Reiki Level I with Claire O’Leary

Reiki Level I

with Claire O’Leary

Saturday, May 7   $249

TBD Glenwood Springs

Reiki is the beginning of a wonderful journey filled with learning and growth 

on many levels. 

Be attuned to Reiki (Universal Life Force) to help you focus, feel less stressed, be more intuitive and have a deeper spiritual awareness. Gain knowledge and tools to heal yourself, family, and friends. Reiki combines extremely well with other therapies and orthodox medical care, particularly pre and post-operative health care, helping to accelerate the natural healing process. Feel comfortable working with clients, both locally and thousands of miles away (with Level II training). There will be plenty of time to practice and receive Reiki during the class.

The first degree connects the student to the Universal Life Force and gives them the tools to heal themselves, their family and others.

The first degree of Reiki is the beginning of a wonderful journey filled with learning and growth on so many different levels. Many people find that the first degree is all they need to study and incorporate, to lead a more fulfilling life. While others, will continue their studies and progress onto the second degree and some to master/teacher degree.

Find out more at ClearHeartHealingArts.com

303.525.6893

 Claire@ClearHeartHealingArts.com

About Claire O’Leary

A Reiki Master and intuitive healer, Claire has been practicing Reiki for over 20 years and has been teaching Reiki for 4 years. She offers Reiki classes, journaling classes, workshops, essential oils consultations, private energy treatments and retreats. She also speaks at various events about “ Living With an Open Heart“.  Claire believes the more your heart is open, the greater the gifts you will receive. Claire guides individuals and groups to open their heart and allow Divine energy to flow so they can achieve greater success in life and live in passion, joy and inspiration. 

Integration and Wholeness

As we enjoy the health fairs this spring and attend to our physical health, let’s not forget to put our efforts into the broader context.  Exactly why are we doing this?  The goal of health and wellness is to have our complete being operating without dis-ease (WOW what a goal).

To me this means paying attention to my thinking, feeling and spiritual wellness too.  Not a month goes by when we don’t see a major article on how our thinking is related to our physical health.  Articles abound about positive thinking, living with intention, reducing stress (which is how we respond to our environment), or eating better.

Let’s look at one important part of all of this.  How does our Subconscious work?  Well, for one thing it takes information literally.  For another, it is not part of our conscious processes.

So?  Well when we say, or think, something like: “Life is hard.”, our subconscious takes that literally and stores that as FACT.  It can’t discern that we might be talking about a task, or about today rather than life as a whole.  Make enough comments like this and it becomes the background screen for the subconscious to process everything.

So?  So when we have a great day, our subconscious stores that as an anomaly, a fluke, an exception and gives it little meaning.  After all, “Life is hard.”  On the other hand, if I am consistently saying things like “life is fun”, or “I enjoy life.”, then it is the tough day that is an exception.

This is critical because it is the subconscious background screen that determines the meaning of our moment to moment experience.

Clue – if you find yourself wondering why you don’t enjoy life more, look for that subconscious background screen.  Hint – you can’t “see” it, so you have to take its existence from your experience.

Solution – listen to the words you think and speak, correct yourself when you hear negative generalizations (all, never, etc.) and practice (a lot) affirming the truth of your positive experience, the gifts in your life and treasure what you have.

Carmen Iacino is a Certified Energy Medicine Specialist, a licensed psychotherapist, a spiritual explorer and, more simply, an individual committed to experiencing all the love and joy that life has to offer along with feeling free.  You can reach him at carmeniacino@earthlink.net, 970-309-3467, or www.embraceasecnsion.com.

What is All the “To Do” About Tea?

The history around tea is vast and spans centuries. Tea was often used as a “currency” for trade and has been bartered for centuries.

Where does it all begin? Who thought up the idea of brewing tea leaves? It was a happy accident! According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.

What is your favorite tea? Do you know how it is harvested, how it is grown or what beneficial properties it has?

Many different types of tea, such as white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea and pu-erh tea, all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. (Do you recognize this from the history?)  The type of tea produced from this plant depends entirely on the way the leaves are processed after harvesting.

Tea “rituals” abound throughout the world. The British Empire long thought that the sun would never set on all the lands it controlled. The English were big tea fans and the love of drinking tea is well established and practiced because they traversed the world and left their tea legacy in many different countries.

It is common in countries that have British influence to routinely brew tea. A visitor to one’s home is immediately made welcome by the homeowner starting the tea and setting out biscuits to enjoy together.

The medicinal qualities of tea are also well known. Can’t sleep? Brew Chamomile tea. Upset stomach? Brew Peppermint or Ginger tea. The list for this goes on far too long for this article.  You can go to WebMD for further research to find a tea that helps you heal and feel good.

Well, I am off to brew some Sleepytime tea so I can sleep well and wake up refreshed. How about you? Care to join me in some delicious tea and good sleep?  

Written by Dr. Stephanie Stanfield who has a private practice in Glenwood Springs and enjoys drinking tea with her friends. You can find Dr. Steph at www.makingshiftshappen.com and on her weekly podcast at Blogtalk Radio.

How About a Good Cuppa?

The holidays are over?  No, not for our minds or bodies they aren’t.

The effects of stress don’t end when the stressors do.  And, the stressors haven’t ended!  There is the whole process of taking down and putting away the decorations; all of the January 1st chores like changing calendars, closing out 2015; thank you notes to write; AND January is typically the coldest month of our year.

While all these are normal for this time of year, they are also stressors – they generate stress.  (By the way, stress is defined as an organism’s reaction to its environment.  So, basically, that’s everything.)  The challenge to dealing with stress is to reduce it where we can, and nurture our Spirit, Mind and Body to help keep ourselves in good health.

The very best way is to NURTURE our Selves.  Primarily, that means – RELAX.  A cup of tea is one of the very best ways I know to do both of these.

The relaxing begins with the ritual of preparing tea.  Taking a moment to choose the tea that will feel just right, getting out all of the accompaniments that will make it perfect for you – honey, milk, lemon, perhaps a small snack to go with the tea.  Imagine, sitting with your hands wrapped around a warm cup. Feels good, doesn’t it?  Imagine the relaxing smell – you get to pick your favorites!  Feel the warm liquid warming your mouth and throat. YESSSSS!

When you use herbal teas, you bring a complexity to your experience.  You not only get the benefits of ingesting the herb, you also use aromatherapy by just smelling the fragrance.

Here are a few of my favorite teas

Need an energy boost along with your relaxing moments?  Try green tea.  The stronger you brew it, the more caffeine.

Chamomile is beneficial for anxiety, depression and digestion.  What a cool bunch of benefits – tastes good too.

Licorice is a soothing agent that helps digestion, acid reflux and indigestion – all of which go along with stress.

Pomegranate/Hibiscus - Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and promotes good heart health.  Hibiscus studies show it may help lower blood pressure and reduce high cholesterol.  Together, they just taste good!

How do you choose which one your Spirit is asking for?  For me, it is simple.  I open the tea drawer and choose the first one that catches my attention.  You can absolutely trust your higher knowing to choose the perfect tea for the moment.

So, brew a cuppa.  Play with the process.  Most of all, have FUN.

Carmen Iacino is an energy healer, psychotherapist and spiritual adventurer.  He is committed to living in Love and JOY and can be reached at 970-309-3467,  carmeniacino@earthlink.net,  or www.embraceascension.com

January is Hot Tea Month

Even a committed coffee lover (like me) can find a certain peace and comfort in sitting down with a cup of hot tea.  For many of us, it takes us back to mom serving us a warm mug when we were feeling unwell.  For others, it may bring memories of sharing a cup with grandma or another loved one on a cold winter's day.  Most among us can come up with a warm memory associated with a cup of hot tea.

In addition to the feel good, warm & fuzzy feelings that boost our mood and make us feel connected to more than ourselves, there are many cited health benefits of tea.  

The New York Times reports that tea is good for your liver:

 ...studies including more than 800,000 participants have looked at the association between tea and liver disease. Those who drank tea were less likely to have hepatocellular carcinoma, liver steatosis, liver cirrhosis and chronic liver disease. 

And, it eases depression: 

11 studies with almost 23,000 participants found that for every three cups of tea consumed per day, the relative risk of depression decreased 37 percent.

And heart health:

...drinking an additional three cups of tea a day was associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease (27 percent), cardiac death (26 percent), stroke (18 percent), total mortality (24 percent), cerebral infarction (16 percent) andintracerebral hemorrhage (21 percent). 

Tea is a more complex subject than you might think.  For example, this article, 13 Reasons Tea is Good for you, outlines the differences between tea and what we call herbal tea, as well as addressing the complexities of black, white and green teas. 

So the next time you are feeling blue, unwell or are looking for alternative ways to manage symptoms or chronic illness, you might reach for a cup of tea.  Which kind is up to you.... when it comes to hot tea, the options are seemingly endless and the internet is a wealth of information.


Kimberly Henrie is a coffee and tea lover that has many warm associations with hot beverages.  She is a yoga/fitness teacher, radio personality and local business owner who can put you in touch with some quality teas and fair trade organic coffees.  You can reach her at kimhenrie@vitalityforlife.com or by calling 970-930-1242.

Why Physical Education in Schools is Important

Thank You LiveWell Colorado

Go Outside and Play!

Thank You Organic Consumers Association "Un-glue those eyes from the screen! With rapidly evolving technology readily available at your child’s fingertips, it's more important than ever to encourage them to play outdoors." Read more: http://orgcns.org/1qD1HBy

September is National Childhood Obesity Month

Did you know that 1 in 4 kids in Colorado is overweight or obese? Your friends probably don't either. Share this infographic with them to raise awareness of  child obesity and why it matters. Visit http://www.coloradohealth.org/ChildhoodObesityMonth to learn more

10 Day Challenge - Uplift Wellness Now!

When: Anytime

Where: www.masterminds4wellness.com (map)

Description: Davi Nikent and MasterMinds 4 Wellness announce the launch of the FREE Uplift Your Wellness Now! 10 Day Challenge. We encourage you to check it out and sign up through the Davi Nikent website ... http://davinikent.com/2014/08/02/news-1/

The Uplift Your Wellness Now! 10 Day Challenge will provide valuable information about how to further advance your health, energy and happiness. It is exciting to introduce this challenge to all of you.

More Exciting News! Davi Nikent is partnering with Masterminds 4 Wellness to offer a 90-day immersion program that furthers the concepts and practices of the Uplift Your Wellness Now! 10 Day Challenge starting in September.

What is the 10 Day Challenge? It is a collection of 2-3 minute videos delivered to your e-mail inbox once a day for 10 days. Each video contains ONE wellness tip or challenge for you. The videos are brought to you by an impressive group of dedicated healthcare practitioners who have spent decades perfecting their specialty. The Uplift Your Wellness Now! 10 Day Challenge is a powerful tool for your transformation designed to help revitalize your life. And again, it’s at no cost to you. Are you ready to Uplift YOUR wellness?

Go to our website NOW! http://davinikent.com/2014/08/02/news-1/

The Health Benefits Of Listening To Music

At some intuitive level we think most of us understand that listening to music can have a profound effect not just psychologically but also physically, nice to find some of rational behind it. Here is a great article by Dr. Mercola. Roaring Fork Wellness

 By Dr Mercola

If you’re a music lover, you already know that turning on the tunes can help calm your nerves, make stress disappear, pump up your energy level during a workout, bring back old memories, as well as prompt countless other emotions too varied to list.

Even if you’re not a music aficionado, per se, there are compelling reasons why you may want to become one, which were recently revealed by a series of new research.

Music Prompts Numerous Brain Changes Linked to Emotions and Abstract Decision Making

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When you listen to music, much more is happening in your body than simple auditory processing. Music triggers activity in the nucleus accumbens, a part of your brain that releases the feel-good chemical dopamine and is involved in forming expectations.

At the same time, the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotion, and the prefrontal cortex, which makes possible abstract decision-making, are also activated, according to new research published in the journal Science.

Based on the brain activity in certain regions, especially the nucleus accumbens, captured by an fMRI imager while participants listened to music, the researchers could predict how much money the listeners were willing to spend on previously unheard music. As you might suspect, songs that triggered activity in the emotional and intellectual areas of the brain demanded a higher price.

Interestingly, the study’s lead author noted that your brain learns how to predict how different pieces of music will unfold using pattern recognition and prediction, skills that may have been key to our evolutionary progress. Time reported:

“These predictions are culture-dependent and based on experience: someone raised on rock or Western classical music won’t be able to predict the course of an Indian raga, for example, and vice versa.

But if a piece develops in a way that’s both slightly novel and still in line with our brain’s prediction, we tend to like it a lot. And that, says [lead researcher] Salimpoor, ‘is because we’ve made a kind of intellectual conquest.’

Music may, in other words, tap into a brain mechanism that was key to our evolutionary progress. The ability to recognize patterns and generalize from experience, to predict what’s likely to happen in the future — in short, the ability to imagine — is something humans do far better than any other animals. It’s what allowed us (aided by the far less glamorous opposable thumb) to take over the world.”

Why Music Makes Us Feel United

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So far we’ve covered that music is involved in both emotional and intellectual centers of your brain, but music also has an, almost uncanny, ability to connect us to one another.


CONTINUE AT SOURCE

How Sitting Too Long Affects the Body

"This is why employee wellness programs are taking off the way they are. More and more research is coming back proving that things need to be done differently, whether it's moving more at work, or making sure that life outside of work can sustain a lack of movement at the desk." Thank You The Wellness Bridge

Smart is the New Dumb

 We have been a fan of Exuberant Animal for a long time. Here is another fantastic article from Frank. Here he discusses something we think about rather frequently, that is, is technology causing us to lose the sensory of experience of being alive? Are we losing a sense of body, joy in moving, interaction with our natural enviornment? Are we becoming digitally numb? Read on.

Roaring Fork Wellness

"Smart is the New Dumb"

by Frank Forencich on March 29, 2014

Note: This essay was first published in Paleo Magazine

“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”

Pablo Picasso

“The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.”

Karl Marx

 This will come as a surprise to many of our so-called “digital natives,” but back in the Paleo, people actually experienced their bodies and the world directly, with no outside intervention. We used our nervous systems to feel our flesh, our habitat, our movements and each other. We used our inborn proprioceptors, interoceptors, chemoreceptors and other sensory organs to know our experience and our tribe.

And it worked.

For several million years in fact.

But today, we stand poised to throw it all away and replace our innate physical intelligence with artificial sensors, “wearable devices,” “heads up technologies,” “smart fabrics,” “FitBits,” “Body Media” and “personal informatics.” Apparently, the human nervous system–the most sophisticated system in the known universe–just isn’t good enough anymore.

The consequences of this mindless love affair with all things digital will be immense. The mammalian nervous system is without question the most sublime creation in the known universe; we are just beginning to scratch the surface of its structure, function and potential. New discoveries in neuroplasticity and epigenetics reveal the power of training and practice to shape our bodies and behavior; we know how learning and skill development work at the cellular level. We know that transformation comes with concentrated attention and high quality repetitions. But rather than building on these discoveries with actual experience, we are taking a wild leap over our native capability, diving head first into a synthetic, disembodied future.

To be sure, some of these “smart” devices will be put to good use, in clinical, therapeutic or scientific settings. But when they’re mass-marketed to the general public, these technologies will simply serve as prosthetic devices for people who don’t need prosthetic devices. As a consequence, the body’s innate intelligence will begin to atrophy.

This effect will be similar to what happens when we consume substances that are normally produced by the brain or body. That is, exogenous substances tend to displace their endogenous counterparts. If you’re taking large amounts of morphine, cocaine, marijuana or testosterone, the body will cut back on the production of its native analogues. Similarly, once we strap on external sensors, our native capacities for sensation will begin to fade away.

Our culture seems fundamentally incapable of learning from experience. From stone tools onward, every technological invention in human history has come with an upside and a downside. But today, we are infatuated with flashing lights and drunk on our own cleverness. Our new technology, so small and clean and perfect, appears to be neutral and nearly free. But the downside will be even more distance from our bodies, from the land and from our experience.

In particular, advocates of “smart” devices seem to be either ignorant or in denial of the social consequences of their inventions. The human body comes pre-wired with mirror neurons and a social resonance circuit that allows us to transmit and understand human emotion. We have an innate, physical capacity to feel what other people are feeling. This system allows us to synchronize and coordinate emotion and behavior, a crucial factor in both Paleo and modern settings.

CLICK TO CONTINUE AT SOURCE

Simple Super Seed

Thank You Dr. Isaac Eliaz

Yampah Vapor Caves High Water Miracle

This is a miracle that has only happened 2X's in the last 25 years. Mother nature has energetically cleanse the caves for the last week with an incredible flood of the clearest, purest Yampah Hot Springs water we've ever seen. Part of this phenomenon was caused by two new hot springs that flow out of the wall in our lower Cave #3 during high runoff years. Caves are open today and about 5° hotter than normal. It's a great time to be in Glenwood Springs.

We know you're going to LIKE IT!

The Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves

Five reasons to visit Glenwood’s Downtown Market Every Tuesday This Summer

The Tuesday farmers’ market known as Glenwood’s Downtown Market opens June 10, at Centennial Park at Ninth Street and Grand Avenue. Celebrating 10 years, the Downtown Market is a thriving summer staple in the hot springs town.

SOURCE

1.       Taste the season. Try olive oils, freshly baked bread, Colorado wines and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Vendors are eager to showcase and share their locally grown and lovingly made products.  Many offer samples to try. Top crops to try in the early months of summer are tender lettuces, arugula and apricots; as the season matures look for cherries, eggplant, green beans, basil and tomatoes.

2.       Learn something new. Cooking demos are a mainstay of the Downtown Market, gather round and learn how to prepare a variety of food that’s fresh, fast, healthy and most importantly -- delicious. Check out Christina Gore’s lesson on vegan cooking at the inaugural Market.

3.       Free music. Throughout the 14-week season the Market hosts musical entertainment. The season opener features award-winning songwriter and performer, Frank Martin playing everything from Texas swinging waltzes to Louisiana Zydeco.








4.       Because variety adds spice. There’s always something special going on at the Market. Find out what’s happening on a particular Tuesday at www.glenwoodmarket.com or just show up to see what’s going on. A highlight of June 10th Market is Glenwood Springs Garden Club’s annual plant sale. The Glenwood Springs Parks Department will also be giving away tree seedlings until they’re gone!





5.       Connect with the community. The atmosphere at the Market is low key and friendly. It’s a great place to connect with people – visitors and locals alike. Why not ask a local for recommendations on other great things do in Glenwood Springs?

Find out more about the 2014 Glenwood Downtown Market including a list of vendors, music lineup, demo schedule and more at www.glenwoodmarket.com.  Learn more about all of Glenwood’s summer events and activities at www.visitglenwood.com.

ABOUT GLENWOOD SPRINGS:
For more information and to book reservations please visit www.visitglenwood.com; 888-445-3696. Glenwood Springs is located between Aspen and Vail, Colorado, 160 miles (257 kilometers) west of Denver or 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Grand Junction on Interstate 70 off exit 116.

SOURCE

What is Green Tea Good For?

By Dr. Mercola

Aside from pure water, green tea is arguably one of the healthiest beverages around, with research pointing to impressive health benefits for your heart, bones, weight, vision, and even your brain.
Tea comes from the evergreen plant called Camellia sinensis. It's the processing that gives it its color and taste. For green tea, the leaves are unoxidized (not exposed to oxygen), and this minimal processing may help to keep the beneficial antioxidants intact.
If you're interested in improving your health, and specifically your brain health, green tea is definitely worth considering.

Green Tea Boosts Brain Health

In a new study of 12 healthy volunteers, those who received a beverage containing 27.5 grams of green tea extract showed increased connectivity between the parietal and frontal cortex of the brain compared to those who drank a non-green tea beverage.¹
The increased activity was correlated with improved performance on working memory tasks, and the researchers believe the results suggest green tea may be useful for treating cognitive impairments, including dementia. According to the study authors:²

"Our findings provide first evidence for the putative beneficial effect of green tea on cognitive functioning, in particular, on working memory processing at the neural system level by suggesting changes in short-term plasticity of parieto-frontal brain connections.
Modeling effective connectivity among frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing might help to assess the efficacy of green tea for the treatment of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders such as dementia."

In this case, the researchers also suggested that the effects might have been strengthened if the volunteers had consumed a pure green tea extract, as opposed to a green tea-fortified beverage. And that is one of the great things about tea – if you don't enjoy it as a beverage (or if you only drink it on occasion), you can still get the health benefits by consuming it in supplemental extract form.

How Else Might Green Tea Benefit Your Health?

Your brain is only one part of your body that might benefit from green tea, which is recognized as an abundant source of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol, and other antioxidants. So what else is green tea good for?
Reduced Mortality and Chronic Inflammation

Drinking green tea is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, as well as mortality due to heart disease. Research also shows holistic benefits to green tea consumption, including lower blood pressure, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation.³

Heart Health 

CLICK TO CONTINUE AT SOURCE

How Not to Be Offended

There is an ancient and well-kept secret to happiness which the Great Ones have known for centuries. 

They rarely talk about it, but they use it all the time, and it is fundamental to good mental health. This secret is called The Fine Art of Not Being Offended. In order to truly be a master of this art, one must be able to see that every statement, action and reaction of another human being is the sum result of their total life experience to date. In other words, the majority of people in our world say and do what they do from their own set of fears, conclusions, defenses and attempts to survive. Most of it, even when aimed directly at us, has nothing to do with us. Usually, it has more to do with all the other times, and in particular the first few times, that this person experienced a similar situation, usually when they were young.

Yes, this is psychodynamic. But let’s face it, we live in a world where psychodynamics are what make the world go around. An individual who wishes to live successfully in the world as a spiritual person really needs to understand that psychology is as spiritual as prayer. In fact, the word psychology literally means the study of the soul.

All of that said, almost nothing is personal. Even with our closest loved ones, our beloved partners, our children and our friends. We are all swimming in the projections and filters of each other’s life experiences and often we are just the stand-ins, the chess pieces of life to which our loved ones have their own built-in reactions. This is not to dehumanize life or take away the intimacy from our relationships, but mainly for us to know that almost every time we get offended, we are actually just in a misunderstanding. A true embodiment of this idea actually allows for more intimacy and less suffering throughout all of our relationships. When we know that we are just the one who happens to be standing in the right place at the right psychodynamic time for someone to say or do what they are doing—we don’t have to take life personally. If it weren’t us, it would likely be someone else.

 
This frees us to be a little more detached from the reactions of people around us. How often do we react to a statement of another by being offended rather than seeing that the other might actually be hurting? CLICK TO CONTINUE AT SOURCE

National Sunscreen Day

Did you know it's National Sunscreen Day? Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has free sunscreen available at the park. You can find it at the guest services booth just outside the gift shop. Stay safe in the sun this summer!

Headache Alternative

Thank You CISN Country 103.9

What You Can Tell By Looking at a Fat Person

Thank You Gender & Society