On Saturday, May 19, from 10am-4pm, the community is invited to the Integrative Wellness Fair at Purity Spring Resort’s King Pine Lodge for a day dedicated to sharing inspiration and ways to improve well-being and reduce stress. The event is sponsored by Evergreen Institute for Wellness and Memorial Hospital, and features more than 50 exhibitors with free admission to the exhibitor hall.

The event offers many opportunities for people to understand more about the important connections between health, happiness and self-care. Four guest speakers and six stress-busting workshops are scheduled throughout the day.  Treatment booths offering private consultations and hands-on healing treatments will be available from 4-7pm by appointment, with fees paid to the practitioner.  Join yoga instructor Dixie Lea for yoga on the mountaintop at 4:30-5:45pm. Stay for dinner and a free evening lecture at 7:30pm by noted author and inspirational speaker, Scott Kiloby.

Free health screenings, wellness education, and other interactive programs will be available throughout the day.  “Functional Medicine: Healing the Health System” is the keynote address by Dr. Bethany Hays at 10:15am in the Fireside Room.  Dr. Hays is the medical director and a founding partner of True North Integrative Health Center in Falmouth, Maine, where her focus is functional medicine and women’s health.  Other speakers at 11:45am, 2pm and 3pm are Kenji Fukunaga, licensed acupuncturist; Warren Chin, MD, osteopathic physician; and Alison Shaw, NP, a certified energy medicine practitioner and licensed bodyworker.

Stress-busting workshops will include presentations on Reiki, body-breath-mind connections, art therapy, journey dance, and the Emotional Freedom Technique. A $10 pass provides access to all guest speakers and workshops and CMEs are available.

More information about the event and all of the activities is available at Evergreen’s website, evergreenforwellness.org, or call (603) 651-7475. A special pull-out supplement in the Conway Daily Sun on Thursday, May 17, contains the fair’s full schedule and participants.

“Fresh – new thinking about what we’re eating” is one of three award-winning films that will be shown at the Food & Film Festival on April 28 at KHS. The film, by ana Sofia joanes, celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people engaged in the reinvention of our food system. One of those profiled is Joel Salatin, above, on his organic and sustainable farm. (Photo credit: Polyface Farms)

On Saturday, April 28, Evergreen Institute for Wellness is joining other local businesses and organizations to put the spotlight on healthy eating at a “Food & Film Festival” at Kennett High School.  This free event runs from 10am to 3pm and offers activities that highlight the important connections between our food choices and their effects on the health of our bodies, our communities and our planet. 

Three films will be screened during the day that address different facets of today’s agriculture and the growing movement toward more local and sustainable food sources.  In partnership with Green Mountain Conservation Group, there will be a special showing of the award-winning documentary “Food, Inc.,” a critical look at the nation’s food industry and food supply, worker safety and the environment.  It features interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) and others.

The film “Fresh” by ana Sofia joanes celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing the food system. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.  “Sustainable Table” takes an unadulterated look into the food we eat, and how we can make a difference to our health and the environment by the food choices we make.

In addition to the films, there will be exhibits and demonstrations promoting nutritional awareness and healthy eating habits throughout the day.  Some of the sponsors and participants include the Local Grocer, Good Vibes Organic Coffee, Tamworth Farmers Market, Hannafords, Rafferty’s Restaurant, and many more.  Donations to Evergreen are welcome, and a variety of items will be available for sample and sale.

For more information about the Food & Film Festival, go to EvergreenForWellness.org, send email to evergreenforwellness@gmail.com, visit their Facebook page, or call 651-7475.

The endless search for contentment can manifest itself in addictive and harmful behaviors. The object of addiction  — food, drugs, gambling – doesn’t matter because the cycle can be very difficult to break. After a 20-year battle of his own with addiction, noted author and lecturer Scott Kiloby began “looking” in a different way.

He writes that he stopped turning away from negative thoughts and feelings from his past and looking for release in the future.  He began to face his suffering directly, and allow all negative and positive energies of thought, emotion, and sensation to simply be as they are. He began to rest and recognize presence as the stable foundation in which these energies temporarily come and go.

Scott travels across the U.S. and overseas giving talks on understanding our “non-dual presence”. He describes his message as “the Middle Way” — freedom from dualistic extremes.  “Each of us believes separation is real.  We believe we are separate people living in a world of other separate things and people,” Scott says.  “In that stage of our lives, we tend to emphasize ‘personal’ viewpoints about ourselves, others, and the world.”

“To say that we live in self-centeredness and conflict is not a moral judgment.  It’s a statement of fact,” he explains. “The good news is that awakening from this self-centered dream is possible in this lifetime.  This awakening reveals a depth of freedom and contentment that no relationship, job, material item, self-improvement plan, or other worldly accomplishment can bring. This level of freedom releases us from our endless seeking towards future fulfillment and lets our true loving nature shine through, into every area of life.”

He began inquiring into the nature of our belief in separation, how it arises, and how to make presence  primary in his life.  Scott discovered that the key to release from the addictive cycle exists in the one place addicts refuse to look—the present moment.

“This is about seeing through the belief in separation.  In the simple recognition of presence as our true nature, we go from being self-centered to being selfless.  That makes all the difference.  That seeing is what life is all about.  It’s why we are here on earth.”

In Scott’s workshops on non-duality, a person’s every position and belief is challenged, including belief about the self, others, our spirituality, and the world.  This allows those attending to open completely to the present moment – to unfold in a new way, free from identification with thought.

 “This freedom can never be captured by words,” Scott explains in his writings.  “It cannot be known as a belief or a mental position.  It is much too simple.  It is your very presence.  And yet words are all we have to communicate with each other.  In looking for freedom in the future, or in ideas about yourself, others, or the world, it is missed.

“In relaxing completely into the present moment, you see that it was never lost.  It is always and already here.  And this presence, this freedom of hereness, includes all stories of ourselves, others, and the world.  Once the belief in separation is seen through, we are free to experience and celebrate life in all its diversity.”

______________________

(Scott Kiloby is the author of “Love’s Quiet Revolution: The End of the Spiritual Search” and “Reflections of the One Life: Daily Pointers to Enlightenment.” His addiction and recovery program called “The Natural Rest Method: A Revolutionary, Simple Way to Overcome Any Addiction,” is scheduled for release this year.  On Saturday, May 19, at 7:30pm, Scott is offering a free presentation at Purity Spring Resort as part of Evergreen’s Integrative Wellness Fair.  On Sunday, May 20, he is doing a day-long “non-duality” workshop in Madison, hosted by the Eaton Satsang.

On Saturday, April 28, Evergreen Institute for Wellness is sponsoring a “Food & Film Festival” at Kennett High School from 10am to 3pm.  This free event offers fun family activities that highlight connections between what we eat and how we feel.  Exhibits and demonstrations promoting nutritional awareness and healthy eating habits will continue throughout the day.  In partnership with Green Mountain Conservation Group, there will be a special showing of the film “Food, Inc.”

“We want to encourage a greater understanding of the relationship between our diet and our health, between what we put on our plates and the health of our planet,” said Evergreen’s event coordinator Kat Alden. “Our festival will be a great place to learn more about the steps we can take to improve our nutrition and our environmental impact. “

Local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups will be among many food and nutrition based exhibitions at the festival.  Other organizations interested in participating in the festival should contact Evergreen. “There will be something for everyone to help improve their sense of wellness through a better relationship with food,” Alden said.

Evergreen is promoting the value of healthy eating habits and nutritional awareness. “Our organization’s community education focus in 2012 is food and nutrition,” said Susan Ruka, PhD RN, Evergreen’s board president. “The link between what we eat and how it makes us feel has never been better researched or in the public eye,” she said.  “Through Evergreen’s programs, we want to help people sort out the facts about wellness and nutrition. We want to encourage and inspire people to take action, to make changes in their own lives.”

For more information about the Food & Film Festival, go to EvergreenForWellness.org, send email to evergreenforwellness@gmail.com, or call 651-7475.

Evergreen Institute for Wellness has announced some of its upcoming special events for the new year, including an Integrative Wellness Fair on Saturday, May 19, at Purity Spring Resort in Madison.  The day-long activities are being offered in partnership with Memorial Hospital and its medical practitioners.  From 10am to 4pm, the public is invited to participate in a wide variety of health screenings, wellness education, workshops and interactive programs.  “Stress-Busting Workshops,” presentations on acupuncture, nutrition, osteopathy and more will be available throughout the day.

Designed to treat body and soul as one, “integrative medicine” combines the best of traditional health care with the holistic arts and therapies. Evergreen expects more than 50 exhibitors at the event as they join with Memorial Hospital to promote wellness through education about integrative modalities and how they can help prevent disease.  From 4-7pm, a special “Treatment” area will offer people the opportunity to personally experience some of the integrative therapies.  The weekend will conclude on Sunday with a special keynote presentation.

“We’re very excited to bring this full day of opportunities to the Mt. Washington Valley community,” said event coordinator Kat Alden.  “Good health begins with an understanding of wellness and each individual’s potential for improving his or her own well-being.  Evergreen is committed to providing the knowledge, skills and inspiration that encourage people to take responsibility for their own health.”

Scott McKinnon, president and CEO of Memorial Hospital, said the hospital and its providers are pleased to partner with Evergreen as a sponsor of the event.  “We appreciate having the opportunity to share our knowledge of more conventional modalities of care that can be combined with integrative approaches to further promote wellness and improved self-care.”

Planning is already underway and the organization is looking for sponsors and exhibitors to make the day a big success.  Special pricing is available for non-profit exhibitors. More information about the event, along with sponsorship, advertising and exhibitor forms are available for download at Evergreen’s website, evergreenforwellness.org.  For more information, call Kat Alden at 651-7475 or email evergreenforwellness@gmail.com.

An opportunity for beginners to experience Iyengar Form Yoga is the final program in this year’s fitness series offered by Evergreen Institute for Wellness.  On Friday, Dec. 2, from 6-7:30pm, certified instructor Suzanne Silvermoon will lead the class at her Blue Pearl Yoga Studio in Lovell, Maine.

Iyengar Yoga was created by B.K.S. Iyengar, and is a form of Hatha Yoga known for its use of props, such as belts, blocks and blankets, as aids in performing asanas (postures).  According to Silvermoon, Beginner Iyengar Form Yoga is designed to provide new yoga students with a foundational awareness of body, mind and spirit through the practice of the asanas.

“By using yoga props, students are guided into supported and modified expressions of the yoga poses so that proper body alignment is maintained,” Silvermoon explained.  The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimizing the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible to both young and old.  “This helps to foster a sense of security and safety – especially for beginners – as each individual expresses the pose to their greatest degree,” she said. 

Iyengar Yoga practice is said to be deeply nourishing to the nervous system with a major emphasis placed on proper breathing. Yoga has been shown to boost the immune system, reduces stress, and creates strength, balance, flexibility and stillness.  “We maintain a nurturing, non-competitive environment that encourages heart-centered self love and compassion,” Silvermoon said.

Suzanne Silvermoon is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500) and Yoga Therapy Practitioner with 30 years of personal practice experience in a wide variety of styles. She also brings to her teaching the knowledge of working as a holistic nurse for the past 16 years.  Her Blue Pearl Yoga Studio is located at 411 Main Street in Lovell, Maine, above the Lovell Hardware Store.  The class is free and open to all with a $10 suggested donation to Evergreen Institute for Wellness.

For more information or to register for Friday’s class, contact Suzanne Silvermoon at (207) 831-0868 or email indigo.8.yoga@gmail.com.  

EXPLORE LIFE/ART/DANCE

            Dance, movement and imagery can help people express difficult experiences and bring about a return to health and wellness. At the next Evergreen Institute for Wellness program, dancer Jeanne Limmer invites the community to join her in a workshop that uses the healing expressive arts in an individual and personal way.  “Life/Art/Dance” takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6-7:30pm at Limmer’s Dance Center in North Conway, and is open to participants of all ages and experience.

            Inspired by the work of Anna Halprin’s “Returning to Health with Dance, Movement and Imagery,” Limmer creates the program using her own experience as a dancer who had breast cancer. “Through these workshops, I hope to share dance, movement and imagery – but they are based on your experiences, your feelings and reactions to the life you are living,” Limmer said. “I’m a cancer survivor,” she said. “Dancing as well as world medicine kept me alive, but dancing keeps me alive inside.”

            “Dance moves life’s energies through us and out to create flow. Holding in and holding on can create a feeling of being stuck, which can sometimes settle in as sickness,” she explained. “Your cells can hear your thoughts, so we use art and dance to create a pleasant environment for them.”

            Anna Halprin, the dancer whose work inspired Limmer, is an early pioneer in the expressive arts healing movement.  She has long been committed to a belief in the connection between movement and the healing power of dance. Today at age 91, Halprin continues to make revolutionary and award-winning work exploring the beauty of the aging body and its relationship to nature.  She continues to perform, travel and teach, living by her adage “Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint.”

            Participants should wear comfortable clothing and bring a journal or a sketch pad. There is a $10 donation request to Evergreen.  To register or for more information, call Jeanne Limmer at 356-3422.

PHOTO:  Jeanne Limmer invites the community to participate in “Life/Art/Dance” at her North Conway dance center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6-7:30pm, sponsored by Evergreen Institute for Wellness.

Moore, who now lives in New Hampshire, has written numerous books on spirituality and lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and the arts. He has a Ph. D. in religion from Syracuse University, an honorary doctorate from Lesley University and the Humanitarian Award from Einstein Medical School of Yeshiva University.  In his latest book, “Care of the Soul in Medicine,” he shares his vision for improving health care by “healing a person rather than simply treating a body.”  He recently discussed some of his compelling ideas for achieving it.

Moore asks what the patient first experiences when they enter a healthcare building. Does it feel like the entrance to a medical labyrinth, with glass barriers separating patients from staff?  Or is it an atmosphere of vision and detail that reaches out to comfort the patient’s soul?  “We fail to value beauty and style these days,” he says, noting the dwindling importance of the arts in our society.  “The soul responds to symbols and ritual images – these can be easily articulated in health care through the use of artwork, flowing water, gardens, aromas, appealing (“soulful”) food, and a quiet environment.

“Hospitals need to be beautiful and comforting as well as functional,” he continues. “One of the chief problems for patients being admitted to the hospital is leaving the comfort and familiarity of home, as well as proximity to family members,” he says. “I often recommend to hospitals that they try to bridge the gap by making the hospital experience more like home.  In illness, small things matter a great deal.”

While researching his book, Moore met with doctors and nurses in a variety of settings, from medical schools to inner city emergency departments.  He understands the demands of education, technology, and the daily stress of healthcare settings.  Sharing stories from his own personal and professional life, he calls upon health care providers to better understand their own psychological makeup as one way to improve their relationships with patients and colleagues. 

“Is medicine a job or a calling” he asks, stating his belief that the foundation of medical practice is service to humanity.  His research found that among medical doctors, the happiest are family physicians.  “Doctors who practice family medicine say that they like treating people over the course of their lives and getting to know families, not just individuals.” He explains, “If you think of medicine primarily as care rather than as treatment, you can appreciate the value of dealing with families.”

Moore sees integrative medicine as a natural doorway for allowing soul and spirit into the medical world.  Collaborations like the one between Evergreen Institute for Wellness and Memorial Hospital offer a beginning point for development of true partnerships.

“Integrative medicine often involves a group of services that are adjunct to the usual Western treatments,” he explains.  “Massage, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, yoga, meditation, creative and expressive arts – all of these can be useful and successful,” Moore says. “But I envision integrative medicine going beyond a list of services. I hope to see the day soon when a patient can get a comprehensive analysis of his problem and a range of treatments that are truly integrated.”

Moore thinks several current trends may be helpful in moving medicine toward a better, more “soulful” future.  Growth in the aging population, technology, and hospice services mean more people receive care in their homes.  “When the treatment takes place at home, the patient has a chance to heal or to die in a context of life as it has been rather than in the more impersonal environment of a hospital,” he says. “Clearly, that is a more soulful situation.”

In many settings, nurses and nurse practitioners are providing a greater amount of patient care.  Writing that nurses “have a special calling,” Moore focuses on the importance of care as part of healing, not just treatment. “Nurses have a long tradition of caring for people and their families,” he says, “and not being so focused on the technology of healing. Nurses are motivated by an attitude of care; doctors with an attitude of technical treatment.  I would like to see the doctors shift a bit, still enjoying their competency for treatment while taking a more serious caring approach to patients.”

He offers healing guidance for patients and families as they navigate the existing health care culture.  “I recommend that patients assert themselves and present themselves as individuals,” he says. “Some caregivers might be put off by this, hoping for a more compliant patient. But I think we are better served by educating our caregivers, letting them know how important it is to be treated as an individual and as a person,” he says.  He encourages people to take an active part in healing and to view serous illness as a transition – a positive passage to new awareness.

The extent to which healing and attitude are linked isn’t fully understood, but Moore gives advice to both providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity.  “Science has advanced, but not the philosophical and spiritual aspects of healing,” he says.  “It’s difficult to deal with disease in a holistic manner today as we move in the opposite direction, toward more specialization and impersonal science-dominated care.”  Evidence-based medicine is reasonable, he says, “but where is the soul?” 

Don't miss Thomas Moore's visit to the Valley on Oct. 1.

More than 20 years before she would put into motion the founding of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, Helen Bigelow Merriman wrote, “Surely the physician’s art is, or should be, the art of health rather than the art of sickness.”   Mrs. Merriman was keenly aware of the relationship between healing and a person’s inner well-being when, in 1888, she penned her book, “What Shall Make Us Whole:  Thoughts in the Direction of Man’s Spiritual and Physical Integrity.”

Today, as Memorial Hospital celebrates its 100^th anniversary, it is partnering with Evergreen Institute for Wellness to offer a special event focused on an integrative approach to medicine and healing.  On Saturday, Oct. 1, best-selling author Thomas Moore will take center stage at the Theater in the Wood to offer his insights on “A Healthy Body, Soul and Spirit: Caring for the Soul in Medicine and in our Ordinary Lives.” An author and psychotherapist, Moore has written numerous books on cultivating spirituality, including “Care of the Soul”, “Writing in the Sand,” and “Life at Work.”  Moore’s contemporary voice aligns well with Mrs. Merriman’s early vision of the importance and value of treating the whole person. 

Born in Detroit to an Irish Catholic family, Moore has devoted his life to the study of theology, world religions, psychology, the history of art, and world mythology. His newly published book, “Care of the Soul in Medicine,” represents his vision for improving health care by treating patients as whole persons – body, soul, and spirit.  Today, more than 100 years after Mrs. Merriman’s writings, Moore’s message is one for all healthcare practitioners, patients and caregivers to embrace.  “The future of medicine is not only in new technical developments and research discoveries; it is also in appreciating the state of soul and spirit in illness,” he says in his book.

Moore encourages healthcare providers and patients to re-examine their interpretation of illness and helps to clarify, in practical terms, what it means to give and receive care.  Dr. Deb Butterfield, an integrative psychotherapist and member of Evergreen’s board of directors, says Evergreen is committed to expanding people’s understanding about a holistic or integrative approach to wellness.  “We believe that best practice in treating an illness involves treatment of the whole person,” she explained. “An integrative approach addresses emotional, spiritual, mental and physical needs.  It brings back meaning to all that is happening for the patient and all that the health care provider and the institution such as a hospital is doing in their role and capacity as a facilitator of healing.”

According to Butterfield, the co-sponsorship between Evergreen and Memorial models the integration that the organization seeks to create and encourage.  “Some of the most successful models for true integrative practice in the U.S. exist in settings where a hospital and a non-profit such as Evergreen have come together,” she said. “For the residents of Mt. Washington Valley and practitioners who seek to live and practice here, there is the potential to take practical and relatively easy steps to bring Mrs. Merriman’s vision to its fullest expression.”

Scott McKinnon, Memorial Hospital’s CEO, echoed those sentiments.  “We are very pleased to have an opportunity to partner with Evergreen and to have several of our Memorial Hospital providers speak on the topic of emerging ways to treat the mind, body and spirit,” he said. “Our hospital’s founder wrote passionately about this approach more than a hundred years ago, and we feel that we are coming full circle to address what she described as ‘the art of health rather than the art of sickness’.”

The day’s activities begin with Moore’s presentation from 10-11:30am, followed by a break for lunch, which is available on-site for purchase from The Local Grocer. Moore will be available to sign copies of his book. The afternoon program kicks off at 12:30pm and features several Memorial Hospital practitioners discussing their approaches to the integration of holistic health in a modern medical practice. 

These half-hour sessions include “Acupuncture in Family Medicine” by Angus Badger, MD; “Whole Women/Whole Health” with Kerrie Trumble-Curtin, CNM, APRN and Linda Haller, MD; “Osteopathic Options in Family Medicine” by Warren Chin, DO; “Engaging your Provider to Better Manage your Health” by Leona Cloutier, APRN Nurse Practitioner; and “The Future of Healthcare – The Patient Centered Model” with Raymond Rabideau, MD. The afternoon program concludes with a Q&A roundtable discussion.

Tickets are $25 for the whole day, and 5 hours of CMEs are available for healthcare professionals. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.evergreenforwellness.org or at the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce website, www.mtwashingtonvalley.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person at Memorial Hospital’s Quality Department or Marketing & Development Office.  Seating is limited so early reservations are encouraged.  Questions can be directed to evergreenforwellness@gmail.com or (603) 651-7475.

Evergreen Institute for Wellness is celebrating the Fall Equinox with a free all-day yoga event on Saturday, Sept. 24 at The Community School in South Tamworth. The day represents a gift to the community from Evergreen as it seeks to inspire and inform individual health and wellness. Starting at 9:00am, Carlene Sullivan of Symmetree Yoga, Pasha Marlowe of Holland Hill Yoga Studio, and Kripalu-certified instructor Sharon Boggess will be joined by other Valley yogis in offering yoga classes every hour on the hour until 4:00pm.

Carlene Sullivan of Symmetree Yoga

Evergreen board president Patricia McMurry points to the growing collaboration of health and healing practitioners as a means of improving the public’s health. “Evergreen is working with many of these professionals as a way to provide people with affordable and accessible wellness services in the Valley,” she said. “We’re offering this free event as an opportunity for people to explore the basics of yoga or to expand their current knowledge. This will be a fun day that celebrates the new season – one which represents a time of plenty as well as a time of change.”

This event is intended for everyone regardless of age or amount of experience. There will be classes for beginners, family yoga, balance and meditation, and ongoing Sun Salutations. Pose modifications for specific individual needs can also be accommodated. People are encouraged to take part in the yoga classes but they are also welcome to observe and simply enjoy the day.

Carlene Sullivan is known locally for her Snow Goddess appearances that seemingly can bring lots of powder to Valley ski areas. “Our intention for the day is to bring good fortune, seasonably good weather, peace, love and happiness to all in the Mt. Washington Valley,” she said.

Healthy snacks and fresh organic vegetables grown at the Community School will be available, along with fresh baked goods donated by Sunnyfield Bakery in Wonalancet. The event will take place rain or shine. Those wishing to participate in the yoga classes are encouraged to bring a yoga mat or towel, a water bottle, and to wear comfortable clothes.

For more information, email evergreenforwellness@gmail.com or call 651-7475.