Now, you can learn the forgotten ways of an herbalist, working with natural ingredients to create a set of naturopathic strategies for managing winter’s ailments. Come to The Clearing for a 2-session workshop on Thursdays, January 5 and 12 to gain an understanding of the use of herbal teas, which ones and why they are effective. Explore the various old world methods of bath therapies, vapor therapies, encouraging sweating and sinus care.

Eliza Moriarity, proprietor and formulator at Fish Creek’s Herbologie will show you how to decoct roots and barks and how to process the resultant mix into an herbal syrup used for soothing sore throats and to ease coughing. In her hands-on course entitled, Traditional Winter’s Remedies, you will learn how to make a big pot of “medicine soup” and take home a large glass bottle of herbal syrup. Discover which are the vapor herbs, how to make herb tisanes and take along many recipes for effective home remedies.

This two-session Workshop takes place in the Stovewood Room at The Clearing in Ellison Bay on Thursdays, January 5 and 12, from 1-4 pm. The tuition is $28 and does not include a materials fee of $10 for herbs and glass bottle, payable to The Clearing at registration. Call 920.854.4088 or toll free 877.854.3225 to register.

For the last several weeks, the Save BadgerCare Coalition and its partners have been talking to people all over the state about the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) plan to kick tens of thousands of Wisconsinites off BadgerCare. The verdict is in: people all across Wisconsin are strongly opposed to changes to BadgerCare that would leave their family members, neighbors, and coworkers uninsured.

Last week marked the final community public hearing on the Medicaid cuts for the year in Rhinelander.  Prior to that, public hearings had been held in Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Wausau.  In total, over 200 individuals attended these hearings and aside from a handful of people, everyone has spoken out against the DHS Medicaid Waiver plan.

“Since DHS was unwilling to make a serious effort to solicit public input, we stepped up and offered the opportunity,” says Sara Finger, coordinator of the Save BadgerCare Coalition. “And the public is saying loud and clear: ‘Don’t do it! There are other, better options that won’t endanger the health of Wisconsin’s children, families, and workers.’”

“I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the proposed changes to BadgerCare and to voice my opinion as a Wisconsin citizen,” says Rachel Fleming, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire student and hearing attendee.  “This plan to cut over $500 million from Medicaid is going to have a significant impact on families throughout our state and we deserve the chance to weigh in.”

In addition the large turnout at the public hearings, tens of thousands of individuals have been involved with this groundswell of grassroots opposition:

•   655 Save BadgerCare postcards were signed and hand delivered to state legislators and Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary Dennis Smith asking them to protect BadgerCare in April
•  2,000 petition signatures were sent to DHS urging them not to slash BadgerCare funding in October
•  14,686 Save BadgerCare petition signatures are being sent to the Wisconsin State Legislature and Governor Walker before the holidays.

“There was a great deal of confusion, anger, anxiety and frustration expressed from community members throughout the state,” says Sara Finger. “This extreme proposal from the Walker Administration to drastically change Medicaid is simply out touch with Wisconsin voters, values and priorities.”

The Save BadgerCare coalition is calling on federal officials to reject the portions of the plan that require a Waiver from HHS and has collected more than 700 petition signatures so far that have been sent to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius. The Coalition also calls on state legislators to push back the arbitrary, self-imposed deadline for federal approval that would result in 53,000 adults losing their coverage if the waiver is not approved by December 31, 2011 — a deadline HHS has already said it cannot meet.

Join in the Save BadgerCare Coalition conversation on Facebook!

“In May, I assisted in healing at the 9th annual meeting of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers,” says Dr. Nelson. “I was blessed to work with Grandmother Tassie as one of the healers on staff. She is known and highly respected throughout the Pacific Northwest as a wise elder and indigenous healer.”

Russian postcard based on a photo taken in 1908 by S. I. Borisov, showing a female shaman, of probable Khakas ethnicity.

The techniques of healing touch can be learned and understood by combining lessons in theory with the actual practice of treatment. In these classes, participants will first learn to read the human energy field and then experience “hands on” demonstrations and training in the Native American traditions of energy medicine.

“We are very blessed to have Grandmother Tassie coming to the Nelson Healing Center to provide these teachings and healing to our community,” says Melissa.

“All peoples have methods for hands-on therapy, what we now call bodywork,” says Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine and trained in family medicine, psychiatry, and clinical psychology. “The Cherokee people of North America, for example, were well versed in body therapies and energy healing. They developed a comprehensive, sophisticated bodywork system that encompassed a form of osteopathic massage and manipulation, breath, and energy work. Central to this technique are the alternation of deep pressure and gentle rocking release. They were also familiar with acupuncture meridians and used acupuncture, with needles made of thorns or porcupine quills.”

“The Swimmer Manuscript: Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medicinal Prescriptions,” by James Mooney found in the Smithsonian Institute, speaks on the use of acupuncture by, “primitive savages, when every civilized person would know that the proper treatment is bleeding with leeches.”

While some people complain that little has been done to recognize Native healing practices, here in Wisconsin, healing touch is recognized by the UW Health’s Integrative Medicine department, recently highlighted at the UW Carbone Cancer Center’s 10th annual professional education conference in a program called “The ABC’s of Healing Touch: An Energetic Approach to Compassionate Care.”

In “Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing,” author Ken Cohen explains, “Massage, healing touch and noncontact healing are practiced by Native healers throughout North and South America. Often the hands are used to sweep away or remove spiritual intrusions or to brush in healing powers. Cherokees warm their hands over coals and circle their palms either on or above an affected area. Some healers hold their hands to the front and back of an affected area, creating what they now call ‘electrodes within the body.’ The healer imagines that electricity is moving from one hand to the other. Sometimes the muscles are rubbed in a manner similar to Western massage. To increase the healing effect, the medicine person massages specific therapeutic points.”

Dr. Mehl-Madrona says, “The Zuni pueblo in New Mexico practice a technique very similar to the high-velocity adjustment of the neck and spine popularized as chiropractic. The Hopi people and their practices were the source of inspiration for a type of massage now called Hakomi. Native American practices, in which hot and cold stones are used to deeply penetrate muscles and tissues to reduce pain and inflammation, are what we now know as stone massage. All of these practices integrate physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of a person.”

“Discussion exists among Native American scholars as to whether A.J. Still, the father of American osteopathic medicine, who was also the physician for the Shawnee Nation for more than 20 years, lifted much of what became osteopathic medicine or chiropractic from Shawnee healing practices,” adds Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD. “According to this theory, Still took the techniques of Shawnee bodywork and rendered them mechanical as fitted the European paradigm of the day (Shawnee concepts were decidedly more energetic and spiritual). He marketed these techniques and developed the first colleges of osteopathy in the United States.”

Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, is the author of Coyote Medicine, Coyote Healing, and Coyote Wisdom, a trilogy of books on what Native culture has to offer the modern world. He is also of Cherokee and Lakota heritage.

Workshop training in the “Art of Healing Touch” with First Nations Elder and Healer, Grandmother Tassie at the Nelson Healing Center is available on either Saturday, November 5 or 12 and takes place from 9 am – 4 pm. The cost is $65 per day (lunch included). Please call 920.818.0045 with questions or to register.

The Nelson Healing Center is located at 44 S. 2nd Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. You can find out about other classes and learning opportunities online.

Learn how to make your own fermented foods at home. Lynne Prucha will demonstrate this safe and ancient method of using simple techniques to ferment vegetables, fruit and dairy products. And you will get to sample them along the way!

Here’s an outstanding opportunity to learn about the healing powers and incredible health benefits of properly preserved fermented foods that are filled with probiotics… those living microorganisms that are similar to the beneficial microorganisms that are naturally found in the healthy human gut. Probiotics are also called “friendly bacteria” or the “good bacteria.”

It may be surprising to learn that in earlier times, people knew how to safely preserve vegetables for long periods of time without the use of freezers or canning devices. It was done through a process now known as lacto-fermentation. The obvious benefit of fermentation is that it preserves food, retaining nutrients and prevents spoilage. But, these fermented foods and drinks are also literally alive with beneficial nutrients.

Vegetables, fruits, milk, fish and meat are highly perishable and our ancestors used techniques handed down through generations of experience, to safely store foods during times-of-plenty for later consumption.

We now know that fermentation not only preserves nutrients, it also breaks them down into more easily digestible forms. Raw, cultured vegetables are rich in lactobacilli and enzymes. They are alkaline-forming and loaded with vitamins, an ideal food that should be consumed with every meal. Fermented foods and drinks are also an excellent source of vitamin C, as the Dutch seaman used to carry them aboard sailing vessels to prevent scurvy.

Sauerkraut, the name of a popular raw, cultured food comes from the Austrian, sauer (sour) and kraut (greens or plants). But, don’t mistake real lacto-fermented sauerkraut for the pasteurized stuff sold in supermarkets and even in some health food stores. Pasteurization is a heating process that destroys all of the precious enzymes, eliminating any health benefits. Lynne will teach you how to make the “real” kind, full of nutrients and those probiotics.

Raw cultured vegetables help your body to strengthen its inner ecosystem. They provide some of the best complementary organisms to improve digestion, enzyme-rich foods that help your body to digest other foods. They also help control cravings and are ideal for appetite suppression. Fermented veggie’s are known to relieve the craving for sweetness that cause one to seek out pastries, colas, bread and pasta.

They are ideal for pregnant and nursing women. Pregnant women should eat cultured vegetables to ensure their eco-systems remain rich in friendly bacteria. The vegetables also help alleviate morning sickness during the early stages of pregnancy. Once the baby is born, moms should continue eating fermented vegetables and drinking fermented juice. And the liquid from cultured vegetables can be fed to baby in tiny spoonfuls to relieve colic.

Raw cultured vegetables are alkaline and thus, very cleansing, which helps restore balance if your body is in a toxic acidic condition. They increase longevity by eliminating toxins and strengthen the immune system, which all adds up to a longer, healthier life.

Sauerkraut and other cultured vegetables are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other vegetables, then packing them tightly into airtight containers. They are left to ferment at room temperature for several days or longer. The vegetables become soft, delicious and somewhat pickled.

Whey is sometimes used to ferment vegetables and fruit. It has loads of minerals and is one of the worlds’ oldest health foods. Whey keeps our muscles young, our joints flexible and ligaments elastic. It can come from kefir or yogurt, and is best made from organic raw milk. Though yogurt is well known for its live cultures, many store-bought yogurts are pasteurized after culturing, killing the beneficial bacteria. You will learn to make your own.

“If you want live-culture fermented foods in our instant-gratification age, you have to seek them out or make them yourself,” says Lynne. “As a person, who fought for her own health, my own immune system is something always on my mind. Hundreds of studies, published in medical and scientific journals have identified that specific anti-cancer and other disease-preventing properties are found in fermented foods. My favorites are kefir, kimchi, beet kvass, kombucha, corn relish and kefir soda.”

Workshop participants will sample and learn how to make: sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir and beet kvass. The cost to attend is $25 and pre-registration is required so that Lynne has enough ingredients for everyone to work with. Contact her at 920.973.0320 or email: lynne.a.prucha@gmail.com.

Lynne Prucha is owner of Waves Salon & Wellness Center in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, a chemical-free center offering services, products and health foods providing the highest integrity for the body, beauty, mind and spirit. She is an eastern Wisconsin Chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, dedicated to researching the connection between nutrition and human health. Lynne regularly speaks on fermentation and provides nutritional consulting. She and her husband Ric and their two children, Jake and Katie enjoy the many health benefits that delicious fermented foods provide to their digestion.

The Nelson Healing Center is located at 44 S. 2nd Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. You can find out about other services, classes and learning opportunities online at www.NelsonHealingCenter.com.

RSVP and invite your friends to join you on Facebook!

Dennis Hawk

From 7 – 9 pm, Dennis Hawk will lead a shared musical experience known as Kirtan, featuring Sanskrit mantras set to fresh melodies and sounds. Kirtan is intended as a holistic healing experience designed to bring participants into a more organic form of meditation, either in stillness or in motion. One of the oldest of sacred sound traditions, Kirtan’s call-and-response chanting involves Satsang, an ancient Sanskrit term that describes the community that exists between an assembly of people who listen to, talk about, and assimilate their impressions of truthfulness.

It was more than ten years ago that Kathy Navis was practicing yoga with a group that met in the basement of Melissa Nelson’s former chiropractic office in Sturgeon Bay. She didn’t intend to become a yoga teacher, but when the instructor who had been commuting from Green Bay decided to stop coming, the group was left without a leader. They asked if Kathy would take on the role, so she proceeded to get her yoga teacher certification, but still had no intention of opening her own studio or to teach more than a couple of classes.

At the same time she was selling her business, the former Imported clothing store in Egg Harbor. She wanted to move out of the upstairs apartment and had been searching for a farm-ette.

“I had pretty much given up the search when my realtor called and said, ‘Kathy you have got to see this farm.’ It soon became Junction Center,” says Kathy. “The previous owners, Dick and Barb Kolpack were blacksmiths and did metal sculpture so they had remodeled some of the barn and had built the lean to, which is now the yoga studio, as a blacksmith shop.”

When Kathy walked into that former blacksmith shop she immediately realized it was the perfect yoga studio. She went home with her head spinning and then decided to act. She made an appointment to meet with the owners and walked in with all sorts of statistics on comparable sales and other bargaining tactics and came to meet Dick, all 300 lbs. of him standing behind an anvil with a huge hammer in his hands.

Kathy says, “He was not interested in any of my info, but when I proposed a price that was in their ballpark he said, ‘Do you drink coffee? I roast my own beans’ and the next thing we were sitting around the kitchen table crafting an agreement that everyone was happy with.”

In July of 2001 she began working with a local carpenter to turn the blacksmith shop into a yoga studio. They added skylights, patio doors and a large picture window looking out over the meadow in the back. The floor was a concrete slab which Kathy was determined to turn into a heated floor. She did the research online and spoke with contractor friends to come up with a plan… one that unfortunately included hauling all of the concrete in 5-gallon buckets to create mass for the heating system. She called some friends including Wence Martinez and his son, to help create a day long bucket brigade.

Much has transpired over the past ten years and now Junction Center Yoga Studio is a mainstay, with regular classes for all levels of practitioners. Yoga has also transformed here in Door County with the general public coming to realize that practicing yoga is one of the most enjoyable forms of preventive medicine you can undertake. On Sunday, October 23 Kathy Navis invites you to celebrate a ten-year anniversary.

Dennis Hawk, a Cherokee of Mesquaki descent, a pipe carrier and teacher of Native American spirituality, is also a well-known singer, songwriter and story-teller who plays guitar and Native American flute. He does a superb job of sharing his Kirtan insights and knowledge of Sanskrit chanting, its purpose and how it may affect you in order to deepen your own understanding and spiritual experience with Kirtan. There are no prerequisites or religious beliefs needed to participate in Kirtan, just bring an open heart and mind and join in by lifting your voice or just sit back and listen to how the music, vibration and meaning impacts you physically, mentally and spiritually.

If you want to experience yoga at Junction Center, Kathy is teaching a new beginner’s 6-class session that started on Monday, October 17, from 9:30 – 11 am. Junction Center Yoga Studio is located at 7821 Junction Road, (just off County Hwy. A, north of Jacksonport).

Pioneering lifestyle changes and improvements is part of the YMCA’s Healthier Communities Initiatives which focus on making policy and environmental changes that support healthy lifestyles. They are built on the concept that local communities can work together to give all community members healthy choices. Through grants awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 10 communities from throughout the United States have been selected to join the initiative.

Door County YMCA applied for this initiative and was selected after a competitive review process.

“The Y is dedicated to strengthening community,” says Dan Powell, CEO.  “Participating in PHC will help our families, friends and neighbors live their lives to the fullest potential. We are honored to be selected to be part of the growing movement of communities who are leading healthy change.”

Joe Stutting, Superintendent of Sturgeon Bay School District has agreed to serve as the community coach and recently joined Cindy Weber, Vice President of Mission Development as the YMCA Coach and Dan Powell as CEO Door County YMCA at a conference in Arlington Virginia to kick off this initiative.

Ys engaged in Healthier Communities Initiatives are helping families put nutritious food on the table by encouraging people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and an overall healthier diet; making streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists through “complete streets” plans; giving parents peace of mind when they let their kids walk to school by creating safer routes; and keeping a generation of kids healthier by working with schools to increase physical education and physical activity during the school day. These examples are just the beginning and further initiatives will be reviewed based on the needs of Door County.

Launched in 2004, Y-USA has previously provided seed funding to 118 Ys and their communities to take on policy and environmental change strategies thanks to funding from CDC, and corporate and foundation donors.  Seventeen Ys and their communities, including the 10 recently selected are participating with a focus on community health.

YMCA’s just selected to join PHC:

• Door County YMCA – Sturgeon Bay, WI
• Family YMCA of Greater Laurens – Laurens, SC
• Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties – Salem, OR
• Telford Community Center YMCA – Richmond, KY
• Tri-Town YMCA – Lombard, IL
• YMCA of Arlington – Arlington, TX
• YMCA of Greater Kansas City – Kansas City, MO
• YMCA of the North Shore – Beverly, MA
• YMCA of San Joaquin County – Stockton, CA
• YMCA of Southern Indiana – New Albany, IN

Building on lessons learned from past and current healthy community initiatives, YMCAs in these 10 communities will bring together a team of local leaders, including elected officials, state and local directors of public health organizations, business leaders from various industries and leaders of local schools, parks and recreation departments, foundations and hospitals who will plan and implement strategies for healthy change, responding to the needs of their individual communities.

Click for more information about the YMCA’s Healthier Communities Initiatives.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net.

This community-supported wellness program offers those living with, through and beyond cancer, with a safe environment where they can participate in physical and social activities that address the special wants, needs and interests of cancer survivors.

As a participant in LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, the Door County YMCA engages cancer survivors through an approach that focuses on the whole person. Participants work with trained Y staff to build muscle mass and strength, increase flexibility and endurance and improve functional ability. In addition to physical benefits, the program is also focused on the emotional well-being of survivors and their families by providing a supportive “community” environment where people affected by cancer can connect during treatment and beyond.

Throughout this program participants have been introduced to programs at the Y including walking, Silver Sneakers, swimming, zumba, weight-lifting and cardio equipment training, as well as opportunities to listen to speakers on various wellness topics. Participants of the first two classes held earlier this year at the YMCA have been hppy to share the great results they’ve experienced physically and how much they enjoyed interacting with other survivors and the caring Y staff.

“Research shows exercise is the simplest way for cancer survivors to reduce fatigue, improve their mood and bounce back from the debilitating effects of cancer treatment more quickly,” says Andy Miller, LIVESTRONG Executive Vice President. “But there weren’t enough programs to help people affected by cancer reach their health and well-being goals, so LIVESTRONG and YMCA of the USA joined forces to create LIVESTRONG at the YMCA. The YMCA is the perfect collaborator because of its national reach, commitment to meeting the needs of all community members, and history of program innovation in support of health and wellness.”

“Cancer is life-changing. How strong a person feels in spirit, mind and body directly impacts how he or she lives through and beyond treatment,” says Mary Claire McHugh, Health & Wellness Director at the Door County YMCA. “At the Y, we work to give all people the opportunity to meet their health and wellness goals and are delighted to collaborate with LIVESTRONG to offer those who have been diagnosed with cancer the support they need to build both emotional and physical strength.”

Any cancer survivors interested in participating in LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is encouraged to contact the Door County YMCA. Since this program is supported by donations to the YMCA, there is no cost to participate. For more information contact the Christine Webb-Miller at 920.743.4949 at the Sturgeon Bay Program Center or Kristin Kirkham at 920.868.3660 at the Northern Door Program Center. Anyone interested in making a donation to support the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA should contact Cindy Weber at 920.743.4949.

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and based in Austin, Texas, LIVESTRONG connects individuals to the support they need, leverages funding and resources to spur innovation and engages communities and leaders to drive social change. Known for the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG‘s mission is to inspire and empower anyone affected by cancer. For more information, visit www.LIVESTRONG.org.

Phillip Whiteman, Jr.

Phillip Whiteman, Jr. will explain how he applies Native American spiritual philosophy and practices to everyday life. The first day at Nelson Healing Center, Philip will share the oral history and philosophy pertaining to the foundational teachings of the Medicine Wheel Model (MWM). He will speak about the purification times we are now in, the natural laws of gravity and balance, the four directions, the colors, seasons and the stages of life.

The second day at Idlewild Farms, he will demonstrate the spiritual connections that exist between horse and horseman as explained in the philosophy of the Medicine Wheel Model. Long before the horse whisperers of today, Plains Indians were recognized for their seemingly-innate mastery of effortless communication with horses. You will learn the philosophy and concepts of the MWM and how it pertains to horse and human. “Hands on” with horses, you will gain an understanding of the model practicing what Philip teaches: The horse’s four sides, behaviors, what to watch for in body language, the importance of the rights of passage. He will also cover: working with a horse, ground-work, leading from the back, working with an untrained colt, utilizing the negotiation process (fear, escaping, anger, denial and acceptance) and showing how humans go through the same processes. He will close with a Talking Circle.

“Society teaches us that we have to dominate, and overpower the horse to teach it,” Phillip states. ”But my traditions and culture, and my understanding of the horse teach me that by working with the horse’s spirit, and believing that we are one, the horse will do what I ask.”

As a recognized horse trainer and a holistic thinker, Phillip realized early-on that the spiritual model he had developed for horses is universal and applies to all human experiences, including our interactions with each other. The very same approach of inferiority and superiority that damages the spirit of a horse does the same to our relationships with other people, “and you must learn to interact with their spirit in a non-threatening and non-confrontational manner.” Thus, he teaches people how to use the Medicine Wheel Model for personal growth.

Phillip is a Champion Grass Dancer know for dancing the “old style” of Northern Cheyenne Grass Dancing and has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe performing and sharing his knowledge and talents with people of all ages and from all walks of life. He recently served as Northern Cheyenne Culture and Language Consultant for Steven Speilberg during the filming of “Into the West.” Phillip’s workshop presentations include traditional story-telling and songs that share a powerful and inspirational message of hope. His first CD, “Spirit Seeker – Stories and Songs for the Spirit,” has received national critical acclaim.

"By working with the horse’s spirit, and believing that we are one, the horse will do what I ask." Phillip Whiteman, Jr.

On Saturday, September 10, Phillip Whiteman, Jr. will teach the Medicine Wheel Model in a full-day workshop from 9 am – 5 pm at the Nelson Healing Center. On Sunday, September 11 he will demonstrate and teach using live horses from 9:30 am – 4 pm at Idlewild Farms, 10 minutes south of Sturgeon Bay. You may attend either one or both days. The fee is $75 per day and lunch is included. Call 920.818.0045 to register or learn more on-line at NelsonHealingCenter.com.

Judith will provide ten people with a chance to experience BodyTalk in a private workshop setting. She is a healthcare practitioner at Spa Verde Salon in Egg Harbor. On Saturday, August 13 she delivered an introduction to acupuncture along with providing treatments to participants.

“I’ve been practicing natural medicine for over 20 years,” says Judith Rybicki. “BodyTalk has not only changed my life, it has helped me trust that what I am doing in a single session is working deeper and more precisely than ever before. It not only leaves you feeling relaxed, it helps you to release your physical ailments at the root level.”

The introduction to BodyTalk will take place at 11:15 am on Saturday, August 20 at Junction Center Yoga Studio. The cost to attend is $30 per person. You can reserve one of the ten spots available by emailing judithrybicki@gmail.com. Anyone who attends the session is also encouraged to book a followup private consultation with Judith at Spa Verde Salon and apply the $30 workshop fee as a discount.

Life Skills provides tools that help individuals learn how to rebuild and improve their lives. Adults attend gender-separate classes to learn valuable skills for life from the “Learning to Live, Learning to Love” curriculum developed by Dr. Paul Hegstrom. The courses help each individual assess and then learn to increase their capacity to function in healthy relationships. Even if you are stuck in an abusive relationship, experiencing marriage problems, or struggling to break patterns that seem to keep on recurring… Life Skills works in all of these situations.

“We weren’t born with a ‘Life Manual’ on how to live a happy and successful life,” says Nelson Healing Center founder Dr. Melissa Nelson. “We dedicate a great deal of time in education; improving job skills, training, and learning about life, yet many times we feel like we are ending up with something missing. In Life Skills we focus on developing our core character which develops us into being a better person, spouse, family member, employee, business owner or manager.”

On the August Tuesdays she will share a few Head Start videos of Dr. Paul Hegstrom explaining some of the fundamentals of the Life Skills curriculum. There is no charge to attend. After 4 year of working with Life Skills International for her own personal growth, Dr. Melissa Nelson decided to become a trained facilitator and bring these classes to the Nelson Healing Center in Sturgeon Bay.

Here’s an example of Dr. Hegstrom explaining, “What is a Trigger.”

“I feel that it’s important to share what I discovered working with Paul Hegstrom and Life Skills,” says Dr. Nelson, “because of the profound effect it has had in healing my own personal, professional and family relationships, as well as how it has enhanced my own personal growth.”

She explains that painful memories that remain unresolved from our childhood cause reactive behaviors in our adult life and will destroy our potential for happiness and success as an individual. This damages our ability to have healthy relationships and may cause us to sabotage our relationships with loved ones, ourselves and our careers. All of this frequently causes anger within, leading us to express that anger in a negative manner.

Do you want more from your communication with your spouse, children, friend, co-worker, boss or anyone? Whether you are struggling in a specific area or just want more out of life, Dr. Nelson knows from personal experience that this course can help you make a break through. Whatever your situation in life may be, we can all benefit from Life Skills.

Life Skills, taught to help bring about a change in behavior, are delivered in a series of classes designed for men or women, in a safe and private environment. Class time includes working through a student workbook, discussing the material and watching class-related videos. Classes usually meet 3 hours each week for 26 weeks, totaling over 78 hours of intense study and education. Each person is treated with tremendous respect and dignity as the facilitators present the curriculum through oral presentation, workbook study, group discussion, videos, and other visual aides.

If you are interested, please attend one of the Tuesday lead-ins to find out more. There is no obligation. Life Shills classes for women begin on Tuesday, September 6 with an orientation from 6 – 9 pm. and meet each week through early March.

Dr. Melissa Nelson completed the Foundational Facilitator Phase 1 training in Aurora, Colorado, home of Life Skills International, Inc. and its founder, Dr. Paul Hegstrom. Now she provides Life Skills classes for women and men at the Nelson Healing Center, 44 S. 2nd Ave. in Sturgeon Bay. The cost to attend is based on a sliding fee scale according to annual income. Free consultations are available at Nelson Healing Center. Please call 920.818.0045 for registration.

For more information on the Life Skills Curriculum:
www.freedomlifeskills.org
www.lifeskillsintl.org