Healing Arts on the Harbor, Saturday, August 7, 2010 at Wainwright House in Rye, NY

Healing Arts on the Harbor Returns

Tents along the seaside at last year’s Healing Arts on the Harbor

Discover a variety of resources for a journey of personal growth at the annual Healing Arts on the Harbor, Saturday, August 7, presented by Wainwright House. The event features an array of healing modalities and talks by some of the most spiritually attuned members of the community.

Kicking off the afternoon lectures is Keynote Speaker Jacqueline Wales, author of Fearless Factor. Her talk on “The Year of Living Fearlessly,” begins at 12:15 p.m. Visitors can browse the marketplace tent filled with vendors, walk the seaside or Labyrinth, or sit and relax in the Meditation Garden. Sandwiches, salads and beverages will be available for lunch, and doors open at 10:30 a.m. Admission is $10 online or $15 cash or check on the day of the event.

Wainwright House is the oldest holistic educational center in the United States. A learning center dedicated to inspiring greater understanding through body, mind and spirit, Wainwright House celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2011.

Wainwright House is located at 260 Stuyvesant Avenue in Rye, NY. See wainwright.org for more information or call 914.967.6080. This event will be held rain or shine.

Grains: Eat the Whole Thing!

by Gayle Morris and Eve Fogler

Eve Fogler and Gayle Morris of Friends For Health demonstrate food prep at healthy cooking class.

As Health Coaches, we always encourage our clients to add whole grains to their meals. This advice is often met with looks of confusion and disbelief among those who have developed a “fear of carbs.” The problem is that many people confuse whole grains with refined grains. The latter are stripped of the nutrients, vitamins and fiber that make grains nutritious and easily digested by the body. Refined grains convert quickly to sugar, disrupt our blood sugar balance, and often contribute to cravings for other refined foods. People eat these refined carbohydrates all the time in pizza, pretzels, tacos, pasta, and white bread or rolls. Even some vegetarians will consume plates of vegetables with white pasta and white rice—not an ideal combination.

What if we told you that grains—whole grains, that is—not only promote weight loss but also help to prevent cancer, heart disease, and diabetes? Grains that can help you to shed pounds and be healthy? We think that’s a win-win!

Interestingly, grains have been central to the human diet since early civilization.  Cultures that subsist on grains tend to be lean and strong, with lower incidences of disease. Whole grains also provide us with sustainable energy that keeps us satiated because they are absorbed slowly. Those of you who eat oatmeal for breakfast may know what we’re talking about, and you may also have noticed that oatmeal for breakfast has lowered your LDL (bad) cholesterol and raised your HDL (good) cholesterol.

Of course, anything that you eat in excess can make you overweight, so eat portions that are reasonable. A good whole grain serving size is ½ – 1 cup cooked, not more than three portions a day.

Our personal favorite is Quinoa (pronounced: KEEN-wha). This mild tasting, versatile whole grain with a funny name is considered a complete protein. You can dress it up in many ways with different flavorings (sweet, savory or spicy). You can eat it as a breakfast cereal, a side dish or a main meal. Cook it as you would rice but for less than half the time. Be adventurous and experiment with the wide world of whole grains—delicious, healthful, and friendly to your waistline.

Gayle Morris and Eve Fogler are Health Coaches who specialize in losing weight naturally. For more information, visit EveFogler.com or call 914.238.8873.

The Art of Quick & Easy Healthy Cooking

by Vitalah Simon

Whole Foods Cooking Teacher Vitalah Simon

How much time are you willing to spend in the kitchen? Whether you have 10, 30 or 60 minutes, there are many wonderful and creative foods to prepare for you, your family and your friends. Home-prepared foods are the healthiest, most nutritious and tastiest meals. Cooking at home allows you to choose quality organic, GMO-free ingredients and filtered water, which are great ways to invest in your health.

Make cooking more enjoyable by creating a kitchen in which you enjoy spending time. Keep it orderly and easy to navigate. Let the sink be clear of dishes and the counters empty for laying out the ingredients. Then, prepare to create with a variety of colors, textures and aromas. When starting a meal, figure out what takes the longest to cook and prepare those items first, so that everything will be finished around the same time.

The creative use of leftovers is essential for quick, economical meals. Set aside one to two hours a week to make a big pot of grains and a pot of beans. It takes about five minutes to wash and sort the beans. Then, soak them for about eight hours. Cooking beans and grains requires no special attention. Just be around to turn them on, skim foam off the beans as the pot comes to a boil, and later turn them off.  Having these cooked staples on hand throughout the week greatly reduces meal preparation time.

Raw or cooked vegetables can be prepared more quickly and have the most nutritive value when freshly cut (this reduces oxidation). If time is limited, vegetables can be prepped in advance, but they are best when used within 24 hours.  Some people choose to use cut frozen vegetables as a time saver. Canned sardines or salmon are ready instantly and a great addition to many meals.

For a quick 10-minute meal, make a salad with lots of veggies, add some of your cooked grains and beans or fish, and flavor it with a high-quality bottled dressing.

Soup can be made in 30 minutes, perhaps using some of the beans. Add large cut veggies, pressure cook, and puree. Or, mash the beans and grains together, making a croquette to pan-fry. Meanwhile, steam some greens and make a simple miso-tahini dressing, served with a side of toasted nori strips.

If you have an hour, create a diverse, balanced meal with these four dishes: red lentils with roots, quinoa with corn, arame with onions, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower tossed with olive oil, lemon and basil.

Home cooking is a wonderful way to enrich your health and your relationships while providing yourself and others with the pleasure of fantastic food.  Let your playful Inner Cook come out, improvise boldly and delight in your senses!

Vitalah Simon has been a Whole Foods Cooking Teacher for 20 years. Contact yogashine@verizon.net or 914.769.8745.

Free Shamanic Healing Clinic Open this Summer, 2010 in Ramsey, NJ

Shamanic Healing Center

Life Winds Shamanic Healing Center is celebrating its grand opening by running an open clinic throughout the summer. People wishing to receive a session can reserve one at no charge. All who receive a healing are asked to donate or offer whatever they feel their session has been worth to them–whether right after the session or once the healing has been integrated into their lives. This allows for an exchange of energy.

The center’s practices are based on shamanism, an ancient healing modality that’s been practiced for thousands of years. Shamans believe that each person has two bodies: a spiritual body and a physical one. When the spiritual body is out of balance, a person is likely to attract similarly unbalanced events, conditions or persons to their lives. Balance can be regained through Illumination, the core practice at the center, which is based on ancient Incan traditions. One session can release stress that has built up over a long period of time or from a single, traumatic incident. The sessions are also available to anyone who wishes to work on deeper issues affecting their lives.

For more information, contact Scott Bishop at 201.664.2232 or scott@life-winds.com or visit life-winds.com. Life Winds Shamanic Healing Center is located three miles south of Route 87/287 in Ramsey, NJ, a 35 minute drive from downtown White Plains.

New Café on Mahopac Bike Trail Serves Healthy Local Fare

Inside the Freight House Cafe in Mahopac, NY

The Freight House Café is a quaint, cozy, historical café that recently opened in downtown Mahopac. Most items on the menu are natural and organic, with ingredients from Hudson Valley region farms. The kitchen is open daily from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and coffee and baked goods are served until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The menu includes sandwiches, wraps, homemade hummus, veggie cream cheese, salads, baked goods, coffees, espressos, smoothies and juices.

The building for which the café is named was constructed in 1872—the first freight house built for the Old Put railroad line. After the railroad closed in the 1960’s, the building was used for storage. It sits on the Buckshollow part of the Putnam Trailway bike trail and shares a parking lot with Salon Uccelli and Putnam Music Center on Route 6. Bikers and others are encouraged to stop by to enjoy this historic spot, eat delicious homemade food, sit out on the beautiful deck and sip coffee while listening to the locals play music.

The Freight House Café is located at 609 Route 6 in Mahopac, NY. For more information, call 845.628.1872 or visit thefreighthousecafe.com.

Global Conference on Integrative Medicine in Italy, October 2010

Tuscany is the setting this fall for the First Annual Conference of the Global Community for Integrative Medicine. The October conference is the creation of a team of integrative health professionals including Karen Maier, who serves as Clinical Coordinator of Integrative Medicine and Palliative Care Programs at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY. The Global Community for Integrative Medicine is a group of doctors, nurses, therapists, nutritionists, energy facilitators, hypnotherapists and other complimentary care practitioners who have designed a team approach to healing as one integrative body of healers. They have come together to leave the isolation of their practices and share what they do in a collaborative fashion while dispelling myths around their work. These practitioners have also decided to join hands with other countries around the globe to support each other as the conference changes location each year.

Integrative Medicine practitioners and those interested in this movement are invited to travel with the group and attend the conference from October 20 to 24, 2010. Attendees will share interdisciplinary healing models, and discuss concerns about integrative medicine in their communities. Individual workshops on the different modalities and the benefits of complimentary healing methods will also be offered.

For more information visit globalcommunityforintegrativemedicine.vpweb.com, call Saundra C. Blum at 914.767.0312 or write to The Global Community for Integrative Medicine, P.O. Box 600, Katonah, NY 10536.

Intensive Training in Ayurvedic Healing Comes to Brewster, NY

Dr. Scott Gerson

The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine presents an in-depth Ayurvedic Healing workshop from August 12 to 15 in Brewster, NY. This four-day residential workshop offers a clear and comprehensive presentation of the theoretical foundations and practical applications of Ayurveda, a natural system of healing from ancient India. While this workshop is open to students of all levels, it’s most suitable for those who have a grasp of Ayurveda’s basic principles and seek more advanced knowledge.

Participants will be immersed in an eight-part learning and experiential process that explores how ancient teachings and modern scientific knowledge can be combined in a program for mind-body wellness. Scott Gerson, M.D., Ph.D. (Ayurveda) will lead the Ayurvedic Healing workshop, teaching students how to practically apply these enduring healing principles and practices to daily life.

Room, board, daily yoga and meditation, and a 50-page syllabus are included in the program, which is limited to ten participants. Sumptuous vegetarian meals will be prepared daily by Dr. Gerson´s longtime personal Ayurvedic cook, and authentic Ayurvedic massage and steam treatments will be available for a small additional cost.

The price for the August 12-15 workshop is $1395, or $1200 for those who register prior to July 15. To register, call 845.278.8700.

Peruvian Healing and More at New Healing Center

Mikki Baloy Davis

Pamo Healing is a new wellness practice in Pleasantville, NY that approaches healing with ancient Peruvian shamanic techniques, Reiki, EFT, Eastern philosophy, creative expression, and contemporary science. Any issue or ailment can be addressed in a shamanic consultation, with the understanding that the mind, body, and spirit are ultimately one. According to Pamo Healing founder Mikki Baloy Davis, anyone facing acute or chronic injury, illness, depression, confusion, stress, phobias, or feeling stuck may benefit from a healing session. “I’m really thrilled to offer this work to the community,” says Davis.  “It’s had such a profound affect on my life, and it can create such deep healing on every level.”

Davis is committed to creating safe, sacred space in her consultations, and is passionate about empowering everyone to access their own resiliency. Each session is tailored to the needs of the client, and may include one or more of the more than 30 techniques she employs.

Pamo Healing also offers workshops for women. “Befriend Your Body” encourages women to explore the mind-body connection in a day-long retreat, while learning how and why to be kinder to themselves. Local workshops are being planned now, so stay tuned!

Pamo Healing is located at 29 Marble Avenue in Pleasantville, NY.  For more information and to make an appointment, visit pamohealing.com.

Westchester Author Raising Funds for Women’s Cancer Services

Cathleen O'Connor, author of "Harriet Takes the Wheel"

Cathleen O’Connor, author of Harriet Takes the Wheel, is leading a movement to take women from frenzy to freedom. In the process, O’Connor intends to raise $5,000 for Support Connection, an organization based in Yorktown Heights that provides free, confidential support services to people across the country who are affected by breast and ovarian cancer. O’Connor says that 20% of her Harriet Takes the Wheel book sales will go directly to Support Connection, which offers such services as peer counselling, support groups, wellness workshops, education and referrals. The organization’s annual Support-A-Walk for Breast and Ovarian Cancer is scheduled for Sunday, October 3, 2010.

O’Connor is also providing a free guided imagery meditation designed to maintain calm and peace in those undergoing chemotherapy. This downloadable 30-minute audio will be given to anyone who requests it. In addition, a webinar entitled “The 7 Powers Every Woman Possesses” will be available for free to anyone who buys the book and donates an additional $15 to Support Connection. During the webinar, O’Connor will share inspiring stories from women across the country who made unexpected life transitions, triumphed over adversity and found their own sense of empowerment.

To purchase Harriet Takes the Wheel: A Fable that goes from Frenzy to Freedom, visit HarrietTakestheWheel.com.

For more info about Cathleen O’Connor, visit cathleenoconnor.com or call 914.432.5038. To learn about the Support Connection and their services, visit supportconnection.org or call 800.532.4290.

A New Look at Birth Order

Melanie Barnum

Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler theorized that birth order plays a significant role in determining personality because people learn to behave or react to situations from a very young age. Melanie Barnum, Certified Hypnotist, Hypno Coach and Intuitive, has created a new program to help people change or overcome personality traits that no longer suit them. “More Than Your Birth Order!” combines hypnosis, coaching, intuitive reading and behavior analysis in its approach. Melanie says that identifying characteristics common to one’s birth order can help to fulfill needs and desires in positive ways.

According to Melanie, “This new program can be used to formulate or enhance constructive relationships and family interactions, as well as improve career aptitude, workplace relationships, and more.” Learning how to become more than one’s birth order reduces stress and improves overall health, says Melanie, creating a more confident, empowered and relaxed person.

To schedule an appointment with Melanie Barnum, call 203.451.0914, visit MelanieBarnum.com or email Melanie@MelanieBarnum.com.  Melanie is located at Center for Healing, 77 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT.