Winter Wellness Workshops at Strong & Healthy Smiles — Free!

A Taste of Mindfulness

This experiential workshop offers an introduction to the benefits of cultivating mindfulness, particularly in regard to reducing stress and enhancing overall wellness. For more than 30 years, the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has help people discover and utilize their own inner resources for bringing balance, health, and peace of mind to their lives. This introductory workshop offers a “taste” of what a personal mindfulness practice can offer. It is suitable for all adults, regardless of any health challenges. People coping with stress, pain and illness are especially welcome.

Participants will:

•		Experience a variety of mindfulness practices including some meditation
•		Learn about a variety of options for developing their own practice
•		Receive a list of recommended books, audio programs and other resources
•		Learn why mindfulness practices are being studied and recommended by health professionals to    help reduce harmful effects from the stress that seems so inevitable in today’s world.

About the presenter:

David Spound, M.Ed., first learned meditation as a teenager, and over the years he has studied with teachers from a variety of meditative and contemplative traditions. David began mindfulness practice while searching for relief from debilitating back pain that had intensified over several years.

As a participant in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, David experienced a dramatic reduction in pain and a corresponding improvement in overall wellness. Inspired by his experience and his interactions with other participants, he enrolled in teacher training at UMass Medical School's Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, a department co-founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., developer of MBSR.

David founded Valley Mindfulness (www.valleymindfulness.com) and currently offers local mindfulness-based health programs. David is also a teacher of MBSR and staff member at the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School in Worcester.

Contact David Spound at his Web site: ValleyMindfulness.com...

Foot Reflexology

Reflexology is a natural system of healing which traces its roots back to ancient China and Egypt. It is based on the theory that there are reflex points in the soles of our feet that relate to the entire body. Through the 7,200 nerve endings in our feet and the energy pathways known in Chinese medicine, Reflexology transmits a healing message throughout the body, establishing a flow of vital energy and a connection to the earth we walk on which is essential to a balanced and healthy life.

In this presentation Anya will give an overview of Reflexology and present ways to enhance your dental wellness with tools to target the teeth, neck and head reflexes on your feet. Not only can this improve overall health but can also assist with pain management and temporomandibular dysfunction. In addition, you will learn how Reflexology can help you relax, release stress, muscular holding patterns, daily tensions and create optimal health.

Anya Hricko is the founder/director of the Pioneer Valley Reflexology offering private sessions, workshops and Professional Reflexology training. Anya was on the leading edge of Reflexology receiving Certification in the early 1970’s. She is a Master Reflexologist who has been featured on radio, TV and in several publications. She brings to her profession 35 years of clinical experience and 30 years of teaching experience with a diverse and eclectic background offering a unique blend of skill, competence and depth to her work and teaching.

For more information visit: www.anyahricko.com

Therapeutic Essential Oils For Physical and Emotional Harmony

Calm your nerves, vanquish a migraine, breathe easier, focus better, sleep more deeply, sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Our sense of smell is the most primal way we take in the world, and our nose is the only sense organ wired directly to our brain. So what does this mean? Amazingly, we humans have the capability to distinguish over 10,000 different scents through the cilia (fine hairs lining the nose) which activate olfactory nerve cells in the nasal cavity, sending impulses to the limbic brain. The limbic brain is directly connected to the systems of our body that control the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress level and hormone balance as well as our moods, emotions and learning. The good news is that our stored traumas and fears, as well as stored physical pain, can be more easily accessed and released by fragrance, the way the smell of cookies baking calms many people down.

Essential Oils have been proven effective to gently shift Dental Anxiety and other stressors such as ADD, anxiety and depression. It can be that simple! Come play with fragrance for an hour and hear how our most primal sense affects our entire being. Bring your body aches and stress and leave them at the door!

Jessica Waters, Licensed Spiritual Healer and Certified Raindrop Practitioner will show you how to harness the potency of therapeutic grade essential oils for physical and emotional harmony.

Somatic Experiencing ™

Somatic Experiencing ™ is a gentle and profound leading edge approach developed by Dr. Peter Levine to resolve and heal both big and small traumas and create more balance and ease in daily life. Somatic Experiencing reconnects us to our innate body wisdom allowing the body to inform the healing process through guided “felt sense” letting us know what needs to happen in order to "renegotiate" and heal trauma and distress in a non-overwhelming way. In addition, Somatic Experiencing offers life giving tools that you can immediately use in your life to self-soothe, nourish, resource and regulate your own nervous system. A less stressed nervous system is more flexible, resilient and able to handle life’s challenges with more ease enhancing our well-being, vitality and enjoyment of life.

This presentation will include experiential practices that you can use to deepen states of relaxation, reduce stress and begin to shift trauma imprints. These self care tools can be very useful in assisting you to have a more relaxed and optimal dental experience. You will also learn safe ways to release any stress after treatments so you can rest and recover with more ease. Anya is also available for private sessions to support your treatments and healing work.

Anya Hricko is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner™, Somatic Coach and Somatic Movement Therapist currently completing her PhD in Somatic Psychology. Her professional practice is a synthesis of over 30 years of training and experience in body/mind integration with extensive experience in somatic approaches. Anya is passionate about assisting others in discovering how connecting with their body wisdom can bring more ease, creativity and well being into their lives and work. Anya is available for private sessions, coaching, workshops and consultations. To learn more, please visit: www.anyahricko.com

I Haven't Got Time For The Pain

Helpful Homeopathic Remedies For Dental Work

•		Do you dread having dental work done?
•		Is your mouth a place of very great sensitivity?
•		Have you had more dental problems than you’d like, even though you practice good dental hygiene?
•		Do you want a way to heal more quickly from dental procedures like root canals or extractions, and with less pain?
•		Do you have difficulty tolerating prescription pain medications?

If (like me) you can answer YES to any one of these questions, then this workshop is for you!

In the comfortable and welcoming setting of Dr. Sue Keller’s office, you can hear about some homeopathic remedies that (I know from first-hand experience) are very effective in helping with any of these concerns.

You will also:

•		Learn how homeopathic remedies might be used for an acute dental issue.
•		Gain insight about how and why homeopathic remedies deeply support your body and mind to heal from dental procedures.
•		Learn how homeopathy can increase your body’s inner ability to keep at a higher level of dental health

My Background:  I have studied Classical Homeopathy from among the best known and respected homeopaths in England (School of Homeopathy, Devon) and The Netherlands (Hahnemann Instutuut, The Hague), as well as in the U.S.  My combination of knowledge and experience in Homeopathy and in Authentic Movement enables me to provide high quality Classical Homeopathy to individuals, and do so from a perspective of breadth and depth that is uniquely my own.  I encourage people to:

Get Homeopathy and Live Well!

You can contact Alison at (413) 527-7060.