August Meeting Recap: Ice Cream Social

We had a terrific social in August, with many, many varieties of ice cream to try. The ice cream made from coconut milk seemed to be the favorite. We also had a terrific discussion on holistic first aid, and shared tips and ideas with each other.

Thank you to all the members and attendees who brought such tasty treats!

August Meeting Announcement: Ice Cream Social & Holistic First Aid Discussion

On Tuesday, August 3, the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network is holding an ice cream social! Please bring a pint of your favorite type of ice cream, especially non-dairy varieties. There are many varieties of ice cream available now – made from rice, almonds, soy, coconut, hemp and others – and we’ll try to sample as many as we can while discussing holistic first aid. Please also bring a bowl and spoon for sampling! This is a great way to beat the heat, socialize together, and talk about many household items that can be used for first aid purposes. We hope to see you there!

Our social will take place on Tuesday, August 3 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

July Meeting Recap: Mindful Eating

In July, Monica Silvestro spoke to us about Mindful Eating, which we learned incorporates many things, especially connecting with the food you eat. Monica spoke about the importance of eating without distractions such as books, magazines, and TV, and of chewing our food slowly and many times before swallowing. After she spoke, we all practiced eating one grape and one cookie mindfully, and then discussed the experience. Many of us noted that we were satisfied with only one cookie! Thank you Monica for a great evening!

July Meeting Announcement: Mindful Eating

On Tuesday, July 20, we will welcome Monica Silvestro, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, who will speak on "Mindful Eating".

Mindful eating addresses the following eating habits many of us develop after having children:
-Eating our meals quickly and barely tasting the food because we need to
attend to our children or get things done around the house or the office.
-Snacking or eating meals on the go because we're trying to fit everything into our family's busy lives.
-Eating when we're not hungry, or eating more than we really need in a meal.

Through a step-by-step interactive process, Monica will teach us how to eat more mindfully and reconnect with our food.

Our Mindful Eating meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 20 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

**Please note that our July meeting is not on our usual first Tuesday, due to a scheduling conflict; we will be back to meeting on the first Tuesday of each month in August.**

June Meeting Recap: Ayurveda for the Family

On June 1, Anne Thiel, Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, spoke to our chapter about incorporating Ayurvedic health and lifestyle principles into our lives to improve the health of our families. She discussed the characteristics of the three doshas that comprise Ayurveda, and taught us how we can determine which doshas are dominant in ourselves and our children. From there, she discussed certain foods and activities that are better for certain doshas, all of which help us to bring our bodies into balance. Thank you Anne for a wonderful presentation and for getting us started down a path to understanding Ayurveda!

Anne provided us with terrific handouts, which will be available to members on our Yahoo Groups list.

We hope to see you next month for "Mindful Eating"!

June Meeting Announcement: Ayurveda for the Family

On Tuesday, June 1, we will welcome Anne Thiel, Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, who will speak on "Ayurveda for the Family". Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that originated in South Asia. The system considers both spirit and matter, and focuses on five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and three doshas: vata - air and space; pitta - fire and water; and kapha - water and earth. Anne will discuss the elements and doshas of Ayurveda, and then explain how we can apply Ayurvedic practices for family health and wellness.

Anne Thiel is an Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant. She was first formally introduced to Ayurveda in an Ayurveda/Thai Yoga training in 2005 and completed Kripalu’s School of Ayurveda program in 2007. Anne is passionate about the wisdom of this ancient Indian healing science and seeks to help clients identify lifestyle changes that allow them to find more balance and harmony in their lives. Anne has been offering workshops in the DC area for the past few years and also works with clients on an one-to-one basis.

May Meeting Recap: Cleaning & Greening at Home

Thank you to Cindy Olson of Eco-Coach for an extremely informative presentation on Green Cleaning last week! Cindy discussed a number of common conventional cleaning products, and provided safer, less toxic alternatives for each. Cindy also discussed ways to improve indoor air quality, and non-toxic pest control. Members and visitors asked a number of questions, all of which Cindy answered with loads of information. Cindy also brought a number of product examples, and pointed us all in a safer, greener direction.

Cindy provided our chapter with many informative materials, which will be available on our information table at the next meeting in June.

Thank you again, Cindy!