Is your week busy and a bit stressful?  Would you like to take a break for some healthy conversation and quiet time?   Have a miniature getaway in the middle of your week?

Join us every Wednesday from 12:15 – 1:00 pm for our Mid-week Munch and Meditate. Bring your own lunch, and we’ll gather at 12:15 to chat about a wellness topic of interest while we eat. After lunch, we’ll take some time for quiet meditation and relaxation, and wrap it up by 1:00.

Each week, we’ll look at one of the Ten Essentials for Wellness from our free e-book. You can download it by clicking here if you don’t have one already. Cost is only $5 per session.

Registration not required, but helpful – e-mail assist@womeninwellnessmd.com

For more information contact Cara Michele at 410-296-4028

by Claudette Gadsden-Hrobak

I am a DOVe, Daughter of the Village.  We are all daughters of the village.  As daughters we are innocence, gentleness, tenderness and peace.  We continually learn who we are while striving to be our authentic selves.  We must take our time and learn everything we can about us.  Then and only then, will we know what is really important to us.  It is never to late to learn more about you or how to take better care of you.  Do it for your daughters; the daughter within you, the biological daughter, adopted daughter or any other daughter in your village.

I found a book a few months ago and the title caught my attention, Educating Our Daughters.  Lynn White, Jr who at the time was President of Mills College in Oakland California wrote this book in 1949.  Imagine that, a man who understood the importance of educating our daughters differently than we educate our sons.

A young mother wrote Mr. White a letter stating, “I have come to realize that I was educated to be a successful man and now must learn by myself how to be a successful woman.”  It is time we teach our young women how to be successful in their own way, time and space.  Teach them how to be successful daughters and in turn successful women.  How many of us have used the phrase, “If I knew then what I know now…” It is time that our daughters and our sisters learn ‘it’ now.  The ‘it’ is whatever they want it to be.

Allow our daughters to be daughters.  Allow them to grow into their own greatness.  I remember reading a passage quite a few years ago about hormonal changes of teenage girls.  I was looking for answers on helping my angel, most of the times anyway, be the best she could be.  It talked about parents who expect their daughters to be little girls when at home and big girls when they are away from home.  Our daughters become confused because we give them different messages at different times.  They sometimes forget when they should be the little girls versus the big girls.

Some of us may say that we had to grow up.  There was no time to be a little girl.  Does this mean that our daughters must repeat the cycle?  Most mothers want more for their kids, physically and emotionally, than they had.  Imagine how different your life would be if as a young woman you took the time to learn all about you and what was important to you.

Will you commit to building positive self-esteem and inspiring your daughters to reach their full potential?  I will!

Women in Wellness and Evolutionary Women Invite You to Join us for a Weekend Retreat

“Thriving in Turbulent Times”

Just about everyone is feeling some  turbulence these days – but how we ride the waves is up to us!   Join us for a weekend of exploring spiritual and practical tools for navigating life’s twists and turns smoothly.

facilitated by…

• Lucky Sweeny, founder of Evolutionary Women
• Cara Michele Nether, Gina Cawley, and Claudette Gadsden-Hrobak of Women in Wellness
• Chef Jenn Huey, owner of Bringing Home the Basil

plus…

• enjoy some time away for yourself
• meet other wonderful women
• walk in the woods or the labyrinth
• meditation and yoga
• participate in cooking and eating delicious and healthy meals with Chef Jenn

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 1,  6:00pm  thru  Sunday, Oct. 3, 3:00pm

WHERE: The Land Celebration, 43 beautiful acres located about 2.5 hours from Baltimore in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

COST: $375 includes food and lodging;   $350 early bird price if paid in full before 9/15/2010   (transportation not included,  but we are happy to help arrange carpooling)

Accommodations are very nice bunk beds in the beautiful new house, shared bathrooms,  access to kitchen, living room and meditation room.

Think of it as a slumber party with 15 of your favorite women!!

Register now, and bring a friend!  Space is limited to 16 participants, and early-bird price is good thru Sept 15.

Click Here to download flier and registration form.  (You must have Adobe Reader in order to open this file.  You can download it for free Here.)

Questions? email gina@womeninwellnessmd.com or call 410-296-4028

Need a walking buddy?  Sometimes going for a walk is more fun if you have someone to do it with!

We continue to be inspired by our experience at the Baltimore Women’s Classic.  Every Saturday morning starting this Saturday, August 14,  we will be meeting at Heart’s Gate Wellness Center at 9:00am to go for a walk.  We’ll walk across the street to Goucher College and take a 30 minute walk.  All women and all levels of walkers are welcome to participate.

If you have any questions, contact dondra@womeninwellnessmd.com

It’s a great way to start your weekend!  See you there!

by Charlene Muhammad

We’ve been getting a lot of inquiry about the beautifully decorated tins gracing our waiting area at Heart’s Gate Wellness Center. I’d like to introduce you to the Women in Wellness custom tea line.

Women in Wellness custom tea is a brainchild of Porsche Klemm (co-owner of Mortar & Pestle Apothecary) and me. In 2009, we had the idea to begin a tea line called “Infiniti-teas” a unique blend of teas formulated to support certain aspects of health like women’s menstrual time (Femini-tea), hot-flashes and other menopause symptoms (Menopause-ease Tea ), seasonal allergies (Pranana-ease Tea) and detoxification (Liver up! & Magic Mineral Tea). The formulation of our teas includes the energetic use of a specific gem stone to augment the healing properties of the tea.

Cara Michele liked the idea of the teas and selected certain blends that she felt would meet the needs of our clients here at Women in Wellness.  These teas are available for purchase at Heart’s Gate Wellness Center – any of the practitioners can assist you with your purchase.

So why herbal tea?

Herbal tea is one of the oldest forms of medicine known to humanity. Indigenous people all over the earth have discovered the healing properties of their native “materia medicia” or native botanical species. So whether you live in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa or the Americas, there are healing plants that support and sustain life. Nature’s medicine. Most modern day pharmaceuticals are either derivatives of an herbal plant constituent or “chemical” property, or synthetic representations of such constituent. For example, Aspirin was originally made from the bark of the White Willow Tree. Now the properties of this tree bark is synthetically produced to provide the same analgesic effect that a strong cup of White Willow Tree Bark would provide.

Since herbal teas are basically “food” – being the leaves, fruits and roots of plants just like lettuce, tomatoes and turnips are basically leaves, fruits and roots of plants- they are designed by Mother Nature to do just what food does: sustain life! Herbs are “living” just like whole foods are so they provide us with “energy” unlike something that is manmade like a synthetic pharmaceutical.

The herbs that we selected for Women in Wellness custom tea blends are all safe to use and are designed as pre-packaged products so you don’t need a consultation to purchase them. An herbal consultation is always recommended for assistance with specific health ailments or goals. During an herbal consultation, I learn about your health history, challenges and goals. I also take a look at your energetic pattern for engaging life and then custom-formulate a tea blend that is specific for you. I also take into consideration any medications or other physical limitations that herbs may effect and then choose the herbs accordingly.

Herbal tea is a perfect remedy for supporting our health. I recommend that an herbal tea remedy be the first option in most common ailments like seasonal colds, allergies, and digestive upsets. Herbal teas are also good to supporting headaches, PMS and menopausal symptoms. For more challenging health issues, herbs can also be used effectively along with prescription medicines, but it is best to work with a professional herbalist to assure safety.

This fall, Women in Wellness and Evolutionary Women will join together for a weekend retreat at The Land Celebration, a beautiful 43-acre tract set in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, about 2.5 hours west of Baltimore.   The land is home to three labyrinths, and the woods are laced with walking trails linking many beautiful meditation spots.   What a great place to bring together a group of women to explore all the possibilities that lie within and around us!

Stay tuned for many more details – but mark the dates on your calendar NOW!!  The retreat will be held Friday, October 1 through Sunday, October 3, 2010.

If you want to reserve your spot early (space is limited to 16 participants), let Gina know at gina@womeninwellnessmd.com.

We hope you will join us!

by Claudette Gadsden-Hrobak

If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind.  If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.      Ann Richards

Women are brought up to believe that it is their responsibility to care for the world.  We are nurturers.  It is a part of our DNA.  When we are little girls, we are expected to be the mom, nurse or the babysitter when we play house.  We are expected to be the teacher when we play school.  All wonderful roles and all roles of caregiver to some extent.

We watch our mothers and grandmothers care for the family, while caring for the neighbors and the neighbors kids.  What we rarely, if ever, see is our mothers and grandmothers caring for themselves.  Every now and then you would get a quick glimpse, if you were careful and quiet, of the exhaustion lines on their faces.  I would walk pass my grandmother and catch a quick glimpse of that exhaustion until she realized that I was there.  The she would smile that reassuring smile which told the world that all was well.

When I was growing up, no one in my world ever said, “Sit down and relax”, “Take a vacation with the girls” or “Spend a day at a spa.”  I do remember my mother telling me to be all that I could be.  She pushed me to try new things.  She convinced me to attend a high school outside of my neighborhood and away from my friends because it offered more opportunities.  She pushed me to see a world outside of our own, but it never included caring for the whole me.  She could not share with me what was not shared with her.

We are finally realizing how important it is to care for ourselves.  Every woman’s magazine in publication has articles pertaining to ‘self-help’.  The topics include sex, marriage, how to find the sexiest swimsuits, stress-free hairstyles, lifestyles, entertainment and the single life.  There are some but very few articles about caring for self.  If we don’t care for self, how will we care for others?

We must start early with teaching our girls, our daughters and our sisters how important it is to care for self.  Let’s help them to know how important it is to please themselves first.  When they are happy, the world around them is happy.  In order to please others, we must start with pleasing ourselves.  Too many of our sisters are focused on pleasing and caring for others with little or no regard for themselves.

I realized when my daughter was about 3 years old that she needed to tell me all about her day away from me and I needed to have a few minutes to unwind.  We made an agreement that she would allow me 20 minutes to unwind, then she could have my attention for the rest of the evening.  What a wonderful plan.  I had time to re-energize and she had a mother who was more calm, patient and attentive.  It also taught her the importance of caring for self.

I chose to refocus my practice on young women, 25 and under, because they need early lessons in caring for self.  When they understand, as young women, that they are the most important person in their life, they make better choices.  When they are allowed to make non-life threatening choices early in life, choosing what is best for them becomes much easier as they become adults.  They are our future and have gifts to share with the world.  Help them to see the joys of Taking care of You!

4 cups fresh orange juice (about 8 oranges)
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 1/2 cups semisweet sparkling wine
3 orange slices, halved (optional)

Place orange juice and raspberries in a blender; process until smooth. Pour juice mixture into a pitcher; stir in wine. Serve over ice. Garnish with orange slices, if desired.

You’re invited… Thursday, July 29th 7:00 – 8:30pm
Soul Journey guided by the Native American Flute

with Jan Seiden

 If you could hear the song of your soul calling to you from Creation, how would you answer?
 
In the supportive space of the workshop, Jan uses the sounds of the Native American flutes to guide us on a journey by sound and imagery to a place of inner stillness and fluidity with Spirit.  Each participant is supported on their journey with an in-depth personalized experience of “sound vibration.”  Sound and resonance can open new levels of awareness of psycho-spiritual states, offering us a path to being in balance and harmony.  The Soul Journey integrates the vibrational healing qualities of the Native American flute with breath techniques to explore the energy body in a unique way.
 
Participants explore novel techniques for stress and pain management.  Jan’s flutes guide us in exploring the relationship between intentional, nourishing sound and our states of consciousness.  Sound and resonance can induce a deeply meditative level of consciousness, and open new levels of awareness of psycho-spiritual states.  Combined with breath work, the music channeled through Jan’s flutes guides us in gaining new soul-level awareness of our direct connection to Creation and our paths. 

COST: $35
To register, call 410-296-4028 or email dondra@womeninwellnessmd.com

To learn more about Jan Seiden, visit her at: www.janseiden.com or at www.facebook.com/janseiden
 
“The flute offers a voice through which the soul can sing, it gives us the gift of hearing the essential wisdom of our souls.”  ~Jan Seiden

by Charlene Muhammad

I had the great privilege of participating in the Baltimore Women’s Classic 5k run the last weekend of June along with 2500 women.  (That’s me on the left in the photo, with Stacey and Dondra shortly after we finished the race!)  This 5k run is considered a “classic” because it is one of the first all-women’s running event in the country! For over 35 years, women from around the metropolitan Baltimore-DC area – and now nationally and internationally- join this event for both competitive and non-competitive fun. Having participated in many racing events over the years, the Baltimore Women’s Classic is by far the most spirit-filled running event I’ve attended.

Women of all ages participated in this race: running, walking or skipping along enjoying one another’s company and appreciating the benefit of physical activity together as a sisterhood.  The age categories included one for women between the ages of 70 and 79 years of age! I must confess that I was humbled that the first place winner of this event (age 75) ran the race 4 minutes faster than I did. What an incentive for me to keep up my personal duty of exercise!

Exercise is described as our need to “practice or exert [energy] in order to train, strengthen or develop” ourselves. Physical exercise makes it “real” since living in our bodies requires that we pay attention to the sensations needed to maneuver through life. Since physical exercise most definitely assures that we will “feel” it- it is best to choose an activity that will also suit us body, mind and spirit.

Running is foremost a mental exercise for me. I love to run outdoors, no matter what the weather, because I have a strong desire to appreciate nature and I desire to do this daily. Running provides me with time to think. Since my mind moves pretty quickly most of the time, running helps me feel as though my body is moving in time with my thoughts.

Next to running, yoga is my exercise of choice. Although yoga is also my personal lifestyle practice- Hatha yoga or the physical asana practice is only one aspect of yoga- it does provide me with another vehicle to practice synchronizing my body with my mind and heart.

Our bodies are designed for a life of movement- we were not born to be sedentary couch potatoes! Just as we must exercise our minds through reading, listening and absorbing information to gain knowledge, and exercise our hearts by practicing the art of relationships, we must not forget that physical exercise, too, assures a life of fulfillment. Our body is our temple. Temples represent sacred places for the spirit to dwell. With that understanding, exercising becomes more than a painful chore. Our daily exercise practice becomes a thing of beauty.