good fit, contact the publisher for audience profiles. If you have never designed an advertisement, let their design team do it. It’s worth the investment to have it done right.

Optimize How People Search Online.

In any given day, there are 3.5 billion searches on Google by people looking for a website to solve their problem. While we can put up a quick and cheap website on our own, it may not be effective if we are unfamiliar with what brings our website to the top of a search. In addition, consider adding a blog to the website. Blogs can extend reach by offering sought-after information that is connected to the website.

Set Up a Facebook Business Page and Other Social Media Sites Each platform has its own way of reaching potential clients.

Research which sites will be to your advantage to spend time on. There are plenty of online programs that can help navigate through the maze and confusion of using social media effectively.

Get in the Real World and Meet People Almost any live event may fit the bill since 70 percent of all households own pets. That means that seven out of 10 people walking past your booth are a potential client. Pet shelters usually have at least one event every year. Join a local pet or business group on MeetUp.com. While there is a yearly charge to organize a MeetUp group, it’s free to join any one already set up.

Creating Marketing Collateral is Key Printed material, such as business cards, brochures and flyers, are needed to hand out at events. Local printing shops can offer an experienced hand in helping us design marketing materials. Services like Vistaprint can be cheaper.

Spread the Word to Businesses and Associations Network with local business referral associations, such as Alignable and chambers of commerce, so others know about your services.

Putting the time and effort into identifying who, what and where our ideal client is can use marketing dollars more effectively.

Mary Oquendo is a Reiki Master, advanced crystal master and certified master tech pet first aid instructor. She is the owner of Hands and Paws Reiki for All. She can be reached at HandsAndPawsReiki.com.

See ad, page 52. eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

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kuban_girl/Shutterstock.com

naturalpet

FELINE WORKFORCE Why a Job is the Cat’s Meow

by Sandra Murphy

S

ome cats started their careers in barns with minimal job opportunities. With updated skills, they now boost office morale, encourage reading, promote products and provide therapy. Community cats even work in private security.

In the Office Millennials, now comprising a third of this country’s stressed-out labor force, according to the Pew Research Center and American Psychological Association, are among those that can benefit from having a cat around. Lowered blood pressure is

one result, according to research by psychologist Karen Allen, Ph.D., conducted at the University at Buffalo. Even when comfort breaks are hard to schedule, insistent cats cannot be ignored.

“Pompous Albert, a rejected show cat, works at SafeWise, in Salt Lake City,” relates Sage Singleton, who handles Albert’s Instagram account.

“He boosts morale, reduces stress and provides entertainment.”

Carlos, a former rescue kitten, greets employees at PetNovations, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, each morning.

He’s the star of the corporate Instagram account and blog, and promotes the company’s eco-friendly Cat Genie litterless cat box.

Smith’s Ace Hardware and Housewares, in Princeton, New Jersey, has Dusty patrol its 18,000-square-foot facility, often escorting customers along the aisles.

At St. Augustine Health Ministries, in Cleveland, the furry receptionist is Oreo. This black-and-white stray claimed the job by installing herself at the front desk to welcome guests and visit with residents that miss having their own pet.

Therapists At the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, Duke Ellington Morris visits with patients while nurses check vital signs; he’s part of an animalassisted therapy program through the city’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

With the help of his humans, Jessica and Eric Hagan, of Pennsylvania’s Wolf Creek Township, Draven was certified through a local Love on a Leash chapter that qualifies pet-provided therapy animals. He showed My Cat From Hell host Jackson Galaxy his hospital routine for a segment called “My Cat From Heaven.” Draven regularly visits the Grove City Medical Center, in Pine Township, local nursing homes and service groups.

Literacy Aids “At 18, Cleo, my small, gray cat, retired from therapy visits and missed the attention,” says Michelle Cardosi, a retail clerk in Silt, Colorado. “Kids reading to her at the school library provided a 52

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

solution that satisfied everyone.”

In 2010, the public library in White Settlement, Texas, adopted Browser to remedy a rodent problem. Five years later, the city council cited pending renovations and a potential impact on allergies in backing a motion to oust Browser. Supporters, pointing out that the cat brought children through the doors, successfully petitioned to keep the fourlegged employee.

FotoYakov/Shutterstock.com

Private Security Less socially developed feral felines can provide needed services. The Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats rescues such cats from Los Angeles shelters. Each is vetted, spayed/neutered and microchipped.

“When they’re adopted out in threes, community cats are more likely to stay on the job,” notes founder and headmistress Shawn Simons.

“In Southern California, working cats are employed as assistants to brewmasters at the Monkish Brewery to protect the grain and hops and at Saluti Cellars as vintner support in charge of gopher population control,” says Simons. “More

traditionally, cats at the Portuguese Bend Riding Club barn discourage mice and make friends with horses and riders.”

The school’s Working Cat Program partners with area recycling centers, golf courses, warehouses and industrial parks that could otherwise lose hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to vermin-related structural damage, including gnawed wiring and other potential fire hazards. “Businesses get an all-natural, safe and effective way to control pests and cats live life naturally,” says Simons.

Working cats of many stripes are becoming increasingly common. For a business, it’s a money-saver; for a cat, it’s a lifesaver.

Connect with freelance writer Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.

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LLC

( Pet Euthanasia Service )

Kristen Klie, D.V. M. and Associates

( 203 ) 645-5570 www.finaljourneyllc.com

eNaturalAwakenings.com

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petresourceguide ADOPTION/RESCUE ANIMALS IN DISTRESS INC 238 Danbury Rd, Wilton 203-762-2006 Animals-In-Distress.com

BRIDGEPORT ANIMAL CONTROL 236 Evergreen St, Bridgeport 203-576-7727

BULLY BREED RESCUE PO Box 953, New Canaan BBRCT@yahoo.com BullyBreedRescueInc.org

COMMUNITY CATS

TAILS OF COURAGE

1 Pembroke Rd, Danbury 877-63-(TAILS) TailsOfCourage.org

WESTPORT ANIMAL SHELTER ADVOCATES (WASA)

1 Tower Ridge, Westport 203-557-0361 WestportWASA.org

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION/ PET SITTING GWEN GANGI

PO Box 4380, Stamford CommunityCatsCT@yahoo.com CommunityCatsCT.org

Fur to Feathers Pet Services Monroe • 203-610-2444 (call or text) FurToFeathersPets@gmail.com FurToFeathers.com

DANBURY ANIMAL WELFARE

Gwen Gangi has been an animal communicator all her life and has been doing consultations for the past 23 years. Practical for any situation, you enter into a 3-way conversation to get and give information needed.

Consultations done over the phone or in person, including home visits.Workshops on animal communication available.

SOCIETY (DAWS) 147 Grassy Plain St, Bethel 203-744-3297

FRIENDS OF FELINES INC PO Box 8147, Stamford 203-363-0220 Cats@AdoptAPet.org AdoptAPet.org

LOOKING GLASS ANIMAL RESCUE Ridgefield LGARinc.org On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

NFSAW

223 State Rt 37, New Fairfield 203-746-2925 NFSAW.org

HOLISTIC MOBILE GROOMING

VETERINARY SERVICES NUTMEG SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC 25 Charles St, Stratford 203-690-1550 • NutmegClinic.org

The Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic is a low-cost, high-volume facility for cats and dogs; the first such professional clinic in Fairfield County. The clinic offers other low-cost services during the spay/ neuter appointment. Nutmeg honors state spay/neuter vouchers at face value from adopted shelter pets and qualified low-income families and offers further lowcost incentives to nonprofit rescue groups. Pit bulls and mixes are welcome at an even more reduced rate, and the clinic offers spay/neuter and vaccine discounts for feral cats. See ad, page 53.

PET ASSISTANCE, INC

PO Box 2015, New Preston 860-355-PETS • GetaPet@gmail.com PetAssistanceInc.org Pet Assistance helps keep pets in their homes in times of financial and medical crises, providing emergency veterinary subsidies to pet owners in financial need. We only give grants for pets that have a good prognosis, unless the knowledge we gain from the treatment or surgery may help future animals in need.

MARY OQUENDO

203-994-5308 Mary@PawsitivelyPretty.com MaryOquendo.com Pet grooming in a relaxed one-on-one environment in your driveway by a leader in the holistic grooming industry. Mary also offers Reiki and crystal therapy for your beloved pets.

See ad, page 52.

PET ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC (PAWS)

504 Main Ave, Norwalk 203-750-9572 PAWSCT.org

PET PROTECTORS

2490 Black Rock Tpke, #453, Fairfield 203-330-0255 PetProtectorsRescue.org

RIDGEFIELD OPERATION FOR ANIMAL RESCUE (ROAR)

45 South St, Ridgefield 203-438-0158 ROAR-Ridgefield.org

STRAYS AND OTHERS

PO Box 473, New Canaan 203-966-6556 StraysAndOthers@hotmail.com

54

UNLEASH YOUR EARNING POTENTIAL Fetch new customers by advertising in Natural Awakenings’ Naturally Healthy Pet monthly section

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

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Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

Aging with Passion and Purpose Finding Fulfillment, Creativity and Meaning

by Deborah Shouse

W

ant to age well? The answer isn’t in your 401k.

Self-acceptance, a positive attitude, creative expression, purposeful living and spiritual connections all anchor successful and meaningful aging. In fact, these kinds of preparations are just as important as saving money for retirement, according to Ron Pevny, director of the Center for Conscious Eldering, in Durango, Colorado, and author of Conscious Living, Conscious Aging.

Savor Self-Acceptance

While most people believe adulthood is the final stage of life, Dr. Bill Thomas is among the creative aging experts that identify another life chapter: elderhood. “Elders possess novel ways of approaching time, money, faith and relationships,” says Thomas, an Ithaca, New York geriatrician and fierce advocate for the value of aging.

“The best chapters may be near the end of the book,” Thomas continues. “Once you appreciate yourself and your years, you can relinquish outdated expectations and seek to discover your true self. Then the world can open up to you,” says Thomas. “Living a rewarding life means we are willing to say, ‘These chapters now are the most interesting.’” During this time, rather than feeling consumed by what we have to do, we can focus on what we want to do.

Fill the Funnel of Friends

For older people, relationships offer foundational connections; but as we age, friends may drift away, relocate or die.

“Successful aging requires refilling our funnel of friends,” says Thomas, who considers socially engaged elders with friends wealthier than a socially isolated millionaire.

“Notice opportunities for interacting and connecting,” advises Shae Hadden, co-founder of The Eldering Institute in Vancouver, Canada. Talk with the checkout person at the grocery store or smile at a stranger walking her dog.

Cultivate a Positive Attitude

Our beliefs about aging shape our experiences. A Yale University study found that older individuals with more positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those less so inclined.

Connecting with positive role models helps us release limiting beliefs and embrace an attitude of gratitude instead.

Other life lessons can be gleaned from observing how negativity affects people physically, emotionally, and socially.

Holding onto regrets traps us in the past zapping energy and self-worth; it also keeps the best in us from shining out says Pevny. He suggests a simple letting-go ceremony, with friends as witnesses. If possible, hold it in a natural outdoor setting. eNaturalAwakenings.com

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EdBockStock/Shutterstock.com

Older people are our greatest resource. We need to nurture them and give them a chance to share what they know. ~Susan Perlstein, founder, National Center for Creative Aging and Elders Share the Arts

At one of his conscious aging retreats, Pevny created a fire circle. Mike, 70, had been a dedicated long-distance runner for most of his life. Now plagued with mobility issues, Mike decided to let go of regrets. He brought a pair of running shorts into the circle and talked about what the sport had meant to him—its joys, challenges and camaraderie. Then he tossed the shorts into the fire, telling his friends, “I am letting go so I can find a new purpose and passion.”

Understand Our Life Stories

Creating our own life review helps us acknowledge and understand our most significant experiences and reminds us of all we’re bringing to our elder journey.

Pevny offers these approaches: n Develop a timeline, dividing life into seven-year sections. For each, write about the strongest memories and most influential people. n Consider what matters most, from people and values to challenges and dreams. n Write to children and grandchildren, sharing tales of our life’s most significant events and lessons. n Record key stories on audio or video.

Explore the Arts

The changes that aging brings can mire elders in depression and isolation. “Older 56

people need to be brave and resilient,” says Susan Perlstein, of Brooklyn, New York, founder emeritus of the National Center for Creative Aging, in Washington, D.C., and founder of Elders Share the Arts, in New York City. “To age creatively, we need a flow of varied experiences, exploring new activities or reframing longtime interests from a fresh perspective.”

Expressive arts can engage people’s minds, bodies and spirits. A George Washington University study shows that people engaged in the arts are happier and healthier. Perlstein understands this firsthand, having begun taking guitar lessons in her 70s. Motivated to play simple songs for her new granddaughter, she subsequently learned to play jazz and blues tunes and joined a band.

“I’m doing something I love,” says Perlstein. “I’m meeting diverse people, learning new things and enjoying a rich life.”

Musician John Blegen, of Kansas City, Missouri, was 73 when he realized his lifelong secret desire to tap dance.

When Blegen met the then 87-year-old Billie Mahoney, Kansas City’s “Queen of Tap,” he blurted out his wish and fear of being “too old.” She just laughed and urged him to sign up for her adult beginner class. He asked for tap shoes for Christmas and happily shuffle-stepped his way through three class sessions.

“Tap class inspired me, encouraged me and gave me hope,” he says.

“Now I can shim sham and soft shoe.

It’s a dream come true.”

To unearth the inner artist, ask: n Which senses do I most like to engage? n Do I enjoy looking at art or listening to music? Do I like sharing feelings and experiences? If so, a thrill may come from writing stories or plays, acting or storytelling. n As a child, what did I yearn to do; maybe play the piano, paint or engineer a train set? Now is the time to turn those dreams into reality. n How can I reframe my life in a positive way when I can no longer do activities I love? If dancing was my focus before, how do I rechannel that energy and passion? If puttering in the garden is too strenuous, what other outdoor interests can I pursue?

The answers can lead to fresh settings, including local community

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

centers and places of worship. Many universities have extension classes for lifelong learners. State arts councils support programs, and museums and libraries host helpful activities. Shepherd Centers encourage community learning and Road Scholar caters to elders that prefer to travel and study.

Discover a Purpose

Upon retirement some people feel purposeless and lost. They yearn for something that offers up excitement, energy and joy. Hadden invites people to be curious and explore options.

“We’re designing our future around who we are and what we care about now,” she says.

Try keeping a journal for several weeks. Jot down issues and ideas that intrigue, aggravate and haunt. After several weeks, reflect on the links between concerns that compel and those that irritate.

Perhaps we’re intrigued by a certain group of people or a compelling issue.

“A concern points to problems and people you want to help,” Hadden observes. This can range from lending a hand to struggling family members, maintaining our own health, volunteering for a literacy project or working to reduce world hunger. “Choose what inspires you

Creative Aging Resources Center for Conscious Eldering CenterForConsciousEldering.com Changing Aging ChangingAging.org Dr. Bill Thomas DrBillThomas.org The Eldering Institute Eldering.org Elders Share the Arts Estanyc.org From Aging to Sageing Sage-ing.org Kathleen Dowling Singh KathleenDowlingSingh.com National Center for Creative Aging CreativeAging.org Shepherd’s Centers of America ShepherdCenters.org

to get out of bed each day, eager to move into action.”

Develop Inner Frontiers

People in their elder years may still be measured by midlife standards, which include physical power, productivity and achievement. “They come up short in the eyes of younger people,” dharma practitioner Kathleen Dowling Singh remarks. “But those standards do not define a human life.”

Rather, aging allows us to disengage from the pressures of appearances and accomplishments. As we release judgments and unwanted habits, we can increase our feelings of spirituality and peace. “When doors in the outer world seem to be closing, it’s time to cultivate inner resources that offer us joy and meaning. We have the beautiful privilege of slowing down and hearing what our heart is saying,” says Singh, of Sarasota, Florida.

Meditation is one way to deepen spiritually as we age.

“Sit in solitude, gather your scattered thoughts and set an intention,” Singh suggests. “A daily practice shows what peace, silence and contentment feel like. As you become more comfortable, add time until you’re sitting for 20 to 40 minutes.”

Acknowledge Our Shelf Life

“We cannot speak about aging and awakening without speaking about death and dying,” Singh believes. “We need to confront our mortality.”

Meditating on the coming transition opens us up to the blessings of life. We can ask ourselves deep questions such as, “What am I doing? What do I want? What does this all mean? What is spirit?” Singh believes such searching questions are vital. None of us knows how much Earth time we have to awaken to a deeper, fuller experience of the sacred.

Help the World In today’s world of chaos and crisis, the wisdom of elders is more important than ever. “Older people need to be engaged, using their insights to help the Earth, community and world,” Pevny says. Creative aging is about improving the future for subsequent generations.

In 2008, longtime educator Nora Ellen Richard, 70, of Overland Park, Kansas, wanted to be of greater service. She asked herself, “What if I housed a foreign student?” and found the International Student Homestay Program. She embarked upon an exploration of cultures from around the world without leaving home.

Today, Richard has hosted more than a dozen female students and each relationship has expanded and enriched her life. “We talk about politics, food, religion and cultures; we even pray together,” Richard says. She points to memorable moments of bonding and respect, appreciation and celebration, and says, “As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned how vital it is to nurture the world I am in.”

Deborah Shouse is a writer, speaker, editor and dementia advocate. Her newest book is Connecting in the Land of Dementia: Creative Activities to Explore Together.

Connect at DementiaJourney.org.

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1-888-745-3372 5 Sylvan Road South, Westport, CT 06880 fax 203-307-5788 • www.ccbhtherapy.com eNaturalAwakenings.com

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INSPIRED

TABLE

inspiredtable Heaven for Garlic Fans in Connecticut

T

he Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival returns for its 13th year on October 7 and 8 from 10am to 5pm at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds in Bethlehem. Visit garlic cooking demonstrations, stay for a live band performance, and learn how to grow garlic at the informative lectures. Many garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils will be available for purchase from diverse garlic specialty food vendors; most will be offering free samples to try before you buy. Stop by the produce stands for fresh garlic and a variety of other fall produce. When you’re hungry, venture over to the food court to try homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic chicken parmesan balls, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic and garlic ice cream.

Rides, games, a giant slide and knockerball will entertain children, along with free pumpkin decorating for the first 200 kids. Kids can also dig for “dinosaurs’ in the free dinosaur dig and keep what they find.

The cooking demos will feature Winvian Resort’s Executive Chef Chris Eddy teaching how to incorporate garlic into meals. The Garlic: History, Anatomy, Cultivation & Medicinal Value presentation will focus on the ins and outs of growing your own garlic. University of Connecticut Associate Professor Dorthea Di Cecco and garlic farmers Richard and Penny Sandora will also answer questions on how to raise your own gourmet garlic.

Live music performances will include the Al Fenton Big Band from 12:30 to 2:30pm on Saturday, and Boondocks Band from 12:30 to 1:30pm on Sunday.

The admission prices are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $1 for children under 12. No dogs are allowed at the fairgrounds.

For more information, call 203-266-7810, or visit Facebook.com/GarlicFestCT or GarlicFestCT.com. Location: Bethlehem Fairgrounds, entrance at 304 Main St North (Route 61), Bethlehem.

CT Gluten-Free Event Debuts

G

To advertise or participate in our next issue, call

203-885-4674 58

luten-Free Connecticut, LLC is hosting its first gluten-free food expo on October 14, from 11am to 4pm, at the Doubletree Hotel in Bristol.

More than 50 vendors are expected, including national and local producers of gluten-free foods and health products, as well as local restaurants and bakeries offering gluten-free and celiac-friendly items. Attendees will receive free samples, have the opportunity to purchase products, enter free drawings, and learn about community resources available for those suffering from celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity.

Sit in on talks from local authors, educators and herbalists such as Lisl Meredith Huebner, RH(AHG), CMA, Dipl CH, (NCCAOM) and Colleen Brunetti, MEd, CHC Admission will be $10 per person and free for children under 12 years old.

Gluten-Free Connecticut, LLC owns GlutenFreeConnecticut.com, a comprehensive resource for finding gluten-friendly restaurants, bakeries and businesses in the state. The company was created by Abby Helman Kelly. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Loyola University Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston University. In addition to the expo, she is working with local businesses throughout the state to host pop-up markets and tastings.

For more information, call 860-836-5041, email Abby@GlutenFreeConnecticut.com, or visit Facebook.com/GlutenFreeCT, Instagram.com/GlutenFreeConnecticut or Twitter.com/Gluten_FreeCT. Location: DoubleTree by Hilton (Bristol, CT), 42 Century Dr, Bristol.

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

consciouseating

Sunday prepping foods for the rest of the week. “Traditional foods like fermented vegetables, yogurt or kombucha don’t take long to prepare; they take time to culture, but it’s so rewarding,” she says.

casanisa/Shutterstock.com

How Much Is Enough?

Fermented foods offer a variety of positive effects on health. “If you’re consuming a diet rich in fermented foods, you’re essentially bathing your GI tract in healthy, food-related organisms,” says food research scientist Robert Hutkins, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fermented foods with live probiotics can also improve brain function, according to a study in the journal Gastroenterology.

Fermented Foods Revival Rediscover Probiotic-Rich Foods

by Judith Fertig

Colorful jars of fermented Korean kimchee, Indian chutney, German sauerkraut and bottles of kombucha line many grocery store shelves today. We’re in the midst of a fermented food revival.

Grassroots Groundswell

“I grew up in New York City as the grandson of immigrants from Belarus, and sauerkraut and pickles were common foods I always loved, but neither my grandparents nor anyone else I knew made them,” says Sandor Katz. This Woodbury, Tennessee, writer who travels the world giving related workshops is credited with bringing fermented foods back into the limelight. He explains, “I am self-taught and learned to ferment by experimentation. It was that first successful batch of sauerkraut that sparked my obsession. I also love eating cheese, beer, chocolate, coffee, yogurt and many other products of fermentation.”

Kirsten and Christopher Shockey, the authors of Fermented Vegetables: Creative Recipes for Fermenting 64 Vegetables & Herbs in Krauts, Kimchis,

Brined Pickles, Chutneys, Relishes & Pastes, homestead in Oregon’s Jackson Valley. “A fateful Christmas gift—a ceramic crock full of bubbling, fermenting cabbage under the tree, funky fermenty smell and all,” first piqued their interest, Kirsten recalls. “Eventually, we started our own small farmstead fermentation company.” Christopher explains that the combination of salt and shredded or chopped vegetables can launch the production of probiotic lactic acid bacteria that preserves the food and drives off “bad bacteria”.

Jennifer McGruther, who lives in the Pacific Northwest, is the author of The Nourished Kitchen cookbook, an offshoot of her blog of the same name.

Her first batch of fermented food was yogurt. Now she visits her local farmers’ market every Saturday before spending

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) and non-bromated ingredients whenever possible.

Fermented foods are meant to be eaten as condiments, not consumed in large quantities. Overdoing such intake might cause bloating, cramping and other digestion problems. Dr. Leonard Smith, a gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon and medical advisor for the University of Miami Department of Integrative Medicine, recommends “a half-cup of cultured vegetables or two ounces of your favorite probiotic liquid per day to start.” He says it’s possible to eventually work up to having a serving of cultured vegetables and probiotic liquids at every meal, or possibly as a between-meal snack.

Christopher Shockey adds, “We don’t see these foods as a ‘medicine’ to be eaten daily because you have to force yourself; instead, we see it as a fun, delicious, easy, healthful addition to mealtime.”

Judith Fertig writes cookbooks and foodie fiction from Overland Park, KS (JudithFertig.com).

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A Fermented Recipe to Try

turmeric. (Consider wearing food-safe gloves to avoid touching the chili.)

by Judith Fertig

Transfer to a crock or a large glass or ceramic bowl, and mix well.

F

“

ermented foods are well known for building gut health. Now a growing body of research shows that they improve immunity, brain and heart functions,” says Michelle Schoffro Cook, Ph.D. The board-certified doctor of natural medicine, certified herbalist and author blogs from Vancouver, Canada.

Get started with these simple, plant-based recipes from her latest book, The Cultured Cook: Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life.

Salvadoran Salsa Yields: about 1 quart This gingery and spicy salsa, also known as curtido, is a traditional Salvadoran food. The twist here is added turmeric and green apple. Serve on its own, as a condiment with chips, on sausages or over salad. Maybe mix a couple of heaping spoonfuls with freshly mashed avocado for a fresh take on guacamole.

In a pitcher or large measuring cup, dissolve the salt in the water, stirring if necessary to dissolve the salt. Pour the saltwater over the salsa mixture until all ingredients are submerged, leaving a couple of inches at the top for expansion.

½ green cabbage 1 to 2 carrots 1 green apple, cored and quartered One 2-inch piece fresh ginger ½ cayenne chili ½ small purple or red onion One 2-inch piece fresh turmeric 3 Tbsp unrefined fine or 6 Tbsp unrefined coarse sea salt 1 quart (or liter) filtered water Use a food processor with a coarse grating blade to shred the cabbage, carrots, apple, ginger, chili, onion and

Place a snug-fitting plate inside the crock or bowl over the salsa-water mixture; then weigh it down with food-safe weights or a bowl or jar of water, so the vegetables remain submerged under the brine as they ferment. Cover with a lid or a cloth, and allow it to ferment five to seven days, checking periodically to ensure the salsa is still submerged below the water line.

If any mold forms on the surface, simply scoop it out. It won’t spoil the salsa unless it gets deeper inside the crock. (It may form where the mixture meets the air, but it rarely forms deeper.)

After one week, put the salsa in jars or a bowl, cover and place in the fridge, where it usually lasts up to a year.

Visit eNaturalAwakenings.com for more great recipes.

Recipe and photos are courtesy of Michelle Schoffro Cook and New World Library; visit DrMichelleCook.com.

FARM TO TABLE ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE & MEATS. Watch for our Hybrid Boats Delivering Your Farm Products to Market "Sustainability One Neighborhood at a Time"

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Natural Awakenings appreciates the generosity of its distributors throughout the area.

Please consider supporting these major distributors by shopping there and picking up the magazine each month from one of the racks. Thank you!

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CONNECT WITH OUR READERS!

THREE-MONTH EDITORIAL CALENDAR AND MARKETING PLANNER

N O V

Metabolic Imbalances plus: Silent Retreats

Readers are Seeking These Providers & Services: Fitness/Health Clubs • Functional Medicine Practitioners Herbalists • Hormone-Free Meats & Dairy • Integrative Physicians Nutrition Therapists • Organic/Non-GMO/Sugar-Free Foods Weight-Loss Centers • Wellness Coaches • Yoga/Tai Chi/Qigong Classes Eco-Retreats • Spas • Spiritual Centers • Naturopathic Physicians ... and this is just a partial list!

Community Connections

D E C J A N

plus: True Prosperity Readers are Seeking These Providers & Services: Community Services • Charities • Inspiring Books/Media Ethnic Crafts • Fair Trade Goods • Gift Baskets/Certificates Relationship Counselors • Mental Health Counselors Personal Development Tools • Spiritual Centers/Healing Sustainable/Natural Toys • Thrift/Resale Shops Volunteer Programs ... and this is just a partial list!

Vibrational Healing Plus: Chiropractic Care

Readers are Seeking These Providers & Services: Bemer Machine Distributors • Chiropractors • Crystal Healers Energy Healers • Frequency-based Healing Devices • Healing Music Homeopaths • Naturopathic Physicians • Nutritionists • PEMF Devices Reiki Masters • Shamanic Practitioners • Sound Healers Spiritual Healers • Systems to Improve Water ... and this is just a partial list!

Contact us to learn about marketing opportunities and become a member of the Natural Awakenings community:

call 203-885-4674 or email FFCAdvertising@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

Deadline for ads: the 12th of the month.

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Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

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calendarofevents Magazine calendar events must be received by October 12 (for November issue) and adhere to our guidelines. All calendar submissions must be entered online at eNaturalAwakenings.com: click on “submit calendar” at the very top of the page.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Todd Norian Yoga Workshop—10am-4:30pm.

9/30 & 10/1. Todd brings a wealth of knowledge that teaches mastery of body mechanics, ways to release chronic pain and revelatory teachings from the tantra tradition. $50-$200. Open Sky Yoga Barn, 95 Cross Hwy, Redding. 203-733-5296. Ellwhy1@me.com.

OpenSkyYogaBarn.com.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1

Sunday Soul Dance—Noon-1:15pm. First & third Sundays. With JoJo. Come connect with your soul and radiate out your vibe to all. We rock and roll, we heal and feel, we laugh and shine. JourneyDance is a guided exercise that has a cathartic benefit. $20.

203-994-2834. $20. The Sanctuary, 346 Main St S, Woodbury. Keane.JoJo@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

The Art of Touch Workshop—7-10pm. Handson tools to become a better lover. Live feedback, supportive partners, safe environment. Fully clothed, singles or couples. $49. Call for location.

InessaZaleski@gmail.com. Calmness.com.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

Reiki Level 1 Workshop—10am-5:30pm. With Gigi Benanti. Learn Western style from an experienced Reiki master (20 years). Includes latest info.

Learn how to use Reiki for self-healing and healing for others. 2 manuals and certificate. $125. Angelic Healing Center for Reiki, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk.

203-852-1150. AngelHealReikiGigiB@snet.net.

AngelHealReiki.com.

Nature Walk/Talk Series—12:30-1:30pm. With Khristee Rich. Exercise, education and inspiration.

Walk in beautiful nature, inspired by teachings and meeting new fabulous like-minded friends. Bring walking shoes. Purchase ticket ahead of time. $22.

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, 6 Reservation Rd, Pound Ridge, NY. Khristee@TheDancingCurtain. com. tinyurl.com/KristeeRichWalks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

Reiki 1st Degree Workshop—9:30am-5:30pm.

With Gigi Benanti. Learn Western style from an experienced Reiki master (20 years). Includes latest info. Learn how to use Reiki for self-healing and healing for others. 2 manuals and certificate. $125.

Angelic Healing Center for Reiki, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk. 203-852-1150. AngelHealReikiGigiB@ snet.net. AngelHealReiki.com.

Yoga for the Management of Arthritis and Osteoporosis—2-4pm. With Dr. Kathy Sward, PHD, MPH, RYT-500. Exploration into the physiology of osteoporosis, arthritis and osteopenia. Learn to enhance healing and decrease discomfort and pain. No yoga experience necessary. $45/advance. $55/at door. Sama Yoga Center, 45 Grove St, New Canaan. 203-594-7077. KBSchwarz@mac.com.

SamaYogaCenter.com.

Full Moon Celebration—7:30-8:45pm. Opportunity to bring your mental, emotional and physical bodies into balance using breath and meditation exercises, movement, healing sound currents and other tools to capitalize upon the beneficial energies present at this powerful time. $17 or class pack.

Naam Yoga Connecticut, 164 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. 203-730-2400. Info@NaamYogaCT.com.

NaamYogaCT.com.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

Aromatherapy Class: Botanical Perfume Blending—3-5pm. Create a 5ml perfume uniquely your own. Be guided down the path of aromatic artistry and craft a perfume that is aromatically delightful, therapeutically effective and uniquely your own.

Handouts and resources included. $30. Anam Cara Center, 50 Main St, Ansonia. 203-848-9710.

AnamCaraCenter@yahoo.com. AnamCaraCenter.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10

8-Week Tarot Class—7-9pm. Intuit your own meanings for each card and learn the art of tarot.

Course covers information on the Mythic Tarot Deck spreads and learning to tell the story. $50.

The Sacred Spirit, 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford.

203-344-9311. Piscese28@aol.com.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11

School Anxiety? Stress Relief for Parents, EFT Tapping Self-Help Workshop—7-8:30pm. Sometimes back to school is as stressful on the parent as it is the child. Learn how tapping can help to alleviate the stress and anxiety that can surround the pressures of the back to school season and the toll it can take on parents and family life. $20. The Tapping Practice/Tapping For Peace, 107 Church Hill Rd, Sandy Hook. 203-313-1560. KBSchwarz@ mac.com. TheTappingPractice.com.

Essential Oils Make & Take: Managing Moods— 7-8:30pm. Meet-up with other people interested in essential oils and natural health and wellness. Learn how to use essential oils for mood management and self care. Invite a friend. Free. RSVP for address.

Kristen@InterplayHealth.com. InterplayHealth.com.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

doTERRA Holiday Essential Oil Classes—7pm.

Learn the health benefits of fall spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, wild orange and many others.

Plus how to easily incorporate them into your holiday cooking and baking and simultaneously fill your home with fabulous fall scents. Space is limited.

Free. The Green Room, 990 Bridgeport Ave, Milford. 203-895-5134. KerryHardyRN@gmail.com.

markyourcalendar OPEN HOUSE IN RIDGEFIELD! Friday, October 20 • 5-8pm Saturday, October 21 • 11am-2pm Opening side-by-side, MindBody Mastery and Being Centered: Psychological Services, PLLC, are pleased to join the Ridgefield community.

All ages welcome to a Q&A with two licensed psychologists and one personal trainer/ Reiki master/psychic.

Free and refreshments provided.

100B Danbury Rd, 105E, Ridgefield MindBodyMastery.org • Being-Centered.com

markyourcalendar Albertson Memorial Church October Events Spiritual/Psychic Fair October 7 & November 4 • noon-5pm • $35 Understanding and Using Color in Your Life With Rev. Robin Dubard Sunday, October 1 • 1-3pm • $30 Going Deeper with the Details & Evidence from the Spirit World With Anthony Mrocka Sunday, October 8 • 1-5pm • $50 Intuition on Demand With Lisa K Saturday, October 14 • 3-5pm • $30 Blessing of the Animals Sunday, October 29 • 11-12:30pm • Donation Everyday Spiritual Living With Kathleen James Tuesdays • 7-9pm • $20 Beginner Psychic & Mediumship Class With Bobby Kitsios Wednesdays •7-9pm • $20 Bereavement Group for Parents Last Sunday of the Month • 1-3pm • Free Albertson Memorial Church 293 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich 203-637-4615 For more info & updates, visit AlbertsonChurch.org.

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markyourcalendar The Institute for Holistic Health Studies at Western Connecticut State University presents:

STRESSED IS DESSERTS SPELLED BACKWARDS Wednesday, October 18 • 7:30pm With internationally known author, film maker, motivational speaker, and holistic stress management expert, Brian Luke Seaward, PhD Ives Concert Hall on the WCSU Midtown Campus, 181 White St, Danbury General admission $15.

Sponsorships are available.

calendarofevents SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15

11th Annual CancerCare Fairfield Walk/Run for Hope—9-11 am. Walk or run to celebrate survivors, support those facing cancer and remember those lost while raising funds and awareness for CancerCare’s free, professional support services available to anyone affected by cancer. Families, individuals and teams welcome. $35-40 for adults. Jennings Beach, 880 South Benson Rd, Fairfield. 212-7126165. ELebensberg@CancerCare.org. Community.

CancerCare.org/Fairfield2017.

Sunday Soul Dance—Noon-1:15pm. First & third Sundays. With JoJo. Come connect wth your soul and radiate out your vibe to all. We rock and roll, we heal and feel, we laugh and shine. JourneyDance is a guided exercise that has a cathartic benefit. $20.

203-994-2834. $20. The Sanctuary, 346 Main St S, Woodbury. Keane.JoJo@gmail.com.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16

markyourcalendar ANGEL LIGHT HEALING INITIATION IN FAIRFIELD With Eilis Philpott of Soul Healing Journey October 19 • 11am-12:30pm The purpose of Angel Light Healing is to invoke the Healing Light of the Angels for purification, balance, and integration of the chakra centers. Available to everyone, no experience needed!

WEAR WHITE CLOTHING. FREE Space is limited so pre-registration is a must.

Contact Eilis at 203-767-5954 or Eilis@EilisPhilpott.com

Conscious Aging Workshop Series—6:30-8:30pm.

Creating a new vision of aging. Workshops will focus on listening to our own inner wisdom and guidance, integrating talking points and best practices, sharing in intimate conversation circles and listening to the collective wisdom of the group. $20. Anam Cara Center, 50 Main St, Ansonia.

203-848-9710. AnamCaraCenter@yahoo.com.

AnamCaraCenter.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17

doTERRA Holiday Essential Oil Classes—7pm.

Learn the health benefits of fall spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, wild orange and many others.

Plus how to easily incorporate them into your holiday cooking and baking and simultaneously fill your home with fabulous fall scents. Space is limited.

Free. The Green Room, 990 Bridgeport Ave, Milford. 203-895-5134. KerryHardyRN@gmail.com.

Health Talks-Breast Cancer Awareness and Breast Thermography—7-8pm. Ingels Family Health monthly health talks. Join us in a discussion led by Dr. Jill Kenney and Rachel Mazzarelli.

Please RSVP, seating is limited. Free. Ingels Family Health, 22 Fairfield Pl, Fairfield. 203-254-9957.

Info@DarinIngelsND.com. DarinIngelsND.com.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20

markyourcalendar NEWLIFE EXPO October 27 - 29 In its 28th year, the NEWLIFE expo is an expo of Health, Enlightenment & Conscious Living.

Over 100 speakers and exhibitors, including Judy Satori, Gail Thackray and many others.

Learn about the latest in alternative healthcare, proper nutrition, and perhaps find your soulmate.

Hotel New Yorker 34th and 8th Aves, New York, NY NewLifeExpo.com Mark@NewLifeMag.com

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Babes Plus One!—3:45-4:45pm. 10/20, 11/17, 12/15, 1/19. Savor some time with your little one, in community. Enjoy movement, partner poses, meditation and more to build connection, confidence and inner strength. Ages 3-5. $30/per session; $99/ four sessions). Sama Yoga Center, 45 Grove St, New Canaan. 203-594-7077. KBSchwarz@mac.com.

SamaYogaCenter.com.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

6th Annual Stamford Health, Health Wellness & Sports Expo 2017 Presented by WABC-TV— 10am-4pm. The premier health, wellness and sports expo in Connecticut will feature health education provided by Stamford Health, fun activities for children, plus the latest information, products, services and demos from over 100 exhibitors and more. Free.

Chelsea Piers Connecticut, 1 Blachley Rd, Stamford.

203-531-3047. Tamara@TMK-EventMarketing.com.

HWS-Expos.com.

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

Nutrition for Health—1-3pm. With Katherine Yeudakimenka. Enlightening introduction to healthy eating accessible to all. Topics covered include food choices made easy, food as supplements, the vital role of detox and its basis, how to deal with cravings, and more. $20. Naam Yoga Connecticut, 164 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. 203-730-2400.

Info@NaamYogaCT.com. NaamYogaCT.com.

New Moon Celebration—7:30-8:45pm. The time of the waxing moon is a potent opportunity to increase health, prosperity and success. Come and learn to harmonize with universal laws to live in service of your highest self. We will work with various breath, movement, meditation and sound current. $17 or class pack. Naam Yoga Connecticut, 164 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. 203-730-2400.

Info@NaamYogaCT.com. NaamYogaCT.com.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22

6th Annual Stamford Health, Health Wellness & Sports Expo 2017 Presented by WABC-TV— 10am-5pm. The premier health, wellness and sports expo in Connecticut will feature health education provided by Stamford Health, fun activities for children, plus the latest information, products, services and demos from over 100 exhibitors and more. Free.

Chelsea Piers Connecticut, 1 Blachley Rd, Stamford.

203-531-3047. Tamara@TMK-EventMarketing.com.

HWS-Expos.com.

If You Were a Connecticut Colonist... History Should Never be Boring—Noon-4pm. Take a journey into the past. Experience first-hand what life was like in 18th-century Woodbury by spending an afternoon at the 1770 Solomon and Mary Root Minor Farmhouse. Limited to 15 guests. $48/ adult; $24 kids. Lunch and materials included.

Grounded Goodwife Farmhouse, Woodbury.

203-942-0774. GroundedGoodwife@yahoo.com.

GroundedGoodwife.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24

Journaling Event : Awaken your Dreams and Goals—7:30pm. Purchase Dream Book & Planner from The Green Room to reserve a spot. Evening filled with creativity and goal setting. All materials will be supplied. Space is limited. $48/Dream Book & Planner. The Green Room, 990 Bridgeport Ave, Milford. 203-543-1022. KerryHardyRN@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27

Reiki Second Degree—10am–5:30pm. With Gigi Benanti, Reiki master/teacher (20 years). Learn to send distance Reiki healing, deepen use of Reiki for others and yourself. 2 powerful energy connections from my short Japanese/Usa Linage. Two manuals and certificate. $215. Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk. 203-852-1150.

AngelHealReikiGigiB@snet.net. AngelHealReiki.com.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

Reiki Second Degree Workshop—9:30am5:30pm. With Gigi Benanti, Reiki master/teacher (20 years). Learn to send distance Reiki healing, deepen use of Reiki for others and yourself. 2 powerful energy connections from my short Japanese/ Usa Lineage. Two manuals and certificate. $215.

Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk.

203-852-1150. AngelHealReikiGigiB@snet.net.

AngelHealReiki.com.

ongoingcalendar markyourcalendar NEW AGE & CRAFTS EXPO Sunday, November 12 • 10am-5pm Come Experience a Day of Spiritual & Creative Enlightenment Intuitive Readers, Aura Photos & Crystals, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Healings, Handcrafted Jewelry, Soaps, Oils, Guided Meditations, Spiritual Art, 2 Rooms of Dynamic Speakers and much more!

Wyndham Southbury 1284 Strongtown Rd, Southbury $6 Admission $1 off with this coupon VENDOR SPACE STILL AVAILABLE 203-733-6560 • Cryours87@yahoo.com

sunday Sunday Stretch—8-9am. Sunday. Instructor: Tess Whaley, NASM, IFPA certified trainer. Head-totoe stretching techniques to maintain or improve flexibility and range of motion. Bring a yoga mat and dress comfortably. Space is limited. Donations appreciated. The Green Room, 990 Bridgeport Ave, Milford. 203-543-1022. KerryHardyRN@ gmail.com.

Satsang Meditation – 9:30-11am. Satsangs are spiritual and community gatherings of like-minded people. Music, mantra, meditation, spiritual instruction/discourse and spiritual blessings to help you reset, recharge and get ready for the week ahead. By donation. Muktinath Holistic Center, 755 Main St (Rte 25), Monroe. 203-518-5808. MuktinathHC@ gmail.com. MuktinathHolisticCenter.com.

New Beginnings in Community Sunday Service – 10am. Join this group of spiritually-minded people embracing and honoring all world religions, belief systems, cultures and traditions. Come together to share thoughts, experiences and wisdom in a supportive environment. Free. Mystics By The Sea, 394 New Haven Ave, Milford. 203-980-6272.

NewBeginningsInCommunity.Weebly.com.

Family Meditation Program – 10-11:30am.

Second and fourth Sunday. Ages 4-13. While the adults are meditating in the main building, young people can connect with others in their age-group, learn about mindfulness, compassion toward self and others. 203-244-3130. MMKeeler@gmail.com.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 10-11:30am.

Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness. simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life, and discover the benefits of becoming more present. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Celebration Service – 10:30am-noon. With Rev. Shawn Moninger. Inspiring message supports your spiritual unfoldment with thought provoking, soul healing topics and uplifting music. By donation.

Unity Center of Norwalk, 3 Main St, 2nd Flr, Norwalk.

203-855-7922. Office@UnityCenterNorwalk.org.

UnityCenterNorwalk.org.

Community Yoga Class – 11am-12:15pm. Open to all ages and levels. Families welcome. Light, energizing yogic exercises are followed by relaxation and meditation. It’s about sharing fun, laughter, breath, and joy so you leave feeling uplifted. Come connect with your love, your peace and your light. $5. Naam Yoga Connecticut, 164 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. 203-730-2400. Info@NaamYogaCT.com.

NaamYogaCT.com.

Sunday Albertson Memorial Church Service – 11am-12:30pm. Join us for inspirational sermons, meditation, energy healing and messages from Spirit. By donation. Albertson Memorial Church of Spiritualism, 293 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich. 203-637-4615. Info@AlbertsonChurch.org.

AlbertsonChurch.org.

Ignite your Spirit Healing Clinic – 11:45am2pm. Second Sunday. Healing clinics are a great way to try out or receive on-going assistance with anything life throws your way. Register in advance to participate. $20/suggested donation.

Muktinath Holistic Center, 755 Main St (Rte 25), Monroe. 203-518-5808. MuktinathHC@gmail.com.

MuktinathHolisticCenter.com.

Sunday Soul Dance—Noon-1:15pm. First and third Sundays. With JoJo. Come connect wth your soul and radiate out your vibe to all. We rock and roll, we heal and feel, we laugh and shine. JourneyDance is a guided exercise that has a cathartic benefit. $20.

203-994-2834. $20. The Sanctuary, 346 Main St S, Woodbury. Keane.JoJo@gmail.com.

Monthly Healing Circle – 4-5:30pm. First Sunday. Whether you are in need of healing or a healer wishing to share your gifts for the highest good of others, this group is for you. Group limited to 8, please RSVP. Free or $10/suggested donation. Acupuncture Works, 132A State Rt 37, New Fairfield.

845-494-0090. Reiki4Wellness@aol.com.

monday Monday Morning Meditation – 11:30am12:30pm. With Beth Leas. Practical approach and individualized support. Great for those new to meditation and sage meditators. Explore different meditation techniques including breathwork, guided meditation, mantras (sound), yantra (sight) and slow motion movement. $30/drop-in. $100/5 classes.

TLC Center, 152 East Ave, Norwalk. 203-856-9566.

TLBethLeas@gmail.com. BethLeas.com.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 7-8:30pm.

Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness. simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life, and discover the benefits of becoming more present. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Monday Meditation—7:30-8:30pm. Beginners meditation class. Learn the benefits and techniques of meditation in a supportive and soothing environment.

Bring a yoga mat and blanket. Dress comfortably.

Space is limited. Donations appreciated.. The Green Room, 990 Bridgeport Ave, Milford. 203-543-1022.

KerryHardyRN@gmail.com.

Monday Meditation for Everyone – 7:30-9pm. This is Meditation Guided Imagery for relaxation and stress reduction. It also helps you move forward on your spiritual path. No experience necessary. $30. Soul Focus, 145 Grassy Plain St, Bethel. 203-570-3868.

Reiki Share – 7:30-9:30pm. Fourth Monday. With JoAnn Inserra Duncan, MS, RMT. Practice Reiki in a small group setting. Share experiences and help each other develop in a safe, fun environment while providing a wonderful, relaxing, rejuvenating experience. $20. Registration required. Turning Point Healing Arts and Education Center, 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 101, Ridgefield. 203-438-3050. TurningPointReiki.com.

tuesday The Graduate Institute – Call to visit us any day of the week to arrange a visit. We offer Master of Arts Degree programs designed for busy people.

Only one weekend a month; 2 years. The Graduate Institute,171 Amity Rd, Bethany. Call us at 203874-4252.

Tai Chi Classes – 9:30-10:30am. With June Fagan, Tai Chi Instructor. A slow movement meditation for all levels of fitness. Known to reduce stress, increase focus, balance and improve self and well-being. $25/drop-in, $85/1-class per week $150/unlimited classes month. Kindred Spirits, 1197 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield. 203-938-3690.

Being Your Warrior Self—9:45-11am. 8-week yoga series. 9/12-10/31. Based on the Bhagavad Gita. Mixed level progressive series classes. $20-$152. Open Sky Yoga Barn, 95 Cross Hwy, Redding. 203-733-5296. Ellwhy1@me.com.

OpenSkyYogaBarn.com.

Toastmasters – Noon. Interested in public speaking?

Monroe-Trumbull Toastmasters is a chartered club of Toastmasters International dedicated to improving members’ communication and leadership skills. Meets alternate Tuesdays. Body Smart, Crescent Village, 115 Main St, Unit 11, Monroe. 203-459-6773. Franny.

Hannigan@charter.com. ToastMastersClubs.org.

Yoga on Candlewood Lake – Noon-1pm. With Michele Leigh, (RYT). Practice yoga on a floating dock on Candlewood Lake. A gentle, 60-minute practice. Space is limited. $30. Candlewood Lake, Brookfield. DarkMoonAstrology@gmail.com.

Meetup.com/Candlewood-Lake-Yoga.

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ongoingcalendar Finding a Better Way — Noon-1:30pm. With Joan Goss. Prayer Circle followed by A Course in Miracles. $20. The Sacred Spirit, 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford. 203-344-9311. Piscese28@aol.com.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 12:30-2pm.

Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness. simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life, and discover the benefits of becoming more present. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

6-Week Slim Down — 6-7pm. 9/19-10/24. Learn what to eat for your unique body and why. Eat real food found at any grocery store so you will understand which strategic foods your body thrives on. $25/1-hour session. Anam Cara Center, 50 Main St, Ansonia. 203-362-8857. Steph@HealthWellnessAndSpirit.com. HealthWellnessAndSpirit.com.

The Art of Meditation – 6-7pm. Whether you are new to meditation or seasoned, this class will help you access inner peace and experience more clarity, purpose and joy. Chairs available. $10/ suggested donation. Any offering, large or small accepted. YogaSpace, 78 Stony Hill Rd (Rte 6), Bethel. 203-730-9642. Info@YogaSpace-CT.com.

YogaSpace-CT.com.

Monthly Information Sessions at The Graduate Institute – 6:30-7:30pm. Join us for an info session every 2nd Tuesday of the month at The Graduate Institute. Please contact us to let us know that you’ll be attending. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. Call 203-874-4252.

Meditating Holistically – 6:30-8pm. With Urgyan, a Western Buddhist lama sharing a rich practice of traditional meditation guidance directed toward holistic integration. Group meditation and discussion, devoted to our mutual innermost truths. $15. ah Yoga, 168 New Milford Tpke, New Preston. 860-868-6707 or Danbury Area Vajrayana Buddhist Meditation on Meetup.com.

Night of Light and Love—6:30-8pm. With Joan Goss. Prayer Circle followed by A Course in Miracles. $20. The Sacred Spirit, 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford. 203-344-9311. Piscese28@aol.com.

13 Moon’s Healing Circle – 6:30-8:15pm. Fourth Tuesday. Each moon we will explore a variety of topics. The circle will be a private and sacred group, open to women or those who identify as woman. Drop-ins welcome. $25. Twin Star Herbal Education, 65 Bank St, New Milford. 860-3500077. BekahTwinStar@gmail.com. TwinStarTribe. com/Events.

Reiki Share – 7-8:30pm. First Tuesday of the month with June and Tracy. Come join our circle of practitioners for sharing and caring and healing.

All levels of practitioners are welcome Please RSVP. $20/drop-in. Kindred Spirits, 197 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield. 203-938-3690.

Yoga Class or Yoga/Float – Yoga: 7-8pm. or Yoga/ Float package: 7-9pm. Enjoy the benefits of yoga in the beautiful PuREST relaxation room. $15/yoga only. $65/yoga and float package. PuREST Float Center, 35 Corporate Dr, Trumbull. PuRESTFloat.com.

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Angelic Healing Group – 7-9pm. First Tuesday.

Experience the healing energy of the Angelic Realm. Your energy body will be infused with the love and light of the Divine through meditation and hands-on touch. $20. Stevens Memorial Church, 8 Shady Ln, South Salem, NY. 203-438-4893.

Reiki Share – 7-9pm. Second Tuesday. Practice and enhance your Reiki healing and grow your intuition.

All will receive healing time and practice time. You must have completed at minimum Reiki level I in order to fully participate. $15/suggested donation.

Muktinath Holistic Center, 755 Main St (Rte 25), Monroe. 203-518-5808. MuktinathHC@gmail.com.

MuktinathHolisticCenter.com.

Reiki Shares – 7:30-10:15pm. First and third Tuesdays. Gigi Benanti Usui/Karuna Reiki Master/ Teacher. For Reiki practitioners only. Exchange ongoing since 1996. Instructions included. $20.

Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk.

Pre-register: 203-852-1150.

wednesday Apothecary Hours – 10am-1pm. Meet like-minded folks and learn about what we do at Twin Star Herbal and Energetic Studies. Free. Twin Star Herbal Education, 65 Bank St, New Milford. 203-313-7883.

Info@TwinStarTribe.com. TwinStarTribe.com.

Women’s Wisdom Group – 10:30am-12:30pm.

Women support each other through the process of recognizing and embracing one’s full, authentic beings and, in doing so, nurturing their highest potential. $30. SunRaven, 501 Guard Hill Rd, Bedford, NY. 914-218-3113. SlowMedicine.org.

Yoga on Candlewood Lake – Noon-1pm. With Michele Leigh, (RYT). Practice yoga on a floating dock on Candlewood Lake. A gentle, 60-minute practice. Space is limited. $30. Candlewood Lake, Brookfield. DarkMoonAstrology@gmail.com.

Meetup.com/Candlewood-Lake-Yoga.

Finding a Better Way — Noon-1:30pm. With Joan Goss. Prayer Circle followed by A Course in Miracles. $20. The Sacred Spirit, 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford. 203-344-9311. Piscese28@aol.com.

Yogastrology – 4:30-5:45pm. Yogastrology is the fusion of a slow-flow, gentle yoga practice enriched by astrological wisdom. Join yogi and astrologer Michele Leigh to tap into the energy of the zodiac wheel and connect to the natural rhythms of the sun and the moon. Included in ah Yoga class package. ah Yoga, New Milford, 65 Bank St, New Milford.

203-948-9347. DarkMoonAstrology@gmail.com.

DarkMoonAstrology.com.

Core Strength Vinyasa — 6:30-7:45pm. With Charles Sikorski. A flow practice with breakout sessions highlighting specific poses and sequences to access and activate your center most efficiently. $17 or class pack. Naam Yoga Connecticut, 164 Greenwood Ave, Bethel. 203-730-2400. Info@ NaamYogaCT.com. NaamYogaCT.com.

High-Powered Healing – 7pm. First Wednesday.

Easy ways to well heal on all levels. Intuitive insight, easy methods for daily wellness, how to determine quality foods and abundance. $20. Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St, Newtown.

203-426-9448. Trinity@TrinityProduction.org.

TrinityProduction.org.

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

A Course In Miracles – 7-8:30pm. Study group where anyone can come without fear of being judged, a place where feelings can be shared in a loving, accepting atmosphere and, above all, a place to enhance fun and inspire a sense of joy and laughter. $10/suggested donation. Soul Healing Journey, LLC, 40 Livingston St, Fairfield.

203-767-5954. Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com.

SoulHealingJourney.com.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 7-8:30pm.

Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness. simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life, and discover the benefits of becoming more present. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Meditation – 7-8:30pm. Experience bliss, peace, joy and deep healing. This is not your traditional silent or guided meditation class. This meditation will bring change into your life. By donation.

Muktinath Holistic Center, 755 Main St (Rte 25), Monroe. 203-518-5808. MuktinathHC@gmail.com.

MuktinathHolisticCenter.com.

Journey Group – 7-9pm. First Wednesday. With Cindy Miller. If you are looking to get unstuck, learn more about self-empowerment, becoming a healing facilitator, then this is the group for you. $20.

Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West St, Newtown. 203-426-9448. Cindy@TrinityProduction.org.

TrinityProduction.org.

Holistic Moms Network Fairfield County, CT Chapter – 7:30pm. Second Wednesday. Associates in Family Chiropractic and Natural Health Care, 156 East Ave, Norwalk. Home.Homewebs.com/ HMNFairfieldCtyCT. Learn to Love Yourself – 7:30-9:30pm. Second Wednesday. With Ginny Brown and Ellen Kratka. Little-known spiritual truths applied to everyday life. Let go of negative judgment and unconditionally accept yourself. $40. By phone or internet. 203-263-2643. E.Kratka@sbcglobal.net.

Results-BeyondBelief.com.

Turning Point S.H.A.R.E. Divorce Group – 7:30-9:30pm. Third Wednesdays. Offering support, healing, advocacy, resources and educrcation for women in the process of, or recently divorced. $20, $150/10-session card. Registration required. Turning Point Healing Arts and Education Center, 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 101, Ridgefield. 203-438-3050. TurningPointShare.com.

thursday Tai Chi Classes – 9:30-10:30am. With June Fagan, Tai Chi Instructor. A slow movement meditation for all levels of fitness. Known to reduce stress, increase focus, balance and improve self and well-being. $25/ drop-in, $85/1-class per week $150/unlimited classes month. Kindred Spirits, 197 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield. 203-938-3690. JTKindredSpirit@gmail.com.

KindredSpiritsCenter.com.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 9:30-11am. Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness.

Simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life. Discover the benefits of becoming more present. By donation. Redding Center for Meditation, 9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Yoga on Candlewood Lake – Noon-1pm. With Michele Leigh, (RYT). Practice yoga on a floating dock on Candlewood Lake. A gentle, 60-minute practice. Space is limited. $30. Candlewood Lake, Brookfield. DarkMoonAstrology@gmail.com.

Meetup.com/Candlewood-Lake-Yoga.

Being Your Warrior Self — 9:45-11am. 8-week yoga series. 9/12-10/31. Based on the Bhagavad Gita. Mixed level progressive series classes. $20-$152. Open Sky Yoga Barn, 95 Cross Hwy, Redding. 203-733-5296. Ellwhy1@me.com.

OpenSkyYogaBarn.com.

Herbal Consultations – 11am-3pm. Every other Thursday. Ilana Sobo, herbalist, aromatherapist and Ayurvedic Practitioner will be in the apothecary for herbal consults. Call ahead for availability. $45/30 minutes. Twin Star Community Apothecary, 57 Bank St, New Milford. 860-350-0077.

TwinStarTina@gmail.com. TwinStarTribe.com/Events.

Meditating Holistically – 7-8:30pm. With Urgyan, a Western Buddhist lama sharing a rich practice of traditional meditation guidance directed toward holistic integration. Group meditation and discussion, devoted to our mutual innermost truths. $15. YogaSpace, 78 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel. 203-730-YOGA or Danbury Area Vajrayana Buddhist Meditation on Meetup.com.

Reiki Healing Circle – 7-9pm. Second Thursday. All welcome. Non-Reiki and Reiki practitioners share and experience Reiki. See details on Unity website. Hosted

by Gigi Benanti Reiki master/teacher. $20. Unity Center for Practical Spirituality, 3 Main St, Norwalk.

203-852-1150. AngelHealReikiGiGiB@snet.net.

AngelHealReiki.com, UnityCenterNorwalk.org.

friday Reiki Share – 9:30-11:30am. First Friday. With JoAnn Inserra Duncan, MS, RMT. Practice Reiki in a small group setting. Share experiences and help each other develop in a safe, fun environment while providing a wonderful, relaxing, rejuvenating experience. $20.

Registration required. Turning Point Healing Arts and Education Center 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 101, Ridgefield. 203-438-3050. TurningPointReiki.com.

Free Mommy and Me Yoga – 10am. With Brooke de Weaver. We supply water and mats - just bring yourself and your kids. Free. Yogasmoga Townhouse, 68 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich.

Student Massage Therapy Clinic – 11am-noon.

Relax and enjoy a 50-minute, full-body massage for only $20 at our Danbury Campus public clinic. $20. 44 Shelter Rock Rd, Danbury. KMCCaffrey@ Ridley.edu. Ridley.edu.

Apothecary Hours – 11am-4pm. Meet like-minded folks and learn about what we do at Twin Star Herbal and Energetic Studies. Free. Twin Star Herbal Education, 65 Bank St, New Milford. 203-313-7883.

Info@TwinStarTribe.com. TwinStarTribe.com.

Teen Meditation – 5-8pm. This is an enjoyable approach to the understanding of self and how you fit into the world in which you can grow with confidence. Guided Meditative journey with interpretation. Fun and interactive experience. Please phone w/questions. Soul Focus, 145 Grassy Plain St, Bethel. 203-570-3868.

Spirit Art Class — 7-9pm. Every other Friday. No artistic ability/training required. Class will help us connect to spirit through art. Bring a sketch pad or canvas, all other materials supplied. Topics include still lifes, color interpretations, auragraphs, healing mandalas and spirit portraits. $30. The Sacred Spirit, 135 Clover Hill Dr, Stamford. 203-344-9311.

Piscese28@aol.com.

Discussion with Spirit – 7:30-9:45pm. Last Friday.

An evening of messages from Spirit and loved ones.

Bring questions, receive channeled information specifically geared to you. Receive help in empowering yourself to navigate this lifetime. $40. Email for location. EarthAndHealing@hotmail.com.

saturday Angelic Reiki Meditation with Essential Oils – 8-9am. Receive short, hands-on Angelic Reiki, experience powerful techniques to reduce stress and relax. $10.

Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave (in the back, downstairs), Norwalk. Pre-register: 203-852-1150.

Love Yourself Fit Meetings – 8:30am. Support for your sacred journey of real weight loss. Meetings offer you a place to be accountable to your highest vision for your healthiest self. $15. Insights Wellness Center, 458 Monroe Tpke, Monroe. 203-260-9353.

ChrisGuerrera@me.com. InsightsWellnessCenter.com.

Mahasati or Insight Meditation – 10-11:30am.

Learn how to live your life more skillfully through the development of self-awareness and mindfulness. simple practice that can be easily incorporated into daily life, and discover the benefits of becoming more present. 203-244-3130. Info@ReddingMeditation.org.

ReddingMeditation.org.

Spondylitis Support Group – 11am-12:30pm.

Last Saturday. Led by Dr. Andrew Cummins, naturopathic physician. Having lived with the chronic inflammatory disease Ankylosing Spondylitis for the last 18 years, Dr. Cummins understands what living with chronic pain and limited mobility is all about. Group provides education, empowerment, understanding and support. Free. Shalva Clinic, 8 Lincoln St, 1st Fl, Westport. 203-916-4600.

DrCummins@ShalvaClinic.org. ShalvaClinic.org.

Astrology with Laura – Noon. Second Saturday.

We are thrilled to host the wonderful and wildly popular Laura Watkins, Astrological Counselor in our apothecary for reading. Call for an appointment. $45 for 1/2 hour session. Twin Star Community Apothecary, 57 Bank St, New Milford. 860-350-0077.

TwinStarTina@gmail.com. TwinStarTribe.com/Events..

Open Mic Night – 7-9 pm, 3rd Saturday. Bring music printed out in your key and Kenneth Gartman will accompany you at the piano for your moment at the microphone. Comedians, poets, writers and musicians welcomed as well. Unity Center of Norwalk, 3 Main St, 2nd Flr, Norwalk. 203-855-7922. Office@ UnityCenterNorwalk.org. UnityCenterNorwalk.org.

classifieds To place a Classified Listing: $1 per word. $25 minimum.

Magazine deadline: 12th of month prior to publication. Email copy to NicoleM@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

HELP WANTED DISTRIBUTORS WANTED for monthly deliveries of Natural Awakenings and other local publications. Perfect for a retired person or stay-at-home mom looking to earn some extra income and connect with their local community. Honesty and dependability are the most important characteristics of our distributors if you don’t have it in spades, please do not apply!

Thomas@ManInMotionLLC.com.

DO YOU LOVE NATURAL AWAKENINGS? Would you like to help spread the word about natural health and personal empowerment?

Contact Publisher Nicole Miale today about becoming a Community Street Team member to represent the magazine at upcoming community events. NicoleM@NaturalAwakeningsmag.com.

We travel initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next to find ourselves. ~Pico Iyer

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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 (CRG) in print and online, email FFCAdvertising@ NaturalAwakeningsMag.com to request our advertising rates.

APOTHECARY

ACUPUNCTURE KURT BEIL, ND, LAc, MPH

72 North St, Ste 100A, Danbury 914-362-8315 DrKurt@earthlink.net HudsonValleyNaturalHealth.com Naturopathic and Chinese medicine for acute and chronic disease, including acupuncture, botanical medicine, cupping, moxa, homeopathy, nutritional and lifestyle counseling, mindbody medicine, ecotherapy and functional lab testing. Helpful for muscle/joint pain and headaches, autoimmune disease, digestive disorders, mental health; boosting immune function; balancing hormones; tobacco addiction; and stress reduction. See ad, page 47.

INGRI BOE-WIEGAARD, LAc Fairfield, Wilton, Bethel 203-259-1660 CTAcupuncture.com 25-year full-time practice

Ingri’s treatments help alleviate pain, depression, neck and back, anxiety, headaches, stress, allergies, asthma, arthritis, digestive, menstrual, infertility, smoking and weight-loss issues. See ad, page 16.

JAMPA STEWART, MSOM, LAc Board Certified Acupuncturist Valley Spirit Wellness 6 Green Hill Rd, Washington Depot 860-619-2788 ValleySpiritCoop.com

Concierge care for those suffering from pain, internal disorders, menstrual issues and menopause, infertility, depression and anxiety, insomnia, addiction, fatigue, tuneups and more. Facial rejuvenation/ cosmetic acupuncture also offered.

See ad, page 15.

CENTRE FOR NATURAL HEALING 35 Wall St, Norwalk 203-857-0202 CentreHealingCT.com

Modern-day apothecary offering tinctures, teas, essential oils, and professional supplements.

Services include custom herbal compounding. Our wellness boutique features items for wellness, beauty, and home, as well as artisanal items including jewelry, healing crystals, and ceremonial items for sacred ritual.

BEHAVIORAL THERAPY THE CENTER FOR COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (CCBH) 5 Sylvan Rd South, Westport 888-745-3372 • 203-307-5788 CCBHTherapy.com

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health (CCBH) provides individualized mental health services in a warm, holistic environment. Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) teams offer individual, group, and family sessions, as well as skills coaching for all age groups. Our CCBH team offers these therapies along with yoga, mindfulness, meditation and naturopathic services.

See ad, page 57.

BIOFEEDBACK ROSEANN CAPANNA-HODGE, EDD, LPC, BCN, LLC 898 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield Offices in Ridgefield and Newtown 203-438-4848 Info@DrRoseann.com DrRoseann.com

Advanced Bio-Regulation (BRT) is a unique approach to health and wellness that uses Biofeedback and PEMF-based Electromagnetic Technology to help the body better self-regulate, adapt and heal naturally. It is used for chronic pain, depression, anxiety, hormonal issues, Lyme, etc. See ad, page 16.

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OPTIMAL MIND

Lawrence Edwards, PhD, BCN, LMHC 2 Byram Brook Pl, Armonk, NY 914-219-8600 OptimalMind.net Biofeedback/neurofeedback for ADHD, enhanced focus, peak performance, test stress, anxiety, chronic pain, headaches, insomnia, anger, meditation, mindfulness training and more. Dr. Edwards is board certified and NYS licensed.

Physician and self-referrals welcome.

BREAST THERMOGRAPHY ALBA THERMAL IMAGING LLC Safe, painless early detection 71 East Ave, Ste D, Norwalk 203-856-1421 AlbaThermalImaging.com

Thermography can detect breast disease at its earliest stages and monitor and assess pain in any part of the body. Safe, painless, non invasive, FDA registered.

CANCER SUPPORT THERAPIES DORETTE LEWIS-SENIOR, ND, MSAC, BS-RN, LCM Yale New Haven Health, Integrative Medicine 5520 Park Ave, Trumbull 855-735-2533 • Drs2Health.com

Dr. Lewis-Senior has been a Naturopathic physician and healthcare provider for more than thirty years combined. Her focus is on womens’ health, especially cancer, diabetes, weight and pain.

She is experienced using multiple modalities to establish health and bring about healing. Some insurance accepted.

KERRY HARDY, RN, HNB-BC, RMT, CCH Holistic Heaven 203-895-5134 HolisticHeavenWellness.com MyDoterra.com/HolisticHeavenWellness

As a holistic nurse, I understand the importance of balancing traditional medicine with alternative complementary therapies to heal the mind, body and spirit. Offering health and nutritional counseling as a Certified Holistic Cancer Educator, Reiki, pranic healing and crystal therapy, aromatherapy with dōTERRA essential oils. Specializing in working with patients experiencing chronic pain, chronic disease and cancer. See ad, page 47.

CHIROPRACTIC PETER BRAGLIA, DC

True Health Family Chiropractic 7365 Main St, Stratford 203-923-8633 • TrueHealthCT.com As a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, Dr. Braglia has received advanced training in Pediatric Adjusting and Prenatal Care, including the Webster Technique.

We are proud to serve patients from all over Fairfield and New Haven Counties with our unique and gentle approach to health care. See ad, page 22.

JILL M. CAPALBO, DC, CCSP Stamford 203-323-0522 CapalboChiropractic.com

With over 30 years experience in bodywork, Dr. Jill Capalbo is a certified chiropractic sports physician with additional certifications in Graston Technique, FAKTR and KinesioTaping as well as being a licensed massage therapist and Reiki Master.

RISA SLOVES, DC

Associates in Family Chiropractic and Natural Health Care 156 East Ave, Norwalk 203-838-1555 • CTChiropractic.com Dr. Risa Sloves is one of 12 Chiropractic Physicians in Connecticut with Board Certification in Maternity and Pediatric Care including Webster and Bagnell Turning Techniques. Also provided: acupuncture, BioSET Allergy Elimination Technique and the DRX9000 Spinal Decompression. See ad, page 12.

COLONICS COLONICS

914-921-LIFE (5433) LifelineHygienics.com Experience and personalized service you can trust. The finest in colonic irrigation and personal care. Serving the tri-state area since 1993.

WHOLE-BODY MEDICINE LLC

501 Kings Hwy E, Ste 108, Fairfield 203-371-8258 WholeBodyMed.com Ready to start feeling healthier? Take your first step with this gentle cleansing procedure. Watch our colonic and detoxification videos on our new video website located at WholeBodyMed.com. Call for free CD on detoxification. See ad, page 2.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY/ ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE VINCENT FRASER, CST, CAT, SEP

Craniosacral Therapy, Alexander Technique, Somatic Experiencing Greenwich and Norwalk 203-570-2059 Vincent@VincentFraser.com Vincent offers paths to wholeness which lead to resolving pain and trauma, ease of movement in one’s body and life, and a fuller conscious embodiment.

SOUL HEALING JOURNEY, LLC Eilis Philpott 40 Livingston St, Fairfield 203-767-5954 Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com SoulHealingJourney.com

Eilis is a certified Rebirther having completed Rebirthing and Advanced Rebirthing training. She is a certified Soul Language practitioner and is certified in Akashic Field therapy. She is a Reiki Master in Usui/Raku-kei Reiki and Angelic Reiki. She is an approved teacher for 13th Octave LaHoChi. A transformational healing session supports you in healing all aspects of your life. See ad, page 20.

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

EDUCATION

MARK JOACHIM, DC, FIAMA

INSTITUTE FOR HOLISTIC HEALTH STUDIES

Western Connecticut State University Christel Autuori, RDH, RYT, MA, Director 181 White St, Danbury 203-837-8559 WCSU.edu/IHHS The mission of the IHHS is to provide the University and Greater Danbury area with an opportunity to engage in and explore different aspects of holistic and integrative health through programming and instruction. Programs include Wellness Wednesday lunchtime workshops, monthly meditation program, lecture series, health wellness and fitness fair, certification programs for yoga teachers, Reiki practitioners and shamanic practitioners.

WESTBROOK NATURE SCHOOL 7 Long Ridge Rd, West Redding 203-664-1554 Info@WestbrookNatureSchool.org WestbrookNatureSchool.org

A nature-based education on six acres of trails, streams and meadows, with an organic garden and natural playscapes.

Our curriculum builds physical and emotional resilience, moral awareness and the foundation required for intellectual growth. See ad, page 19.

ENERGY HEALING

Associates in Family Chiropractic and Natural Health Care 156 East Ave, Norwalk 203-838-1555 • CTNutritionCenter.com Dr. Joachim has been in private practice since 1990, specializing in nutrition, natural allergy elimination and functional medicine.

Through specialized testing, he identifies subtle changes in individual physiology which may be at the root of troubling symptoms. Addressing the underlying dysfunction can help you feel better, for good.

TAMARA SACHS, MD

Functional Medicine and Integrative Care LLC 15 Bennitt St, New Milford 860-354-3304 • TSachsMD.com Using Functional Medicine, Dr. Sachs prevents and treats chronic illnesses by addressing their underlying root causes, remaining respectful of the uniqueness, complexity and intuitions that make us human. Trained at Mt. Sinai Medical School and Yale University Hospital in Internal Medicine, in 2003 she opened Functional Medicine and Integrative Care LLC. She has great success with IBS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Autoimmune problems, Toxicity and more, by creating individualized, realistic and comprehensive Personalized Wellness Plans. She consults in her New Milford, CT office, and also by phone or video using telemedicine.

HEALING CENTER

BETH LEAS

THE RUBY TREE

Transformative Healing • Tarot Offices in Norwalk and Ridgefield 203-856-9566 BethLeas.com TLCTarot.com

Metaphysical Shop and Healing Space Sherman Village, 670 Main St S, Woodbury 203-585-1655 • TheRubyTreeCT.com

If not now, when? Inspire change on all levels—greater physical ease, emotional freedom, peace of mind and spiritual connection. 20 years intuitive healing experience with adults and children of all ages.

Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Tarot. See ad, page 35.

Rocks and crystals, magical objects, singing bowls, herbal candles and more.

Local artisans, an array of holistic practitioners, a monthly Mystical Market fair, regularly scheduled psychics/mediums/intuitives, yoga, meditation, and workshops galore—all to enhance the health of your mind, body and spirit.

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HEALTH COACH MARY GILBERTSON, WELLNESS Mary Gilbertson, MS, BSN, CHHC Licensed RN, Nutritionist and Certified Health Coach 238 Monroe Tpke, Monroe 203-521-4733 MaryGilbertsonWellness@gmail.com MaryGilbertsonWellness.com

Using the concept of “Food as Medicine” to create your customized nutrition and lifestyle plan for whole living. Working one on one, in groups and in corporations to develop customized healthy lifestyle plans. Works with patients on metabolism and weight loss, detoxification, gut health, cancers, inflammatory conditions and stress management. See ad, page 16.

HOLISTIC DENTIST MARK A BREINER, DDS, FIAOMT

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE PHYSICIAN MICHAEL FINKELSTEIN, MD, FACP, ABIHM SunRaven: The Home of Slow Medicine 501 Guard Hill Rd, Bedford, NY 914-218-3113 SlowMedicineDoctor.com

Insightful health evaluations with customized medical guidance.

Consultation and holistic-lifestyle teaching and coaching aimed at attaining enhanced health and wellness on every level.Uniquely qualified to offer a second opinion from a Holistic Perspective. See ad, page 45.

HYPNOSIS

Optimal Health Medical LLC 111 High Ridge Rd, Stamford 203-348-8805 DrSobo.com Dr. Sobo provides Natural Hormone therapy, weight-reduction programs, IV vitamin/minerals treatments, allergy evaluation and treatment, fibromyalgia care and treatment for a wide variety of problems utilizing an Integrative Medicine approach.

STAMFORD INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE Michael E. Doyle, MD Conventional and Alternative Medicine 22 5th St, Ste 201, Stamford 203-324-4747 StamfordIntegrativeMedicine.com

Specializing in Natural and Alternative approaches to restoring health. Focusing on underlying causes of illness. Hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalances, nutrition and much more. See ad, page 9.

HEALING TREE WISDOM

Thea Litsios, CHy Locations in Norwalk and Stratford 203-693-1493 HealingTreeWisdom.com Use the power of your whole mind to transform your life: Hypnosis for weight loss, smoking cessation, stress relief, and past life review. Certified teacher of Active Dream work. Individual dream consultations available, as well as workshops and monthly Dream Groups. See ad, page 43.

MIND-BODY TRANSFORMATION Diane Bahr-Groth, CHy, TFTdx 1177 High Ridge Rd, Stamford 203-595-0110 MindBodyTransformation.com

Fast, effective methods for weight, stress, fear, pain, smoking, etc.

Certified Hypnotherapist, Thought Field Therapy, Time Line Therapy, NLP and Complementary Medical Hypnosis, since 1989. See ads, pages 19 and 45.

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EYECARE ASSOCIATES, PC

Randy Schulman, MS, OD, FCOVD Stephen Carr, OD, Narvan Bakhtiari, OD Brian Rodrigues, OD Locations: 6515 Main St, Trumbull • 203-374-2020 444 Westport Ave, Norwalk • 203-840-1991 2600 Post Rd, Southport • 203-255-4005 CTEyeCareAssociates.com We offer behavioral optometry, comprehensive vision exams, contact lenses and vision therapy.

See ad, page 46.

HENRY C. SOBO, MD

501 Kings Hwy East, Ste 108, Fairfield 203-371-0300 WholeBodyDentistry.com

Dr. Mark A. Breiner is a pioneer and recognized authority in the field of holistic dentistry. With over 30 years of experience, he is a soughtafter speaker and lecturer.

His popular consumer book, Whole-Body Dentistry, has been sold worldwide. See ad, page 2.

INTEGRATIVE OPTOMETRY

INTEGRATIVE NATURAL MEDICINE SOPHIA NATURAL HEALTH CENTER

Ken Hoffman, DACM, LAc, Medical Director 31 Old Rte 7, Brookfield 203-740-9300 INM.Center Using naturopathic and Chinese medical principles, we get to the source of your health concerns.

Diagnostic methods include functional testing such as advanced bloodwork analysis, cardiovascular testing, hormone evaluation and thermography. Our customized treatment program includes acupuncture, herbal and nutritional medicine, diet and lifestyle counseling and more. Most insurance accepted.

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

LEGAL SERVICES LAW OFFICES OF KIRSTEN E. BENNETT 27 Mill Plain Rd, Danbury: 203-648-9883 50 Main St, White Plains, NY: 914-246-2906

Advocacy, Representation, Communication. Kirsten Bennett is a solo practitioner with offices in Danbury and White Plains, NY. Her practice handles real estate, estate planning and probate, personal injury and criminal defense.

“My firm is committed to providing you with effective advocacy, quality representation and the highest level of personal service.”

LIFE COACHING DARLENE ALVAREZ MADDERN

Create With Your Thoughts Life Empowerment Coach, Teacher, Speaker and Mentor QSCA Certified Law of Attraction Coach, MA Sociology 860-488-2619 • CreateWithYourThoughts.com I empower my clients to move beyond their limiting beliefs, strengthen their sense of self worth and confidence to create the happiness, abundance, home, health and relationships they have always wanted. Create the life you want!

MASSAGE AND BODYWORK JIIVA YOGA, REIKI AND MASSAGE CENTER

2900 Main St, Ste 1A, Stratford 203-345-7747 • JiivaCenter.com

We offer Traditional, Thai Massage and Prenatal massage.

At Jiiva Massage, our goal is to provide our clients with a variety of experienced therapists and modalities to choose from. Our hope is to provide you with an assortment of different techniques so you can find what works best for your individual needs. See ad, page 25.

ROBIN ORDAN, LMT, LCSW, CICMI Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner Old Greenwich/Stamford 203-561-8535 RobinOrdanLMT.com

Robin has been providing massage and Reiki for over 15 years. Specializing in Swedish, Pregnancy, Trigger Point, Injuries and Infant/Child Massage Instruction. Sessions are individualized to meet your needs. See ad, page 39.

MEDITATION CENTER FOR MINDFULNESS & INSIGHT MEDITATION 9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding 203-244-3130 ReddingMeditation.org

We teach and practice Mahasati meditation. Mahasati meditation cultivates self-awareness through attention to the movement of the body and, at more advanced levels, to the movement of the mind. No prior meditating experience is necessary. Ongoing weekly meditation classes, retreats and events. Please check monthly event calendar or visit ReddingMeditation.org for updated information.

VALLEY SPIRIT WELLNESS

6 Green Hill Rd, Washington Depot 860-619-2788 ValleySpiritCoop.com Meditation can be easier to master than you think. Taoist, Buddhist and generic meditation.

Beginners and experienced practitioners both welcome. See ad, page 15.

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN NATURAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

Lisa Singley, ND, MS 2103 Main St, Ste 2, Stratford 203-874-4333 Info@NHAWC.com NHAWC.com We use advanced diagnostic testing with safe, effective, all-natural healing modalities and treatment options to treat acute and chronic conditions, restore balance and treat the mind, body and spirit.

Specialists in endocrine disorders, digestive issues, pain management and chronic fatigue. We offer comprehensive solutions to prevent illness and maintain optimal health for body, mind and spirit.

MARVIN P. SCHWEITZER, ND

NEUROFEEDBACK

Wellness Institute 1 Westport Ave, Norwalk 203-847-2788 DrMarvinSchweitzer.com

ROSEANN CAPANNA-HODGE, EDD, LPC, BCN, LLC

Family Health Care using all natural therapies for 25 years. Acupuncture, bioidentical hormones, homeopathy, Chinese/ Western herbs, allergy/toxin testing, oxygen therapy, Meridian stress assessment, nutrition/ enzyme therapies. See ad, page 10.

SHALVA CLINIC LLC

Ellen M Lewis, ND, Director 8 Lincoln St, Westport 203-916-4600 ShalvaClinic.org Dr. Lewis offers comprehensive holistic care for women including well-women exams, fertility, thyroid and menopause support.

She also has a special interest in pediatrics and utilizes a variety of natural modalities when working with patients with ADD/ADHD, autism, allergies, eczema and asthma. Treatments include herbal medicine, functional medicine, biotherapeutic drainage, homeopathy and more. See ad, back cover.

WHOLE-BODY MEDICINE LLC

Adam Breiner, ND, Director Elena Sokolova, MD, ND David Brady, ND, CCN, DACBN 501 Kings Hwy E, Ste 108, Fairfield 203-371-8258 WholeBodyMed.com

898 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield Offices in Ridgefield and Newtown 203-438-4848 Info@DrRoseann.com • DrRoseann.com We work with children, adolescents, teens, adults and families around a variety of issues with non-medication therapies. We provide brain-based treatments like Neurofeedback, Biofeedback, EFT, Hypnosis, Meditation, etc. Our staff provides non-judgmental support to help alleviate stress and promote wellness. See ad, page 16.

OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN DAVID L. JOHNSTON, DO 158 Danbury Rd, Ridgefield 203-438-9915 OsteopathicWellness.net

Dr. Johnston has been providing gentle, holistic hands-on osteopathic manual treatment and nutrition for over 20 years. Excellent for newborns, birth trauma, concussions, headaches, sports injuries, neck and back pain, digestive issues, brain support, stress, fibromyalgia, detoxification and weight loss, specialized bloodwork. See ad, page 32.

PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

Using state-of-the-art science combined with centuries-old healing modalities, our caring naturopathic doctors correct underlying imbalances and address issues which may interfere with the body’s ability to heal itself.

Treatment protocols or therapies include: Abdominal Manual Therapy, Acupuncture, Allergy Desensitization, Chinese Medicine, Colonics and other Detoxification Protocols, Electro-Dermal Screening, Energy Medicine, FDA-cleared Phototherapy, Functional Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Hormonal Balancing, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Metabolic Typing, Nutritional Assessment, Real-Time EEG Neurofeedback and other therapies. See ad, page 2.

ROBIN QUEEN-FINKELSTEIN

SunRaven: The Home of Slow Medicine 501 Guard Hill Rd, Bedford, NY 914-218-3113 • SlowMedicineTherapist.com Offering a whole-being, integrative approach to wellness, nurturing clients into health on the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical levels. Following one’s heart to re-envision life in order to flourish. See ad, page 45.

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PSYCHOTHERAPY

ROSEANN CAPANNA-HODGE, EDD, LPC, BCN, LLC

898 Ethan Allen Hwy, Ridgefield Offices in Ridgefield and Newtown 203-438-4848 Info@DrRoseann.com • DrRoseann.com Our highly trained and experienced therapists utilize a variety of brainbased tools and techniques that allow the CNS to calm down so one can address their issues without heightened anxiety. We specialize in pediatrics, parenting, and supporting individuals with chronic issues. See ad, page 16.

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PSYCHOTHERAPY OPTIMAL MIND

Lawrence Edwards, PhD, BCN, LMHC 2 Byram Brook Pl, Armonk, NY 914-219-8600 OptimalMind.net Integrative psychotherapy: depression, anxiety, addictions, relationships, and more. Dr. Edwards is a NY lic. psychotherapist with 40 years of experience compassionately working with adults to realize their goals.

Meditation and mindfulness training are also offered.

ROBIN ORDAN, LCSW Family, Child, Individual and Couples Therapy Old Greenwich/Stamford 203-561-8535 RobinOrdanLCSW.com

Robin has more than 18 years of experience working with families and children. Specializing in divorce, parent/child conflict, grief, attachment/ bonding, child development and parenting. See ad, page 33.

NANCY SCHERLONG, LCSW

Coaching/Psychotherapy/Consulting Offices in Danbury and Ridgefield 914-572-3167 WellnessMetaphors.com Manage stress with relaxation techniques. Re-discover your creativity through writing and the expressive arts. Resolve trauma with EMDR, IFS or SE. Or book an experiential workshop! Nancy has over 20 years of experience with children, families, groups, adults and corporate wellness programs. See ad, page 11.

REGULATION THERMOGRAPHY FAMILY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE 111 High Ridge Rd, Stamford 203-539-1149 GoThermography.com

Chronic illness develops over time.With Regulation Thermography you discover the disturbances that are important to address in order to restore and optimize your health. Healing begins by providing the information to diagnose, assess, and treat complex health conditions. FDA approved test and reports.

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REIKI GIGI BENANTI, USUI REIKI MASTER Angelic Healing Center 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk 203-852-1150 AngelHealReiki.com

Gigi is an experienced Reiki Master/ Teacher. She offers all levels of Reiki training monthly. All classes and Reiki sessions include the latest techniques including Karuna, Angelic and Jikiden Reiki.

TURNING POINT REIKI LLC

JoAnn Inserra Duncan, MS, RMT 100B Danbury Rd, Ste 101, Ridgefield 203-438-3050 TurningPointReiki.com TurningPointShare.com JoAnn uses intuition, experience and a deep spiritual connection in her Reiki, IET and Reconnective Healing sessions. Specializing in care for individuals with cancer, Lyme disease and back pain. All Reiki levels taught.

JIIVA YOGA, REIKI AND MASSAGE CENTER

2900 Main St, Ste 1A, Stratford 203-345-7747 JiivaCenter.com Berta Prevosti is a Usui and Karuna Reiki Master and has been practicing Reiki for over 20 years.

We also have several experienced Reiki Masters and practitioners.

We offer private Reiki sessions for physical and emotional pain. We also have ongoing Reiki classes that are taught in the traditional Usui method by Berta. See ad, page 25.

SELF IMPROVEMENT LOVE, SEX, INTIMACY

Dr. Inessa Zaleski, DD, CMCH 203-708-7777 Dr.Inessa@Calmness.com Calmness.com/LSI SolveSexualIssues.com Dr. Inessa Zaleski is an author, self-improvement expert and a hypnotherapy instructor. She leads workshops and retreats in the field of Love, Sex and Intimacy. She is the creator of trainings that include among others: The Art of Touch for couples, Becoming a Better Lover, Women’s Self Mastery and more. Dr. Inessa offers practical guidance on utilizing our inherent sexuality to enrich our everyday lives. See ad, page 11.

Fairfield County/Housatonic Valley Edition

natural awakenings

SHAMANIC PRACTITIONER HUNTER HEALING HANDS

Jessica C. Hunter 203-916-8381 HunterHealingHands@hotmail.com HunterHealingHands.com Healing sessions in shamanic healing, Melody crystal healing, Reiki, shamanic intuitive readings. Accredited and certification training programs in Reiki, crystal healing and shamanic healing. See ad, page 42.

TAI CHI/QIGONG JAMPA STEWART, MSOM, LAc Board Certified Acupuncturist Valley Spirit Wellness 6 Green Hill Rd, Washington Depot 860-619-2788 ValleySpiritCoop.com

Develop physical and mental fitness and find a new harmony of the mind, body and spirit using ancient Chinese arts.

Starting with basic movements, warm-up techniques and breathing exercises, you will learn a set of flowing natural movements done slowly with calmness, balance and awareness. Weekly classes, weekend workshops and retreats. See ad, page 15.

TRANSFORMATIVE HEALING BETH LEAS

Transformative Healing • Tarot Offices in Norwalk and Ridgefield 203-856-9566 BethLeas.com • TLCTarot.com If not now, when? Inspire change on all levels—greater physical ease, emotional freedom, peace of mind and spiritual connection.

20 years of intuitive healing experience with adults and children of all ages. Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Tarot. See ad, page 35.

ESSENTIAL HOLISTIC HEALING, LLC Jackie Karabin- Reiki Master and LMT Wilton 203-984-1491 Info@EssentialHolisticHealing.com EssentialHolisticHealing.com

Find balance and enhance the health and well-being of your body, mind and spirit through Reiki and massage therapy.

Offering a holistic approach with tailored sessions to honor the specific needs and goals of the client.

RS HOLISTIC COUNSELING, COACHING AND HEALING

SALT OF THE EARTH HEALING ARTS SANCTUARY/ATHENA HALL

WELLNESS CENTER

246 Federal Rd, Ste C23-A Brookfield 203-826-2558 RsHolisticHealing@gmail.com RsHolisticServices.com

7eFIT SPA

RS Holistic Counseling, Coaching, and Healing offers Transformative Healing sessions in Brookfield.

The sessions can be from one hour for pure healing sessions using a variety of methods including Reiki, guided meditations, crystals, essential oils specific to your needs. There is also a 1 1/2 hour session that consists of 45 minutes of coaching, and 45 minutes of transformative healing. See ad, page 11.

SPIRITUAL ARTS LLC

Richard Wlodarski, RMT 2505 Main St, Ste 209B, Stratford 203-605-0773 Rich@SpiritualArts.info • SpritualArts.info

1492 High Ridge Rd, Stamford • 203-356-5822 515 West Ave, Norwalk • 203-814-1355 7eFitSpaCT1@gmail.com 7eFitSpa.com 7eFit Spa offers a variety of aesthetic services and noninvasive techniques to support mind-body wellness. Services include antiaging and oxygen facials with aromatherapy, Torc Plus bioelectric stimulation for muscle activation and weight-loss, infrared sauna and the DietMaster weight-loss program. See ad, page 15.

A new way to looking and feeling good.

JIIVA YOGA, REIKI AND MASSAGE CENTER

Berta Prevosti, Usui and Karuna Reiki Master 2900 Main St, Ste 1A, Stratford 203-345-7747 JiivaCenter.com

Relax while our technology does the work.

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Diet Master •CAVE Oxygen Bar • Reiki SALTANA 590 Danbury Rd, Ridgefield Dermalogica Facials • Oxygen Facials 203-969-4327 Teeth Whitening SaltanaCave.com

MINDBODY MASTERY 646-739-7879 MindBodyMastery.org

BEING CENTERED

Psychological Services, PLLC 203-614-1089 Being-Centered.com 100B Danbury Rd, #105E, Ridgefield

M M

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MindBody Mastery and ind ody Being Centered professastery ionally combine the science of wellness with the language of souls to collaboratively assist clients. Services are available separate or combined for personal train-ing and psychological services.

Nicole Fevrier Davis is a NASM & AFAA certified personal trainer, Reiki Master, and psychic. Dr. Teresa Reyes Castillo and Dr. Anna Huff are licensed psychologists. See ad, page 3.

A space of calm and beauty, healing and restoration of the body and spirit, Salt of the Earth Healing Arts Sanctuary offers a tranquil place to refresh and renew in a house charged with the energy of old. Beautiful Athena Hall, inside the Sanctuary, can be rented to like-minded people for classes, workshops, lectures and special events. Heart and Home is a unique store in the ™sanctuary; a cozy place to shop, have tea, scoop and bag salts, purchase a variety of artisan goods.

See ad, page 17.

Fit Spa

Jiiva is in the business of building a community for yoga and healing.

Richard is a Reiki Master/Teacher We offer yoga classes, a school of and intuitive reader. He specializes Reiki, private Reiki treatments, in home and property cleansings.

No surgery or invasive procedures. traditional massage therapy, Thai Come and experience the healing massage, meditation classes, attributes of Reiki and discover Infrared Sauna •workshops Micro-dermabrasion and community events. spiritual guidance and awareness, See • ad,Body page 25.

Myolift • Torc Waxing with over 30 years of experienc

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346 Main St S, Woodbury 203-405-2241 • 203-586-1172

Save NowFairfield withCounty’s first and only therapeutic HimalaIntroductoryyan Prices! salt cave provides relief from respiratory isCall 203-356-5822 sues such as allergies, asthma, and side effects of

SUNRAVEN: THE HOME OF SLOW MEDICINE

501 Guard Hill Rd, Bedford, NY 914-218-3113 SlowMedicine.org Promoting and supporting health and wellness; facilitating community-centered experiential and reflective learning for individuals, families, and groups, by offering educational programs, events, and resources designed to build integrative skills and understanding for those looking to holistically care for themselves, others, and the world in which we live.

Transformative programs, holistic medicine, psychospiritual counseling; women’s, men’s and couples groups, garden co-op, cleansing program; special 12-week “immersion”. See ad, page 45.

WELLNESS SUPPLEMENT MEDTECH HEALTHCARE

SOLUTIONS 1092 High Road Stamford, 06905 smoking and Ridge pollution.

Salt is| naturally anti- CT 284 Racebrook Rd, Ste 21, Orange inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal.

See ad, 203-298-0677 7efitspact1@gmail.com | www.7efitspa.com page 30.

Allison@MedTechHealthcare.com MedTechHealthcare.com

SALT OF THE EARTH THERAPEUTIC SPA

787 Main St S, Woodbury 203-586-1172 NaturalSaltHealing.com Combining an array of natural therapies that have been used since ancient times with today’s technology, Salt of the Earth Spa provides a sanctuary for deep transformation, healing and grounding for mind, body and spirit. See ad, page 17.

As a distributor of CW Hemp (Charlotte’s Web), we want to help everyone better their health and wellness by offering a full line of Premium Whole-Plant Cannabinoid Hemp Extracts. Charlotte’s Web (CW) is The World’s Most Trusted Hemp Extract™. “Be Calmer. Improve Focus. Just feel Better.” See ad, page 20.

Your ad could be featured here Reach over 60,000 Natural Awakenings readers by placing your ad here.

Call for more info. 203-885-4674 eNaturalAwakenings.com

October 2017

73

COSMIC RHYTHMS Scorpio Energy Penetrates the Sky

by Michele Leigh

W

e begin the month with a fiery full moon in Aries on October 5. With this cardinal energy, we are encouraged to tap into our inner child and feed our most primal needs. A full moon is meant to shine a spotlight on something that needs our attention. In the first sign of the zodiac, we should look for opportunities to indulge our child-like wonder and newfound fearlessness.

On October 10, Jupiter enters Scorpio; the slow-moving planet of philosophy meets the underbelly of the scorpion.

For the next year, nothing is taboo and all opinions are considered. From a point of spirituality, be prepared to dive into uncharted waters in the search for inspiration.

Venus leaves passionate Scorpio on October 14 and enters diplomatic Libra. For the next month, we can tap into this cardinal air energy to find compromise and cooperation in our relationships. Mars will simmer in Scorpio for the rest of the month so expect any confrontations to manifest as a slow burn.

In the wee hours of October 17, Mercury slips into the bold waters of Scorpio to join Jupiter and Mars. We are exploring the great mysteries of the world and, now with Mercury near Jupiter, we are talking about it, writing about it and trying to communicate our ideas to others. The added Mars-in-Scorpio energy will motivate us to fight for our beliefs no matter how provocative they may seem to others.

The New Moon in Libra occurs on October 19. This is an ideal time to start a new 28-day cycle along with the moon. Moderation is key with this balanced energy. We should surround ourselves with things of beauty and do something artistic. Use social graces to meet new people during this time.

Each month, the sun changes signs, and so on October 23, the sun enters Scorpio. Our luminary of motivation joins Jupiter, Mercury and Mars in this formidable water sign. The Scorpio energy is often associated with the “phoenix rising from the ashes.” This time of year, we are encouraged to consider the idea of an ending and a reawakening.

Michele Leigh is an astrologer, author and podcaster. A practitioner of ancient astrology and planetary magic, she is an active member of OPA, the Organization for Professional Astrology. Connect at DarkMoonAstrology.com.

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displayadvertiserindex 7e Fit Spa

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Associates in Family Chiropractic and Natural Health Care 12 Being Centered

3

The Breiner Whole-Body Health Center: Medical

2

The Breiner Whole-Body Health Center: Dental Brian Luke Seaward event at WCSU

2 23

Nature’s Temptations Healthy Food Market

61

Nature’s Way Natural Foods

61

New Age & Crafts Expo

4

New Morning Market

61

Noreen Ehrlich

13

Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic

53

Robin Ordan, LMT

39

Robin Ordan, LCSW

33

Organic Sleep at Sleep Etc

31

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health

57

Osteopathic Wellness Center

32

Chamomille Natural Foods

61

Patricia’s Presents

11

Philip Stein

57

Pulse Technology Solutions

28

Ann Reeves

39

Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute

12

Crystal Blue

9

CT Acupuncture Center/ Ingri Boe-Wiegaard

16

Hilda Demirjian

18

Michael E. Doyle, MD/ Stamford Integrative Medicine

9

Embody the Sacred

33

Roseann Capanna-Hodge & Associates 16

Eyecare Associates

46

RS Holistic Counseling & Healing 11

Final Journey LLC

53

The Sacred Spirit

44

The Graduate Institute

43

Salon Aponte

36

Hands and Paws Reiki for All

52

Saltana Cave

30

Harbor Harvest

60

Salt of the Earth

17

Healing Tree Wisdom/ Thea Litsios

43

Nancy Scherlong, LCSW

11

Shalva Clinic

76

Victoria Shaw, PhD

19

Soul Focus/Mela Rispoli

33

Soul Healing Journey

20

Healthy Choice Mattress

7

Holistic Heaven/Kerry Hardy

47

Maria Rickert Hong

33

Hudson Valley Natural Health/ Kurt Beil, ND

47

Hunter Healing Hands

42

Insight Counseling

36

Jiiva Yoga and Wellness Center 25 David L. Lerner, DDS

21

The Market

61

Mary Gilbertson Wellness

16

MedTech/Charlotte’s Web

20

Mercier Therapy of CT

45

Mind Body Connection Pilates 17 MindBody Mastery Mind-Body Transformation Hypnosis Center

Stamford Health presents Health Wellness & Sports Expo 48 SunRaven 45 TLC Center

35

Touch of Sedona

28

True Health Family Chiropractic 22 Unity Center of Norwalk Universal Intelligence

14 8

University of Bridgeport-Clinics 18 Unleashed 50

3

Valley Spirit Cooperative & Wellness Center

15

19

Wellness Institute/ Marvin Schweitzer, ND

10

Westbrook Nature School

19

Westport Farmers Market

61

Mind-Body Transformation Hypnosis Center

45

Natural Awakenings’ Franchise Sales

75

Whole Foods Market

61

41

Dr. Inessa Zaleski

11

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PRACTITIONERS DR . E L L E N L E W I S DR . C A R I N E B ON N I S T DR . A N DR E W C U M M I N S DR . M A R A DAV I D S ON DR . NA DI A NO OR I A L E X A N DR A M A S ON, L M T B E V E R LY L E W I S T R AC Y PA R D O

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COMMUNITY WELLNESS CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

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