New Year Soup Notes +

Celebrating the Inner Healer
Notes to my Soup Subscribers
1st week of January 2011

Monastery Lentil Soup

An old time comfort food – one of my earliest
vegetarian soups I’ve been sharing with guests
since the 1970’s – taken from Frances Moore
Lappe’s Diet for a Small Planet – and updated
with Daiya dairy and soy-free grated Mozzarella.

This hearty stick to the ribs soup is a meal in
itself served along with some crusty bread/corn
tortilla and a lovely raw salad.

Soup ingredients include red lentils, yellow onion,
olive oil, tomatoes, carrots, thyme, kelp, lemon pepper and
marjoram. Serve piping hot poured over the Daiya grated
mozzarella - stir well to melt - and garnish with the chopped
cilantro.

Chanting Ingredients include:
Navkar Mantra

From Thik Naht Khan:
Breathing in Cherish Yourself
Breathing Out Cherish The World

From Hopi Wisdom:
I Walk in Beauty
Beauty is Before me
Beauty is Behind me
above and below me

Sim Shalom: Let there be Peace

The gentle art of gastronomy is a friendly one. It hurdles the language barrier, makes friends among civilized people and warms the heart. Samuel Chamberlain

Bon Appetito! L'Chaim! In Joy!!
All Blessings of Compassion for the New Year!
Your singing soup-maker, Sharda
http://www.CelebratingtheInnerHealer.blogspot.com
412 656 4645

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Get Ready Get Set:

Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on Jan. 3!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates, this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. Low-fat vegan—plant-based—diets are the easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease, and reduce cancer risk. They even trim our carbon footprint.



Check out the website - amazing online supports - menus - recipes - podcasts:
Sign up at http://21daykickstart.org/


PS My Pittsburgh January soup subscription includes five weeks. If you would like a delivery/give a gift of health for 2011 - I have a couple more reservations available - if you register by Friday December 31:

You will receive a quart each Monday:
Jan. 3 Lentil tomato
Jan. 10 Mushroom Barley
Jan 17 Special Miso
Jan. 24 Vegan Italian Wedding Soup with seiten neatballs
Jan. 31 Tomatoe Spinach - Ayuvedic bone healing soup

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet.....One Future


~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Notes to my Soup Subscribers

Celebrating the Inner Healer the last week of December 2010

Enjoy your soup this week -- either my special delivery or one of your very own making!

Curried Butternut Squash

Kretschman Farm apples and squash along with Clarion River organic squash from Sligo PA are blended with the special Magic Mineral Broth c tm. This delicious and restorative veggie base was created by Chef Rebecca Katz and conveyed by ‘Chefnurcian’ Laura Pole. who I had the joy of meeting at a Smith Farm Retreat in Maryland (learn more at EatingforaLifetime.com)

Additional ingredients include olive oil, yellow onion,dried ginger and curry, almond butter and mango chutney. If you prefer a thinner/richer version, you could add coconut, almond, oat or rice milk.

Chanting ingredients:

Navkar Mantra
Kamiya Kamaviya Forgiveness Prayer

Threshold Choir:
If not love what are we here for

May eternal Light surround you

While pouring and sealing:
Jain Meditation Int’l Center grace:

From you I receive, To you I give,
Together we share, And from this we live.



It is wonderful if we chose the right diet, what an extraordinarily small quantity would suffice. Gandhi

Bon Appetito! L'Chaim! In Joy!!
Your singing soup-maker, Sharda

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Soup's On!

Celebrating the Inner Healer
Notes to my Soup Subscribers
3rd week of December 2010

Enjoy your soup this week!

Hearty Farm fresh Vegetable Soup

The Chinese yam makes a comeback
to deepen the healing properties of
this veggie soup – yes soup at last!!

The Kreschman Farm additional root
veggies are included: carrots, turnips,
potato, along with local organic swiss chard,
onions, celery, garlic, shallots, pears, cabbage
and split mung and for some added protein
and texture. Seasonings include, paprika,
poultry herbal blend and EEFCoop not-chicken
flavored broth and my fav Trader Joe’s
lemon-pepper sea salt.

The chanting ingredients include:
Namkar Mantra
Threshold Choir songs:
You Are loved.
Rest Easy.
Easy, rest easy,
Let all your troubles drift away.
Easy, rest easy,
Love surrounds you and holds you safe.

And during pouring and packing:
From the Dances of Universal Peace repertoire:
May All beings be well,
May All beings be happy,
Peace, Peace, Peace.
(Om Shanti, shanty, shanti)


Non cooks think its silly to invest two hours'
work in two minutes' enjoyment, but if cooking
is evanescent, well, so is the ballet. Julia Child

Bon Appetito! L'Chaim! In Joy!!
Your singing soup-maker, Sharda

21-Day Vegan Kickstart Less than a month till the next Kickstart! Perfect New Year's resolution! http://21daykickstart.org/
From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

December 8 – January 5, 2011

Once again, I'm sharing the Taoist Astrological Monthly Report produced by Phil Jannetta

As we celebrate the holidays, there is much opportunity for personal health and well-being. What we do (or fail to do) now will greatly influence our experiences in the new year. I hope these reports help you thoroughly enjoy the season and find renewed meaning and purpose as we turn towards the new energy year.

I join Phil in wishing you the very best over the holidays – however you celebrate them.

Phil Jannetta is an author and teacher in the fields of macrobiotics and Far-Eastern Energetics who lucky for me, lives in my neighborhood in Pittsburgh. He has an interesting online service providing monthly kernals of wisdom from Taoist astrology that I'm finding very affirming -- perhaps you too will find some useful support in the report covering the time frame from December 8 through January 5 .

General Outlook
Clearly, the holiday season - the period leading up to them, celebrating them, and unwinding and recovering from them – dominate our experiences in December. Ironically, the month is notorious for its potential for increased stress and sadness that can deepen into depression. Part of this dynamic is the spreading darkness that creeps into both ends of the day - dawn and dusk - as we drift towards the year’s shortest days.
Another factor is the operation of the dynamic of “misdirection,” found throughout life. At a time when natural forces are directing our attention inward – toward quietness and self-reflection, taking stock and making plans - social forces focus on the decidedly external activities that test our judgment and best intentions. The full force of advertising is now turned on young and old alike. Messages stoke the fires of material and emotional perception. Issues of self-image and self-worth are heavily employed in the attempt to have us to act in ways (buying and spending, excess and indulgence) that may not be conducive to our own and our family’s present and future well-being. The failure to address our inner self can result in frustration and deep-seated dissatisfaction that could last well into spring.
Emphasizing the material, we collectively (cultures and communities, families and individuals) fail in the essential task at this time of year for renewing the spirit. Too often we mistakenly seek to satisfy the genuine need for meaning and purpose, hope and comfort, family and friends, from sources bound to disappoint.


Energetics – There could be a “wintry” feel to December, not simply in the actual weather, but in our mood and levels and physical vitality as well. The energetic imperative now will be for:

1) Conserving resources - be prepared for unexpected demands of various types,

2) Replenishing yourself – physically, psychologically and spiritually, and

3) Purification – the letting go of mistaken impressions, assumptions and expectations that have accumulated over the year.


Implications – December highlights a pair of complementary activities. To benefit from the month’s mystery and yes, even magic, the advice is to consciously and enthusiastically participate in the duality this duet performs. In nature, abundance and fullness are invariably balanced by scarcity and emptiness. If we are wise, we can avoid the subtle hazards of overabundance and the obvious risks that come with insufficiency.
In preparation for the year-end celebration, the advice is to make the effort to first “empty” yourself of excess, wherever and in whatever form you find it. Do this in ways that reflect your own sensibilities, not in conformance with conventional sensibilities. Experience the genuine and profound sense of lightness that comes by giving away items you no longer use, and recycling what is no longer in working order.


Symbols and Associations – An awareness of traditional symbols and associations can help us understand our own evolving needs, drives and emotions as the months and seasons progress. December brings two powerful symbols (and their numerous associations):
The Winter Solstice – Arriving this year on December 21 (and accompanied by a total lunar eclipse), the solstice marks the year’s longest night and the start of winter on the solar calendar. Interestingly, it is also a major turning point towards light (the daylight hours slowly begin to lengthen, minute by minute).
Representing a journey’s full circle, the winter solstice is both an ending and a beginning – a two-edge sword that can be wisely or harmfully used. In this case, knowledge and awareness are crucial.
The New Year (and the End of the Current Year) – Bringing an affirming combination of hope, expectation, and celebration, the new year is a milestone marking a major shift of emphasis and influence.
Associations - Endings and Beginnings / Death and Rebirth / Past and Future - winter’s somber feel now shifts towards hopefulness and joy.
Light and Color – The seasonal colors are both magical and powerful.

Green (think of evergreens) represents renewal, youthfulness, the promise of spring, growth and vitality. In winter, green mysteriously adds a feel of warmth when the natural landscape is otherwise bleak. (In hot weather green brings fresh, cool relief.)


Red is a symbol of celebration and happiness throughout Asia. To all, it brings a welcome feel of warmth and stimulation. A strong heart and robust blood are bodily representations.
Ironically, red is related to complimentary images – the merriment and benevolence of Santa Clause, and the horror of hellish beings and of hellish states of being. It is our own condition that determines how we perceive, interpret and experience the implications of red.


Human Image – The qualities of purification and renewal will be highlighted this December.
1 Red reflects the valuable process of “going through the fire.”
This act serves to remove (burn off) what is unnecessary, harmful or mistaken in our perceptions and behavior. In the heat of high summer this occurs spontaneously (a involuntary process). As the year winds down, it is a voluntary process – it is up to us to clear the way for the new influences of the coming year.
2 Green speaks of renewal and rebirth – the promise of fresh opportunities, new areas of emphasis and a lightening of spirit. Just remember that the green energy of shrubs and trees depends on deep, healthy roots. Attend to your own roots.


Commentary – The irony at this time of year is that without the activities summarized by the red color, the promises associated with the green color are limited – growth must be preceded by consolidation, roots grow before foliage, renewal is born from letting go.

Suggestions include:
~Just as we discard the shell to enjoy the nut it contains, it is now time to actively release the superficial aspects and embrace the essential meaning of our experiences over the past year.
~Joyfully practice the spirit of kindness and charity – give of your time and talents, energy and experience, as appropriate.
~ Celebrate and delight both in the season’s enchantment, and in the awareness of fellowship that reminds us that we are members of a great web of beings with the creativity to make our world a safe, supportive family.


Food (The primary way we adjust to changing environmental influences, remain in touch with ever-shifting energies, and nourish our selves through the various stages of life, is with daily diet.)
December brings two points of focus – Simple yet strong foods (and cooking styles) are followed by the Foods of Celebration that herald the Year-End holidays. We are now actively compensating for the sun’s retreat by using food to stoke our “internal fire.” We need more high-quality oil (an essential nutrient), slightly more sea salt (another dietary essential), complex carbohydrates, and rich dishes (a continuation from November).


If we are not careful, strong cravings for (and indulgence in) sweets, alcohol, soft dairy foods, and other extremes, can now play havoc with physical and psychological health. As a result, the year’s most festive time, could find us suffering from the elimination mechanisms of fever and coughs, emotional ups and downs, and an acute sense of spiritual disconnect.
The advice is to be conscientious now.

1) Pay attention to (and anticipate) cravings, and satisfy them in wholesome ways.

2) Provide the nourishment and energy the body needs to cope with weather extremes.

3) Delight in the holidays in a mindful way and avoid the binging that inevitable imbalance body and mind.
Special Energy Days – There are days each month when the energy is especially active and bright, and others when it is slow and dull. This is true generally, and is not specific to individual natures. (Rather than basing your actions on the following dates, review them once they are past to see if this rings true in your own life.)


December’s Fortunate Dates – 12, 18, 24, 30
Inauspicious Dates – 11, 17, 23, 29
© Phil Jannetta 2010

Thanks, again, Phil, for the enlightening notes to ourselves! If you'd like to subscribe directly with Phil for 2011 - do contact him at:
E-Mail philjannetta@hotmail.com

21-Day Vegan Kickstart Less than a month till the next Kickstart! Perfect New Year's resolution! http://21daykickstart.org/
From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Week Two Notes to my Soup Subscribers

Celebrating the Inner Healer:
2nd week of December 2010

Enjoy your savory ‘stew’ this week:

Middle Eastern Sleek ala Sharda
I’ve added sea salt, lemon pepper, kelp
And leeks to the traditional ingredients
Of kale, black-eyed peas, yellow onions
And bulgar ( cracked wheat). Again, a
protein packed, stick to the ribs meal in
a bowl, with lots of minerals, vitamins
and tons of fiber!

Some folks are used to garnishing Sleek with
some salty crumbled feta – instead, I’ve
included a sample packet of Daiya's
grated ‘mozzarella’ – a dairy-free, soy-
free alternative. (Place it in your bowl
first to encourage melting – then toss
the steaming hot sleek with it and finally
drizzle fresh lemon juice to taste and
garnish with the additional fried onions.

The chanting ingredients include:
Namkar MantraSinging two Threshold choir songs:

Since Love is why I'm here
Since Love is why I'm here, Let me be an open channel
Since Love is why I'm here, let me give and then receive.

Up from the Earth (the self-healing song)

Final chant while pouring and sealing:
Sarve bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayah
The ancient universal prayer:

May all living beings know real happiness and the
source of happiness within.
May all living beings become free from delusion,
disharmony and disease.
May all perceive the true, the good and the beautiful
with clarity of mind and purity of perception.
May no one, not even the tiniest of creatures,
become a victim or cause of pain, suffering, torture
or killing.
May everyone revere the sanctity of life

To eat is human, to digest, divine. Charles T. Copeland
Bon Appetito! L'Chaim! In Joy!!
Your singing soup-maker, Sharda
From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

More Soup notes for Healthy Happy 'burghers

More soup notes for the healthy happy /'burghers.

Week Two Middle Eastern Savory Sleek "stew" has been delivered and I'm finding due to additional requests, I'm offerring single week orders when available.

So here is the upcoming schedule :

Dec. 20 Hearty Vegetable with the healing Chinese Yam
Dec. 27 Butternut Squash

Jan. 3 Lentil tomato
Jan. 10 Mushroom Barley
Jan 17 Special Miso
Jan. 24 Vegan Italian Wedding Soup with seiten neatballs
Jan. 31 Tomatoe Spinach - Ayuvedic bone healing soup


I am grateful to all the seen and unseen patrons of the zoupa!
Perhaps you'd like to request gift certificates for the January Soup subscription. Who do you know who would appreciate receiving this unique gift of health?

Pittsburghers can contact the Singing Soup maker to request online registration for January ( paid by December 27) ASAP. Subscriptions are limited. Orders reserved with a check/cash $45 by the last Monday of each month will receive one quart weekly. ( If requesting a second/third quart for the series of five weeks add an addition $22 per month.
Single quarts may be available week-to-week - call to request a week in advance ($12 per quart)

Total orders are limited right now, so order soon!

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Ingredients for Soup as Medicine Soup as Love

Celebrating the Inner Healer Notes to my Soup Subscribers
First week of December 2010

FYI: Here's a copy of the notes enclosed in the first week's soup delivery:

Enjoy your soup this week:

Shitake Mung Bean Brown Rice
with Chinese root veggie

An Asian fusion of powerful ingredients to strengthen, balance and harmonize all systems.
Mung bean broth has been my answer to the comfort and restorative powers of my childhood chicken soup. The added mushrooms add texture interest and healing properties acclaimed by our macrobiotic friends.

Along with the ingredients in the title, there is a
bit of cumin seeds, tumeric, coriander, Hungarian paprika (honoring the Mama and Grandmama) dry ginger, garlic, olive oil, leeks and shallots.

The chanting ingredients include:

Namkar Mantra – bringing in the light energy of
all those who have walked the path of self-realization from all traditions in all times.
(I always begin centering/clearing myself with this one)

Chanting: Thank You
Singing: I Am Sending You Light
Chanting: The Forgiveness Prayer: Kamiya Kamaviya

Final chant while pouring and sealing:
Shivum Astu:
Let the whole universe be blessed
May everyone be concerned with one another's
well-being,
May all the faults, weakness, suffering evaporate and vanish
May everyone, everywhere be healthy, happy, peaceful and blissful.

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish, game or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two pennysworth only of beautiful soup? Lewis Carroll

Bon Appetito! L'Chaim! In Joy!! Namaste!

Your singing soup-maker,
Sharda
Many Species...One Planet...One Future~I See You ~ Namaste ~

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,

Suzen Sharda Segall
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: http://www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com/ on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

Soup is Served!!

Most Hearty Healthy Vegan Soup subscribers received the first delivery on Monday, December 6th (my dear departed Mother Florence's birtday).



I introduced a unique Shitake Mung Brown Rice Soup. Included in the package was a sample of a traditional Indian bread - "Dokla" that I'm working on -- a lovely accompaniment to soups -- its packed with Chickpea protein and seasoned with a little cumin and mustard seeds with canola oil, fresh cilantro and coconut -- needing to be warmed up before serving. I'm eager to hear how it was received. While attending a community suprise 16th Birthday celebration for Pooja Pokharna at our Jain Hindu Temple , I got some great tips for improving my dokla making by Miraben Shah. I think all Jain women are expert cooks. I'm going to try it once again -- wish me well! I've decided that if I don't have the light spongy texture down this third try, I will make an appointment to join Garima Jain in her kitchen - and watch the expert. Her Jain vegan dishes continue to gain followers at our Public House and East Liberty Farmer's Market.

Sometimes cooking is an art as well as science, eh?!

So far, I've gotten rave reviews from subscribers on the soup - mixed on the dokla. Next week I'll offer a more familiar soup/ or it may become greens and beans -- since I'm getting lots of kale through a wonderful donation of Kretchman Farm winter CSA share of the week (that's an organic local farm that offers 'community supported agriculture' - subscriptions of weekly produce.

I want to publically acknowledge just some of the thoughtful generous gifts I've already received from soup subscriber benefactors:

Many thanks to Gloria DeRiggi for her seed money that supplied the program with a new large capacity food processor, new chef's knife and packaging materials.

Many thanks to Ernie Abhai Edson for the Kretchman Farm share - fresh local veggies and apples this week.

Many thanks to Dr. Greg Nicosia for his on-going support and gifting part of his multi-quart order to a mutual friend.

Many thanks to Pramoda Chitrabhanu whose 1970's mindful Ahimsa cooking coaching has served me and all of us so well.

And last but closest to my heart, in celebration of my first role model of Food as Medicine Food as Love -- I dedicate this project to the memory of Mama Florence Solomon Segall.

I am grateful to all the seen and unseen patrons of the zoupa!

Perhaps you'd like to request gift certificates for Pittsburghers for the January Soup subscription. Who do you know that would appreciate receiving this unique gift of health?
Stay tuned for some soup reviews -and more news on my dokla-making journey!

Many Species...One Planet...One Future~I See You ~ Namaste ~

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life

Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: http://www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com/ on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

Widening Horizons: Step back and Clear the Path

Today's title references The opening of The Tai Ji Dance of the Five Elements - a practice that brought me to know and play with Phil Jannetta a few years back.


Phil Jannetta is an author and teacher in the fields of macrobiotics and Far-Eastern Energetics who lucky for me, lives in my neighborhood in Pittsburgh. He has an interesting online service providing monthly kernals of wisdom from Taoist astrology that I'm finding very affirming. I'm including his latest information below - even though it describes the whole month of November and just the first week of December -- perhaps you too will find something affirming by reflecting on the past month and useful now to support your transition from Fall to Winter - body-mind and or spirit.

General Outlook Horizons widen in November – both literally and symbolically. As the vegetation dies back and trees drop their leaves, the natural landscape exposes a forgotten side of its character. Features previously hidden and vistas obscured for long months now reveal themselves.

This “opening up” is as apparent in our back yard and neighborhood as it is on a walk or drive through the countryside.

Implications - Nature serves as a valuable reminder, through its own example, to psychologically step back, to view the circumstances, direction and path we have walked this year, with a detached perspective (to the extent that detachment is possible when it comes to personal affairs).

Such a review is a vital exercise. It is essential if we are to avail ourselves to the inspiration and stimulation, to the imperative for growth and connectedness that is the essence of creation and the stimulus for continued personal development as we move through our lives.

Symbols and Associations – An awareness of traditional symbols and associations can help us understand our own evolving needs, drives and emotions as the months and seasons progress. The obvious symbols include:

Fire and Light- Holiday candles, lights and color are appropriate ways to balance the sun’s seasonal retreat.

A Hard, Killing Frost- Heralds the end of the growing season and the inclination for our own attention to turn inward and toward the metaphysical.

First Snow- cold and ice – Beneath the snow and frozen ground, the forces of life renew itself for the coming of spring. Do the same for yourself.

Celebrating Abundance – The image of “plenty” includes our material, psychological and spiritual resources. Commemorate those things you treasure and that make life meaningful.

Charity and Donations – What more appropriate way to acknowledge our blessings – small and large - than by sharing with family and friends, and with the less fortunate.

Appreciation and Gratitude – By recognizing, acknowledging and expressing thankfulness for all that is positive in our lives, we foster the “Abundant Mind, Giving Heart” that mirrors the order of life.

Personal Natural Image – November brings a valuable and fleeting (December offers its own emphasis) opportunity to enlarge perception and outlook – to see our lives in the context of the numerous relationships each of us exist within.

The month’s paradox lies in the fact that as the natural landscape opens up, energy is actually moving inward – it is being conserved, concentrated and refined.
Activity is polarized in November. In the plant world, the growth cycle has moved into a stage of dormancy. In the animal world, the picture can be opposite. Song birds have migrated. Many animals hibernate. For those that do not, however, there is a burst of activity motivated by the need to collect and store energy (calories) for the coming winter.

Human Image – The thrust of November’s influence revolves around two imperatives:

1. Taking Stock - reviewing our activities over the past months (the planting, growing and harvest seasons). Before the year ends, there is still time to further our goals, provided they are sharply focused and our efforts are consistently applied.

2. Getting Organized – The final weeks before year’s end are highlighted by the image of straightening up and cleaning out: of putting things in order in anticipation of Winter (both its seasonal and energetic natures.

3. Be Comprehensive - The year’s darkest and coldest days are ahead of us. Modern conveniences shield us from the extremes of physical discomfort. It is emotion and intellect, social and spiritual expression that many of us do a poor job of addressing. There is much to be gained now by examining each of these areas of personal expression. And, opportunities will be lost if we fail in this activity.

4. Acknowledge that there are tasks to be performed, promises to keep (to ourselves and to others) while the weather is still relatively mild. Use the month’s vibrancy to conscientiously set various aspects of your life in order.

Also, be sure to look ahead towards the year’s end and beyond. There is still opportunity for accomplishment, involvement and varied experiences before winter’s quiet sets in. We need only recognize that the time for completion is now at hand.

Commentary –Along with the obvious imperative to get things organized, several qualities support the suggested whole-person approach to self-examination as the year reaches its conclusion:
~ Take time each day to reflect on your experiences over the year. There are lessons, both general and specific, we can learn and apply in daily life based on both the positive and the painful. Do not waste these opportunities for growth. What you learn now will be put to use in coming seasons.

~ Identify key issues in your life that need or should be addressed. Late Autumn’s momentum (widening perspectives) makes this easier than at other times of the year. Do not procrastinate. Time passes quickly now and influences will change.

~Once you have clarified a topic or matter to work on, commit to resolving it. Be determined, intelligent and flexible in doing so.

Food – The primary way we adjust to changing environmental influences is with daily diet. We now naturally start to crave rich, warming foods - Autumn’s comfort foods are sweet, salty and oily, warm, moist and soft. The colors orange, gold and red invariably find their way onto our plate. It is time for warm and moist breakfast porridges. Thoughts may turn to thick soups and rich stews, noodles in a hot broth, and hearty Risotto (my autumn favorites include sweet- squash and mushroom, with daiya non-dairy mozzarelli Risotto). The baking season begins in earnest – for a naturally sweet taste, try baked apples, sweet potatoes or yams. At Phil's house, this is muffin season – primarily because they know how to make them without the eggs, milk, butter and refined sugar that we all avoid. Stay tuned here, I'm hoping Phil will gift us with a vegan muffin recipe soon! Breads and simple seasonal fruit pies round out his family's repertoire -- I've had fun preparing a simple baked fruit with oatmeal-walnut crumble top -- usually apples with either peaches or pinapple.

We turn to these warming foods to compensate for the sun’s retreat and the consequent loss of light and warmth. By exercising our judgment and will, we supply the materials to generate internal heat and light so we can remain active over the winter. Thank you Phil Jannetta!

How have you been celebrating the inner healer during this seasonal transition? Stay tuned for Phil's next Outlook for year's end and start of 2011.

Many Species...One Planet...One Future~I See You ~ Namaste ~

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,

Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: http://www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com/ on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

Celebrating the Joy of Giving and Receiving

The Whale... If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.


A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.


When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.


Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.


May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people and other enlightened beings who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

Many Species...One Planet...One Future~I See You ~ Namaste ~

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,

Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: http://www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.comor/ on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

Soup is On!

Putting More Compassion on the Table this Holiday Season!


I'm excited to share more widely the unique recipes I have developed for my own self-care and that of clients and friends in their time of recuperation/restoration. My soups have been inspired by a variety of ethnic traditions -- healing traditions and healers I have known. I infuse each batch with healing chants and songs. So here we have it -- the official birthing of the latest BodyArts Therapeutic practice!


If you are in Pittsburgh, you too can experience the healing power of sound and Vegan soup as we transition from Fall to Winter in the 'burgh. Perhaps you'd like to request gift certificates to give this unique gift of health to your loved ones.
I've already had some interest from friends as far away as Ann Arbor, so I'm going to do some research on shipping!

I am limiting subscriptions for the first few months. Orders reserved with a check/cash $36 by the last Monday of each month will receive one quart weekly. ( If requesting a second/third quart series for the four weeks @ $18 per. Total orders are limited right now, so order soon!


Here's a sample of Sharda's Healing soups:


Hearty Vegetable or Shitake Mung bean with a special Chinese healing root

Barley Lentil
Monastery Red Lentil - with tomato
Special Miso with baby spinach
Ayurvedic Tomato spinach broth (especially strengthens bones)
Curried Squash or Pumpkin soup
Italian Wedding with seiten neatballs
Seiten Chicken Brown Rice
Greens and Beans
and many more!!

Stay tuned here for reviews of the December soups submitted by the subscribees.

Order your soups at least one week in advance of the month - ie by:
Nov. 29 for December
Dec. 27 for January
January 31 for February
February 28 for March
March 28 for April
Call the singing soup maker for more information

Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,
Suzen Sharda Segall
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.comOr on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

The Healing Power of Food

I'm excited to be part of this unique day of cooking demonstrations, lectures on healthy diets from around the world, exhibits and opportunities to purchase a variety of healthy lunchtime treats from several local vendors .

Right by Nature has donated a Vegan Gift Basket for my Celebrating the Inner Healer raffle. They've also provided some non-dairy cream cheeses and smoked cheddar spread for sampling. I am inviting tasters to vote on their favorite plant-based product for a chance to win the Vegan Gift Basket.

Morning presentations cover a variety of topics including:
The Science of Healthy Eating
Plant-based Diets
Mediterranean Diet
Ayurvedic diet
Traditional Chinese Medicine Diet
Macrobiotic Diet

Afternoon demonstrations include:
Cooking with produce from your garden, cooking with ayurvedic spices and healthy desserts.

Look for me at the table offerring Free Su Jok acupressure hand massages and great hand-outs supporting your transition to a more powerful diet of more plant-based food.

How would your life be different if you invest in your health and wellness in a fresh way this month? If you are lucky enough to be in the 'burgh Saturday the 23rd, you could experience the support and gain momentum for a fresh start with your Self-care at this day-long special event Click for Details:
Frontiers of Holistic Medicine: The Healing Power of Food

If you are elsewhere - I'm very interested to hear what local resources you are discovering and happy to share some of my collection of educational literature sources with you.

Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,
Suzen Sharda Segall
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.comOr on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

No more burgers for Bill Clinton!

The president finally got the message that the public needs to get: what we eat is really a matter of life and death. Clinton's decision to adopt a plant-based diet was not so much about losing a few pounds for Chelsea's wedding, but about living long enough to see his grandchildren. Sandy Pukel recently wrote at the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-pukel/president-clinton-one-veg_b_750879.html


Pukel went on to state that Clinton's decision to go vegan was also influenced by the ground breaking research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health. Turns out that the truism "You are what you eat" is spot on. Food creates the body and has a great influence on our mind and spiritual life.


I share Sandy's belief that the deadly seriousness of diet hasn't been enough to make most people change their ways. The reluctance towards veganism has been less about the medical proof of its effectiveness, and more about social perceptions, misconceptions and outdated stereotypes. What people forget is that the current explosion of degenerative diseases has not only led to an increase in premature death, but also to a significantly reduced quality of life. Healthy diet offers so many benefits, but most people never get past the obstacles to discover the possibilities.

Will Tuttle has documented in The World Peace Diet how the meaning of food for us goes deeper than simple health and nutrition. The vegan lifestyle is unfortunately associated with self-deprivation. Habit, taste and tradition also create barriers to change. For many, even those facing life risk, it is inconceivable to give up foods that they grew up with and associate with pleasurable events, such as the Sunday barbeque, hot dogs at the ball game or an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. What we really need is a change in consciousness about our food. As a vegan transition educator, I have really enjoyed problem-solving with these issues. I am deeply gratified when serving vegan variations of childhood comfort foods to my guests and get enthusastic thumbs up and interest in taking the next easy-after-all steps in self-care.

For me, my circle of like-minded friends and those I coach, holistic living is joyful living. I happily share the gift of food as medicine - food as love.

This lifestyle has come quite a ways in the four decades I have been involved in the whole food movement. Circa 2010 ain't your mother's vegetarianism. It needn't mean tofu: it can mean soul food, or Asian fusion, and even ice cream and cake. I was intrigued to hear Scott Tobe (a 30 something financial advisor), on our recent Wellness Retreat report that soon after he and his wife adopted a vegan lifestyle eight couples in their circle little by little did too. With the proliferation of vegan restaurants, conscious food companies, distributors, local markets and whole food markets with hot and cold bars, CSAs that provide recipes, cooking classes, wellness getaways and meet-up socials- it is easier than ever to feel supported and enthusiastic about making lifestyle changes so big - and just one coconut or brown rice yogurt at a time!

Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for All Life,
Suzen Sharda Segall
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.comListen at: http://tinyurl.com/Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.comOr on its unique radio channel at:Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally, for over thirty-five years.

Nosh with us: Reflections on some tastes of Heaven and Earth

Sharing a few glimpses of the deeply nourishing tastes of heaven and earth experienced throughout out the WonderFilled Fall Retreat Celebrating the Inner Healer at the serene Grant Retreat last week-end...

-- communing with our inner nature...harmonizing with the magnificent nature around us...connecting with one another through the on-going practice of open-eyed meditation: cultivating being fully present --

For me, a funny moment was seeing our new four-legged friend 'Forgiveness' leaping with joy and abandon playing catch in the field -- also deeply affirming of my own joyfilled moments of freedom. Thank you Forgiveness - and of course for being the gift of constant opportunity reminding me to check-in and ask my self: need I forgive now?

The most awe-filled time was when the theme of Roses emerged as each of us shared at the start of our Friday evening in the Great Room: just because I stroked the chimes I brought along as an afterthought; just because I asked the translation of the name Shoshana. First it affirmed my mysterious connection with Bhagwan - (this is emerging as a pattern), and if that weren't enough, every one else in the circle had a deep connection with 'Rose' - even for Stephen - our 'absentee participant' ! Delightfilling!!


And from Scott:
It was truly a pleasure to meet every one of you. My special memories are rooted in my interactions with each of you.

Sharda I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness with my food. The past week and a half have been a challenge for me to change my eating habits and learn new ones. To have a weekend off, where I could just eat delicious food and not have to think about every ingredient meant a lot to me.

Thank you for putting this retreat together and successfully holding the space for a weekend that I believe will send out its ripples for months and years to come. I believe that it is groups like ours, all across the world that are creating the energy for our world to successfully transition to a higher and more conscious frequency. Thank you also for the love and thoughtfulness that you put into each meal. It truly raised my vibrations! Lastly, thank you for the Qi Gong, yoga and meditation. I really enjoyed it!


Brooke, Thank you for hosting us in such a magnificent spot. The energy was one that was built over years with much intention. It created a physical space where we could come together and do work on a deeper then physical plane. I enjoyed talking with you and getting to know you and your sweet dog, Forgiveness.


Rabbi Adalah, Thank you for your wonderful poetry, words of wisdom and prayers. Thank you also for showing me new depths within the religion of my birth. You have opened me to aspects of Judaism that so few are willing or able to share today. Your work is important and needs to be taught to many! Our people share a common purpose of Tikkun Olam (healing the world) and I think that you are doing this on your path.


Bhagwan, Thank you for sharing your musical talents and knowledge. It is obvious that music is your path and that you are a great teacher of the power that lies within music. In such a short time, I learned so much about drumming. However, more than the drumming, I recognized, all be it briefly, the power that lies in the unity that we created through the vibrations that we made, together, as one!

Lastly, I would love a synopsis on Bhagwan’s talk to the group that I unfortunately had to miss.

Thank you all for a wonderful weekend and I look forward to connecting again in the future.

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Reservations re-opened!

Three spots are now open for additional retreaters! We are very excited to bring together new and old friends sharing from the heart and soul - Celebrating the Inner Healer and Reverence for all life. With last minute cancellations just in, we are extending reservations to Friday noon.
Now that I've been out and about marketing and prepping, I'm feeling like this is my Thanksgiving celebration. (afterall, it is on the heels of Sukkot - the Harvest Fest in the Jewish tradition and my grateful heart is ever-expanding counting so many blessings each day)

This rain and cold front should prepare a marvelous Fall palette for our enjoyment especially along the last 20 miles to the Grant Retreat near Indiana PA.

With some requests for wheat-free/gluten free dishes, I've tweeked the menu some - adding Polenta, which I had forgotten is such a great Fall complement to the roasted root veggies. With the great Daiya products - offerring grated vegan cheese options I can incorporate the mozzerella version into the corn meal - exciting -- its soy free, very real ingredients -the base is actually tapioca!! Many thanks to the East End Food Coop for their support for our World Vegetarian Day Supper.

You can be sure I will collect some quotes from the participants on their thumbs up dishes worth repeating - and hopefully will have some photos and stories to report here next week. Maybe we'll even vote on the tastiest 'Milk '.

If you aren't with us in person this time, perhaps for welcoming Fall 2011 - at The Peace Farm? Abhai and I took a field trip Sunday to tour and join in on a Sufi program and pot luck -- we had a wonder filled time. It will be a lovely setting for us -- The International Peace Center - was obviously built as a labor of love - and quite in harmony with nature -- It looks southwestern - and the seven bedrooms with private baths are pristine and cozy - the whole center is very welcoming - so - pencil us in Celebrating the Inner Healer Fall 2010 - tentative dates we're researching: September 23 -25 or October14-16 - You heard it here first!! ( and actually with private room space at a premium, early registration is key)

Between Heaven and Earth: Spirit Drumming Guidance with Bhagwan Stan Sternberg

My name is Bhagwan Stan Sternberg. Suzen Sharda Segall has asked me to write a guest column on her blog about my last two months teaching and experiencing Spirit Drumming. I've been a drummer for almost forty years and have been through numerous metamorphoses of what drumming is all about. Spirit Drumming is the latest, a concept that is just now coming together for me as I head into a totally new phase of my life.

Drumming has always been a very important part of me. First I drummed for Ta'amulat, a troupe of belly dancers. Then I put together my own troupe of Moroccan wanabee drummers and dancers. Then drumming merged into improvisational music with a variety of acoustical and electric instruments. Through each iteration I grew and flourished as a drummer and as a teacher. And each iteration revealed to me a mystical universe that I was totally unaware of. Spirit Drumming has grown from out of a mystical seed that was planted many years ago. Let me tell you the story of that seed.

It's the mid 70's in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The vibes of this time and place are loose and free-flowing. There is a large drum circle in myhome, the music is powerful and intense and I have been carried out of my body by the trance inducing rhythms. Our guest, Maria Morca, a famous Middle Eastern dancer and teacher from New York is chattingwith our own Ann Arbor teacher and troupe Ta'amulat leader Suheyla.
Actually, they're talking loudly to be able to hear each other over the din. Their voices float above, around and though the rhythms, and lend an earthly quality to my otherwise minimal connection to thisphysical time and place. Suddenly, through the cacophony of drums andvoices another voice penetrates, speaking clearly and distinctly and Iam immediately aware that it is a voice from the other side.
But the speaker is Maria Morca.

I can see her and hear her and she is chatting away in my home but simultaneously speaking to me over the ethers. She is repeating my name to get my attention. Surprised, I fall out of my trance but she is still calling me, "Stan, Stan." So I respond through my thoughts while I am drumming and I express my concerns that what I am experiencing is a hallucination induced by my drumming trance. So she replies that there is a very unambiguous way of proving the reality of our ethereal conversation, and that I should tell her a short phrase, one that would be very unlikely to be expressed out loud this evening. So I respond with "mathematical morphology", an obscure computer image processing technology that I am currently studying. Then the voice in my head grows quiet and only the sound of the drum sand the sound of Maria's chatting are registering. I listen to Maria and Suheyla having an academic discussion about their art, and I distinctly catch Maria telling Suheyla "...music is based on the art of the mathematical, morphology creates dancing ...". And they go right on chatting while Maria's voice in my head asks "Well?"

I ask her what is the purpose of this magical display and she replies that it is an initiation. "An initiation into what?" I ask, but there is no response. I wait and wait, but there is only the sounds of the drums and the chatting. The call was lost, we were disconnected. She doesn't call back. At the end of the evening we uneventfully exchange goodbyes. I've often wondered what she would have replied, or if she intended to end our conversation at that moment. But just now I'm beginning to understand that only I could have provided an answer to my own question. For now I feel like an initiate, an initiate into a life that bridges the physical with the metaphysical across a broadrange of disciplines. Spirit Drumming is a big part of the answer that is just now emerging from the earth after laying dormant for so many years.

Spirit Drumming is about allowing ourselves to become a channel for both earth energy and sky energy. As humans we now live at the interface of earth and sky. Long ago, before we were human, we lived at the interface of earth, sky and water. Our primary function as living organisms is to be a channel for concentrating and conducting sky energy into the earth and for concentrating and conducting earth energy into the sky. Think of a tree. Through the beneficence of the soil which the tree concentrates with its roots it propels itself out of the ground and into the sky where, through its leaves it releases oxygen which nourishes the sky. Simultaneously the leaves collect sky energy in the form of sunlight and concentrate that energy in its tissues so that they can be returned into the soil and nourish the earth. As humans we derive obvious benefit from the processes occurring in both directions.

As Spirit Drummers we concentrate the earth energy of food and warmth and express it through the channel of our bodies into the acoustical vibrations of our drums carried through the sky to heal and bring joy to anyone listening. And in exchange we mingle with and collect the sky energies of loving oneness, the metaphysical sun, the source of all being. And we channel that oneness into the earth where it is so sorely needed right now, at this moment. A oneness that has the power to unite the disparate parts of our planet and its populations. A oneness that brings us individually so much peace and joy. Spirit Drumming is fun, and its good for you and your whole planet. Try it soon.

Bhagwan Stan Sternberg
Ann Arbor Michigan
Join Stan and our Pittsburgh community for October 1st and 2nd Drumming in the Country. Refer to the previous entry for more information.

Thank you Bhagwan, Thank you one and all,
Namaste,
Suzen Sharda Segall

Welcome Fall Retreat:Celebrating the Inner Healer

Like the first retreat held in Berkeley Springs, this second one has also been organically grown and guided by the longings of the hearts and by the local community resources.

This time, opening on World Vegetarian Day, October first, we are hosted by Brooke Grant, at his breath-taking property about 70 minutes from Highland Park near Indiana Pennsylvania.

In the brief time we will have to share together, I am excited to introduce you to some of my favorite gems in terms of BodyArts, plant-based delicious meals and talented light-bearers with specialties of their own - these guests will share leadership with me throughout the week-end.

By selecting a venue that will provide a lovely Fall ride to the country, we can offer would-be retreaters the option of joining us for the entire week-end or as day-trippers -- coming either Saturday/Sunday or commuting both days. Come for full day program Saturday/Sunday - with Yoga at 9 am or Come for lunch through evening program. Overnight accommodations are limited - so please call today to reserve (camping out is also an option)


Since parking and lodging space is limited and we must adhere to a reservations only policy. (Please call to discuss special needs) Reservations for the full week-end need be mailed by Wednesday - Sept. 22 - (or request Pay Pal billing) Reservations by the day - need be received by Tuesday Sept. 28.


Friday Evening: Our opening welcome circle will include a guided practice with the Chi Gong and The Tai Ji Dance of the Five Elements I will lead on the deck facing the woods. These standing, ancient slow-motion easy-to-learn exercises are both refreshing and relaxing. With this Chinese Yoga we will connect in a new way to our inner nature while appreciating the natural beauty surrounding and grounding us.
Following our plant-based supper, I will introduce Bhagwan Stan Sternberg who will lead us in Spirit Drumming. I've also invited Stan (Bhagwan) to be a guest blogger to give us an update on his weekly new Spirit Drumming corps experiences and give you more of a sense of what we'll share both Friday eve and Saturday 4-6 pm with Spirit Drumming - do tune in here again this week for Stan's post.


Saturday: The anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday - Greet the Day with my very own YeSSS! Method of Restorative Yoga and Guided Relaxation and enjoy a breakfast buffet. During the late morning and mid-afternoon breaks, I'll schedule Su Jok and acupressure massage sessions for individuals. We'll have a picnic lunch on the deck of the cabin overlooking the pond - and after some rest time, enjoy being introduced to the nature around us in a unique partnered six senses walk. Free time will follow before we gather for the Community Spirit Drumming session from 4-6 pm. I'm anticipating several day-tripper seasoned drummers from on-going corps joining us as well as newbies. If you have your own drum do bring it!
Our Vegan Indian dinner at 6:30 will provide some delicious socializing time -- and may include some plant-based covered dishes brought along by the day-trippers.

We'll reconvene on the deck (weather permitting) for sunset guided Tai Ji practice and the introduction to the sharing of Rabbi Adalah - we'll have a glimpse of her special work calling in the Angels and send us to bed with a deeply satisfying integration of the experiences of the day.


Sunday: Again, we greet the day with our two hour yoga practice and share in a mindful eating experience with our special brunch. There will be some quiet time, followed by Rabbi Adalah leading a The Healing Water Meditation celebrating the rivers within flowing into and with the ancient rivers of mother earth. Then, some time for yourself before we gather again for supper and our closing circle ceremony before getting back on the road by 7:30.

If you are within driving distance pleases Join us!! If you are not, stay tuned for the schedule of upcoming retreats in many special near and far away places!

For further details on some of the modalities included in the Oct. 1-3 program, view the archived posts
May: That was then this is now
July: Journey of The BodyArts
July: Springs Spirit Drumming
Sept.: Giving Thanks Now
Reflections on Return Mountain Retreat

Send request for more information and registration through http://www.wellnesstraining.com/.
From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Giving thanks now

Today, I'm passing along news from White Rose Farm in Maryland. Owner, Sally Voris included on the website the following poem written by her colleague. Always timely, and I am especially resonating with the images during the Eight Days of Forgiveness, as I count my blessings of appreciation, and as I begin the ten day Jewish High Holy Days special time of reflection on the past year, and setting intentions for the new year/new season.

Last evening during the welcoming in service for Rosh Hashanah, guided through Rabbi Adalah our small circle prayed for, blessed and honored one and all. Rabbi Adalah and I met last Fall in my community Tai Ji/QiGong series and have been enjoying one another's work ever since.

Rabbi Adalah received her 'smicha' - Rabbinic and Spiritual Direction ordinations from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi; she is also a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America as Hazzan and Masters in Sacred Music; Adalah also holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Mills College in Oakland, California, as well as her studies at The Juilliard School in voice in New York City.

Adalah is "…opening up new realms of possibilities,manifesting the spiritual in the material world," (Rabbi Hannah Tiferet Siegel).
Adalah weaves tradition with the present, as we continue opening to the future. I find that she sparks heartfelt re-connections that help bring healing and wholeness within and around us;to ourselves, each other and our home - the earth


She's developing a Pittsburgh spiritual community - 'havarah' - called Ohr Nistar - 'Mystical Light', a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive community coming together for the soul, well-being of self, each-other and our planet. Ohr Nistar offers a unique place for spiritual growth sustained by contemplative meditative practices integrating soul, body, mind and heart.

We'll meet again during Yom Kippur a week from Saturday. You can learn more at: http://rabbiwithoutborders.org/

Here's Jean Bryson Strohl's poem:

Pray for the land
Breathe with and for the land
Imagine the land flexible, permeable, lighted stardust
beaming its message to the universe
Pray in your own way
including the land in every breath you take for you love the land
It is a part of you and you are a part of the land
mirrors of love and light magnifying, intensifying
bring hope forward, bring possibilities forward, bring healing and wholeness
an image that can be sustained even as one is witnessing a devastation, a death

This kind of praying insists life is in the land in you
though the life you once knew and loved can be seen no more on the land
it is in the land, in you, in the memories that can be recalled, reshaped, released
To be seen, all that lies below must break the surface
like a fish emerging from deep sea waters

Send love to the land
to all that walks its surface and all that lies beneath the surface
Who has loved the land loves it still – calling to it, singing to it
inviting it to breathe deeply
to exhale a huge collective sigh of relief across the land
a balmy breeze that comforts and builds hope for all

Pray for the land
in your backyard and round the globe
It is all your back yard, familiar terrain
unrecognized in the fog of fear
Breathe deeply
exhaling a sigh of relief to clear the fog
revealing the land of the heart ever present
resonating with each deep breath

Love will clear the air
This is the way to pray
Only faith born of hope born of faith can see far enough and deep enough to know
The prayers are for all
The land, the Earth, breathes more easily when we do
so we shall breathe our best
for all
September 2010
And if you live near Taneytown/Westminster Maryland -- you may be able to benefit from the biodynamically grown Fall CSA -- community supported agriculture offer of weekly fall bounty - including salad greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, peppers and root vegetables like tunips, beets and carrots - fresh produce made with love at only $25 per week!--see Sally's website -- for contact info at http://www.whiterosefarm.com/



Many Species...One Planet...One Future

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for all Life,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Count-down to the Kickstart!

Join PCRM's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart That Begins on Sept. 6.

More than 20,000 people have already signed up for the Sept. 6 Kickstart, and we're just getting started! Everything about the Kickstart is easy, including how to join in. Have more fun by grabbin' your family and friends to take this healthful challenge with you and sign up today at http://www.21DayKickstart.org or click on the title above or the logo!

The Kickstart is a free online program that makes it easy to try a plant-based diet! Meal plans, celebrity coaches, restaurant guides, special events, and much more are in store for you beginning Sept. 6. Here's your sneak preview:

Ask the Vegan Doc on Sept. 15: This conference-call style forum for Kickstart participants allows you to hear from two all-star pediatricians who follow a plant-based diet, Leslie Brown, M.D., and Jay Gordon, M.D. They will share their advice that includes plant-based nutrition for all stages of life and take your questions!

I'll be in the 'burgh partnering with at least one 'burgher on the road to better health, optimal weight and deep satisfaction --and am eager to celebrate here with everyone else taking the challenge -- so sign up to follow me - to the right -- and tell us you have joined - and keep us posted on how it's going -- there is plenty of support online -- and I'm also going to have a weekly teleconference check-in call - where we can have more of a conversation about our kickstart experiences -- Q & A -- shopping tips --- tips for overcoming obstacles --

Speaking of obstacles, so why have you not yet signed up for the 21 Day Kickstart??

Let's get the list of obstacles going folks -- in the comment section below --

We will address each one -- and overcome each one -- together!

Here's the first one -- My 'burgher friend who I promised to walk thru these 21 days with -- doesn't like to go on line --

So, Monday, I will be by her side - firing up and registering the both of us -- at her computer --

I will also have a daily phone date with her -- to keep the focus and the accountibility -- -

It's a new adventure! Aren't you worth it??

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live
Many Species...One Planet...One Future
~I See You ~ Namaste ~
Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Reflections on Return Mountain Retreat

I came back from our "Return Mountain" weekend feeling transformed. I went to the retreat with a singular hope, to establish a unity in my life, a completeness of purpose, a new fullness to replace the void created by Sarita's transcendence.

I return with a sense of oneness I didn't know existed, a fuller and deeper appreciation of the richness of my life's possibilities. I have done many workshops but this weekend topped them all by a mile. Thank you Sharda. You are our magnificent host and leader.

Thank you Namrata, Sohum, Carolyn and Joe for completing the spiritual interconnection of six seekers. We all so benefitted being together. We all enjoyed the weekend of just being in such a marvelous environment. Sharda, this was a 5 star weekend in my book, so well worth the journey from Michigan. You can count on my coming back to Berkeley Springs.

From you I receive, to you I give,
Bhagwan Stan Sternberg

I love how a group of six very unique people were brought together for not much more than forty-eight hours, but what happened in that forty-eight hours because of the dynamics of those six people was spiritual, magical and eternal. I am gratefjul for G-d's leading of Sharda in orchestrating and conducting this beautiful symphony...I will never forget what I learned and experienced...it's part of my fiber and my life now. I am blessed.... Carolyn P. Baltimore MD. 8 - 23-10

Stan was quoting the Grace before each meal that I sing with the retreaters -- in its entirety:

From you I receive, To You I give, Together we share and From this we live

It really sums up the whole message of Ahimsa - Reverence for All Life - Celebrating our interdependence - I See You ~ Namaste!
Many Species...One Planet...One Future

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and the Rhythm of Nature,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years

Keep chewin'!!

Another medical leader in the field of reversing and preventing disease through nutrition is lesser known Joel Fuhrman, MD who has done some exceptional science-based work and public service via his online resources. I have his permission to reprint the following article featuring his nutritarian philosophy and principals.

What if your health can be predicted by the quality of the calories you consume? Chew on this and let me know if you take the challenge - experiment for 21 days with either this nutritarian system of Dr. Fuhrman or the Vegan transition Kickstart program of Dr. Neal Barnard -- and do use the comment section on this blog for support through written intentions - and accountability -- keep us posted on how you are doing!

My nutritarian food pyramid illustrates the principles of my Health Equation: Health = Nutrients / Calories (H = N / C) which defines how health is impacted by the micronutrient per calorie density of the diet. In other words, the future of your health can be predicted by the quality of the calories you consume. Micronutrient per calorie density is important in devising and recommending menu plans and dietary suggestions that are the most effective for tackling weight loss and for preventing and reversing disease.


It is not merely that these foods are not micronutrient rich and displace protective foods off our plate, but also that too much animal protein is linked to higher levels of IgF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) increasing risk of breast and prostate cancer. By keeping these low nutrient foods to a minimum and striving to eat at least 90% of calories from unrefined plant foods you construct a health-promoting, disease-preventing diet that has tremendous potential.

My experience in the last 20 years of medical practice is that individuals following this type of diet have transformed their health, and are living well in their 80's and 90's without the diseases plaguing other Americans. I call those who strive to follow a high nutrient eating style for its disease-protective properties, nutritarians.

Nutritional science has demonstrated that colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, most of which still remain unnamed. Only by eating an assortment of nutrient-rich natural foods can we access these protective compounds and prevent the common diseases that afflict Americans.

Go to his website to Learn more:
·Become a nutritarian

·Best foods for weight-loss and disease protection

· Compare it to the USDA MyPyramid

By following the guidelines of his nutritarian food pyramid and eating an abundance of high nutrient foods you can obtain superior health, lose weight, and recover from chronic illnesses such as headaches, indigestion, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. See more at http://www.drfuhrman.com/


Many Species...One Planet...One Future

Yours in Wellness, Gratitude, Vitality and Reverence for all Life,
Suzen Sharda Segall

This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information:

© Suzen Sharda Segall 2010, CelebratingtheInnerHealer.com

Listen at: http://tinyurl.com/

Blog: www.celebratingtheinnerhealer.blogspot.com

Or on its unique radio channel at:

Suzen Sharda Segall, Wellness Personal Trainer/Consultant, designer and facilitator of BodyArts Therapeutics, has provided an integrated approach to health and wellness for a wide variety of populations, internationally,for over thirty-five years