Squamish Wellness Directory

Yoga, Ayurveda & Thai Massage Retreat | April 30 - May 2, 2010

Expand and deepen your experience of yoga through Thai massage and Ayurveda, yoga's sister science of holistic wellness.

April 30- May 2, 2010

$480.00

Come and experience the rugged elegance of BC's coast, while you relax your body, quiet your mind and open your heart

Your 2-Night Yoga, Thai & Ayurveda Retreat Includes:

• 2 nights accommodation at The Sea to Sky Retreat Center
• West Coast Cuisine featuring fresh vegetarian fare
• Morning and afternoon daily yoga and meditation instruction
• Thai Massage simple treatment exchange
• Practical Ayurvedic principles and theory
• Hiking in a Coastal Rainforest amongst the Thai Buddhist Monastery
  

This program is suitable for:

• Anyone seeking knowledge and practical tools for a deeper integration
  

       of wellness in all aspects of daily living for yourself and your family.

• Yoga Teachers, wishing to enrich their instruction for their students.
• Health Care Providers looking to expand their knowledge of diet and
  

       lifestyle as seen through the Thai Massage Practices, Ayurveda and Yoga.
 
The Sea-to-Sky Retreat Centre
 
 The retreat will be held at the beautiful and rugged Sea-to-Sky Retreat
 Centre (SSRC) just south of Whistler, B.C. The SSRC was founded in 1993 by
 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. The site is secluded on 40 acres on the east
 side of Daisy Lake in the beautiful British Columbia coastal mountains. The
 centre was been hosting a range of events since 1995 including group and
 personal retreats for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
 
For more information regarding the Retreat and for Registration please visit our website at www.whistlerhealingarts.com
Email at info@whistlerhealingarts.com Colleen @604-905-0771 

Millet Bowl

This recipe is easy, simple, fresh and tasty. Millet is a nice and hearty gluten free grain. It goes well with light and slightly bitter or spicy greens. The feta and olives add flavour as does the fresh dill.

Greens are in abundance right now. Buy them fresh and local at the farmer's market. Leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, sorrel, lettuce, pigweed, watercress and so many others are rich in nutrients and will help ward off cravings.

Millet Bowl

Feeds 4

1 cup millet, soak for up to 24 hours
1/2 tsp ground kelp
2 cups or 1 14oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch watercress, remove the thick stems
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup goat feta, crumbled
10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a drizzle of raw apple cider vinegar
8 small tomatoes, quartered

Rinse millet, add ground kelp and cover in water. Cook for 20-30 minutes adding more water as needed. The longer you soak it the less cooking time. Spread millet on a plate so that it will cool quickly. You can put it in the fridge too. (Get the complete grain and bean cooking guide free with my monthly recipes.)

Chop or tear watercress and put it in a large salad bowl. Add chopped kale, chickpeas, feta, olives and dill. Crumble cooled millet on top. Add a drizzle of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, toss and taste. Add more oil and vinegar as desired.

Spoon into bowls and place 2 quartered tomatoes on each serving.

Enjoy!

Farmer's Market Dinner

one bite, one change, one day at a time...

Recipes for A Healthier Me created by Marissa Schiesser Holistic Nutritionist

I turned some of the tasty greens I bought at the Squamish Farmer's market  into a very simple, light and satisfying meal. I used fresh fava beans (not at all local, but organic), which are a bit time consuming to prepare from fresh but totally worth it. It takes 15-20 minutes to pod the beans, cook them and then take off the second pod. Their pods are very cushy and almost insulated. It is as if they are sleeping in a sleeping bag. You could use canned beans for the job. Edamame will also substitute.

Any dark leafy greens will work as well. Try to get the younger more tender kale and chard or use spinach. Basically use whatever is green, fresh and tasty. The tender greens are a bit sweeter and less bitter than their elders.

I only had 1/2 a cup of brown rice so I added 1/2 a cup of arborio rice to make a full cup. I always make at least a cup of rice so I have leftovers for breakfast. I wasn't sure how this experiment would turn out. I really liked it; it was slightly sticky, which I liked.

Finally I almost added shallots to this recipe, then I decided against. I kept the flavours light, fresh and simple. Nothing overpowering.

Get the recipe by clicking the link below...

Take on the Challenge!

Starting April 1st, 2009, Reach Physio Solutions is offering another 30 Day Exercise Challenge!

Complete and log a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise (ex: cardio, strength training, stretching, yoga, walking, house cleaning or yard work to name but a FEW options).

Finish the whole challenge and you will not only have established a healthy habit of exercising regularly  but YOU  will also have a chance to win some great prizes, the grand prize being a Kona Africa cruiser bike. There’s a story behind these bikes- for every 2 bikes sold, Kona sends one to AFrica for healthcare workers to use to deliver medications to HIV/AIDS patients! Click here to read more about the AFRICABIKES project

The cost to enter is only $30 and two can join together for $50.  $2 from every entry goes to Habitat for Humanity.

NEW THIS TIME AROUND…  you can choose to do 30 Days of YOGA, with a special prize offered by Bodyvine Yoga Studio of a free month of unlimited yoga at their studio (a $95 value). A one month unlimited membership to Bodyvine Yoga for new members is only $65+GST, available at the studio or through our online store. You can purchase it anytime and it will become active on April 1st when you bring your receipt to the studio. Click here to buy your Introductory 1 month unlimited membership.

Sign up for the challenge

Download The 30 Day ChallengePoster Here

Find Your Passion Through Chocolate

Are you the worlds biggest chocolate lover? You can't live without it right?

Well you don't have to!

There has been a lot of hype in health magazines recently about how chocolate is good for you. You already new that, but did you know what the best type of chocolate is? Raw, organic cacao (ka-kow). It's the real thing, the cacao bean is where chocolate comes from, it is raw, unprocessed chocolate and it's a beautiful thing. The cacao bean is full of anti-oxidants, magnesium, zinc, energizing properties and much more. Raw cacao actually contains mood enhancing "bliss" properties that will help you tap into where your passion lies. Cacao can be used as a tool for finding your life passion and purpose and when you are connected to that abundance flows. When you find your passion abundance of joy, ease, love, friends and the well sought after dollar comes to you. According to cacao's history money does grow on trees; chocolate trees that is. Cacao was used in ancient Central American cultures as currency. Edible money forced currency to be used before it was useless. No hoarding of money then!

If you are in Squamish you can take part in an amazing workshop filled with raw cacao tasting and making, experiential exercises and a chance to tap into your passion. Sign up by February 2nd and save. Check out the details of this amazing workshop here.

Here is a teaser recipe, many more will be revealed at the workshop. Keep reading to get the recipe.

The Chocolate Nutritionist

Enjoying food is the best way to digest it; it beats any digestive enzyme. When your body and mind are relaxed and you are in a place of joy, what you eat is not an issue. That is one of the biggest things I teach my clients. It does take some practice and some techniques to change our attitude towards food. Start by enjoying the process of creating a meal or snack. The more enjoyment the less guilt.

That is the basis of my food philosophy. It is not about good or bad foods, it as all about your perception and mind set. There are of course foods that are going to create more energy and ease in your body and I will be giving you tips on those in the coming weeks and months.

Here is a quick and slightly indulgent recipe that is a preview to the upcoming workshop "Discover Your Passion Through Chocolate" taught by myself and the Passionate Life Coach Vivian. Be sure to check it out on February the 11th.

Better Than Nutella

 

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder

2 tbsp extra virgin organic coconut oil

1 cup raw almond butter

 

Melt the coconut oil by placing it in a dish in hot water. Mix cacao and honey into oil. Mix in almond butter and enjoy! Try this on sliced apples and pears for a power boosting and ever so tasty snack. Protein and calcium are included in the almond butter and coconut oil provides a metabolism booster.

I invite you to my website to get my free recipe book www.ahealthierme.ca

Happy Thoughts and Good Eats,

Marissa Schiesser CNP

Your On-line Directory to Wellness!

Welcome to the Squamish Wellness Directory, your online resource for practitioners, education and information about all things healthy. You can find practitioners and learn more about what they do and what events they are hosting. Read articles about how you can make your life healthier in body, mind and spirit.

Learn about wellness and how the diverse, gifted and inspiring practitioners of Squamish and the Sea to Sky corridor can help you on your path to greater health and happiness.

Get started by discovering who the practitioners are and what they do with the Find Practitioners and Articles column. Each category lists people and has a link to informative articles.

Click on the Events category to find out what exciting, informative and fun wellness workshops and practitioner trainings are happening.

Enjoy and please post your feedback and questions after you read. You can also email info@squamishwellness.ca

If you are a practitioner and would like to be listed please email info@ahealthierme.ca or call 604-892-5452 for more information.

Enjoy good health,

The Squamish Wellness Practitioners