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Monthly Jewel
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"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being," ~C. G. Jung
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Join Us
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Issue Eighteen, December 2012
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Many New Classes in 2013
New Year, New You
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Beat the winter doldrums by attending the upcoming classes offered by our practitioners.
Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with Anxiety - Jesse Foy, M.S.- January 17, 2013
This gentle and supportive class introduces you to mindfulness meditation and teaches you simple, yet profound ways to reduce anxiety and live with a greater sense of ease, balance, and happiness.
The workshop includes:
- Introduction to key elements of mindfulness.
- How mindfulness-based approaches help you cope, transform, and reduce anxiety.
- Guided mindfulness meditation practices that cultivate calm, clarity, and healing.
- Suggestions for integrating mindfulness easily into your daily life.
- Practice CD and handouts.
Stephanie Delmore, Psychotherapist Beginning in January, Stephanie Delmore is offering two new classes, participation in which will help you keep those New Year Resolutions! New Year, New You! Fridays, 12:00 -1:00 pm (January 4, 18, & Feb. 1) - Working with psychological research based on understanding the process of behavioral change - learn how to set, maintain and monitor your progress.
Making Connections Thursday evenings 7:00-8:30 pm, weekly (January 24 - March 14) - Follow a curriculum designed to change the way you feel about yourself in order to build deeper interpersonal relationships.
Read more Yoga with Shelley Carpenter **Now accepting drop-in students** Take great care of yourself in 2013. Join us in yoga! Relieve stress, stretch, strengthen, restore your vitality.
Either pay by the calendar month: $44 if there are 4 classes in the month, or attend when you can and pay $13 per class. - Next session: Mondays, 6 PM, January 7-28. Tuesdays, 9 AM, January 8-29. Attend all 4 or drop-in when you can!
Contact Shelley via email or phone to register for the full, 4-session class or drop in and pay the same day!
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Put Holy Back Into the Holidays
Kalpana (Rose) Kumar, M.D.
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The stunning fall with trees ablaze and the warm breezes of Indian summer days have eased into brisk mornings and cold nights. As winter approaches, we are drawn inward, closer to the hearth and the heart for self-discovery, connecting with what gives us warmth and comfort. It is here that we begin to plant new seeds that will blossom in the spring. Since we live in a materialistic society, we need to remember what the holiday season truly symbolizes and to reclaim its holiness. Now, even more than ever, in the wake of the changing weather patterns we have encountered, we see how fickle material possessions are and how people's lives truly rely on the connection with each other. The true meaning of this season has less to do with materialism and more to do with gifts of the heart. Our kindness towards each other and the fullness of relationship are what really matter.
The word holiday is derived from the word holy. Holidays are holy days. We must ask ourselves what the word 'holy' means to us. What makes this time of year holy? How can we reclaim what is holy during the holiday season? I think most of us would agree the added stress and unhealthy behaviors so often part of the holidays are far from a holy experience. What gives us meaning and awakens the sacred is what feels comforting. It restores the magical feeling of the holidays we experienced when we were children.
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Dreams, Renewal and the Soul's Journey
Boris Matthews, Ph.D.
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As we approach December 21st, we are reminded that throughout time people have welcomed the return of the light after the longest night of the year. Whether we celebrate the Christian Christmas, Jewish Hanukkah, Hindu Diwali, Chinese Dong Zhi, or the Winter Solstice, the hope is for renewal and a fresh start.
The need for renewal and a fresh start is not limited to the darkest night of December. In a sense, every day is a fresh start: the dreams of the night offer the guidance we need to correct our course and continue on the path, the journey, that our deeper nature, the Self, would have us follow.
There's an old Jewish saying that a dream not understood is a letter not read. By showing what our waking selves cannot see, the dream completes and corrects our conscious understanding. Dreams can reveal many things: how we have become unbalanced in our way of life; where we are stuck; the challenges we have to face and master to get our life going again; our calling or purpose in life; our relationship to our Higher Power; and much more. Even years after experiencing some dreams, we sense their importance, whether or not we have rationally understood their messages.
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Acupuncture as Aid to Weight Loss
Aimee Brown, L.Ac, MSOM
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One very common concern for Americans lately is the issue of obesity or being moderately over weight. We are hearing more and more about the risks of carrying those extra pounds, whether it be heart disease, diabetes, depression or increased aches and pains. There is no one who is overweight who wouldn't benefit greatly from making the changes necessary to shed pounds.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can provide a safe, effective, natural and drug-free approach to weight loss. Visualize what weight loss means to you...better self- esteem, more will power, less stress on your heart and joints, being full of energy, or fitting into clothes that
you've had sitting in your closet.
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Is It Really the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
Jennifer Kersten, CMT
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It's the most wonderful time of the year...Is it really? How many of us really feel that way or still feel that way? For me, somewhere along the line, I lost that feeling. The holidays started to feel forced and more about the economy and consumption than about anything spiritual. For me, the magical, peaceful and glowing feeling gave way to a never-ending barrage of things having to be done, stuff having to be bought and gatherings needing attendance.
 
Our body and soul's natural instinct during these short dark days is to slow down, consume less and rest more. Our modern culture demands we do just the opposite. I know I'm not alone in saying this leads to more stress and fatigue than peace and joy leading up to and during Christmas season.
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