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NEWSLETTER

Dear Friend of Heartwood,

On behalf of all of the practitioners and teachers at Heartwood, I would like to wish you a very happy holiday season.

As I sit at my desk writing this I can see the light changing outside and am reminded of my Grandmother's winter solstice stories. Here we are in this precious time of deepest dark, a time to slow down, pull in and contemplate. May you touch this place of stillness inside of yourself this holiday season.

Please enjoy our winter newsletter and come see us in the New Year!

Peace,

Nancy Floy
President and Executive Director

Warmth from the Inside:
Yoga & Meditation in the Winter

By Lela Schneidman, Kripalu Yoga Teacher

Winter can be a heavy time. We shuffle slowly down the sidewalk carrying ten extra pounds of clothing, battling the sharp air. It’s hard to peel yourself out of bed in the morning, and the dark nights can make you feel like your bedtime is 5pm.

This is one of the most important times of year to connect with a spiritual practice. Not only can it help combat depression and holiday stress, practices such as yoga and meditation stimulate health and well-being for both body and mind. Yoga is proven to strengthen the immune system and counteract joint stiffness that comes from cold weather and lack of movement. Meditation invites stillness into a chaotic and fatigued mind, allowing spaciousness and compassion to melt the armor we wear during winter.

Try this simple exercise to relax into the season:

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Spread your weight evenly between both feet and lengthen your spine.
  • Bring your skull back slightly with your chin gently tucked.
  • Relax your shoulders and your fingers.
  • Stand this way and breathe deeply in what is called Tadasana or Mountain Pose.

Try this while you are outside, see if you can keep your muscles relaxed rather than tensed in resistance to the cold. Releasing tension in response to the cold is warming because blood can flow more easily through relaxed muscles.

Please join us beginning in January at Heartwood on Thursday nights for yoga and meditation. Basics classes taught by Lela Schneidman will be from 5:00 pm - -6:15 pm, and Yoga & Meditation taught by both Lela Schneidman and Nick Beem will run from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Both classes begin January 11th and will run in 6 week pre-registered series.

Call 847.644.3623 or email Lela to sign up. Or, visit Lela and Nick’s website at www.gratefulyoga.com.

Meridian Touch™ Effortless Yoga

Meridian Touch™ Effortless Yoga, with its philosophy and techniques, can help us to meet the changing conditions the seasons bring, both internally and externally. It is based on the Chinese Five Elements: Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire.

Corresponding to the element of Water, winter is a time when we typically draw within, allowing the cold and darkness to deepen the process autumn began in guiding us ever gently inward after our glorious summer expansion. During this important time, we wisely conserve and protect our energy and internal resources. As we experience less of the Sun’s light, we are invited to delve inward to reconnect more deeply with our own internal light.

We help this process by engaging in gentle moves, deep breathing and supportive touch, honoring our bodies’ outward manifestation of what we are experiencing inside in the moment. Integrating our body, mind and spirit keeps us from sinking inward too deeply and possibly becoming isolated or stuck: physically, mentally or emotionally.

As we engage in Meridian Touch: the Art of Letting Go, we can release tension, anxiety, headaches, backaches and feelings of being overwhelmed by family or the pervasive “holiday energy” surrounding us at this time. Harmoniously, we melt into the moves, assisting our ki (energy) to flow more freely through the meridians (lines of energy in the body), thus nurturing and supporting our life force energy, keeping us supple in mind and body.

Come enjoy some well-deserved self-care or treat a loved one to a class or private session of Meridian Touch at Heartwood Center from Colleen Hubbard or Darryl Aiken-Afam and experience how effortlessly rewarding it is. You can reach Colleen directly at 847.491.1122 ext.20 or call Meridian Touch at 773.347.1130.

Please visit www.meridiantouch.com. There will be a delightful 2-hour Meridian Touch class with chocolates Sunday, February 11, 2007, in honor of Valentine’s Day. Peace.

"Tension is what you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are."
- Chinese Proverb

 

IN THIS ISSUE: Winter 2006

Psychotherapy as a Change Process

Some people wonder “how could psychotherapy help?” They say “how can talking change anything?” Genuine therapy goes beyond merely “talking” to allow you to experience a deeper process. Talking is only the obvious part; the deeper process happens in the emotions, mind and body.

I practice psychotherapy within the person-centered/experiential tradition. With an experiential approach, the therapist helps you to make contact with your present inner experiencing. Feeling the therapist’s intent to understand you -- without judgment and evaluation -- helps you be aware of experience and meanings that are behind your words. The therapist listens and responds in ways that enable you to open up more of your feelings and thoughts, and to feel and think them through more deeply.

Opening up feelings and thoughts in this way lets you sense more flexibility and intricacy that leads to creative steps toward resolving problems. This kind of therapy process can help you move from spinning your wheels in situations in which you feel stuck to experiencing relief and growth.

Marsha Smith, LCSW, is a psychotherapist who practices in Heartwood. She currently offers family, individual and group therapy and Focusing classes. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment, you may leave a message on her confidential voice mail 847.333.3809.

Free Holistic Healthcare

Heartwood Center will be offering free treatments of acupuncture, bodywork and psychotherapy beginning next year as part of our Women and Cancer Program. These services — as well as classes in T’ai Chi, Qi Gong, yoga and meditation — will be given at no cost to low-income women living with cancer.

We are currently looking for women who are interested in being part of this program. Participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. If you or someone you know would benefit from the Women and Cancer Program, please contact Terri Clemens at 847.491.1122 x23 as soon as possible.

This program is made possible by a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Women’s Health. This is the fourth consecutive year that the program is being funded at Heartwood, sponsored in partnership with the Rogers Park Community Council. We are grateful to State Senator Carol Ronen whose driving support has helped to bring this program to Heartwood.

The grant will run from January through June 2007.

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