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