By Brandi Lyons
If the word “Veda” is familiar at all, it is likely to evoke images of Hindu mythology.
Healing with Nutrition — Real Food is Real Medicine
By Darren Schmidt
For many years now, reports have shown that the American medical system could be doing more harm than good . . .
Joan and Will Weber’s JOURNEYS International: Exploring the World, Expanding the Soul
When Joan and Will Weber founded JOURNEYS International 35 years ago, the term “eco-tourism” did not exist. Today the Ann Arbor company is widely lauded for its environmental consciousness and its meticulous planning. National Geographic’s Adventure magazine ranked JOURNEYS International among the best adventure travel companies on earth and set JOURNEYS on its list of top ten tour operators.
Seeds for the Future — A Local Organic Seed Grower Explains the Importance of the Emerging Seed Movement
By Erica Kempter
Let’s stop and envision an ideal food system. One that gives us the collective ability to feed ourselves sustainably for generations to come; one that provides healthy, safe food for all. A system where most of this food comes from local, organic farms that don’t work against nature, but with it. . .
Every Day a New Adventure: Psychiatrist Nirmala Nancy Hanke, Meditation Teacher at the Lighthouse Center, on Retirement and Conscious Living
By Dr. Nirmala Nancy Hanke | Photos by Joni Strickfaden
"Your life is a grand adventure. Take risks. Explore the unknown.
Journey forth into the great wide open without preplanned outcomes."
– from The Original Angel Cards Book by Kathy Tyler and Joy Drake
This quote certainly applies to the phase of life we call retirement. One of my friends, who retired three years ago, checked in with me recently to see how retirement is going
An Interview with Heather Glidden on the Gyrotonic Method
Photography by Joni Strickfaden
Heather Glidden, age 33, is the co-owner of the recently opened Gyrotonic Tree Town & Pilates Loft Studio. . .
Animal Educators: The Creature Conservancy Provides a Home for Animals and Educational Opportunities for the Community
Zoos provide opportunities to see unique animals, but where can children and adults go to touch exotic animals and ask questions about them? The Creature Conservancy, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit organization, provides that type of hands-on learning experience for children and adults.
Enlightened Selfishness and Ninjutsu
By Keith Copeland
What is one thing we all have in common? What are three things that trouble each of us? What are the nine ways to resolve these quandaries? In my practice of ninjutsu over the past couple of decades . . .
Yoga and Cultural Connection in the Swiss Alps
Jody Tull, owner of Ann Arbor's Be in Awe Yoga, recently led her ninth yoga retreat in Soglio, Switzerland, just an hour’s walk from the Italian border.
Cantor Annie Rose, A Jewish Seeker
By Rachel Urist | Photos by Susan Ayer
Cantor Annie Rose will retire in July 2014. By then, she will have been the cantor at Temple Beth Emeth (TBE) for twenty years. She has trained countless bar and bat mitzvah students and created and conducted the Temple’s adult and youth choirs, Kol Halev (Voice of the Heart) and Shir Chadash (New Song).
"No! Mine!" — Helping Children to Share
By Catherine Fischer
Our children are good! They are inherently generous, sharing, and cooperative. You’ve probably enjoyed seeing your children share and take turns easily when they are feeling relaxed and connected. You have seen how very sweet and tender they can be.
Practicing from the Heart: Lawyers as Peacemakers, Problem Solvers, and Healers of Conflict
By Angie Martell | Photos by Deborah Marcero
We are all at a tipping point. We are grappling with how to be ourselves, how to find meaning and happiness in our lives, and how to find balance in a very complex world. We meditate, practice yoga, eat healthy, and search for alternative healing methods and for our spirit’s true nature.
On Flying: How Contemporary Circus Arts Teach Adults to Play
By Kathleen Livingston
When most people think of the circus, they conjure up the big top and the three rings of a traditional circus. A caravan rolls into town. A big collared cat jumps through a fiery hoop. A child rides on a saddled elephant’s back.
More Than Just an Exercise: Learning to Breathe with Yoga
By Tatiana Knight | Photos by Tobi Hollander
When yoga became famous in the 60’s in the U.S., it was an esoteric set of poses and breathing exercises to aid meditation. It was initially presented as a map to living our lives by following a kind of yogic 10 Commandments. Not very many people knew about yoga, and those who did were not “normal,” but considered hippies or society’s outliers.
Remembering Karl Pohrt
By Richard Gull
Karl Pohrt died in Ann Arbor in July of 2013. He was a special presence in our small, Midwestern university city. In some towns and cities, it is a businessman, banker, publisher, university president or a famous author or scientist who is the de facto leader of the community. In Ann Arbor, it was Karl Pohrt.
Questions for Kathy Squiers, owner of Sylvan Run Sanctuary
By Julianne Popovec | Photos by Susie Ayer
Q. Kathy, can you tell us about Sylvan Run Sanctuary?
A. Sylvan Run Sanctuary (SRS) is a gorgeous place, peaceful and inviting — a perfect place to share special celebrations and ceremonies, either in solitude or in community. Located in rural countryside, surrounded by acres of nature preserves, Sylvan Run Sanctuary is halfway between Ann Arbor and Jackson, 16 miles to each city, and only 4 minutes from historic Chelsea.
A Conversation with Ari Weinzweig about Journaling
On a beautiful October morning, I sat outside at a picnic table at the well-loved Deli on Detroit Street and talked to Ari, co-founder and CEO of Zingerman’s. One of Ari’s friends, three-year-old Eli, joined the conversation periodically as he explored the recycle bins and reported his findings to us.
Christina Sears-Etter and People Dancing: Connecting Hearts Through the Arts
By Rachel Urist | Photos by Edda Pacifico
Ann Arbor’s People Dancing is one of two professional, nonprofit modern dance companies founded in Ann Arbor in 1985 still thriving today. Ann Arbor Dance Works was founded by members of the University of Michigan dance faculty. The company’s dancers are faculty members, guest artists, and select graduate and undergraduate dance students. People Dancing was founded by Whitley Setrakian Hill, who led the group until 1999, when she moved to Nashville and passed the baton to Christina Sears-Etter.
Esalen at 50: A Memoir about America's Spiritual Reformation
By Richard Gull
Fifty years ago the human potential movement started at Esalen. That same year, 1962, The Port Huron Statement of Students for a Democratic Society appeared, a political manifesto challenging a new generation to live authentic lives in a participatory democracy. I attended both 50th anniversary celebrations in October 2012. I had taken a class on memoir writing at Esalen two years earlier, in 2010, six months after my wife, Sara, died of cancer.
Threading the Eye of the Needle: Navigating Through the World of Conventional and Alternative Medicine
By Brian O'Donnell
In the past four years, I’ve had two serious medical crises that required a choice of how to treat these conditions — using conventional medical treatments or alternative approaches, or some combination of both.
