Furthering public education and introducing methods of restoring natural balance into everyday, stress-filled life will be the goal of a daylong seminar to be held at the Audubon Center and Sanctuary from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The event, the brainchild of Dr. Monika Juszczyk of Warren General Hospital, will offer 16 different sessions on a number of different and diverse holistic topics including proper breathing techniques, basics of meditation, reflexology and hypnotherapy. Sue Toombs, advertising coordinator for the Wellness for Life committee and a certified fitness trainer, said the variety of topics offered are not only opportunities to prevent health problems, but they can enhance existing medical treatments as well to provide a more healthy life.
''People who are looking for some type of preventive maintenance - whether it's with weight loss, or heart disease, or osteoporosis or diabetes - would benefit the most from this,'' she said. ''Nutrition plays such an enormous role with our well-being and having the knowledge and the support to make these informed decisions is crucial, but many times people have nowhere to turn.''
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A daylong seminar — featuring 16 different sessions on a number of different and diverse holistic topics including proper breathing techniques, basics of meditation, reflexology and hypnotherapy — will be held at the Audubon Center and Sanctuary from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Photo by Jennifer Schlick
Besides being able to help the general public with their health concerns, Ms. Toombs said another great benefit of getting so many holistic professionals together for the day is the networking opportunity it will provide for them.
''There are so many different people in fields of healing that rely on word of mouth,'' she said. ''For all of us to gather in one spot and decide that we want to get to know each other, we want to put a face behind a name, and we want to be able to recommend people to others - we have to have some type of format where we know what others have to offer so we can share the benefits with other modalities.''
In addition to being able to listen to presentations, attendees will be able to take part in demonstrations in many of the sessions, Ms. Toombs said. Hands-on sessions will include Your Fitness Potential with Ms. Toombs, in which she will demonstrate exercises; Yoga Breathing with Rachel Tome; Power Yoga with Rick Nuhfer; Breathing Techniques with Red Sarber; and Meditation Basics with Lynn Caufman.
Teas, nutritional snacks and beverage samples during the event will be provided by Wegmans Nature's Marketplace. Fresh and wholesome lunches, consisting of an all-organic menu of salads and wraps, will be available for purchase courtesy of Fresh Cup and Wellness Cafe in downtown Warren.
Julie Streich, a holistic nutritionist and whole foods chef, will be in attendance throughout the day to answer nutrition questions. Representatives from Waldenbooks at the Chautauqua Mall will also be there with a variety of books on wellness for the body, mind and spirit that were suggested by the day's presenters, Ms. Toombs said.
Advance tickets for the seminar are available for $20 at the following locations: the Audubon Center and Sanctuary, 1600 Riverside Road in Jamestown; Herbs R 4 U, 1465 Foote Ave. in Jamestown; Fresh Cup and Wellness Cafe, 340 Pennsylvania Ave. in Warren; and Herbs R 4 U 2, 346 Pennsylvania Ave. in Warren. Tickets at the door on the day of the event will be $25.
For more information about the seminar, including a full schedule of sessions, visit www.wellness-for-life-seminar.com or call Linda Sivak at 814-730-2465.