For much of his life, Reinaldo Couto was a professional classical violinist, as a chamber musician and as a member of a number of major orchestras in his native Brazil, Europe, and the U.S. In 1990, in his late forties, he made a big career change. He started studying to become a certified Alexander Technique (AT) teacher.
Room to Breathe — Organizing for Happiness and Harmony
How one's personal space, be it home or work, is organized has a great impact on one's energy, productivity, and sense of self. Organization, use, and harmony among multiple users of the space all have a hand in affecting our well-being. To some, well-organized means sparse, but this can be detrimental to usability and may not work for everyone. Luckily, there are a number of tools at our disposal to bring organization and harmony to our living spaces.
Creative Outlooks: Questions for Robb Johnston and Rachel Nisch
Robb Johnston’s first book, The Woodcutter and The Most Beautiful Tree, tells the story of a beautiful tree and an eager woodcutter who would like nothing more than to chop it down (and hear his ax go “Thwickety-THWACK!”). Johnston created the detailed, colorful illustrations using watercolor, ink pen, color pencil, and acrylic paint. Described as “gorgeous” in a Kirkus Starred Review, the book was also named to Kirkus’ Best of 2011 list.
Raising EMMA
Husband and wife team, Mark Skowronski and Michelle Kahlenberg, own and operate a small sustainable farm, called EMMA Acres, west of Ann Arbor proper in the beautiful farming community of Manchester. They raise primarily heritage breed livestock in a sustainable and humane way. Their organic practices are inspired by the likes of Joel Salatin.
Bringing Integrative Medicine to the Ann Arbor Veterans Hospital
Allison Mitchinson walks through the Veterans Hospital in Ann Arbor as an old hand. Sliding around groups, easing her way through the busy hallways, she confidently guides me until we come to a nondescript door that leads to an inner office area. Here, at her desk, “whole person treatment” is taking its latest step in a long journey. Mitchinson, a licensed massage therapist, creates integrative care within the hospital environment. She and two colleagues are using their expertise to help local veterans address pain and health issues. They are also publishing research about their work.
100 Indian Music Nights
Earlier this year, on the second Saturday night in May, the Crazy Wisdom Tea Room was crowded by 8:00. It was Indian Music Night. (Indian Music Night # 95 to be exact, but more on that in a minute.) A quintet of musicians sat in chairs at the front of the room, their backs to the windows that look out on Main Street. John Churchville, the founder of Indian Music Night, was warming up on the tabla (the traditional Indian hand drums), while Dan Ripke picked out notes on his acoustic guitar.
DROUGHT Juice: Cold-Pressed and Home Grown
The James sisters file in one by one, and Jenny, 29, the first to sit down, begins nibbling on a cookie and happily chattering away. All of the sisters are tall and dark haired, with an infectious energy about them that extends naturally to their business, DROUGHT Juice, the successful raw juice company based out of metro Detroit.
Spiritual Emergency: It’s Not All Falling Apart But Forever Together
The vortex of energy in my chest swelled so powerfully that I could hardly believe Haley could not feel it as she lay next to me in the bed. I writhed in absolute terror, oppressed from every angle. There was no escape from this abyss I’d discovered because there was no escape from myself.
Rose Quartz — It’s All About the LOVE!
The soft pink emanations of Rose Quartz ultimately radiate deep, pure love. This unconditional love energy forms a new foundation where inner peace and contentment become a personal reality.
Walking Across Michigan: A Brief Conversation with Author Will Swartz on His Experience Hiking the Michigan Shore-to-Shore Trail
Will Swartz has been a teacher, librarian, school administrator, coach, trainer, and salesman, and now adds writer to this list with the publication of his first book, A Walk Across Michigan: Hiking the Michigan Shore-to-Shore Riding and Hiking Trail. The book follows Will from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan as he explores the history of Michigan, the hiking trail, and his options for the next chapter of his life.
From Human Doing to Human Being
I grew up in Flint, Michigan, just barely on the right side of the “wrong side” of the tracks. While the neighborhood I grew up in was rough, my parents were deeply religious, loving, and clear that I was here to make something of myself. I got encouraged (dare I say “pushed”) to get beyond the constraints of my neighborhood by getting good grades so I could go to college. I got what I now call good “human doing” training....
Food for Thought — What is My Body Telling Me? A Psychotherapist on Intuition Versus Body Memory
Many people think they are acting intuitively when they are actually having “body memories.” This happened to me when I visited Seattle, a city I used to live in. I had positive anticipation of the trip. It felt good to step off the plane and smell the delicious evergreens and see the beauty of the landscape. Positive feelings rushed over me and I was sure I was having an intuitive “hit” that relocation was in my future.
Conscious Parenting — Running on Empty
There are times as a parent when it feels like I have lost the capacity to care. I feel totally overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted. I feel impatient and I am not able to respond with love or kindness. In those moments, I might yell or be overly aggressive. As an example, when changing a non-cooperative toddler, in my frustration I may have been too rough pulling off his clothes.
Crazy Wisdom Kids in the Community
On a Tuesday evening, the GameStart School, located in the Plymouth Mall on Ann Arbor’s northside, was bustling. Students stared intently at their computer screens, testing out the video games they themselves have created. One teacher, wildly enthusiastic, bounced back and forth between a girl and a boy who were trying to complete their game level. She managed to support them technically and emotionally at the same time, stepping in to offer quick coding advice, troubleshooting, encouraging them (“Sure! You wanna try a new thing? That’s cool!”), and then cheering with them as they reached their goal. The kids leaned back in their chairs, clearly satisfied with their progress.
Leslie Science & Nature Center: Adventures and Education in a Park in the City
My kid is a dynamo at Minecraft. She can virtually engineer her way around fire and lava through complicated structures at rapid speed with pals twice her age. For fun she reads Minecraft manuals and watches advanced tutorials on YouTube. Learning how to master operations and obstacles built into the game gives her energy, increases happiness, and grounds her. Minecraft is bonding with her pals at school and a planned highlight on play dates.
Great Tastes in Local Food
The space at 113 E. Liberty Street in Ann Arbor has been home to a few different restaurants over the past five years. It isn’t a big space, but the current resident, Spencer, makes excellent use of what they have, and I hope they stay with us.
Fluffy Bottom Farms — A Buddhist-inspired Dairy Farm Begins its Life in Chelsea
“It’s definitely a time game,” Kelli Conlin says, sitting across from me. She is a woman with a kind face, working hands, and an indescribable amount of caring energy emitting from her heart. From our conversation, I gathered that Kelli was referring to the amount of time and care it takes to run a farm like Fluffy Bottom, one where treating animals with kindness and compassion and providing products that are fresh and delicious are top priorities.
Exploring our Community’s Rich Cultural Diversity Through Ethnic Food Markets
I recently explored many of our community’s richly diverse, ethnic, and locally owned specialty food markets with an open mind and curious palate. I was eager to find not only exotic foods but also interesting proprietors, insight into other traditions, and a sense of connection in an all-too-divergent society. Inside the following three Ann Arbor markets, I found exactly what I went in search of.
Sustainable Health — A Radical Act of Self Care
It is not safe for women to go to Status Quo Health Care alone. Status Quo Health Care, or SQHC (my term for the “doctors at the top and patients at the bottom” current mainstream health care system), is set up to work against people in the patient role, especially women, girls, trans and gender nonconforming people. (In this article, whenever I use the term “women,” I am referring to “women, girls, trans and gender nonconforming people.”)
A Permaculture Perspective — The Production of Our Choices
Is it important to you that your daily life reflects choices that care for the Earth, its people, and our future? If yes, then you are already one step closer to deeply living in the ways of an ecological culture design science called Permaculture.
