December Meeting Announcement: Maya Abdominal Therapy

Please join us on Thursday, November 8 for a discussion with Angela Ferri on Maya Abdominal Therapy. Maya Abdominal Therapy is a holistic modality that utilizes herbal remedies, supplements, movement, breath-work, inner work and massage to aid in the healing of many male and female reproductive, digestive and urinary system challenges. The origins, common symptoms and diagnoses improved by this work, and causes of these challenges will be discussed during this meeting. Relevant anatomy and physiology will also be covered. A typical session will be summarized, and discussion of relevant support modalities will be covered. Questions and discussion are welcome!

Angela Ferri is a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, an Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy practitioner and former instructor, therapeutic herbalist, and a contributor to Be Well World publications. Angela has been a student of many forms of dance and movement, including yoga, tai chi, Spiritual Belly Dance, Pilates and Gyrotonics. She has been teaching classes and workshops since 1999. She has recently developed a private retreat program, and is currently co-developing a sexuality education curriculum for pubescent, high school and college age girls and young women. She practices yoga, enjoys kayaking, cycling, and slow food, supports conscious sustainable communities, and is an artist and organic and native medicinal plant gardener.

Our “Maya Abdominal Therapy” meeting will take place on Thursday, November 8, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.

November Meeting Announcement: Boosting Immunity with Essential Oils

Arming Yourself for the Flu Season: Boost Your and Your Child's Immunity, Nip Flus and Colds in the Bud, Squash Chronic Infections before They Begin, and More - Naturally!

On Tuesday, November 1, from 7-9 pm, Izabella Tabarovsky, Clinical Aromatherapist, will lead us in a discussion of boosting immunity using essential oils. Essential oils are nature's most powerful healing agents. Among their multiple properties are antiviral, antibacterial, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, immune-stimulating, as well as calming, sedating, and uplifting. Knowing how to use them will empower you to regain control over your health and the health of your loved ones. What's more, they are fun to use for the entire family! Come to this exciting class to learn how essential oils and essential oils-containing products could help and your child sail through the flu and cold season unscathed. We will talk about choosing the best oils, where to get them, and how to use them safely. You don't want to miss this "playshop"!

Izabella Tabarovsky is the founder of Holistic Health DC. She is a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner, Clinical Aromatherapist, Board Certified Holistic Health Coach, and Holistic Wellness Consultant. She is a speaker and educator. Izabella holds a Master of Arts degree from Harvard University. She has been trained in energy medicine, aromatherapy, holistic nutrition, yoga, meditation, the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and other methods integrating western psychology with the eastern view of the body. She brings these skills and knowledge together to create a holistic healing experience for her clients.

Through her work, Izabella helps clients create optimal wellness and build the best lives they can, wherever they are on their journey. She views her clients as inherently whole and complete and considers them to be active participants in their healing. Her work has helped clients alleviate stress, diminish physical pain, overcome depression and anxiety, accelerate healing, reduce the effect of chronic illness, reconnect with their higher spiritual selves, access deeper levels of awareness, release deep-seated trauma, and create a greater sense of peace and well-being.

Our “Boosting Immunity with Essential Oils” meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 1, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.

**We will be meeting at the Takoma Park DC Public Library from now on, on the first Tuesday evening of each month, unless otherwise noted!**

Kids are welcome!
Share your knowledge, experiences, and questions!

Upcoming Meetings:

**Thursday, December 8, 7-9 pm: “Maya Abdominal Therapy”
Presentation by Angela Ferri, LMT

Tuesday, January 17, 7-9 pm: “SuperFoods”
Presentation by Robin Shirley

**Thursday, February 9, 7-9 pm: “Stress and Children”
Presentation by Emory Luce Baldwin, Parent educator and licensed clinical marriage and family therapist

October Meeting Announcement: Hydroponic Gardening

On Tuesday, October 4, Agnes Traynor, Master Gardener, will demonstrate different ways of growing your own greens and herbs indoors year-round. She will have a hydroponic garden on display and green, nutritious samples to share. This will be a terrific opportunity to learn how to garden indoors when it is too cold outside! She will also discuss microgreens growing. Microgreens are seedlings that have not yet developed their true leaves. Packed with nutrients, they provide a colorful and unique punch to salads, soups, and sandwiches. Some common varieties of microgreens include broccoli, kale, beet, amaranth, and arugula. You can harvest these homegrown greens within 7-10 days of planting and can enjoy them year-round.

Agnes Traynor is a Master Gardener and Wildlife Habitat Steward with the National Wildlife Federation. She owns Home Food Gardens, a local business promoting hydroponic gardening and supporting local kitchen gardens. Agnes demonstrates her commitment to urban agriculture by growing food for her family in their suburban front yard garden while supplementing each season with produce grown hydroponically indoors.

Our “Hydroponic Gardening and Microgreens Growing” meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 4, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.

September Meeting Recap: Shamanic Healing

Our September meeting with Contemporary Shaman Beatrice Pouligny was a great success. Beatrice spoke about shamanic healing and how it works, and about her role as a Shaman. She shared what she has learned about helping children physically and emotionally from her role as a Shaman working with children, adults, and families. She also showed us some simple practices and exercises we can do with our children at home to keep them grounded. Thank you Beatrice for an amazing evening. We also thank the Takoma DC Public Library for our new meeting space and look forward to seeing everyone in October!

September Meeting Announcement: Shamanic Healing

On Tuesday, September 6, Béatrice Pouligny, Shamanic Healer, will discuss her work as a contemporary shamanic healer and the work she does with babies and children, which ranges from sleep and behavior issues, to sicknesses that doctors cannot understand, autism, and ADD. Béatrice will talk about how her experience as a shaman as well as a volunteer baby cuddler with babies in great pain have led her to understand key elements that are crucial in her work with kids and that can inform the way parents can relate to their kids and handle different kinds of emotional, mental and physical issues. Béatrice will share concrete exercises, rituals and tools that kids like and respond to, and are beneficial for the whole family, including adults. Her insights and very concrete tips can help mothers to help their kids on a daily basis.

Béatrice Pouligny is a contemporary shamanic healer. She was introduced and initiated to shamanism in different cultures while she was working as a peacebuilder, trying to identify local resources that could support people’s resilience capacities in the aftermath of widespread violence. She was told repeatedly that she was a shaman and needed to “remember”. Béatrice did her apprenticeship in the U.S., with a contemporary shaman, and was given the name “Allowing the Light” because of her deep connection to the Light as the main source to facilitate healing and transformation. She has completed her training with indigenous shamans in the Andes and Amazonia. She has also received some training in cranio-sacral therapy and holotropic breathwork as well as mindful (Vipassana) meditation, which she practices on a daily basis and teaches. She has also been a volunteer baby cuddler at hospitals with babies who are struggling with great suffering in the early phase of their life. She considers her role as a contemporary shaman as one of a facilitator, assisting each person in her own self-healing, self-discovery, and self-opening to new avenues of transformation, growth, and creativity. She pays particular attention to the needs of each person and creates a safe, sacred, and loving space for each session. Béatrice also holds a PhD in political studies and has been working on conflict resolution and peace building all over the world for the past 25 years.

Our "Daily Practices to Support Your Children: Insights from a Shamanic Healer" meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 6, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.

August Meeting Cancelled

Our August 2011 meeting was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. We hope everyone is safe and we will see you in September!

July Meeting Announcement: Lyme Disease

Please join the DC Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network on Tuesday, July 19 from 6:30-8:30 pm for an evening learning about Lyme Disease from Michael Taylor. Michael will discuss recognition of symptoms of acute, late-stage, and chronic Lyme Disease; the safe method of tick removal; prevention of Lyme Disease through nutritional, herbal, and homeopathic support; vectors of transmission; methods to diagnose Lyme Disease through physical presentation as well as lab testing; and treatment options focusing on a non-pharmaceutical approach.

Michael Taylor lives with his wife Kendra and three-year-old son Benjamin at Fox Haven Farm and Nature Preserve where he is currently working with others to develop a Holistic Healing Center that will be rooted in communal living and connection to nature. Michael has worked as a counselor, environmental activist and holistic health practitioner. He is currently employed as a medical assistant for a Holistic Medical Doctor in Washington DC. For the last three years, Michael has been primarily focused on researching Lyme Disease by studying with indigenous peoples, apprenticing with a Holistic MD, and learning through direct experience by working with plants and spending time in nature. Through his work, Michael has found that Lyme Disease is reflective of a much larger problem than the disease itself.

Our "Lyme Disease" meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 19, from 6:30-8:30 pm at Seekers Church in Takoma, DC. Seekers Church is located at 276 Carroll Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and Seekers Church is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.