Re-discovering Joy
with Yoga and Qigong
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
ONLINE
June 19-20, 2021
In the ancient wisdom traditions of India and China, summer is the season of nourishing our heart and cultivating a sense of joy.
Indeed, because of the personal and community challenges we have been enduring since the beginning of the pandemic, many of us are still trying to cope with our anxiety levels and looking for ways to re-discover renewed purpose, energy and appreciation of our daily life.
Drawing from the teachings of Classical Yoga and Qigong, and from the most recent discoveries of the Neuroscience of Meditation, Amelia Barili will teach you how to let go of anxiety and fear, and to cultivate inner peace and a deep sense of joy.
Together we will practice;
- Effective techniques to interrupt negative thoughts
- A form of breathing to find peace while deepening your attention inwards
- Powerful release points and gentle stretches to let go of anxiety, fear and depression
- A simple technique to experience joy
- Meditations to embody what Neuroscience tells us about how to help your heart and brain resonate together in peace
- A way of cooling yourself when you are heating up
You will experience better sleep and better digestion; a stronger immune system and nervous system; better relationships; a more clear and effective decision taking, and greater joy.
These practices are easy to learn. They are recommended for anyone wanting to lead a healthy life and for counselors and health professionals assisting others in regaining their health.
AMELIA BARILI Ph.D. received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy, 1972, at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, India. She is an internationally respected yoga teacher and a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system. A pioneer at integrating both wisdom traditions, she is also an award-winning faculty at UC Berkeley and the Osher Life Long Learning Institute, where she teaches youth and older adults a systematic embodied mind approach for personal and community transformation.
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The Power of Yoga and Qigong
in Times of Change
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
ONLINE
March 20-21, 2021
For many months now we have been under unprecedented challenges and change. This can result in anxiety, fear and depression, affecting our health and our relationships. It can also give rise to compassion and the commitment to take care of ourselves and each other. Yoga and Qigong offer easy and effective practices to regain balance and good health, and to sustain the changes we want to see in our world.
Drawing from the ancient teachings of Classical Yoga and Medical Qigong, and from Buddhism and the latest findings of science, in this workshop you will learn:
- Powerful breathing and acupressure release points to boost your immune system and let go of tension
- Gentle moves and stretches to calm your mind and heart to respond skillfully to what life puts in your plate
- Insightful self inquiry and prayer to find new inspiration and trust in the process of consciously participating in the evolution of consciousness at a personal and collective level
These practices are easy to learn. They are recommended for anyone wanting to lead a healthy life and for counselors and health professionals assisting others in regaining their health.
AMELIA BARILI Ph.D. received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy, 1972, at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, India. She is an internationally respected yoga teacher and a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system. A pioneer at integrating both wisdom traditions, she is also an award-winning faculty at UC Berkeley and the Osher Life Long Learning Institute, where she teaches youth and older adults a systematic embodied mind approach for personal and community transformation.
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Resilience and Inner Guidance
in Uncertain Times
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
ONLINE
November 21-22, 2020
We all need tools to find peace and purpose in the midst of challenges. In troubled times we feel besieged with negative emotions that rob us of the clarity and resilience we need to implement the changes we want to bring forth in our world. Drawing from the wisdom traditions of India and China, scientific research, Buddhist teachings and many years of experience, Amelia Barili will teach you powerful practices to reconnect to your own inner sources of guidance, strength and healing.
These time tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them, reaping increased energy and inner peace, improved health, better sleep and better relationships. Recommended for anyone seeking to cultivate an inner space of relaxation, repair and growth, as well as for counseling and healthcare professionals.
AMELIA BARILI Ph.D. received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy, 1972, at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute, India. She is an internationally respected yoga teacher and a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system. A pioneer at integrating both wisdom traditions, she is also an award-winning faculty at UC Berkeley and the Osher Life Long Learning Institute, where she teaches youth and older adults a systematic em-bodied mind approach for personal and community transformation
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The Power of Yoga and Qigong for Creativity and Self-Healing
Amelia Barili
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
November 22-24/22-26, 2019
August 10-12/10-15, 2018
August 11-13/11-16, 2017
March 17-19/17-22, 2017
Practitioners of ancient healing traditions of India and China have known for thousands of years something that recent medical studies are just now confirming: the body is not simply a biological machine but a vast energetic network. Drawing from the healing traditions of Yoga and Qigong, Dr. Amelia Barili will teach:
* to map and trace the main energy channels in your body * to recognize how different types of emotions affect each organ and healing meditations for each one * to gather and store energy from nature and increase your vitality * acupressure style self-massage and release points to keep your energy flowing * a form of breathing that balances and integrates both sides of the brain
These time-tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them. Practitioners experience increased energy, greater resilience, less stress, improved concentration, enhanced performance, and better relationships. Recommended for anyone who wants to lead a healthy and deeply satisfying life, as well as for counseling and healthcare professionals. No previous experience with Yoga or Qigong is required.
The focus of this retreat will be to prepare ourselves to work effectively with challenges and difficulties, cultivating resilience and inner peace. Learning and practicing together these easy and powerful healing practices, will support us in understanding ourselves and inviting greater healing in our life.
“Amelia is truly an exceptional teacher of Yoga and Qigong, and a genuine gift to her students. With much expertise and patience, she guides her students, through the graceful movements of the exercise, while teaching an outer attention to the form and an inner intention to the movement. Practicing in this way becomes truly transformational.”– Phil Waltz
“I took Amelia’s workshop on Qigong and Yoga while recovering from a serious illness and it was the spark that lead me back to a feeling of health and renewal. She has a wonderful spiritual presence that is very contagious and her knowledge of her subject is grounded in concrete experience and practice. One thing that truly amazed me is that Amelia is so inspiring that I have kept up the practice after finishing the workshop. It has truly been a gift.” -Diane Putterman
Amelia Barili, Ph.D., received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy from Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute in India in 1972. An internationally respected yoga teacher, she is also a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th generation inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system. Dr. Barili, a faculty member at UC Berkeley, has brought these practices into the academic environment and teaches meditative techniques to overcome stress and foster creativity.
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Letting Go of Anxiety, Fear and Depression
Amelia Barili
Aug. 16-18 or Aug. 16-21, 2019
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
In troubled times we feel besieged with negative emotions that rob us of the clarity and resilience we need to implement the changes we want to see in our world. Drawing from the wisdom traditions of Yoga and Qigong, scientific research, Buddhist teachings and many years of experience, Amelia Barili will teach you powerful practices to let go of fear, anxiety and depression, and to work with challenges as sources of inner strength and healing.
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Effective Yoga and Qigong Practices for Improving Sleep
Amelia Barili
March 22-24 or March 22-27, 2019
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Do you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep? So do an estimated 68 million Americans in the USA who have tried methods that do not work or have negative side effects. In this workshop you will learn a systematic and wholesome approach that draws from 25 centuries of the healing traditions of Yoga and Qigong, to get to the root of your troubles sleeping, and provide you with healthy tools to overcome insomnia, and significantly increase your overall well-being.
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Cultivating Lasting Happiness from the Inside Out:
Secrets & Daily Practices
Amelia Barili
Nov. 30-Dec. 2 or Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, 2018
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Happiness is not a gift that comes from outside. It is a skill to be developed, with the right tools and persistent practice. Drawing from the wisdom traditions of Yoga and Qigong, and from scientific research, this workshop will give you those tools and teach you how to use them in your daily life to develop new positive traits.
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From Aging to Sage-ing:
Skills for our Spiritual Journey
Amelia Barili
March 23-25/23-28, 2018
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
The realization that our life is going by, and the call to embody wisdom, don’t suddenly start at 65. At any phase of life arise the fundamental questions about finding true meaning and purpose when confronted with physical and emotional or relational changes. These challenges invite us to pause and learn to awaken our potential for inner knowing and inner healing, to celebrate the miracle of being alive and to make the most of the life that is given to us.
Drawing from the ancient wisdom teachings of Classical Yoga and Medical Taoist Qigong, and from the most recent findings of Western Science, in this workshop we will explore how to cultivate more skillful ways to access joy, clarity and well being.
Join Amelia Barili to learn easy and effective techniques to nurture your body, mind and spirit.
Amelia weaves together self inquiry explorations for you to discover your most believed thoughts and how the shape your inner reality, contemplative practices to cultivate new positive traits and habits; easy physical and mental practices from the ancient wisdom of yoga and qigong to support that process of rebuilding yourself from within, and short guided meditations and prayers to integrate all dimensions of your being, develop resilience in these uncertain times and experience compassion towards yourself and others.
Anyone is welcome no matter at what phase of life you are. You will take home tools and practices to nourish you during difficult times and help you re-frame life challenges as infinite potential to grow.
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The Power of Yoga and Qigong
for Creativity and Self-Healing
Amelia Barili
August 10-12/10-15, 2018
August 12-14/12-17, 2016
October 16-18, 2015
November 14-16/14-19, 2014
July 18-20/18-23, 2014
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Practitioners of ancient healing traditions of India and China have known for thousands of years something that recent medical studies are just now confirming: the body is not simply a biological machine but a vast energetic network. Integrating practices from the healing traditions of Yoga and Qigong, Dr. Amelia Barili will teach:
*a morning routine for vitality and centering,
*gentle movements to gather and store energy from nature,
*acupressure-style self-massage and release points,
*a form of self inquiry to find innovative solutions to your problems, and
*a night routine for a restful sleep.
These time-tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them. Practitioners experience increased energy, greater resilience, less stress, improved concentration, enhanced performance, and better relationships. Recommended for anyone who wants to lead a healthy and deeply satisfying life, as well as for counseling and healthcare professionals. No previous experience with Yoga or Qigong is required.
The focus of the October retreat will be to prepare ourselves to return home to ourselves and our families and friends, cultivating inner peace and generosity. Learning and practicing together these easy and powerful healing practices, will support us in leaving behind preoccupations and opening our hearts in thanksgiving.
“Amelia is truly an exceptional teacher of Yoga and Qigong, and a genuine gift to her students. With much expertise and patience, she guides her students, through the graceful movements of the exercise, while teaching an outer attention to the form and an inner intention to the movement. Practicing in this way becomes truly transformational.”– Phil Waltz
“I took Amelia’s workshop on Qigong and Yoga while recovering from a serious illness and it was the spark that lead me back to a feeling of health and renewal. She has a wonderful spiritual presence that is very contagious and her knowledge of her subject is grounded in concrete experience and practice. One thing that truly amazed me is that Amelia is so inspiring that I have kept up the practice after finishing the workshop. It has truly been a gift.” -Diane Putterman
Amelia Barili, Ph.D., received her diploma in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy from Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute in India in 1972. An internationally respected yoga teacher, she is also a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th generation inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system. Dr. Barili, a faculty member at UC Berkeley, has brought these practices into the academic environment and teaches meditative techniques to overcome stress and foster creativity.
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Discovering Our Inner Universe
with Yoga and Qigong
Amelia Barili
June 14-16, 2013
Retreat at Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Science tells us that we have more neurons in our body than stars in the Milky Way. This gives us a sense of our enormous potential for feeling, sensing, and intuitive knowing. We can use this vast power to heal ourselves and to find creative solutions to our problems. The question is, How to tap into the powers dormant within each of us? Sages from India and China dedicated themselves for thousands of years to develop the empirical sciences of Yoga and Qigong so that we can learn to better inhabit our inner space to bring forth happiness and healing to ourselves and others. In this workshop, you will learn easy and powerful energy practices from Yoga and Qigong to awaken your vital energy and mindfully align the forces of your inner universe. We will work with self-inquiry, gentle moves, breathing, aligning and integrative practices, meditation and silence. Some of these practices will be done in nature. No previous knowledge is necessary. Everyone is welcomed.
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Science and Spirituality – Secrets and Daily Practices
Amelia Barili
December 7-9, 7-12, 2012
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Have you ever wondered how you would live once you realize that the way you think, feel and act shapes your inner reality and the world you inhabit? The science of neuroplasticity shows us that our experiences shape the structure and functioning of our brain and of our extended nervous system. Recent scientific findings confirm what the empirical sciences of the mind of India and China have said for thousands of years: that our body and mind are a vast network of energy shaped and reshaped by the experiences we choose to have. By integrating Yoga and Qigong in our practices, each of us can redirect our energy towards having more response flexibility and greater wisdom and compassion towards ourselves and others. In this workshop you will learn some of those easy and effective practices, as well as ways of integrating them into your daily life.
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The Power of Yoga and Qigong
for Creativity and Healing
Amelia Barili
December 9-11, 2011
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Continuing Education Credits available
July 22-24, 2011
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Continuing Education Credits available
December 3-5, 2010
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Continuing Education Credits available
Stress is frozen enlightenment. During troubled times the stress we feel, can throw us out of balance, make us feel trapped and affect our health. That stress can also be an invitation to go deeper in ourselves to bring back what is most valuable to us and what can help us to live each day with greater peace and joy in our lives. In this workshop we will learn to work with the troubling conditions so that they become a source of inner strength and healing.
Drawing from the wisdom traditions of Yoga and Qigong, and the latest discoveries of Cognitive Science, Dr. Amelia Barili will teach you effective practices to access the mind through the body, and the body through the mind for creativity, resilience and self-healing. We will do deep energy work to learn to recognize the emotions that are at the core of our stress, and to find ways for that frozen energy to flow again. You will learn specific techniques for self-healing and overcoming negative emotions, giving you access to the full potential of your being. These transformative practices and approaches can be particularly applicable to counseling and healthcare professionals, and will be integrated with explanations and reflections, serving to help open our hearts, and explore stress as a path to inner strength.
These time-tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them. Practitioners experience less stress, improved concentration, enhanced performance and better relationships, increased energy, better sleep and greater creativity. Recommended to anyone who wants to lead a healthy and deeply satisfying life. No previous experience with yoga and qigong is required.
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Entering the Now
Experiencing Self-Healing and Creativity
Amelia Barili with David Darling
August 22-24, 2008
Omega, Rhinebeck, New York
Continuing Education Credits available
The latest discoveries in neuroscience confirm what the wisdom traditions of India and China have known for years: the body is a vast energetic network with a deep capacity for creativity and self-healing. Led by acclaimed international cellist David Darling and healer and qigong master Amelia Barili, we awaken to the immense potential of our vital, conscious energy and explore the relationship between healing and creativity. Through the easy but powerful practices of yoga, qigong, music improvisation, chanting, and movement, we experience expanded states of consciousness that promote creativity and healing. We also learn techniques for self-healing and overcoming negative emotions, giving us access to all dimensions of our being.
This workshop is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in exploring self-healing and creativity, and adds a new dimension to the therapeutic repertoire of health-care professionals. No previous experience with yoga, qigong, music, or any other art is required. Bring an instrument, if you have one; a journal; and drawing materials.
DAVID DARLING is a Grammy-nominated musician with many solo albums. He has appeared with a wide range of musical talents, including Bobby McFerrin, the Paul Winter Consort, Spyro Gyra, and Arlo Guthrie. Darling is founder and artistic director of Music for People, a nonprofit educational network dedicated to teaching and fostering music improvisation as a means of creative self-expression.
(This is the third in a series of dialogues with scientists, contemplatives and artists that Amelia Barili began with the workshop “Emerging Consciousness” with Fritjof Capra at Mount Madonna Center and continued with Ajahn Amaro at Spirit Rock.)
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Self Healing – The Power of Yoga and Qigong
Amelia Barili
November 21-25, 2008
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Continuing Education Credits available
The practitioners of ancient healing traditions of India and China have known for thousands of years something that recent medical studies are just now confirming in our western culture: that the human body is not simply a biological machine but a vast energetic network. When our life energy is in balance we are healthy. If the balance is broken through stress, fear, grief, etc., our vital energy gets blocked and pain and disease set in. In order to heal ourselves, it is essential for us to let go of stagnant energy and regain our balance. Drawing from the healing wisdom traditions of India and China, Dr. Amelia Barili will teach you:
* to map and trace the main energy channels in your body
* to recognize how different types of emotions affect each organ and healing meditations for each one
* to gather and store energy from nature and increase your vitality
* acupressure style self-massage and release points to keep your energy flowing
* a form of breathing that balances and integrates both sides of the brain
These time-tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them. Practitioners experience increased energy and vitality, better sleep, less stress, improved concentration, enhanced performance and better relationships. Recommended for anyone who wants to lead a healthy and deeply satisfying life, as well as for counseling and health-care professionals. Women find this practice very beneficial to alleviate PMS, menopausal symptoms and disorders in the urinary and reproductive system.
* Continuing Education Credit for nurses, MFT/MFCC’s, and LCSW’s.
* Fulfills the spiritual practice prerequisite for John F. Kennedy University’s Graduate School for Holistic Studies.
* An elective for YTT 500.
AMELIA BARILI, Ph.D., received her degree in Yoga Therapy and Philosophy in 1972 from Kaivalyadhama Yoga School in India and has taught Yoga internationally every since. She is also a disciple of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun, the 27th generation inheritor of the Taoist Medical Qigong system developed in the sacred Kunlun Mountains in China and only recently brought to our western culture.
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Entering the Now
Amelia Barili with Ajahn Amaro
April 6, 2008
Daylong Workshop at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California
The most recent discoveries of Cognitive Science and Neuroscience tell us something that wisdom traditions have known all along: that at all levels of life, mind and matter are inextricably connected. The question remains of how to access the mind through the body and the body through the mind, to realize our full potential as human beings. Join us in a day long exploration of the ending of suffering through the awareness of the timeless quality of now. We will explore practices of withdrawal of the senses that come from yoga, acupressure points that come from Medical Taoist Qigong, and classical Buddhist ways of entering contemplative states that bringing together attention and intention.
These transformative practices and approach can be particularly applicable to counseling and healthcare professionals and will be integrated with explanations and reflections, serving to help open our hearts, to enter the now and to receive the present.
AJAHN AMARO is a senior monk from Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. He is the abbot of the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, a new branch of the Thailand Forest Meditation tradition, in Mendocino, where he now resides. He has been an interlocutor of his Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Mind-Life Science Institute dialogues about the intersection of western science and various contemplative traditions, and their associated methodologies, psychologies and philosophies.
(This is the second in a series of dialogues with scientists, contemplatives and artists that Amelia Barili began with the workshop “Emerging Consciousness” with Fritjof Capra at Mount Madonna Center.)
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The Emerging Consciousness
Amelia Barili with Fritjof Capra
December 1-3, 2006
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
The troubled times we live in carry within them an enormous potential for growth and transformation. To successfully meet this challenge we need clarity of vision and the inner strength to bring forth the changes we yearn to see in the world.
In this seminar we explored together that potential through a blend of ground-breaking analysis, ancient wisdom and lived experience. The subjects discussed included:
* the emergence of a new consciousness in times of crisis and instability
* a new understanding of life, based on recent discoveries in science, which integrates life’s biological, cognitive, and social dimensions
* how globalization can be reshaped to make it compatible with the demands of human dignity and ecological sustainability
* and at a more personal level, how to incorporate spiritual practices in your daily life to heal yourself as you serve others.
Participants brought home a renewed vision and hope as well as embodied wisdom techniques that help clear their mind so they can focus most effectively on the task at hand.
* Continuing Education Credit for nurses, MFT/MFCC’s, and LCSW’s.
AMELIA BARILI, Ph.D., is an award winning UC Berkeley professor and writer, and long time teacher of Classical Yoga and Qigong, who has brought her teachings on personal transformation to many audiences including her university students. To offer them a direct experience of the links between personal and global transformation, she created with Fritjof Capra the course “Globalization and the New Civil Society” with a strong component of “service learning”. Capra and Barili also designed and taught together “Deep Ecology in Arts and Science”.
FRITJOF CAPRA, Ph.D., is a preeminent thinker of our times. Author of four international best-sellers, including “The Tao of Physics”, “The Web of Life”, “The Turning Point” and “The Hidden Connections”, physicist and ecologist Fritjof Capra, is well known for the clarity of his vision at integrating science, spirituality and concrete steps for social change. He has been the focus of more than 50 television interviews, documentaries, and talk shows in Europe, the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Japan. Dr. Capra frequently leads environmental management seminars for top executives of international corporations. He is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California and is on the faculty of Schumacher College, an international center for ecological studies in the UK.
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Self Healing – The Power of Yoga and Qigong
September 15-16
California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco
September 21-23
Omega, Rhinebeck, New York
October 26-28, 26-31, 26- Nov 2
Mount Madonna Center, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
The practitioners of ancient healing traditions of India and China have known for thousands of years something that recent medical studies are just now confirming in our western culture: that the human body is not simply a biological machine but a vast energetic network. When our life energy is in balance we are healthy. If the balance is broken through stress, fear, grief, etc., our vital energy gets blocked and pain and disease set in. In order to heal ourselves, it is essential for us to let go of stagnant energy and regain our balance. Drawing from the healing wisdom traditions of India and China, Dr. Amelia Barili will teach you:
• to map and trace the main energy channels in your body
• to recognize how different types of emotions affect each organ and healing meditations for each one
• to gather and store energy from nature and increase your vitality
• acupressure style self-massage and release points to keep your energy flowing
• a form of breathing that balances and integrates both sides of the brain
These time-tested techniques are so simple that anyone can practice them. Practitioners experience increased energy and vitality, better sleep, less stress, improved concentration, enhanced performance and better relationships. Recommended for anyone who wants to lead a healthy and deeply satisfying life, as well as for counseling and health-care professionals. Women find this practice very beneficial to alleviate PMS, menopausal symptoms and disorders in the urinary and reproductive system.
• Continuing Education Credit for nurses, MFT/MFCC’s, and LCSW’s.
• Fulfills the spiritual practice prerequisite for John F. Kennedy University’s Graduate School for Holistic Studies.
• An elective for YTT 500.