Stellaria Newsletter (with props to Gyacomo)
Stellaria Natural Health News
May 2007: Committing to Change In This Issue A Month of MeditationPositive vs. Negative ReinforcementStellaria in the MediaQuick Links
More on MeditationCenterstage ChicagoMore On Us
Always Updated Class Schedule
Stephanie's BlogNotes
Yes, we do carry Neti pots for nasal lavage. However, we are currently sold out and expecting a new shipment soon. Our pots are handmade by Drena Aspelin of Utah, who has had to hire extra help since Oprah featured Neti pots on her show! If you'd like to place an advance order, let us know.
Look for the new Class Schedule in the next week or so! Our classes fill very quickly because they are small and our students are dedicated. We are open to the possibility of holding more Yoga classes, but we need to have committed students. To start a new class, we need just 4 students. If you have a group who'd like to get together at a certain time, contact us!
We will be CLOSED Saturday, May 26 through Monday, May 28. Enjoy the holiday!
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"When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May."--the Temptations
It has been an unpredictable spring thus far, moving from prematurely hot days to chills and fierce rainstorms. For most of the last month, we haven't known what to expect or how best to prepare. Winter coat or sandals? Umbrella or sunglasses? Some of you arrived for classes or appointments well-prepared for any eventuality--short sleeves under winter coats, umbrellas and sunglasses. Others gambled, choosing to risk being drenched in order to soak up the brief joy of sunshine on bare skin.
Life is a lot like the weather. We never know exactly what we'll be facing from day to day. We make our best guesses, choose our strategies, and take our chances. We control what we can, and accept that much is out of our control.
Here at Stellaria, we specialize in helping you find the best strategies to handle the weather of your life. We are dedicated to a model of health in which you are the decision maker, and we are your assistants, offering suggestions for strategies and protective measures. We know that the best and most lasting changes always come from inside, and that each of us must choose how to face our own weather.
Once the choice is made, the next step is committing to it. This is easier said than done, as any adult knows. Good intentions only get us so far, and then the real work begins. This month, I present some thoughts and strategies on creating real change in our lives. Enjoy!30 Day Challenge
A Month of Meditation
Inspired by the Dalai Lama's recent visit, I returned to my meditation practice. Every evening, I sat for at least a few minutes...for just over a week. Then life intervened.
Those days on the cushion were enough to remind me of why I meditate: it feels good. It's not easy, it's not always comfortable; but a few moments of clarity, a rest from the chatter of my everyday mind, gave me more strength for the daily grind. Yet I let myself lose the momentum. Obviously, I needed a little more incentive.
I found it here, in the form of a "30 Day Challenge" which has been making the rounds in Buddhist online circles. The challenge is simply to meditate every day for 30 days. Groups of friends join to provide encouragement and community as they strive to meet their goal. Any amount of time spent in contemplation counts. The important thing is to do it every day. At the end of 30 days, you have the satisfaction of achieving your goal--and hopefully, your meditation has truly become habitual.
You need not be Buddhist to meditate. In fact, contemplative practice is a part of every spiritual tradition. Several secular forms of meditation exist, and it is widely recommended by today's healthcare practitioners. (Read more about the health benefits here).
Luckily, the month of June is nearly upon us, with its convenient 30 days. I will begin the 30 day challenge on June 1, and I challenge you to join me. If you would like to join in the 30 Day Challenge, just send me an e-mail at stellariachicago@yahoo.com. The only cost is your time, and the potential benefits are immeasurable. If you are interested in learning to meditate, stay tuned for details on our next session of Meditation Fundamentals, taught by Jason Shadday (who has been away for the month of May--meditating, of course!)Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement
Reward or Punishment
Recently a friend of mine decided to follow the advice of a personal trainer, someone who believes that the best way to reach a goal is not through positive reinforcement (rewards for doing well) but through negative reinforcement (punishment for not doing well). It's an interesting concept. Do some of us excel only when faced with an unpleasant consequence? Do others of us lose our incentive to succeed when the rewards for success become commonplace?
Here's what I think: the world of healthcare is rife with negative reinforcement, the most commonly used being fear. If you don't quit smoking/lose weight/exercise regularly/take this drug you will become sick and die. It may be couched in gentler terms, but that's the gist of it. How many times a day do we hear this message? How many of us are actually motivated to do anything about it? Fear may be the reason we initialize change, but it rarely keeps us going through the steps that follow.
I find positive reinforcement to be a much more powerful motivator. People come to us for help making changes, and quite often the stories of why they want to change begin with fear: my mother died of lung cancer; my children are worried about me; I don't want to take harsher drugs for this condition.
What keeps them going, two or three months down the line, is not that continued threat, but the fact that they feel better. Positive reinforcement. You may decide to quit smoking because of the fear of lung cancer; but you will find it easier to stay away from cigarettes because now you breathe better, you have more energy, and a large chunk of your money has been freed up for other things.
Whether you decide to motivate yourself to change with positive or negative reinforcement, do remember this: make sure that you have given yourself concrete steps to take, steps that are within your control. "Working out every day for the next month" is within your control; "getting down to a size 6" is not, no matter what personal trainers or diet plans may promise. Beginning with an uncontrollable goal is setting yourself up for failure, regardless of the reward system you've chosen.
Make sure that each step you take along the way to your goal is intrinsically rewarding, and you are well on your way to success. (For an example of intrinsically rewarding steps, see my article on meditation, above).Stellaria in the MediaCenterstage Chicago
Julia Steinberger, columnist for Centerstage Chicago, the well-researched and user-friendly online city guide, came to Stellaria to explore Naturopathic Medicine with Stephanie. You can read all about it here.
By the way, even before they came to visit, Centerstage was our favorite way to find out what was shakin' around town. Make sure you explore the site while you're there!
We are finally on the cusp of Summer. Here's wishing that you find all your goals attainable, and each step along the way fulfilling! Remember, we are here to help you on your path. Let us know how you're doing!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Draus, ND
Stellaria Natural Health
Stellaria Natural Health is an innovative wellness center located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. We offer a unique array of services, including Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine, individual and family counseling, massage therapy, Integral Bodywork, reflexology, craniosacral therapy, and more. Classes include Yoga, Meditation, T'ai Chi, and Belly Dance.