LocalNews!  GoodNews!

Halloween Candy Buy-Back

In an effort to "take a stand against childhood tooth decay while helping those in need," Dr. Kevin Flood, DDS, of Dental Health & Wellness Center (DHWC) in Grand Rapids, will pay children $1.00 per pound of Halloween candy on November 1 from 9 to 11 a.m. The candy will be donated to the art departments at several local school systems, to the "Road Trips Before Bedtime" program, and to the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts for Christmas art projects for children.

The buy-back takes place at DHWC, 4990 Cascade S.E. Dr. in Grand Rapids. For more information call 616-974-4990.

Health Seminars Offered at Nature’s Market

Nature's Market in Holland will host health classes every Wednesday in October, beginning with "Sugar Blues" on October 1. Additional classes include "Keeping Yeast Under Control," on October 8; "Inflammation," on October 15; "Raw Food," on October 22; and "From Savory to Sweet," on October 29. All classes are free and run from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

For complete class descriptions, see the Calendar section. To register or for more information, visit Nature’s Market at 1013 S. Washington, call 616-394-5250, or visit NaturesMarketHolland.com.

An Evening of Sacred Music and Chanting

Kirtan Music by Shantala

Award-winning international artists Heather and Benjy Wertheimer, as Shantala, perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 4, at From the Heart Yoga Center in Grand Rapids. Known for their sacred music and chanting in the Kirtan tradition, Shantala opens hearts around the world with their passionate music. Chanting events involve active audience participation and are open to people of all religious backgrounds. The music carries the audience through a journey of ethereal beauty, ecstatic percussion, and singing with the devotion of the heart.

Cost is $16 in advance, $20 day of the show. For more information call 616-336-9642 or visit FromTheHeartYoga.com.

Prepare for Energy-Efficient Winter

Don’t let winter sneak up on you this year. Prepare and learn how to reduce your energy costs by living and buying smart. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating your current one, receive timely, actionable advice on managing energy costs at the Energy Efficiency Forums, free events sponsored by DTE Energy/MichCon and Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, on October 6 and 7 in Grand Rapids. Learn how to save money and care for God’s creation at the same time. Resource people will be available to answer questions about products and services and to distribute free gifts and door prizes.

A Spanish-speaking resource will be available at the October 6 forum, located at St. James Family Center, 733 Bridge St. NW. The October 7 forum is located at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, 514 Eastern Ave., SE. For more information or to register, visit My.DTEEnergy.com/products/energySeminars/energyEfficiency.html.

EcoTrek Welcomes New Leader

EcoTrek Fitness, the locally owned West Michigan Company offering unique group outdoor workouts, welcomes Heather Lake as its new Coopersville Area Series Leader. Lake is an avid runner and former dance coach. "I’m excited to take on this latest role," Lake enthuses. "EcoTrek really pushes you to do better, be better and make health an integral part of your daily regimen."

For a complete class schedule or more information, call 616-291-2851 or visit EcoTrekFitness.com.

Reduce Stress Mindfully

Learn skills to reduce stress and access your inner healer, beginning October 16, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at Expressions of Grace Yoga (EOGY) in Grand Rapids. The "Mindful Way to Stress Reduction" series is being offered for eight weeks and draws from innovations in mind-body medicine, such as Eastern and Western contemplative practices. Guided instruction, led by Carol Hendershot, will encompass Mindfulness Meditation, Gentle Yoga, Mindful Breathing and Awareness Exercises.

Cost is $150. EOGY is located at 5161 Northland Dr. NE, in Grand Rapids. To register or for more information, call 616-361-8580 or visit ExpressionsOfGraceYoga.com.

PUSH: Changing Childbirth in America

Midwives Alliance 2008 in Traverse City

The Midwives Alliance 2008 Conference will gather together an impressive group of educators, researchers and health care providers from around the world on October 16-19 in Traverse City. The event is open to midwives and anyone interested in changing childbirth in America in an effort to "Help Us PUSH Forward!" The conference agenda, sponsored by The Midwives Alliance, the Michigan Midwives Association and Conscious Budget, includes dining, dancing, drumming and massage, with trips to local shops and wineries.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, who produced the documentary, The Business of Being Born. Meet Jennifer Block, author of Pushed, the Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care.

The Motherbaby International Film Festival, a traveling festival dedicated to showing images of pregnancy, birth and current health care issues, also takes place October 15-17.

The Midwives Alliance Conference is hosted at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. For more information visit MANA.org/MANA2008 or call 888-923-6262. For locations and more information on the Motherbaby Film Festival, visit TCMIFF.org.

Acupuncturist Joins Harbor Health & Massage

Harbor Health & Massage (HHM) welcomes acupuncturist Kirsten Stanton to their staff of practitioners. "We’ve wanted to offer acupuncture for a long time," says Tammy Hillen, owner of HHM. "We’re glad to have found someone with Kirsten’s experience and ability."  

Stanton graduated from Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder, Colorado, in 2003 with a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine. She is nationally certified by the Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and also is a staff acupuncturist at the Wege Center at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.

HHM is located at 29 W. 8 Street in downtown Holland. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Stanton, call 616-510-2155.

"Your Life Is Your Message"

Yoga Workshops Led by Desiree Rumbaugh

Nationally known Senior Anusara Yoga Teacher, Desiree Rumbaugh, returns to the West Michigan area for her eighth year to present "Your Life is Your Message," October 18-19. The weekend series, held at From the Heart Yoga Center, focuses on individual yoga workshops, including: Your Renewable Energy Source (Standing Poses & Backbends); Staying Power (Hip Openers, Forward Bends & Inversions); Mindfulness & Serenity (Hip Openers & Twists); and The Wings of Grace and a Blaze of Glory (Arm Balances and Backbends). The workshops are designed for all levels or intermediate levels.

Individual workshops range from $35 to $50 each. For class times, more information or to register, call 616-336-9642 or visit FromTheHeartYoga.com.

Bioneers Conference: Revolution from the Heart of Nature

For the seventh consecutive year, Traverse City teams with environmental and social justice educators, farmers and artists, small business owners and academics for the Annual Great Lakes Bioneers Conference, October 17-19. The conference, organized by the Neahtawanta Center, SEEDS and local educators, takes place on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College. Included are a variety of keynote speakers and workshops that will focus on the people and issues integral to our own Great Lakes region, including: green entrepreneurship, nurturing nature in children, green building and alternative energy, plant medicine, cultural understanding, growing food year-round, and more.

Traverse City now hosts the oldest satellite partnership with the national Bioneers organization (Bioneers.org) and is connected to the growing body of Great Lakes Bioneers conferences taking place simultaneously in Detroit and Cleveland this year. 

For more information, a complete schedule of events or to register, visit GLBConference.org or call 231-947-0312.

Esoteric Healing Course Offered

"Introduction to Energy Healing," the first of a four-part series toward certification in Esoteric Energy Healing through the International Network of Esoteric Healing (INEH), returns to Grand Rapids in October. The established class is being offered Saturday and Sunday, October 18-19 and October 25-26, at Holistic Care Approach. Participants will be introduced to the philosophy and methods of energy healing and will explore how to assess and treat the human energy field, which forms the exact replica of the physical body.

For more information contact Deborah Graham at 517-333-8662.

Support and Healing Groups Now Forming

Nancy Dock, LMSW, of NLD Counseling is now offering new support groups in Grand Rapids, starting in October. The groups will focus on healthy ways to heal and take charge of one’s life, and they provide a source of strength and enjoyment for those coping with loss and personal challenges.

A six-week course, "Finding Your Inner Strength," begins Thursday, October 16, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. An ongoing Grief and Loss Share Group will meet each Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon, beginning October 18.

"These groups bring guidance to develop new life skills to help you live a fulfilling and happy life," says Dock. "We will bring all aspects of the person together to develop healthy living skills."

NLD Counseling is located at 4467 Cascade Rd., Ste. 4481, in Grand Rapids. For more information call Nancy at 616-916-0943 or e-mail NLDock@yahoo.com.

Learn the Healing Power of the Frame Drum

West Michigan residents Barb Pitcher and Amy Oak, who have been playing and teaching frame drums in the tradition of their teacher Layne Redmond, author of the book When the Drummers Were Women, are hosting Redmond on November 21-23 for a Level 1, Bee Priestess, The Rhythmic Path of Self-Transformation workshop in Twin Lake, Michigan. The workshop is suitable for beginning to intermediate level drummers, or for those who want a refresher course.

"Layne will be retiring from her teaching career shortly after this series, and this may be her last time in the northern Midwest states, in Michigan, so it’s an opportunity not to be missed," advises Pitcher.

To help prepare players unfamiliar with the frame drum, Pitcher and Oak are offering introductory level classes on the Tar frame drum on October 25, and "Drumming with Tambourine" on November 8. These classes are designed for beginning frame drummers and are recommended, but not required, to enroll in Redmond’s workshop.

The cost for Redmond’s workshop is $225. Pitcher and Oak’s introductory level workshops are $70 each, or $125 for both, and pre-registration is required. For more information or to register email OakDrum@earthlink.net or call 231-828-5666.

How to Create the Life We Want

Beth Holstein, MS, LMSW, and Certified PSYCH-KTM Instructor, comes to Grand Rapids to facilitate a Psych-K® Basic Workshop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., November 1-2. The two-day workshop is designed to provide the tools needed to continuously create the life we want by learning to communicate with our subconscious mind, and changing the beliefs that no longer serve us into empowering beliefs that propel us to our dreams.

Attendees will learn and experience the basic science behind the Psych-K method; the aspects of the conscious and subconscious mind; how to use Kinesiology (the science of muscle testing) to communicate with the subconscious mind; how to facilitate a VAK (a powerful tool that clarifies beliefs and goals in a language the subconscious mind understands); how to uncover deep or otherwise hidden beliefs that may be holding one back and keeping one from attaining one’s greatest goals or heart’s desire; and how to change negative beliefs into positive ones. A Psych-K Workbook will be provided.

Workshop cost is $350 by October 17 and $375 thereafter. To pre-register or for more information, call 563-243-7721, email Beth_Holstein@hotmail.com, or visit Psych-K.com. The event location is the Dominican Center at Marywood, 2025 E. Fulton St., in Grand Rapids.

Kudos

Paula Bojsen of Reiki Haus in Holland recently completed the Gendai Reiki Gokukaiden level and is now a certified Gendai Reiki Shihan (Master). This certification authorizes her to teach Gendai Reiki, which must be taught exactly as Hiroshi Doi teaches it. Gendai Reiki is a pure Japanese Reiki system and differs from "Western" Reiki. It was brought to the West by Hiroshi Doi, a current member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai that was established by Mikao Usui. Bojsen is currently the only person in West Michigan who has this certification. For more information call 616-392-1138.