If you subscribe to the Montclair Right Now e-Newsletter, do you scroll down beyond the notices about tax due dates and Christmas tree collection? Nearly every time I look at the full listings lately, I discover something that’s timely, interesting — and free.
Take tomorrow, January 11, for example. At noon in the second floor conference room of the municipal building, you can get a quick primer on how to stave off colds, and avoid the aches, pains and fatigue typically associated with winter.
Montclair resident Deborah Kanter, a holistic educator, Reiki practitioner, and wellness advocate, will discuss strategies for staying healthy. You can sample soothing winter scents and teas, while learning which seasonal foods actually warm the body (and soul). What’s more, she’ll help you set yourself up for the weekend with a brief relaxation meditation.
“I’ll be talking about what how we can use food as medicine, and how to work with our natural wintertime desire to curl up,” Kanter explained. “We’ll touch on what foods, herbs and beverages are good, and how to honor our bodies with exercise. In winter, for example, foods like root vegetables and certain nuts nourish our energy and bring what in Chinese medicine is called ‘heat energy’.”
Kanter frequently shares her knowledge and tips at area retirement centers, colleges, and community centers. The program is titled Winter Tools You Can Use, and I’m so glad that doesn’t mean shovels, salt spreaders or windshield scrapers (though come to think of it, if someone could tell me how to use one of those without getting the front of my coat all wet, that would be handy too).
The program is free, but please call 973-509-4969 to reserve a seat.
Looking further, the newsletter also tells me of a program perhaps even more suited to my sedentary occupation: on Wednesday, February 27 the Montclair Health Department’s Workshop is called, Stay Fit While You Sit. Sign me up.
To get on the email list for the Township e-Newsletter, go here, and after filling in your information, scroll down and check off “Right Now Newsletters.”
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
Uggh. I hope no tax dollars were wasted on this woo.