Archived Programs (2019-2020)
NOVEMBER 7, 2020 – SATURDAY
Writing to Heal
“Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say.” Brenda Ueland
“For our writing to be a healing experience, we honor our pain, loss, and grief.” Louise de Salvo
Come tap into the voice and language that is uniquely yours. Honor the story that only you can tell. Discover how writing can be a life tool. Come write about what you carry…..Join us for a two-hour workshop. Pre-registration is recommended.
Julie Maloney is Founder/Director of Women Reading Aloud which is an international organization dedicated to the power of the writer’s voice. WRA believes in providing space for artistic growth.
Founded in New Jersey in 2003, it offers writing workshops modeled after the Amherst Writers and Artists Method, the Author Series, and Work-in-Progress Series, Writing and Yoga Program, conferences and retreats where women writers can explore their “authentic” voices. WRA provides a warm atmosphere conducive to exploration and discovery. Our goals are for participants to learn something new, to affirm their own writing lives.
OCTOBER 20, 2020 – TUESDAY
Gentle Yoga with Pranayama (Breath Work)
This Gentle Yoga practice is designed to aid your body, and mind by releasing blocked energy and discomfort, as you explore your multidimensional self. You can be seated in a chair or bring a yoga mat. Wear comfortable not too loose fitting clothing.
Susan Helmstetter is a Certified Yoga Instructor receiving a 500 Hour Yoga Teaching Certification from the Kripalu Institute in Lenox Massachusetts followed by a second 270-hour Yoga Teaching Certification with Raji Thron at Yoga Synthesis in Ramsey, New Jersey. Susan is also a certified Massage and Reiki Practitioner.
She currently teaches yoga classes for Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Wellness Center, Chair Yoga at the Jewish Federation Plaza Housing and Village Apartments for seniors.
Susan’s style of yoga is on developing an awareness of one’s inner core stillness, through Yoga postures, breathing techniques, and a focused, yet compassionate attitude to find and release energy blocks.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 – WEDNESDAY
Cooking with Chrissy
Chrissy Davenport, owner & holistic nutrition coach at Revitalize & Nourish will be guiding us through a short cooking presentation (you will be cooking along-side her). She is excited to show us easy & delicious, NUTRIENT-RICH, VEGETARIAN and ALKALINE side dishes or small plates that will not only fancy your pallets but provide fuel and many health benefits to your beautiful bodies! Recipes & shopping lists will be sent one week prior. So get out your aprons and favorite pans and gear up for some fun, home-cookin’!
Chrissy’s mission as a Holistic Health Coach is to partner with her clients to achieve personal health and wellness goals by making gradual and effective changes to diet and lifestyle. Each client is unique in his or her health challenge and so individualized nutrition plans and weekly accountabilities are created together with her clients to ensure lasting change and continued success.
Chrissy holds a BA in Psychology from Brown University and a Masters in Business Administration from Seton Hall University. She is a graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition © in New York City and is Board Certified and an Accredited Member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.
AUGUST 25, 2020 – TUESDAY
Covid and Cancer
“Resilience is key to facing our disruptive and uncertain environment.”
In our workshop we will explore what resilience is and whether it is a learned or innate characteristic. Additionally, we will see how our mindset affects resilience and how we can create clarity and understanding of what we can control and what we cannot control. You will leave with your own Resilience Framework and some tools to make life a little easier. Join us for an evening of learning, sharing and connection as we support each other during this turbulent and unprecedented time.
Wendy Van Besien has a 25+ year proven track record in consumer product marketing, strategy, and organizational behavior. Her many top Fortune 50 clients have benefitted from her solution oriented results that synergistically build team dynamics.
She transitioned this success to a more personal passion and purpose. As a 3-time cancer survivor Wendy intimately understands the process for treatment and importance of transitioning, thereafter to a balanced life. But change and transition are an inevitable life process. Other events like job loss, career change, and divorce are struggles that create stress and imbalance that can paralyze us into inaction. The collateral damage of any of these events on a person’s life — such as, depression, stress, fear, fatigue, relationship struggles, body image issues, post-traumatic stress, and loss of control are just some of the potential effects.
Wendy plans to tackle the social and emotional impacts of these stresses by supporting; inspiring and providing an empowering path for her clients to create the life they choose to lead. She works with clients to help identify and strengthen coping mechanisms to deal with day-to-day challenges, create the motivation to thrive and lead the way to a happier, more balanced life.
Coaching is a unique profession because clients invest a substantial amount of time and money into the coaching process and agree to be accountable for action. It’s about creating and experiencing the life of their choosing,
Wendy is an IPEC Certified Coach, has a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
JULY 15, 2020 WEDNESDAY
Virtual Singing Bowls
Sound therapy helps us to shift away from the vibrational frequencies of stress, anger, fear, and negativity. The vibrations of the Himalayan Singing Bowls help to tune us at the cellular level, creating harmony that radiates through our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual layers. Benefits can include deep relaxation, stress reduction, lower blood pressure, improved concentration, increased creativity and heightened intuition. The peace and healing that you look for will be received via the vibration, and positive energy emitted through the bowls. “It is all in the intention” is Sandee’s reply when asked how the singing bowls work.
You will need headphones, a blanket, a favorite pillow, and yoga mat if possible, but not necessary.
Sandee’s commitment to compassionate healing on an individual level led her to the singing bowls. She has been practicing sound healing since 2007, and in April 2015 completed the “International Sound Healing with Himalayan Chakra Singing Bowls Teacher Training Course” with Suren Shrestha, Master Teacher at the Atma Buti Sound and Vibrational School in Boulder Colorado. Sandee is also a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor (RYT 500) and certified Reiki II practitioner.
APRIL 2, 2020 – THURSDAY
Art Therapy- Spirit Dolls – A Path to Healing
The art of doll making has been used for centuries to touch the soul. Join us for an evening of self-discovery as we create a “spirit vessel” to open us to our inner voice, help us to listen and
allow for the insight to be revealed. She can be a messenger or hold the energy of your intentions or emotions for you. She can help awaken you to your truth and allow for personal transformation. She will be the physical representation of your “healing Spirit”; a companion on the journey.
Donna Dandrilli is a Board-Certified Art Therapist who has been practicing for over 30 years. She has worked with diverse populations including adult psychiatric, hospice, women’s issues, LGBT children and for the past 9 years cancer patients at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston NJ. She is also a bereavement counselor and certified advanced sand play therapist.
FEBRUARY 20, 2020 – THURSDAY
Nia® Moving to Heal
Nia® Dancing is a specialty class designed for people with short- and long-term illness and those with pain due to injury. We move in a gentle way, tuning into body awareness and expression, to self-heal and feel better. Wear comfortable clothing and bring socks if you prefer not to be barefoot. We will be on our feet, but feel free to sit if needed. Nia is about moving in YOUR body’s way.
“My mission is to inspire people at any age to move, express, and feel better.”
Teresa D’Angelo helps people mindfully connect with their bodies and express themselves through movement that is therapeutic and engaging. She found healing movement to be vital for her own journey with autoimmune illness and has been practicing and teaching Nia® for 13 years. Known for her ability to connect with people where they are, she created Live Love Move, LLC to offer movement education programs and private sessions. Teresa also is an Ageless Grace Brain & Body Health Educator/Trainer, Certified Massage Therapist, Registered Polarity Therapy Bodywork Practitioner, and is currently continuing her education in a multi-year Dance/Movement Therapy program through the American Dance Therapy Association.
JANUARY 16, 2020 – THURSDAY
The Four Energy Gates
The Four Energy Gates is a series of gentle acupressure movements to help create balance and support our overall well-being. The gentle massages are based on the traditional Chinese medicine understanding of the body as both physical and energy. The meridians are energy pathways that support our physical body and our emotional well-being. Good free flowing energy through the meridians helps to sustain our well-being. Acupuncture is one of the main treatment techniques to support the flow of energy through the meridians. The Four Energy Gates also help to support our meridians. We can think of them as Four Energy Gates for Well-being.
Dr. Sandra Y. Lewis, Author of Life in 4-Part Harmony ~ Get Everything in Your Life to Work With Everything Else in Your Life, is a clinical psychologist. She is a certified Medical Qigong Practitioner, Dragon’s Way Qigong® Instructor and yoga teacher. She continues her a long history of wellness education in her Wu Ming Qigong studies with Qigong Grand Master, Dr. Nan Lu. Dr. Lewis, Founder of The Living Source, is on a mission to uplift women. As a Personal Energy Strategist, she works with women to free themselves from exhaustion, stress, and feeling overwhelmed so that they have the energy to reconnect to their passion and bring their best to the people and projects that matter to them.
NOVEMBER 21, 2019 – THURSDAY
Healing Kitchen
Join us for an evening of delicious food, with discussion on holistic health, nutrition, and balance. We will also touch on the impact that both nutrition and stress relief have as they relate to healing and alkalinity within the body.
Chrissy’s mission as a Holistic Health Coach is to partner with her clients to achieve personal health and wellness goals by making gradual and effective changes to diet and lifestyle. Each client is unique in his or her health challenge and so individualized nutrition plans and weekly accountabilities are created together with her clients to ensure lasting change and continued success.
Chrissy holds a BA in Psychology from Brown University and a Masters in Business Administration from Seton Hall University. She is a graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition © in New York City and is Board Certified and an Accredited Member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.
OCTOBER 17, 2019 – THURSDAY
Essential Oils
Therapeutic grade essential oils have been shown to be exceptionally effective for supporting the body’s inherent ability to rebuild healthy cells even in the midst of imbalance and illness. We will be exploring the various ways essential oils can help support you in your healing and sharing essential oil protocols and recipes that have been successfully used to boost the immune system, mitigate the presence of damaged cells, and lessen the side effects of allopathic treatment.
Join us to “make and take” your own personal Roller Bottle EO blends that can help support cellular repair and healthy cell growth, energy boosts, immune support, sleep/anxiety, emotional support and physical pain. All essential oils used are dōTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade EOs.
Lizbeth Rizzo M.A. holds a Bachelors in Social Work and a Masters in Peace & Justice Studies. She is a Certified Social Worker, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Certified Energy/Reiki II Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, Aromatherapist, Reflexologist and Wellness Advocate. Lizbeth has over 30 years of experience in the healing arts, holistic health/wellness education, and social justice community. She has worked with diverse groups over the years, from children to the elderly. Her passion is in connecting the community, helping the marginalized, and empowering individuals to live their best life by exploring life paths and natural solutions that best fit their unique needs and circumstances.
https://www.lizbethrizzo.com
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 – THURSDAY
Sound Healing: Chakra Cleansing & Balancing
Sound healing with singing bowls can cleanse and balance the chakras, relieve stress, and bring the body into a state of deep relaxation that promotes healing.
Tracy will take you through a guided meditation where you will learn to use your breath, visualization techniques, mantras, and affirmations to reach the highest potential of each of your chakras. Turn your intentions into action in your life. Leave energized and relaxed!
Tracy is a sound healing practitioner and a reiki master who believes that vibrational energy is an integral part of the healing process for all of us. She guides her students to use the sound of the singing bowls, breath, positive affirmations, and mantras to cleanse and balance their energy centers and manifest their intentions. This enables students to get the energy flowing freely so that they can reach their highest creative potential. Tracy plays both the crystal and Himalayan singing bowls in group workshops and private sound healing sessions.
Tracy is an ERYT who received her 200-hour kundalini yoga certification from Kundalini Yoga East in New York and her 200-hour ashtanga based vinyasa yoga training at Urban Bliss Yoga in Charlotte, N.C. She received her training in the Himalayan bowls through the Atma Buti Sound and Vibrational School. In addition to private and group sessions, Tracy also brings yoga to corporate locations and works with public schools.
