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.

Events for Human Flourishing

"Suzanne Giesemann is the author of eleven books, a spiritual teacher, and an evidential medium.  She captivates audiences as she brings hope, healing, and comfort through her work. Suzanne’s gift of communication with those on the other side provides stunning evidence of life after death. Touted as “a breath of fresh air” with “a quality that is so different from others that it is difficult to describe,” she brings messages of hope and love that go straight to the heart.

Suzanne is a retired U.S. Navy Commander. She served as a commanding officer, as special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations, and as Aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 9/11.  Today Suzanne addresses questions about the purpose of life, the nature of reality, and attuning to higher consciousness. Her work has been recognized as highly credible by afterlife researcher Dr. Gary Schwartz, Ph.D., and best-selling author Dr. Wayne Dyer.  She serves on the executive council of Eternea, where she is the chairman of the Spirituality Leadership Council."

For full details and tickets for Roaring Fork Valley events contact http://davinikent.com/category/events/

The Wholeness Project in Glenwood Springs

Mark your calendars for a beautiful day exploring Wholeness in Glenwood Springs, at the height of autumn's color here in Western Colorado. From our location above town, we'll be soaking in views of the iconic Mt. Sopris with the Colorado and Roaring Fork river valleys below. Saturday, September 27th, 9:00 - 4:00, $125 includes yummy catered lunch. Message me or email kimberlie@thewholenessproject.com for more info about the day.

http://thewholenessproject.com/vision.html

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

LEARNING TO WALK

LEARNING TO WALK

Walked out this morning
into a broad green garden
with the rising sun in my eyes
and the first hint of the day’s heat
touching my face,
feeling as broad as the garden
and young as the day
and soaking up the heat
in my black tee-shirt,
walked straight forward
out of the gate,
through the wood,
along the river,
toward the mountain
and thought of the future
I could make in the world
if I walked toward it
like this,
with my face toward the hills
and my eyes full of light
and the earth sure
and solid beneath me,
walking on
with a fierce anticipation,
and a faithful expectation,
with the sun and the rain
and the wind on my skin…

LEARNING TO WALK
From RIVER FLOW: New and Selected Poems
© David Whyte and Many Rivers Press

Photo © David Whyte: July 2014
Sun Behind Sycamore Trees,
Littondale, Yorkshire.

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

Master Energy Therapist at Soul Food

Master Energy Therapist at Soul Food, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

THIS SAT June 7th and next Sat June 14th!!!! 

Advanced Energy Cultivation Meditation and Enlightenment
“Take A Dip in The Flow’. W.Martino-
 
Wilm’s classes are fun, sim-ple and often life changing. Former monk of both Zen and Yoga traditions. Trainings with: Ammachi, Thich Nhat Hahn. Qigong with with two world re-known teachers: Yang Ywing Ming– And Master Chen A Taoist priest and beloved teacher to thousands worldwide.
 
Endorsements include: The Official Trainers of The Olympic Ski Team...Sounds True Inc....and best of all by people from every walk of life. Here’s a glimpse “...It’s like finding all the pieces of the puzzle one place…’John Plati Nerve: The Secrets of Energy Cultivation Gourmet Meditation The Body Gym 

Upcoming courses: Includes-video/audio downloads. Text and Work-book. 3 E-books by Wilm. This same program has been delivered for $1200.00 a person in dozens of locations with groups in the hundreds. With Soul Food Sponsorship-$197.00. Welcome.

Experience: -The Breath of Consciousness-Breathing techniques are one thing but breathing patterns that happen naturally are much more effective.
-Entering the Flow-Simple things you can do in your daily life to up your energy.
-Protect It-Insulate yourself: , Energetically, Psychically and Physically.
- Core Qigong-The most advanced Qigong practice is called embryonic breathing. Get Energized.'
-Sacredly Sexual-Being turned on in every sense of the phrase is a core key to effective living–
- The inner teachings of Yoga...And More!
 
SuperFood Snacks and Teas included - Visit www.intuitivefeeling.com to SIGN UP!!!!!

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

Gong Meditation

This is a very cool experience, thank you Conor Johnson

Benefits of Meditation

Thank You Andrew Weil, M.D.

Awesome Idea

Thank You ADAVIC

Teaching Mindfulness in Schools

Actress Goldie Hawn is bringing her MindUP program to schools around the world. Very cool report with a Roaring Fork Valley connection. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.

Final Call for Exhibitors at the Health and Wellness Expo!

There are still a few booth spaces available for the 3rd Annual Health & Wellness Expo which is being held Saturday, May 10 at the Ramada Inn in Glenwood Springs. Exhibitor applications are being accepted only for the Basic Booth category. Deadline to reserve your space is 12pm, Friday, May 2nd. Booth descriptions and further information is available at http://www.healthandwellnessexpogws.com./ You can also call Suzette Skidmore for information: 970-379-6187.

Volunteers are also needed as greeters, runners, announcers, door prize coordinators and more. A meal (breakfast or lunch) will be provided for each shift worked. Shifts are 9am-1pm or 1pm to 5pm. There is flexibility if your schedule doesn’t quite match up and you still want to take part. Volunteers will be eligible for doorprizes and have up close and personal access to the event.

The Health & Wellness Expo is being produced locally to provide information and education about integrative health and preventative wellness solutions that are available throughout the valley. The event will feature more than 30 exhibitors and informative speakers.

To volunteer, contact Stephanie at 987-5029 or email cardiff@cwmail.com.

Overview of the Chakras

Chakras (Cakras) by The Yoga Chronicles

Everyone kind of knows about chakras, but sort of not really. So, here's a quick and easy run down of the chakra (cakra) system. To be fair, this subject is way bigger and more complex than we can present in five minutes, but this'll help you get your bearings. Hope you like it!

Inspiration

Thank You Ahlea Khadro

Chakra Hand Postures

Thank You Healing With Spirit